Best credit cards for extended warranties in 2019

Did your phone die, smart watch malfunction or jacket seam split just days after its warranty ended? Warranties always seem to end right before you need them, leaving you out of luck unless you purchased an extended warranty — or put the original purchase on a credit card offering extended warranty protection.

In this guide, we discuss how to utilize the extended warranty benefit offered by select credit cards as well as the best cards that offer extended warranty protection.

The best extended warranty cards of 2019

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Best mid-tier travel card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve: Best for travel and dining
• Citi Premier℠ Card: Best Citi card
• American Express® Green Card: Best Amex card for modern travelers
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Best for luxury travel benefits
• American Express® Gold Card: Best for foodies
• Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card: Best for flat-rate earning
• Chase Freedom Unlimited: Best for flat-rate earning with no annual fee
• Chase Freedom: Best for rotating category earning
• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: Best cash back card
• US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card: Best for mobile wallet
• American Airlines AAdvantage MileUp℠ Card: Best no annual fee card for American Airlines travelers
• Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express: Best mid-tier card for Delta travelers<United Explorer Card: Best low annual fee card for United travelers
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card: Best low annual fee card for Southwest travelers
• British Airways Visa Signature Card: Best for British Airways travelers
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Best for Hilton loyalists
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card: Best for Marriott loyalists
• World of Hyatt Credit Card: Best for Hyatt loyalists
• Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi: Best no annual fee card (with paid Costco membership) for Costco members

What is a credit card extended warranty?

The extended warranty protection offered by select credit cards effectively extends the manufacturer’s warranty on eligible products purchased with the card. This protection mirrors the protection provided by the original manufacturer’s warranty, so damage that would have been covered by the original warranty will be covered by the extended warranty.

Some extended warranties match the original warranty up to a particular period of time, while others add a set amount of time to the end of the original warranty. However, there are usually exclusions and maximum coverage limits. Note that extended warranty protection covers a wide variety of items, whereas the cell phone protection offered by select credit cards only covers cell phones.

Comparing the best credit cards for extended warranty

Of course, it is important to note that only some cards offered by these issuers or banks offer extended warranty protection. The following sections consider some of the best consumer cards from these issuers that offer extended warranty protection.

(Note that other cards offer extended warranty protection, so you shouldn’t assume that a card doesn’t offer this benefit simply because it is not listed in this guide. Check your card’s guide to benefits to determine whether it offers extended warranty protection.)

Comparing the best Citi credit cards for extended warranty

The information for the Citi Prestige, Citi Premier, Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select, AT&T Access, U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Although Citi removed many benefits from its cards earlier this year, the Citi cards described in the above table still offer an extended warranty benefit. This benefit extends the manufacturer’s warranty by two years, with total coverage not exceeding seven years from the purchase date.

Citi doesn’t have a minimum manufacturer’s warranty required for coverage, so a one-month manufacturer’s warranty would be extended by two years. If you purchase an extended warranty, Citi’s coverage begins at the expiration of that warranty.

Unfortunately, Citi’s extended warranty coverage doesn’t apply to the following:

• Boats, cars, aircraft or any other motorized land, air or water vehicles and their original equipment (tires aren’t covered either)
• Services unless covered under the manufacturer’s warranty
• Used, antique or pre-owned items
• Items purchased for resale, professional or commercial use
• Land or buildings; housing properties
• Plants and live animals
• Items that don’t come with a manufacturer’s warranty

Additionally, Citi’s extended warranty coverage doesn’t apply when:

• You fail to care for or service the item appropriately as required by the manufacturer
• The item has a product defect, recall or experiences normal wear and tear where no failure has occurred
• The item is damaged because of an act of God, such as a flood, hurricane, lightning, wind or earthquake

Related: The best Citi credit cards of 2019

Comparing the best American Express cards for extended warranty

Currently, most Amex cards will match manufacturer’s warranties of two years or less and extend manufacturer’s warranties of two to five years by two years. However, beginning Jan. 1, 2020, most American Express cards will only offer one year of coverage and select no-annual-fee cards won’t offer any extended warranty coverage at all. You can see the current guide to benefits for each American Express card that offers extended warranty protection on American Express’ website.

The terms and conditions for the extended warranty benefit currently exclude damage resulting from:

• War or acts of war, participation in a felony, riot, civil disturbance, protest or insurrections, service in the armed forces or units auxiliary to it
• Any physical damage except to the extent the original manufacturer’s warranty covers such damage
• Mechanical failure covered under product recall
• Fraud or abuse or illegal activity of any kind by the cardmember

Additionally, the following types of purchases aren’t covered:

• Products covered by an unconditional satisfaction guarantee
• Animals or living plants
• Consumable or perishable items with extended or limited life spans
• Motorized vehicles and their parts, subject to high risk, combustion, wear and tear or mileage stipulations
• Motorized devices and their parts used for agriculture, landscaping, demolition or construction
• Motorized devices and their parts which are permanent additions or fixtures to a residential or commercial building unless the item can be removed without causing damage to the structure
• Business fixtures and any item that cannot be removed without causing damage to the structure
• Land or buildings
• More than one article in a pair or set
• Additional service contract or extended warranty coverage for a computer, computer component or part that you buy which already comes with an original manufacturer’s and/or retailer’s warranty, unless such coverage is provided and administered by the original manufacturer
• Items purchased for use as inventory, resale, professional or commercial use

Related: Choosing the best American Express card for you

Comparing the best Chase credit cards for extended warranty

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Most Chase cards, including but not limited to all of the cards in the above table, will extend eligible U.S. manufacturer’s warranties of three years or less by one additional year. You’re covered up to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per account.

Related: How I used Chase’s extended warranty benefit to get a new phone

However, note that the following items aren’t covered:

• Boats, automobiles, aircraft, and any other motorized vehicles and their motors, equipment, or accessories, including trailers and other items that can be towed by or attached to any motorized vehicle
• Any costs other than those specifically covered under the terms of the original manufacturer-written U.S. repair warranty, as supplied by the original manufacturer, or other eligible warranty
• Items purchased for resale, professional, or commercial use
• Rented or leased items
• Computer software
• Medical equipment
• Used or pre-owned items (refurbished items will be covered as long as they have a warranty and would not be considered used or pre-owned)

Related: Maximize your wallet with the perfect quartet of Chase cards

Other cards with extended warranty benefits

Visa Signature and Visa Infinite cards such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the US Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card offer extended warranty protection. Both card types will extend warranties of three years or less and will cover up to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per account. But Visa Signature cards will match warranties of less than one year and extend warranties of one to three years by one year, while Visa Infinite cards will extend warranties of up to three years by one year.

Related: The best Visa credit cards

USAA credit cards also offer extended warranty protection that will match warranties of less than one year and extend warranties of one to three years by one additional year. You can be covered up to $15,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per account.

How to utilize credit card extended warranty

When you buy something that has a manufacturer’s warranty and you use a credit card that features an extended warranty benefit, be sure to save the following:

• Original store receipt
• Credit card statement for the month showing the charge
• Manufacturer’s warranty booklet or document

If something you own breaks and has a manufacturer’s warranty:

1. Check the manufacturer’s warranty. If the item is still covered, begin a claim with the manufacturer.
2. If it’s outside the manufacturer’s warranty, check the benefits guide for the credit card that you used to make the purchase.
3. Call a benefits administrator if you need to file a claim or have questions regarding the claim process or eligibility. Call before getting the item repaired in case you need to send it to a particular repair facility.
4. Collect documentation — which may consist of a repair quote, photos of the damaged item, the original receipt and the credit card statement showing the charge — and submit the claim.

If approved, you’ll usually receive a check or statement credit reimbursing you for repair costs, replacement costs or the original purchase cost. In some cases, the benefits administrator may ask you to send back the item for inspection or repair.

What isn’t covered by credit card extended warranty

The extended warranty benefit offered by select credit cards doesn’t cover all purchases or all types of damage. Your purchase won’t be covered if it wasn’t originally covered by an eligible manufacturer’s warranty. Additionally, most extended warranty benefits have maximum coverage lengths and coverage limits per item, claim or account.

Most extended warranty benefits have set exclusions. Some types of items are usually excluded, like cars, boats, software, plants, animals, antiques and products normally hard-wired into a house. Likewise, some types of damage like power surges, accidental damage, catastrophes, wear and tear and riots are usually excluded. You can find all of the exclusions in your card’s guide to benefits.

Bottom line

If an item you purchase has a manufacturer’s warranty, you can often get extended warranty protection just by putting the purchase on a credit card that offers an extended warranty shopping benefit. After making the purchase, save the receipt, credit card statement and warranty documents in case you ever need to file a claim.

Remember to read the benefits guide for the card you plan to use before making any large purchase to ensure that your purchase and its manufacturer’s warranty aren’t excluded. Reading the benefits guide will also inform you of the card’s other shopping protection benefits such as purchase protection, price protection and return protection.

For rates and fees of the Amex Green Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, please click here.  
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card please click here.  
For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire, please click here.  
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, please click here.   
For rates and fees of the Platinum Delta Amex, please click here.  
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred, please click here.  

Feature image by by Matthew Kane via Unsplash.