Credit cards make retail transactions easier. But they also can provide some extra shopping perks that will give you more for your money.
Issuers such as American Express, Capital One and Chase offer digital coupons to holders of their debit and credit cards. Simply sign into your account, browse the current offers, and add them to your card. Offers include cash back or statement credits at clothing stores, restaurants, hotels and rental car services. Note that for each issuer, offers change frequently, and each coupon has an expiration date.
To get your items faster, get a free ShopRunner membership through your Mastercard World or World Elite, American Express, or Chase credit card. ShopRunner partners with more than 100 retailers to offer free two-day shipping with no minimum purchase at most participating stores. Partner retailers include department stores Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus, as well as various cosmetic companies. Mastercard and Chase users are entitled to a free one-year membership; American Express members receive a lifetime membership.
American Express Platinum cardholders who pay for a Walmart+ membership can essentially get it for free if they cover the monthly fee with their Platinum card. American Express reimburses the fee as a monthly statement credit. The membership, which costs $98 a year, provides free shipping.
If your items are damaged—or someone steals them—you may have purchase protection if you bought them using an eligible card from American Express, Bank of America, Chase, Capital One and others. The policies typically last 90 days after purchase, and the standard policy has a maximum coverage of $500 per item, according to WalletHub. But you could have a higher coverage limit or more time to file a claim. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has a 120-day purchase-protection policy.
Also double check for extended-warranty policies. Most major card issuers offer this benefit and extend an item’s warranty by one year. Citi extends the warranty for eligible cardholders for up to two years after the manufacturer’s warranty expires. The Amex Platinum card has a coverage limit of $10,000 per covered purchase, with the same coverage as the original manufacturer’s warranty. To help avoid any snafus, keep your original warranty documents in a safe place, such as your digital cloud storage.
Most holders of Chase, American Express and U.S. Bank consumer credit cards have access to a buy-now, pay-later platform as part of their card’s features. You can elect to use these services after you’ve made your purchase worth a total of $100 or more. The portion you separated to pay via installments is not subject to your card’s regular interest charges, but you’re charged a fee. When it comes time to pay your monthly bill, your installment amount, including the fee, is added to your card’s minimum payment amount.
(Rivan Stinson is a staff writer at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.)
