From rental car perks to lounge access: Everything you need to know about the Visa Infinite program's benefits

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If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite® Card, you may have noticed that it carries "Visa Infinite" branding. Since only a few cards in the U.S. are Visa Infinite products, we don't blame you if you're a bit clueless as to what this designation entails. In addition to the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Altitude Reserve, there aren't many other Visa Infinite cards that are easy to obtain.

We'll outline the perks that come with the Visa Infinite program below, but the first thing to know is that Visa Infinite cards are a step up from the more common Visa Signature designation you'll find on cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

As we go through the benefits, keep in mind that these are the possible perks available through the Visa Infinite program, but specific issuers can choose to tweak or leave out certain ones, as you'll see with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the $100 airfare discount and the variation in lounge access benefits.

The information for the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

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Travel and lifestyle benefits

Global Entry application fee credit

This Visa Infinite program will reimburse you for the $100 fee when you apply for Global Entry. While this program is definitely worth signing up for to breeze through immigration, several other premium travel rewards cards also offer a Global Entry fee reimbursement, so this shouldn't factor too heavily in your decision to get a Visa Infinite card.

Car rental privileges

Cardholders get special discounts at car rental providers such as Avis, National, Hertz and Silvercar, and they're also eligible for various VIP amenities. Paired with the fact that the Visa Infinite program offers primary car rental insurance (more on that later in the post), using an eligible card could be a great choice for renting a set of wheels.

Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection

When you book a hotel stay with a Visa Infinite card, you'll enjoy perks such as an automatic room upgrade on arrival (when available), free Wi-FI and complimentary continental breakfast. Your Visa Infinite card will get you all the benefits available to Visa Signature cardholders, plus an extra amenity at 200 locations.

Visa Infinite Concierge

Like most other premium card programs, the Visa Infinite program includes a dedicated concierge service that can assist with travel and dining arrangements, shopping, access to exclusive events and more. It's unclear if this service can score you super-sweet finds such as cheap tickets to Hamilton (when live theater returns) courtesy of Amex concierge, but you can expect great service and assistance with pretty much whatever outing you're planning.

Priority Pass lounge access

Having a credit card with airport lounge access can be a game-changer, and Priority Pass is the biggest airport lounge network with more than 1,300 locations worldwide. The exact lounge access privileges you'll get vary depending on the card. For example, the Sapphire Reserve card comes with a full Priority Pass Select membership, which gets the cardholder and up to two guests unlimited lounge visits. On the other hand, the Altitude Reserve card comes with four Priority Pass lounge visits per year for the cardholder and a guest.

Travel protections

Primary rental car insurance

Through Visa Infinite, you can get primary coverage for up to $75,000 due to damage (caused by collision or theft) to a rental car. Visa Infinite cards aren't the only options to offer this coverage — the Chase Sapphire Preferred and a few others do as well — but this is definitely a great perk to have since you won't need to file a claim with your own insurance company in the event of an accident or theft.

Trip cancellation, interruption and delay insurance

Other coverage includes reimbursement of up to $2,000 per insured trip for non-refundable expenses when you cancel a trip for a covered reason or when your trip is interrupted or delayed for a covered reason. There's a full list of "covered reasons," but if you're suffering from a serious illness or injury you can expect this benefit to be offered. You also get coverage for expenses (up to $500 per day) when a purchased trip is delayed more than six hours or requires an overnight stay.

Related: Travel insurance versus credit card protections

Lost luggage reimbursement

If your checked or carry-on baggage is lost or stolen on a common carrier, the program will reimburse you up to $3,000 (up to $2,000 for New York residents). You're eligible for this coverage when you pay for at least a portion of the travel with your Visa Infinite card or with the rewards associated with the card.

Extended warranty

When you purchase a product with a warranty of three years or less, you'll get an extra year of coverage for up to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per cardholder. This isn't the only coverage option out there, for more options take a look at our list of the best cards with extended warranty protection.

Purchase protection

If an item is stolen or damaged within 90 days from the purchase date — and you purchased it with a Visa Infinite Card — you'll be covered for up to $10,000 per claim (up to $50,000 per year). Under the purchase protection coverage, you can either be reimbursed, have the item repaired or get a replacement.

Return protection

In addition to purchase protection that covers you in the event of theft or damage, the Visa Infinite program offers return protection coverage of up to $300 per item and $1,000 per year when you're unhappy with a product and the retailer won't accept a return. To be eligible, you need to pay for the purchase with your Visa Infinite card and file a claim within 90 days of the purchase date.

Bottom line

Like other premium credit card programs, Visa Infinite offers a nice array of benefits for your rewards credit card.

The airport lounge access can certainly come in handy, as can the primary car rental insurance. Other perks like car rental discounts and special treatment at hotels aren't unique to the program, but they can absolutely add to the value you get from your card — not a bad thing if you're paying $550 a year for the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Keep in mind, that the actual benefits that come with a specific Visa Infinite travel rewards credit card will vary. And many premium credit cards include valuable travel or airline incident fee credits, which are more meaningful than almost any individual Visa Infinite perk.

Additional reporting by Jennifer Yellin.