7 Times Your Credit Card Has Your Back
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Extended Warranty
If an item you purchased using your card starts giving problems right after its warranty period expires, you may be able to get it repaired without having to pay for it. If your card provides extended warranty coverage, the protection will cover the cost of repairs included in the original warranty. Contact your card issuer before paying for the repairs.
Primary Rental Car Insurance
Some cards provide primary auto insurance for rental cars, which means you don’t have to file a claim with your auto insurance if you damage your rental car under specific circumstances. This can help you get better rates on your insurance in the future.
Airline Fee Credits
Some cards which have higher annual fees usually offer the benefit of letting you get reimbursed for fees charged by airlines for changing your date of travel. You could also use this for airline lounge passes, baggage fees, and other such costs. This benefit usually has an annual limit, like $200 in fee reimbursements per year.
Return Protection
If you buy an item you are unhappy with, you can use your card to get reimbursed for some part of the purchase or the entire purchase. This works only if you use a card with return protection. You can file a claim to get the reimbursement. However, this benefit typically excludes holiday decorations.
Trip Delay Reimbursement
If your flight gets delayed after reaching a layover location, you could get reimbursed for your hotel and meal expenses by your card if it offers trip delay coverage.
Price Protection
If you purchase an expensive item and later come across an ad stating the item is being sold at a lower price, you can call your card issuer and find out if your card has price protection. If it does, you can get a complete or partial refund of the price difference, subject to annual and per-item limits. However, ensure that the lower price appears in a printed ad, not just online.
Roadside Assistance
Your card may offer you the benefit of towing your car from a highway to the nearest repair shop or sending someone to your home to jumpstart your car. However, there may be a limit on the number of times you can use this service for free every year.
