Automatic Protection for the Things You Buy with Your Credit Card

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Most credit cards offer various “purchase protections” for the things you buy with the card. But the exact benefits vary from card to card.

It can be worthwhile to use a card that has better purchase protection benefits, rather than a card that earns a higher reward rate, or that requires a slightly lower annual fee.

Alternatively, you can use a card that has weaker purchase protections for most of your purchases. But, when you are making a specific purchase, where enhanced purchase protections are likely to provide extra value, you can make sure to use a different card that provides increased protections.

Each credit card has annual limits on its various protections; so if you start getting close to those limits, you may want to temporarily switch to another card, for some (or all) of your purchases.

With all these protection benefits, you have a limited amount of time in which to file a claim—don’t put it off. You’ll also need your original receipt. Make sure to onto your receipts for expensive purchases.

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Extended warranty coverage
purchase protections
Price protection
Return protection

Citibank offers the best warranty coverage,, adding two years to the end of your existing warranty term, but it isn't available on the DoubleCash or Dividend cards. Most Chase cards and Visa Signature cards will add one extra year. American Express cards, will double the initial warranty, for up to an additional year, but only on business cards or personal cards with annual fees. The Discover and Barclays cards no longer offer extended warranty coverage.

Card	Benefit	Max Original	Terms
Annual-fee and business based Amex	2x, up to 1 year	5 years	Terms
Most Chase and Visa Signature	+1 year	3 years	Terms
Most Citibank	+2 years	5 years	Terms

Coverage is typically limited to warranties whose original length is under a certain length, such as two years. Citibank works slightly differently, it limits the total length of warranty coverage to 7 years.

Protection for stolen or damaged items (purchase protection)

Many credit cards also provide coverage for items that are stolen or broken within the first three to four months.

However, credit card coverage is normally “secondary” to your homeowner’s, renter’s, or auto policies. If you have a problem, you’ll need to file a claim with your own insurance first, and the credit card company will only step-in to cover any leftover expenses. If you are worried about your insurance rates going up for filing small claims for damaged items, you'll need to avoid making a claim, and won't be able to take advantage of this credit card benefit.

Coverage is roughly similar across all cards. As usual, coverage is not included for many categories of items such as vehicles, jewelry and collectibles, leased and rented items, and consumables.

Most cards don’t provide coverage for items you lose, but the Amex Platinum card does. The Discover and Barclays cards don't come with any purchase protections.

Card	Time Limit	Item Max	Terms
American Express	90	$1,000 or $10,000	Terms
Visa Signature and Chase	90-120	$500	Terms
Most Citibank	90	$1,000	Terms
Mastercard	120	$1,000	Terms

Price protection

Some credit cards will reimburse the price difference, if something you buy drops in price, or is available elsewhere more cheaply, during the first two to four months after you buy it.

This benefit can help avoid buyer’s remorse, when a product you purchase drops in price, or when you notice that it was available more cheaply through a different source. You could even take advantage of the benefit to purchase a product at a more convenient location, and then getting a refund for any additional cost relative to the cheapest possible source.

Many types of items aren’t covered. For example, lower prices be not be matched on auction items, jewelry and collectibles, close-outs, services, consumables, vehicles, and tickets. Also, only the base price matters, not taxes and shipping.

Chase and Discover eliminated price protection coverage in 2018 (except on the United TravelBank, United Club and United Presidential Plus card), and Citibank and Barclays eliminated coverage in 2019. American Express, Capital One, and Wells Fargo also don’t provide this benefit (except for the Spark business cards), and it isn’t available on most Bank of America, or U.S. Bank cards.

For more details about each policy, see Doctor of Credit.

Return protection

Some credit cards will provide a refund, during the first three months, if the store won’t allow you to return an item.

Regardless of the store’s stated return policy (even if they say they don't accept returns), you will need to document your attempt to request a return with the store. If they refuse your request—either because they don't accept returns, their return time limit has expired, or because the item has been opened—you can get a refund from the credit card company. In most cases, to get the refund, you’ll have to return the product to the credit card company instead, although they will occasionally waive the requirement to send it in.

Each credit card will have some restriction and the item must generally be in "orginal purchase condition".

Using a card that has this benefit is especially useful if you are thinking you might have to return something you want to buy, but the store doesn’t have a good return policy.

Return protection is on premium Amex cards, plus the Plum, Blue Cash Preferred, and Everyday Preferred cards, plus cards from some other banks.

Bank of America, Discover, and Capital One cards don’t provide this benefit, Chase eliminated the benefit in mid-2018 for every card except the Sapphire Reserve (and discontinued Ritz-Carlton card), and Citibank and Barclays eliminated the benefit in 2019. US Bank offers it only on the Altitude Reserve and Cash 365 cards, and Wells Fargo offers only on the Propel card.