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What if I told you there are more to credit cards than just charging money? Would you believe me? Well your credit card has lots of perks that you probably didn’t know about. At first, I started using credit cards just for the rewards like hotel stays and airline miles but then I started reading the fine print that comes with your every year. I was missing out on lots of great credit card perks! Why didn’t they tell me about this? Why are these perks a secret? I want to expose the secret credit card perks that they don’t want you to know. Of course many of these vary from company to company so check with your card to see which of these perks are offered.

Travel Benefits

Many cards offer travel perks standard for every cardholder. These credit card perks can include free luggage checks, travel cancellation insurance, and even access to those exclusive airport lounges. That all sounds great! But those are not really secrets.

The secret your credit card company doesn’t want you to know is that some cards offer reimbursement of meals and hotels for delayed flights of over 12 hours. Some cards even offer a $250 credit for tickets and upgrades. How great is that? Call your credit card company and see what travel perks you have.

Theft and Damage Protection

Let me tell you a story. So, last Christmas I purchased a Kindle Fire from Amazon for my kiddo using my credit card. My 5 year old drops it and shatters the screen. Amazon has a great returns policy so I was not worried about that. While on the phone with my credit card company for an unrelated issue, I mention the mishap to the customer service representative. She continues to tell me, “If Amazon did not refund your money; we would have given you your money back.” Wait…what?

Some credit card companies offer theft and damage protection up to $500 as long as you made the purchase with your credit card. Have you called your credit card company to see if you have this feature?

Rental Car Perks

You may or may not know this but many credit cards offer rental car insurance. This usually includes collision and theft protection. Be careful because some of the more expensive or luxury vehicles may not be covered in this credit card perk.

Now for the secret, towing and loss of use fees could be covered by your credit card. So if your rental breaks down for any reason, your credit card can help. Be sure to contact your credit card company before any trips to see if this is available to you.

Price Protection and Warranty

Have you ever bought something just to see it go on sale next week? Some credit card companies will refund you the difference in price within 60 days of the purchase. 60 days! Of course you have to make the purchase with your credit card in order to get the price protection. As always, check with your credit card company to see if this feature is offered.

There you have it. Those are all of the credit card secrets that I know. Of course there are probably more out there. I hope these secret credit card perks help make your purchasing decisions a lot easier.

Do you know about any secret credit card perks?