A valuable purchase insurance to have on a credit card is price protection.
Not to be confused with purchase protection (which reimburses you if something you recently bought breaks or gets stolen), price protection can help you get some money back if an item you purchased goes on sale for a lower price.
And while it seems great, it’s a very rare insurance. It used to be quite popular and widely available, but over the last 2 years it has disappeared from many credit cards.
Here’s everything you need to know about price protection – and what personal credit cards still offer it.
- What is price protection insurance
- Credit cards that offer price protection
- Frequently asked questions about price protection insurance
What is price protection insurance?
It’s quite simple. Purchase an item and charge it to your credit card. If you see the item on sale for a lower price than what you paid for it, you can get reimbursed, up to a maximum amount.
The maximum amount you can claim varies by issuer. Each credit card has a limit for every claim, and is also coupled with a yearly maximum amount you can be reimbursed.
You also only have a set number of days where you can get a refund. Again, this will depend on the credit card, but can be anywhere from 30 to 90 days.
To make your claim, gather the required documentation as required in your insurance certificate, and submit your claim.
Related: Protect Your Purchases With Credit Card Purchase Insurance
How price protection works
So how exactly does it work? As an example, let’s look at one of the cards that has it – the
You can make a claim within 60 days after the purchase of the item. You can be reimbursed up to $250 per item, with a maximum benefit of $1,000 per year.
With this card in particular, you have to call and make the claim within 10 days of the advertisement showing the lower price goes into effect.
To make your claim, you’ll need the original printed advertisement, which needs to include the following:
- description of the item that is identical to the original purchased,
- sale price,
- store name, and
- sale date that is effective within 60 days of the original purchase.
You’ll then need to call the benefit administrator, and get a claim form sent to you. As part of the claim you’ll have to submit:
- the completed claim form,
- original sales receipt or packing slip,
- monthly billing statement showing the purchase, and
- the original advertisement.
This needs to be submitted 20 days after contacting the benefit administrator.
If everything looks good, you’ll be reimbursed for the difference.
Purchases excluded from price protection coverage
For this card, there’s a list of items that aren’t eligible for price protection reimbursement.
Here’s the list, straight from the insurance certificate:
It certainly isn’t an onerous list, many things here fall under common sense – like when holiday decorations go on sale right after the holiday season has ended.
Want to learn more about the coverage for this card? Here’s a link to the insurance certificate where you can see the full details.
Credit cards that offer price protection
So what credit cards offer price protection insurance?
It’s a limited list, and most of the major issuers don’t offer this insurance coverage on any of their credit cards.
Here’s the rundown of credit cards that offer it, and what the major issuers offer, or used to offer.
| Credit Card | Duration Of Coverage | Coverage Limits | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank Cash 365 American Express | Unknown | Unknown | $0 |
| Wells Fargo Visa Signature | 60 days | $250 per item, $1,000 per year | $0 |
Amex credit cards that offer price protection
American Express credit cards don’t offer price protection. It’s one insurance that has never been offered by American Express credit cards.
Barclays credit cards that offer price protection
Barclays cards used to offer price protection, but that coverage (as well as extended warranty) ended in October of 2019.
Bank of America credit cards that offer price protection
Bank of America used to offer price protection on select cards, but price protection coverage ended in July, 2019.
Capital One credit cards that offer price protection
Capital One personal credit cards do not offer price protection, however their Spark lineup of small business credit cards offers it.
Discover credit cards that offer price protection
Discover ended price protection on their credit cards in October 31, 2019, along with all other insurance coverages earlier that year.
Chase credit cards that offer price protection
Only one Chase card offers price protection – the United TravelBank Card and it’s currently not available for new applicants.
You can get reimbursement up to 90 days after purchase, with a maximum coverage of $500 per item, with a yearly maximum of $2,500.
Citi credit cards that offer price protection
Citi ended their price protection (called Price Rewind) on September 22, 2019, and no longer offer the coverage.
U.S. Bank credit cards that offer price protection
U.S. Bank offers one credit with price protection insurance – the
Wells Fargo credit cards that offer price protection
Wells Fargo only offers the aforementioned
Summary
Price protection is a great insurance to have, but it also has limited availability. You’ll need the right credit card to get access to this.
What are your thoughts on price protection coverage? Is it an insurance you’ve taken advantage of in the past?
Let us know in the comments below.
FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions about price protection insurance.
What is price protection?
Price protection is an insurance that provides reimbursement for eligible items charged to your credit card, up to a certain amount per item, with a maximum amount that can be claimed per year.
What are the limits on price protection?
This depends on the issuer, but you’re limited in how long you have to make a claim, how much can be reimbursed per item, and a maximum that can be claimed every year.
What credit cards offer price protection?
There are only 2 credit cards that we track that offer price protection – the
