Skip to content

Amex Extended Warranty: The low-hassle credit card extended warranty

American Express offers extended warranty protection as a benefit of many of its premium credit cards. This benefit can extend the manufacturer’s warranty on many items you by up to an additional year.

Here’s what you need to know about Amex extended warranty benefits.

What is a credit card extended warranty?

Some credit cards offer an extended warranty benefit which extends the manufacturer’s warranty for items you purchase with your card. After your manufacturer’s warranty expires, you’ll receive similar coverage through your credit card, often up to an additional year for eligible items.

Amex extended warranty doubles the manufacturer’s warranty up to one additional year, on warranties of 5 year or less.

Amex extended warranty at a glance

Additional coverageDoubles the manufacturer’s warranty, up to one additional year.
Maximum total coverageSix years of coverage—5 years of original manufacturer’s warranty coverage, plus 1 year of Amex warranty
Purchase locationInside the U.S., its territories, and possessions.
Coverage limitsPer covered purchase: $10,000
Per eligible card: $50,000
How to file a claimhttps://americanexpress.com/onlineclaim
1-800-228-6855
International collect: 1-303-273-6497
American Express extended warranty at a glance.

Our take: Why extended warranty matters

Extended warranty benefits are frequently under-appreciated and under-used. But a credit card extended warranty can save you a ton of money if an expensive item fails shortly after the original manufacturer’s warranty expires. An extended warranty benefit won’t cover a shattered phone screen or a dropped laptop, but it can provide for a repair or replacement of many items if they fail under normal usage.

For most people, it can make sense to forego some rewards in order to purchase items that have warranties with a credit card that offers an extended warranty benefit. If an expensive item fails, an extended warranty can save you thousands of dollars in repair or replacement costs—much more than you’d earn in marginal rewards with any card.

We really like American Express extended warranty coverage because we’ve found that the claims process is easier than most other issuers. Amex seems to require a reasonable amount of documentation for most extended warranty claims. In our experience, most low-value claims get paid out without needing to obtain a repair quote.

How get American Express Extended warranty coverage

To get American Express extended warranty coverage, you must purchase an eligible item that has a U.S. manufacturer’s warranty using your card. Specifically, all of the following must be true to get coverage:

  • You must make your purchase using a card that has a Amex extended warranty benefit.
  • Your purchase must come with an original manufacturer’s warranty.
  • Your purchase must be made within the United States, its territories or possessions.
  • The original manufacturer’s warranty must be valid within the United States.

Which cards offer American Express extended warranty coverage?

All premium credit cards offered by American Express feature the Amex extended warranty benefit. It’s a common misconception that only Amex cards with an annual fee carry the extended warranty benefit; there are several business and personal Amex cards that give you the benefit with no fee. Here are the cards that offer the Amex extended warranty benefit.

American Express cards with an extended warranty benefit

Delta SkyMiles credit cards with an extended warranty benefit

Hilton credit cards with an extended warranty benefit

Amex-issued Marriott Bonvoy credit cards with an extended warranty benefit

Amex-issued retailer credit cards with extended warranty benefits

  • Amazon Business Card
  • Amazon Business Prime Card
  • Lowe’s Business Rewards Card

If you want to be sure that your Amex card offers an extended warranty benefit, American Express makes that easy; all of its credit cards offering an extended warranty can be found here.

More about Amex extended warranty benefits

Here’s a deeper dive into the American Express extended warranty benefit.

What does the Amex extended warranty cover?

The American Express extended warranty covers the repair or replacement of items you purchase with your card that fail in a way that would be covered under an original manufacturer’s warranty. The Amex extended warranty covers a period equal to your original manufacturer’s warranty, up to one year and covers your item for that period after your original warranty expires. Amex extended warranty applies only to items that have a manufacturer’s warranty of five years or less.

What kinds of items are excluded?

Extended warranty benefit terms usually list items that are excluded from coverage. Typically extended warranty benefits exclude large purchases like automobiles, items that can be copied like computer software, perishable items and consumables. Here’s what American Express excludes from its extended warranty coverage.

  • Cash and cash-like instruments. Credit cards, securities, documents, tickets, travelers checks, gift certificates, gift cards, gift checks, food stamps, notes, accounts, bills, currency, deeds, evidences of debt or intangible property, rare stamps, and coins.
  • Consumable items like food, perfume, light bulbs, and batteries.
  • Items that you intend to lease, rent, borrow or resell
  • Motorized devices and parts, except that are part of a permanent residential or business fixture.
  • Residential or business fixtures that can’t be removed without damaging the structure.
  • Land or buildings.
  • Items in a pair or set unless the items cannot be used individually.
  • One-of a kind or unique items like antiques, artwork, and furs.
  • Software, downloadable apps, computer programs, or firmware.
  • Items that have been discarded.
  • Damage to any item or property caused by a covered item’s failure.
  • Items purchased for professional or commercial use.
  • Used and previously-owned items. (Items refurbished by the original manufacturer are covered)

What you need to do when you purchase an item

You don’t need to register an item to take advantage of Amex extended warranty coverage, but you will want to remember to save your receipts and record which American Express card you used to purchase the item. If you ever need to file a claim, you will need a copy of your purchase receipt and to know which Amex card you charged your item to.

A best practice is to take a picture and save your receipts in an online photo album or in a note-taking app like Evernote or OneNote. You will also likely need to provide evidence of your warranty, so if you can’t easily find your item’s warranty policy online, it can be worthwhile to save documentation of this as well.

How to file a claim

If you need to file an extended warranty claim with American Express, you can start your claim online or over the phone. The easiest way to start a claim is online at https://americanexpress.com/onlineclaim. You can also initiate a claim via telephone at 1-800-228-6855. If you are located outside the United States, you can place a collect call to 1-303-273-6498.

Click on the link above only after you have logged into your account. If you are not logged into your account, you will be prompted to log in and you’ll be taken to your account overview page, rather than the online claim center. Here’s what the online claim center looks like.

Another way to access the online claim center is to navigate to your benefits page through the Amex online account portal. Click on “Rewards & Benefits* at the top of the screen, then click on “Benefits” on the next page. Scroll down until you see a panel that says “Extended Warranty” within the list of benefits. Click “Learn More” and you’ll see the screen below. The “File a Claim” link will take you to the benefit center page.

Completing the online form

The online claim center is where you’ll start your extended warranty claim. To begin your claim, click on “File a Claim” at the top of the main page of the online claim center. On the next page, select the card you used to purchase the item and your date of purchase.

Once you’ve selected your card and date of purchase, you’ll choose which type of claim you are making. From this screen, select “Extended Warranty.”

The next several screens will guide you through the process of submitting your claim. To submit your claim, you’ll need to provide information about yourself and the item you are claiming. Here’s what American Express advises you’ll need to make your claim:

  • Your personal information, including your email-address
  • Purchase information, including receipt, date, amount and place of purchase
  • Item information, including manufacturer name and model number (if applicable)

Filling your claim extended warranty claim form: Claiming your item

Once you start the process of filing your extended warranty claim, Amex will ask you for information about the item you are claiming. One of the first screens you’ll see when filing your claim will ask for information on your loss. For an extended warranty claim, this usually means the date on which the item broke. On this same screen, describe how the item malfunctioned. A simple explanation of what broke is usually sufficient.

On the next screen, you’ll be asked for detailed information about the item you are claiming under your extended warranty benefits. American Express will want a fair amount of information on the item you are claiming, including the following:

  • Item name. A few word description of what the item is.
  • Purchase date of the item. When you purchased the item.
  • Item type. Appliance, electronics, PC or others.
  • Item description. This might be a drop-down or a free-text entry. Describe what the item is if it is not clear from the item name.
  • Merchant. Where you bought the item
  • Manufacturer. Who made the item.
  • Model number.
  • Serial number.
  • Item cost with taxes, excluding shipping fees.
  • Warranty or extended warranty company name. If you do not have an extended warranty, this is usually the manufacturer.
  • Length of the manufacturer’s warranties for parts, labor and any extended parts or labor extended warranties in days.

If one of the items doesn’t apply or you don’t know it, putting “NA” (not applicable) or “Unknown” on the form is usually acceptable. Fill out the form accurately and to the best of your ability.

After adding your item to your claim form, you’ll provide your address, read some required disclosures, and submit your claim. You’ll receive a confirmation number and the claim will displayed in a list of claims on the main page of the online claim center.

What happens next

Within a few days, American Express will send an acknowledgement of your claim submission. Usually the letter you receive will simply be an acknowledgement and let you know that there is no action required.

A few days later, you might receive another letter requesting you provide additional information so that Amex can assess your warranty claim. This additional documentation usually includes filling out a claim form and providing additional documentation like the following:

  • Paper claim form, including more details about the item.
  • Copy of the itemized sales receipt.
  • Copy of the original manufacturer’s written U.S. warranty, and any other applicable warranty.
  • Photos of the item being claimed showing the defect.

For items like appliances and PCs, you may also be asked to get a repair estimate or have a technician examine the device to determine its cause of failure.

After you submit the required information, Amex will evaluate your claim. A claim adjuster may reach out for additional information, but if your claim is approved Amex will usually provide a payment to cover the repair or replacement of your item.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Amex extended warranty cover refurbished items?

The American Express extended warranty coverage applies to items that are refurbished by the original manufacturer.

Does Amex extended warranty cover used items?

The American Express extended warranty does not cover used items. Items that come refurbised from the original manufacturer are eligible for coverage.

Who do I send my item to if it needs to be repaired?

If your item needs to be repaired, Amex will usually request that you find an authorized repair shop to fix your item.

About the author

  • Photo of Aaron Hurd, credit card and travel rewards expert.

    Aaron Hurd is a credit card, travel rewards, and loyalty program expert. Over the past 15 years, he has authored over a thousand expert contributions published by leading outlets including WSJ, TIME, Newsweek, Forbes, NerdWallet, The Points Guy, Bankrate, CNET, and many others. He has also served in consulting roles for many of these same outlets, designing content strategy, hiring teams of teams of editors and contributors, developing thought-leadership pieces, and ghost-editing for senior editors. Aaron is well-known in the miles and points community and regularly presents about travel rewards at conferences like the Chicago Seminars and Minnebar. Aaron has enjoyed the game of optimizing credit card rewards since getting his first credit card shortly after he turned 18. He started learning about credit cards and travel rewards from the (now defunct) FatWallet Finance forums and FlyerTalk. He holds more than 40 open credit cards and has first-hand experience with almost every major credit card product.

    View all posts