Writer: Erica Sandberg
Editor: Lillian Guevara-Castro
Reviewer: Ashley Fricker
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You know that the credit card in your wallet helps you make purchases safely and conveniently, but there are other advantages it could have. In fact, many credit card issuers have created an entire menu filled with various perks for their customers.
While not all will be relevant to your lifestyle, odds are at least a few of these little-known benefits will work to your financial advantage. We’ll take a look at some of those lesser-known credit card perks and how you can use them to your benefit.
1. Extended Warranty Protection
If you buy something with a warranty and then the item breaks soon after, you may not be out of luck and money.
Many credit card issuers, such as Chase, offer extended warranty protection on select cards that enables you to extend the manufacturer’s own warranty. It could give you up to an additional year’s worth of protection so long as you report the claim within 90 days of the product’s failure. You may be offered up to $10,000 per claim with a maximum of $50,000 per account. Check out the terms on the credit card company’s website for details.
Here are a few cards that offer extended warranty protection:
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
- Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
- $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
- Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 18.49% - 28.49% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies
- Top rated mobile app
Of course, you have to meet the terms and conditions of this benefit, but if it works, great. File the claim online or by calling your credit card company.
2. Price Protection
Not all credit cards come with price protection benefits, but if yours does, you’re in luck.
In short, this benefit refunds you the difference in price after a retailer lowers the cost of an item that you recently charged. So, if you bought a dress for $100 and it went on sale for $70, you could be eligible for $30 back in your account. Even better, it may not have to be at the same store to enjoy his perk. Here are popular cards that come with price protection on purchases:
- If you’re already a Navy Federal member, you can find out if you prequalify for our More Rewards American Express® card before you submit an application
- Earn 20,000 bonus points (a $200 value) when you spend $2,000 within 90 days of account opening
- Earn 3X points at restaurants, food delivery, supermarkets, gas and transit, and 1X points on everything else
- No annual fee, no balance transfer fee, no foreign transaction fees, and no cash advance fees
- Points can be redeemed for cash, travel, gift cards, and merchandise
- Cardholders get roadside assistance plus up to 25% off car rentals with car rental loss & damage insurance included
- Must be a member of Navy Federal Credit Union to qualify
- Earn 60,000 Welcome Bonus Points, worth up to $900 in travel, when booked through HSBC Travel, after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of opening the card
- Earn 5× Points on new travel purchases – including flights, hotels and car rentals
- Earn 2× Points at restaurants and dining out, and 1× Points on all other purchases
- Earn up to $400 of travel credits per year for all airfares, hotels and car rentals booked through HSBC Travel
- Elevate your airport experience with complimentary and unlimited lounge access for the cardholder and up to 2 guests worth more than $469 annually with Priority Pass
- Take 3 rides per month and receive a $5 Lyft App credit
- Provides reimbursements up to $800 per claim if your cellphone is stolen or damaged
- $495 Annual Fee
All you have to do is file a claim with your credit card company over the phone and see what happens. But beware of limitations: For instance, most issuers limit the time from the date of purchase to do file a claim, such as 60-90 days, and cardholders are limited in how many claims they can file each year.
3. Return Protection
If you have attempted to return something at a store but were denied, a couple of issuers, such as American Express, offer return protection. If your credit card company does, you may be able to get reimbursed for the item anyway.
There are restrictions, of course. Small and large electronics, jewelry, and books are often excluded, and American Express limits this benefit to $300 per item, $1,000 per cardmember account per calendar year. Here are a few of the top cards with return protection benefits:
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Sapphire Reserve® was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
- Earn 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new card to make $8,000 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.
- $600 annual hotel credit, $200 annual airline fee credit, $200 per year Uber cash credit, $300 per year digital entertainment credit, and more.
- Platinum Card Members have unlimited complimentary access to all locations of The Global Lounge Collection®, including 1,550 airport lounges.
- Apply with Confidence: Know if you're approved for this Card with no credit score impact
- Fee Credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, CLEAR® Plus Membership
If your item fits within the list of what is eligible to return you’ll have to send it back (and you may have to cover that cost). Supply the credit card issuer with documentation that you did try to return the item but the store refused, as well as your original receipt, a copy of your statement proving that you charged it, and the retailer’s return policy information. If all goes according to plan, that money will be credited back into your account.
4. Purchase Protection
If your package didn’t show up — or it did, but the contents were damaged — your credit card company may come to the rescue.
Embedded purchase protection gives you the opportunity to file a claim and if approved, you won’t be financially responsible for the item you bought with the card. Most credit cards come with some level of purchase protection, but policies vary considerably by network.
Contact your credit card company to understand exactly what is covered. As with the extended warranty, you can complete the claim online or over the phone. In the case of theft, a police report is required by most credit card companies to file a claim.
5. Cellphone Insurance
Yet another type of insurance you may have with your credit card, like all consumer cards issued by Wells Fargo, is cellphone insurance coverage. It can really come in handy if your phone is broken, damaged, lost, or stolen. If your outside insurance doesn’t cover it or you have none to start with, it’s a good supplemental policy.
Here are a few of our favorite credit cards with cellphone insurance:
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you’ll get Capital One’s best prices on thousands of trip options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge and Landing locations and participating Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Top rated mobile app
- Earn 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new card to make $8,000 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.
- $600 annual hotel credit, $200 annual airline fee credit, $200 per year Uber cash credit, $300 per year digital entertainment credit, and more.
- Platinum Card Members have unlimited complimentary access to all locations of The Global Lounge Collection®, including 1,550 airport lounges.
- Apply with Confidence: Know if you’re approved for this Card with no credit score impact
- Fee Credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, CLEAR® Plus Membership
You do have to pay your monthly cellphone bill with the card to qualify and there are plenty of exceptions. As always, check the policy’s restrictions. But if it works, you’ll save a bundle by not having to buy a new device. In general, you will need to file a claim within a couple of months of the incident, then complete and send the documents within three months.
6. Rental Car Insurance
Pay for a rental car with your rewards credit card, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, and chances are the car rental insurance is covered. With this benefit, you may avoid having to pay for the expensive waivers, such as Collision Damage and Loss Damage. Those extras can cost up to $50 a day, which will really add up if you’re going on an extended trip. The cards below provide rental car insurance so you don’t have to incur the extra cost.
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Sapphire Reserve® was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
Make sure you’re properly covered, though. Contact the credit card issuer first and talk it out or visit the website and read over the coverage details. In the event that something goes wrong with the car and the insurance covers the damage, just file a claim with your credit card company.
7. Concierge Service
Want help reserving a table at a popular restaurant, procuring entertainment or sporting event tickets, or booking a flight or hotel room? What about recommendations for unique spots to visit while you’re in a foreign city? Although you can do all these things yourself, it’s nice to have a helpful professional at the ready.
If you have a premium credit card, it probably includes concierge service, which means you can get that assistance — all it takes is a phone call to the company’s concierge line. The following cards, among other premium travel cards like The Platinum Card from Amex, offer concierge services to its cardholders:
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Sapphire Reserve® was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
- Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app
Concierge service is a free, convenient, time-saving perk that can be utilized for a variety of wants and needs, just be sure to check your issuer’s website for complete offerings and details.
8. Free Checked Bags
You may have applied for that travel card for all the points you can accumulate when you buy things and turn them into free airfare (among other things). But don’t forget what else the card can do for you, including picking up tabs for checked bags.
Checking your luggage in at the airport can cost up to $70 for your first checked bag, but if you used the right credit card to purchase your ticket — even if you bought it with points — the cost for at least one bag is waived. It may even include the fee for one or more people who are on the same reservation.
The New United℠ Business Card
This card is currently not available.
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to The New United℠ Business Card was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
- Earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending 4,000 within 4 months of account opening
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent at telecommunications merchants, cable and satellite providers, car rental merchants, at gas stations and eligible American Airlines purchases — all other purchases earn 1X points
- First checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to 4 travel companions
- 25% savings on American Airlines inflight WiFi, food, and beverage purchases when you use your card
- Earn an American Airlines Companion Certificate for domestic travel after $30,000 in purchases each card membership year and card membership is renewed. Fees apply.
- $0 intro annual fee, then $99
Additional Disclosure: (The information related to CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® has been collected by CardRates.com and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.)
To use this benefit, just book the flight and select the number of bags you’ll be checking. You’ll see that you won’t be charged the checked bag fee. Most cards that offer this perk are co-branded airline credit cards, such as the JetBlue Plus Card issued by Barclays, the Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card issued by Bank of America, or the United MileagePlus cards.
9. Travel Protection
Before buying travel protection, contact your credit card issuer to see if it already covers it. If yours does, you will have at least a basic level of protection against the cost of a trip being canceled and lost or stolen luggage. Here are our favorite cards with travel protection:
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
- Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance, no foreign transaction fees, and more.
- Get complimentary Apple TV+, the exclusive streaming home of Apple Originals. Plus Apple Music — all the music you love, across all your devices. Subscriptions run through 6/22/27 — a value of $250 annually
- Member FDIC
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Sapphire Reserve® was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
To be eligible for this benefit, you have to put the cost of the flight on your card and file a claim with the credit card company. Just be sure you understand what it covers — if it’s not enough, you’ll want to increase it with a separate insurance policy.
10. Free Credit Scores
Reviewing your credit scores on a regular basis is important since it will give you valuable insight into your ever-changing creditworthiness. Getting the scores can be a pain though, and some, like FICO, come at a cost.
Want an easy, fast, and free way to get them? Head over to your credit card company’s website. Many of the major issuers from American Express to Wells Fargo offer complimentary FICO scores to their cardholders, including the three below:
Additional Disclosure: Non-Monetized. The information related to Chase Freedom Unlimited® was collected by CardRates and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this product/card. Product details may vary. Please see issuer website for current information. CardRates does not receive commission for this product.
Capital One, however, gives out VantageScores.
11. Discounts on Goods and Services
You may be able to get all kinds of cool things for less if you take advantage of card-linked offer programs. Retailers partner with credit card companies to give cardholders special discounts or cash back rewards on purchases.
For example, Bank of America offers BankAmeriDeals, American Express has Amex Offers, and Chase recently launched Chase Offers. What is available at any given time will be advertised on the credit card company’s app, website, or it will be emailed to you.
Taking advantage of this benefit is easy: identify what you’re interested in by activating the offer on the card’s app and then charge the purchase to the card. At check-out, the discount or extra cash back points will be immediately applied.
Make the Most of Your Rewards Card
All of these “hidden” benefits can help you get the most out of your credit card. Use them wisely, and if you ever have any questions about how it works, many of the full policies are provided online or you can reach out to your credit card company and ask for clarification. It’s always best to familiarize yourself with the perk before you attempt to use it.
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Editorial Note: Our site content is not provided or commissioned by any credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed on CardRates.com are the author's alone, not those of any credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by credit card issuers. Every reasonable effort has been made to maintain accurate information; however, all credit card offer details, including information about rewards, signup bonuses, introductory offers, and other terms and conditions, is presented without warranty. Clicking on any offer on CardRates.com will direct you to the issuer's website, where you can review the current terms and conditions of the offer.
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