The Top Five Credit Card Deals that You Must Have

If you are a seasoned credit card holder and frequently check out the deals that are offered as enticements to get a certain card, then you will probably not be surprised at this list.  But not everyone has the time or patience to check out all of the great deals that can be found on credit cards.

Here are the top five that are worth searching for a card that offers these to you:
1.    Purchase Protection.  If an item that you purchased is broken due to negligence on your part or someone else’s, the product will be replaced by the card company in keeping with the details of this program.  This has saved card holders the embarrassment of breaking a gift or losing something of sentimental value in advertently.  Keep in mind that there are time restrictions on this deal so you must be cognizant of that before you try to replace a broken item that you purchased a year ago.

2.    Extended Warranty.  How many times have you purchased a product only for it to break down right after the warranty expired.  This frustrating experience can be eliminated with extended warranty protection by some cards.  You can double your warranty period up to an additional year which will help you in case you need it.  As with other deals there  are restrictions on this including a top coverage amount, so be sure to ask for the details when you apply.  You will also need to perform basic consumer good practices like keeping your receipts and a copy of the warranty.  Also, if you cancel the card, the deal goes with it.
3.    Car Rental Insurance.  This is mainly known for its use by frequent travelers such as business people, but if you rent a vehicle for a vacation, it can cover you, too.  Most existing automobile insurance does have some coverage for rental cars, but it is very basic and can leave you vulnerable in certain situations.  And, purchasing the rental company insurance waivers can get very expensive.  But if you use a credit card that has car rental insurance, it will cover you for collision and theft over and above what your own policy will provide.  Be sure that you know the limitations and restrictions before you rent and commit to a credit card because of its rental insurance coverage.
4.    Roadside Assistance.  Which of these things are more frustrating?  A flat tire, dead battery, keys locked in the car or getting stuck in snow or mud?  The answer is all of the above – they are all equally frustrating.  Many credit card deals offer free or almost free roadside assistance that can cover you in one of these unfortunate events.  Even the low rates that they might charge you for the convenience is quickly forgotten when you have a situation that is fixed in a timely manner that is covered by your card.  Do not miss out on this one.

5.    Product Return and Price Protection.  If you get a product home and decide that the purchase was not what you expected or have a severe case of ‘buyer’s remorse’ and the merchant will not take the item back per their business policy, not to worry.  If you have this product return and price protection deal, you can get reimbursed for the cost of the item.  Even sweeter than this is the fact that if you purchase something at a sale price, and that sales price is lowered even further, you can get that extra savings, too.  While the paperwork required to validate this is more involved, it is still worth it.
With these deals, who can go wrong?  See how much they can save you on your future purchases.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at 7:43 am and is filed under Choosing a Credit Card, Credit Card Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.