In our texting-addicted age, owning one of the credit cards with cellphone protection makes good sense. If your phone is lost, stolen, or damaged, there is the immediate panic of being out of touch with your family, friends, Twitter, and the rest of the world, not to mention the possible exposure of personal and account data.
To add insult to injury, there is the cost of repairing or replacing your phone, a cost that can be considerable.
By purchasing your phone or paying your monthly bill with a credit card that has cellphone insurance, you can reduce or eliminate the expense of fixing your phone or getting a new one. Make sure you read the fine print — each credit card issuer sets the rules regarding phone coverage.
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The Best Cards With Cell Phone Protection
The following cards (some without an annual fee) are good choices to start with, and they’re made only better by including a cell phone protection benefit. The details of the various plans are similar but not identical, so you’ll benefit from reading the fine print accompanying each card offer.
For example, check whether the issuer will reimburse you with cash or with a statement credit.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card provides reimbursement of up to $800 to repair or replace a damaged or stolen eligible cell phone. You must pay the monthly bill for your cellphone with your card to qualify for coverage.
Any device on your monthly cell phone bill is covered, so family members or anyone else whose bill you pay for with the card can benefit from the coverage as well. There’s a $50 deductible per claim, with a maximum of two claims per 12-month period.
The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card covers cell phone theft and damage for you and your employees who are listed on your monthly cell phone bill. This business credit card gives you up to $600 coverage per claim, minus a $100 deductible, with a maximum of three claims per 12-month period. You must pay your wireless bill with the card, which then rewards you with points.
Coverage extends to an involuntary and accidental parting of your cell phone, theft (a police report is required), and accidental damage. You may receive additional, albeit limited, cell phone protection from the card’s eligible purchases protection and extended warranty. With the coverage from this business credit card, your company will be spared the expense of paying for third-party cellphone insurance.
The Platinum Card® from American Express delivers cellular wireless phone protection for your primary and additional phones when you pay your monthly wireless bill using the card. Coverage from this Amex card applies to the repair or replacement of stolen or damaged phones. The maximum benefit is $800 per claim (minus a $25 deductible) for up to two claims per 12-month period.
This is supplemental coverage, meaning it covers only what other insurance policies don’t, subject to various limits and exclusions. You can open a claim by calling 1-833-784-1467 within 90 days of the loss and filing proof of loss within 120 days of loss. Documentation requirements include copies of your Amex card statement, cell phone billing statement, purchase receipt, other insurance claims, and repair estimates and photos or a copy of a police report filed within 48 hours of the theft.
The eligible cellular wireless telephone protection feature provided by the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card covers you against damage to, theft of, or involuntary and accidental parting of your primary and secondary cell phones. The maximum cellphone protection benefit is $600 per claim for up to two claims within a 12-month period, with a $25 per-claim deductible. Your coverage is supplemental and kicks in only after other applicable insurance.
The coverage doesn’t apply to units that are lost or experience electronic failure or issues. You get coverage automatically when you use your card to pay your monthly cell phone bills. To receive reimbursement, you must notify U.S. Bank (at 1-866-894-8569) within 60 days and submit your completed claim form and supporting documentation within 90 days of the theft or damage.
- Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new card in your first 6 months of ownership
- Earn 15,000 Medallion Qualification Miles after you spend $30,000 in purchases on your card, up to 4 times/year
- Earn 3X miles on Delta purchases made directly with Delta — all other purchases earn 1 mile per $1
- Complimentary access to The Centurion Lounge and the Delta Sky Club® plus two Delta Sky Club One-Time Guest Passes each year
- Receive a domestic First Class, Delta Comfort+®, or Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express card
- As a benefit of Card Membership, you can check your first bag free on Delta flights booked with your card. You can save up to $60 on a round-trip Delta flight per person.
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
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Annual Fee
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Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
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N/A
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20.24% – 29.24% (Variable)
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$550
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Excellent
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The Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card provides cell phone coverage of up to $800 per claim, subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two claims per 12-month period.
As with other cards that offer this benefit, you must pay your monthly bill with the card to be eligible for the coverage. Lost phones and cosmetic damage that doesn’t affect the phone’s ability to make and receive calls are also ineligible. Call 1-833-784-1467 to open a claim.
The Deserve® EDU Mastercard covers damage and theft to one primary and two secondary cell phones when you pay your cellular bill using the card. Coverage limits are $600 per loss (minus a deductible of $50) and up to $1,000 per 12-month period. This is excess coverage that activates only after you are reimbursed by other applicable insurance or indemnity policies.
To file a claim, call 1-800-Mastercard to request a claim form and submit it within 90 days of the loss. You have 120 days from the loss to submit the required documentation. Damage claims must be accompanied by a repair estimate and photographs of the damage, whereas theft claims require a copy of a police report filed within 48 hours of the theft.
The nRewards® Secured Credit Card from the Navy Federal Credit Union comes with supplemental eligible cellular wireless telephone protection against damage to, theft of, or involuntary and accidental parting of your cell phone. You receive benefits only after payment from other applicable insurance, such as homeowner or renter policies.
The cellphone protection benefit is $250 per claim with a $50 deductible, and you are allowed up to two claims every 12 months. Your coverage begins the first day of the calendar month following payment of your cellular wireless phone bill using the credit card. Various items are not covered, including cell phone accessories, phones purchased for professional or commercial use, and phones that mysteriously disappear without evidence of a wrongful act.
What Is Cell Phone Protection?
Cell phones have become indispensable to modern life, and their loss or theft can be extremely disruptive. The cell phone protection benefit won’t prevent damage or theft to a unit, but it will reimburse you for your loss, subject to certain limits and conditions.
Not all credit cards (and no debit card offerings) provide cell phone protection, and not all protection plans are equal. What they do have in common is that you must pay your cell phone bill using your card.
If this sort of protection is important to you, make sure you read the card’s full disclosures to see how much money the plan will cover, what exclusions apply, and the timelines for filing a claim.
How Does Credit Card Cell Phone Protection Work?
For credit cards that offer it, cell phone protection covers theft of and damage to your cell phone(s), up to set limits per loss and per year. Deductibles usually apply, ranging from $25 to $100 per loss.
In virtually all plans, the coverage is secondary, meaning it only pays benefits after you’ve exhausted your claims from other applicable insurance and indemnity policies. Loss limits range from $250 to $1,000 per incident and $500 to $1,500 in a 12-month period.
Coverage begins when you pay your cellular bill with your credit card and lapses if you pay in some other manner.
One thing these protection plans don’t cover is mysterious disappearances. These are phones lost without evidence of theft.
But the exclusions don’t end there and may include telephones:
- Purchased as replacements from other than a cellular service provider’s retail or internet store.
- Purchased for resale or professional or commercial use.
- Stolen from a construction site.
- Stolen from baggage unless hand-carried and under supervision.
- Suffering damage or theft resulting from misdelivery or voluntary parting.
- Taxes, delivery or transportation charges, or any fees associated with the service provided.
- Not received as a part of a recurring monthly plan from a cellular provider.
- Under the care and control of a common carrier.
- With cosmetic damage.
- With damage or theft resulting from abuse, intentional acts, fraud, hostilities of any kind, confiscation by the authorities, risks of contraband, illegal activities, normal wear and tear, flood, earthquake, radioactive contamination, or damage from inherent product defects or vermin.
You must file and document a claim according to the card issuer’s timelines. Typically, you have 90 days to file a claim and 120 days to submit documentation, both dating from the day the phone was damaged or lost.
Which Credit Card Has the Best Cellphone Protection?
The award for best coverage goes to The Platinum Card® from American Express. It offers eligible card accounts up to $1,550 in coverage per 12-month period after deductibles.
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new card to make $6,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points for flights booked directly through airlines or American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.
- $200 annual hotel credit, $200 annual airline fee credit, $25 monthly Equinox credit, $15 monthly Uber cash credit, $50 bi-annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit, and more.
- Platinum Card Members have unlimited complimentary access to all locations of The Global Lounge Collection, including 1,400 airport lounges across 650 cities.
- Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status and Hilton Honors Gold Status. Enrollment required.
- Choose among three card designs
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
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Annual Fee
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Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
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N/A
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20.49% - 27.49% Pay Over Time
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$695
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Excellent
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In second place is the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, providing up to $1,500 of coverage (after deductibles) per 12-month period.
- Earn 100k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
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Annual Fee
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Credit Needed
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|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
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N/A
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21.24%-26.24% Variable
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$95
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Good/Excellent
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Most of the other policies place their limits between $900 and $1,450 (after deductibles) per 12-month period. All offer secondary insurance that only kicks in after you’ve exhausted your primary policies, including homeowners and renters insurance.
Does Cellphone Insurance Cover a Cracked Screen?
In many cases, if you crack your screen, your card’s protection policy will cover the damage. This is a prevalent cause for claims, along with water damage. However, many exceptions may apply — for example, if the screen was cracked because of a natural disaster.
Also, not all plans cover a cracked screen, so you’ll have to take a deep dive into the credit card agreement to check whether you’re covered.
Compare Credit Cards With Cellphone Protection Online
Although the demand for the perk appears to be strong, only a limited number of eligible card offerings have cell phone protection. Card issuers may be reluctant to pay for this benefit, as almost every American owns a cellphone and the annual costs of damage or theft are substantial.
If you want phone coverage from your next credit card (preferably without an annual fee), click on the APPLY NOW links for the reviewed cards that interest you the most. Make sure you understand the coverage benefits and limits of an eligible card before submitting your application, as policies differ among credit card companies.
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