10 Often-Overlooked Credit Card Perks

From cellphone repairs to streaming service subscriptions, many card benefits go beyond basic rewards

Laura Petrecca and Kerri Anne Renzulli,

AARP

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Published May 26, 2026

cash, luggage, a boarding pass, a car and smartphone pop out of a credit card to show available perks

Paul Spella (Getty Images 6)

Key takeaways

Some credit cards offer cellphone protection, meaning if your device is damaged or stolen, the card issuer will help cover replacement costs.
Many cards offer monthly, quarterly or biannual statement credits to cardholders who purchase certain streaming services.
Check to see if your card provides statement credits to cover the application fee for the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry programs.

Many older adults have multiple credit cards they’ve opened over the years. Gen Xers and boomers have the most of any generation — 4.4 credit cards on average, according to 2025 data from credit bureau Experian. But depending on what cards you have, you could be leaving benefits on the table.

“The best perks, unsurprisingly, come with higher-end cards, but there are a bunch of cards with no annual fees that have sweeteners too,” says Ted Rossman, principal analyst at Bankrate.

Your card’s full list of rewards can be found in its benefits guide, which is typically available on the issuer’s website. (You can also call the phone number on your card and ask a customer service representative where you can locate it.) Reviewing this document every few years may not be the most exciting task, but it’s time well spent, says Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree.

“If you haven’t checked your card’s rewards recently, there is a good chance you’re missing out and not getting as much bang for your buck as you think you are,” he says.

It’s a good idea to also keep an eye out for mail and email notifications from your issuer, since credit card benefits can change over time.

Ready to make the most of your cards? Here are 10 perks that are frequently overlooked.

Trip cancellation/interruption insurance

Many travel rewards credit cards offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance, where your card issuer will reimburse you for nonrefundable expenses up to a certain amount if your trip is canceled or cut short because of certain factors outside your control, such as severe weather, natural disasters or unforeseen health issues.

“This is one of the best credit card benefits, especially when it’s a weather-related or an act-of-God event and airlines don’t have to compensate you,” says Clint Henderson, managing editor of travel advice and credit card review website the Points Guy.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card, for example, reimburses up to $10,000 per covered person and up to $20,000 per trip for travel expenses if you have to cancel your trip or cut it short because of sickness, weather or other eligible reasons.

The American Express Platinum card offers up to $10,000 per trip or $20,000 per year if your trip is interrupted or canceled for a covered reason. And the Capital One Venture X Rewards card pays up to $2,000 per person for nonrefundable tickets if your trip is canceled or cut short for an eligible reason.

The catch? Often, you need to pursue a refund through your airline, hotel or other travel provider before filing a claim with your credit card company, says Ana Staples, a credit card industry analyst at Bankrate.

Trip delay reimbursement

Some credit cards reimburse eligible expenses, such as meals, toiletries and hotel costs, if your flight is delayed for a certain period — typically six to 12 hours, depending on the card.

Many credit cards offer trip delay reimbursement. For example, Bank of America’s Premium Rewards Elite card provides coverage of up to $500 per ticket purchased for you and eligible family members for reasonable expenses incurred when a trip is delayed for more than six hours or requires an overnight stay.

The World of Hyatt card provides coverage up to $500 per ticket for trips delayed more than 12 hours or requiring an overnight stay. And the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express provides up to $500 per trip for flights delayed more than six hours, with a maximum of two claims every 12 months.

Lost luggage reimbursement

Travel credit cards can ease the sting of baggage delays or lost luggage after a flight by reimbursing you for necessary purchases you make while waiting for your suitcase to arrive, or compensating you for the value of permanently lost items. Your bag must be delayed for a certain period to qualify — typically 12 to 24 hours — and reimbursement is often capped.

For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve provides up to $3,000 per person for any checked or carry-on bag that gets lost, damaged or stolen during a covered trip. The Capital One Venture X Rewards pays up to $3,000 per trip for any lost or damaged luggage. And the American Express Gold Card offers up to $1,250 per person for carry-on baggage and up to $500 per person for checked baggage.

Rental car insurance

With some credit cards, you can decline the car rental company’s insurance and still be covered if the vehicle is damaged or stolen.

Certain cards with this perk — often called an auto rental collision damage waiver — offer “secondary coverage,” meaning you’ll need to go through your personal insurer first before filing a claim with your credit card issuer, says Dave Grossman, founder of credit card information websites MilesTalk and Your Best Credit Cards. (Cards that offer “primary coverage” don’t require this step.)

The Chase Sapphire Preferred provides primary rental car coverage for damage and theft, up to $60,000, for most kinds of vehicle rentals in the U.S. and internationally. The Capital One Venture X offers primary collision coverage up to $75,000 or the vehicle’s cash value. And the United Explorer card gives primary coverage up to $60,000 for most vehicles worth $125,000 or less.

Certain vehicles may be excluded from coverage, such as exotic vehicles, trucks and large vans, so check your card’s policy for details.

Purchase protection

If an item you buy gets damaged, stolen or lost shortly after purchase, some credit cards cover the cost of a replacement. To qualify, you typically need to alert your issuer within 90 to 120 days of the purchase, Rossman says. Many issuers limit the amount you can get refunded each year, as well as the number of purchases you can claim annually.

For example, the Chase Freedom Flex and Freedom Unlimited cards provide up to $500 per item, if damaged or stolen within 120 days of the purchase date, and up to $50,000 per account.

American Express’s Blue Cash Everyday and Blue Cash Preferred cards offer up to $1,000 of coverage for damage or theft within 90 days of purchase and as much as $50,000 per year for claims. And the Capital One Venture X Rewards pays up to $10,000 per claim or $50,000 per cardholder for items within 90 days of purchase.

Rossman says his credit card’s purchase protection helped his family save $400 when his wife dropped and damaged a new Apple watch. “Because we were within that 90-day purchase protection window, the card issuer actually just sent us a whole new one for free,” he says.

Cellphone protection

Some cards help cover the cost of replacing a damaged or stolen cellphone, provided you’ve used that card to pay your monthly phone service bill.

There are caveats, says Beverly Harzog, a credit card analyst and host of the Your Personal Economy podcast. Typically, you’ll need to pay a deductible, and many card issuers cap the amount you can claim and the number of claims you can make a year.

The Wells Fargo Active Cash Card, for instance, will pay up to $600 per claim, with a $25 deductible, and limits claims to two per year. The Chase Freedom Flex will pay up to $800 per claim, or $1,000 per 12-month period, across no more than two annual claims, with a $50 deductible. The Choice Privileges Mastercard will pay up to $800, with a $25 deductible.

Extended warranties

Several credit cards offer additional warranty coverage after the manufacturer’s or store’s warranty expires.

For example, the Citi Strata Premier provides a 24-month warranty extension for most purchases made with the card. The American Express Everyday Preferred adds an extra 12 months if the manufacturer’s warranty is five years or less. And Visa cardholders get three months to a year of extended coverage, depending on the length of the manufacturer’s or store’s warranty.

Expedited airport security access

Your card may provide a statement credit to cover the application fee for the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program (which costs up to $85 for five years) or U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry program ($120 for five years).

A slew of credit cards offer this benefit, including the Bank of America Premium Rewards card (up to $100 in credits every four years), USAA Eagle Navigator Visa Signature card (up to $120 every four years) and the Navy Federal Visa Signature Flagship Rewards card (up to $120 every four years).

Some cards also offer credits for CLEAR+ ($209 per year), a separate expedited airport security service.

Credits for streaming services, newspaper subscriptions and food delivery fees

Many cards offer monthly, quarterly or biannual statement credits to cardholders who purchase streaming services or pay for food delivery and rideshares with their card, though some cards require enrollment or activation to take advantage of these perks.

For example, the American Express Platinum offers up to $25 in monthly statement credits for spending on Disney+, ESPN streaming, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium and YouTube TV.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve provides free subscriptions to Apple TV and Apple Music, a free DoorDash membership and up to $25 in statement credits monthly to spend on DoorDash. And the Disney Inspire Visa card offers statement credits of up to $120 annually on subscriptions for Disney+, Hulu or ESPN.

Roadside assistance

When car troubles arise, your credit card may help cover costs for services like jump-starting a dead battery, changing a flat tire or towing the vehicle to a repair shop. Card networks and issuers with on-call roadside dispatch service typically offer it on a pay-per-use basis.

“If you don’t have an existing roadside assistance membership to an organization like AAA, this could be a lot easier and cheaper than doing it yourself, especially if you’re in an unfamiliar area,” Rossman says.

For example, Visa users can access the network’s roadside dispatch for a flat fee of $79.95 per callout for services like tire changing, jump-starting an engine and lockout help. The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers up to $50 per roadside assistance occurrence, up to four times a year, for services like towing or jump starts. And Mastercard offers roadside assistance for services like towing, jump starts, tire changes and fuel delivery.

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Laura Petrecca is a contributing writer for AARP. She has written for USA Today, Real Simple, Digiday’s WorkLife, Kiplinger, AARP, Men’s Health, Worth, Crain’s New York Business and Advertising Age.

Kerri Anne Renzulli has worked as a personal finance and careers reporter for Newsweek, CNBC, and Money. Her writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fortune, Time, Mansion Global, Glamour, Business Insider and Architectural Digest.