More than half of consumers in a recent study by MasterCard weren’t familiar with the benefits offered by their credit cards, and some paid for benefits their cards already offered. Forbes identifies 10 common benefits offered by credit card issuers, most of them related to protecting you when you travel or to insure your purchases from theft or damage.
For example, as we’ve mentioned before, using a good credit card can help you skip the extended warranty, since many cards double the manufacturer’s warranty for up to a year.
When you book your next holiday, check your credit card benefits first before buying extra travellers insurance. Many credit cards offer car rental loss/damage insurance, travel accident insurance, trip cancellation insurance, lost baggage insurance and/or travel emergency insurance.
Your benefits and terms will vary by type of card and issuer. Don’t remember the perks your card offers? Time to dig up that welcome packet.
rocco
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 11:01 AMWe spent $155 dollars when we didn’t need to on travel insurance only to find out our credit card had complimentary travel insurance.
dan
Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 10:00 PMThis is good to make people aware of potential benefits – but make sure you read the fine print. For example in regards to travel insurance many credit card policies IMHO offer inadequate coverage for most holidays and can have strict terms and conditions, leaving you thinking you were covered when in many cases you may not be.