If your credit card offers cell phone protection, getting your phone protected against damage, theft, or certain types of losses is as easy as paying you monthly phone bill with your credit card.
What is cell phone protection?
Cell phone protection is a credit card benefit that can reimburse you for costs if your phone is damaged or stolen. To activate coverage, you need to pay your monthly cell phone bill with a card that offers this benefit. Cell phone protection is typically secondary to other insurance, such as your homeowners insurance or paid cell phone protection from your phone carrier.
Which cards offer cell phone protection?
Here are some popular cards that offer cell phone protection. (We’re updating this table as we update our card guides, so more cards will be added as we update those guides.)
| Card | Essential Terms | |
|---|---|---|
 | American Express® Business Gold Card | Deductible: $50 Limits: $800 per claim. Maximum of two claims per twelve month period. Covers: Theft and damage, including cracked screens |
 | Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Deductible: $50 Limits: $800 per claim. Maximum of two claims and $1,600 per twelve month period. Covers: Theft, damage, and involuntary and accidental parting. |
 | Chase Freedom Flex | Deductible: $50 Limits: $800 per claim. Maximum of two claims and $1000 per twelve month period. Covers: Theft and damage |
    | Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Reserve cards | Deductible: $50 Limits: $800 per claim. Maximum of two claims per twelve month period. |
  | Chase Ink premium cards: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Ink Business Premier® Credit Card | Deductible: $100 Limits: $1,000 per claim. Maximum of three claims per twelve month period. Covers: Theft, damage, and involuntary and accidental parting. |
 | The Platinum Card® from American Express | Deductible: $50 Limits: $800 per claim. Maximum of two claims per twelve month period. Covers: Theft and damage, including cracked screens |
 | TD Double Up℠ Credit Card | Deductible: $50 Limits: $500 per claim. Maximum of two claims and $1,000 per twelve month period. Covers: Theft, damage, and involuntary and accidental parting. |
  | Wells Fargo no-annual-fee cards: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card Wells Fargo Autograph Visa® Card | Deductible: $25 Limits: $600 per claim. Maximum of two claims and $1,200 per twelve month period. Covers: Theft, damage, and involuntary and accidental parting. |
 | Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card | Deductible: $25 Limits: $1,000 per claim. Maximum of two claims and $2,000 per twelve month period. Covers: Theft, damage, and involuntary and accidental parting. |
What is typically covered by cell phone protection?
Cell phone protection typically covers repair or replacement of a phone if it is stolen or damaged. Most cell phone protection plans do not cover loss of a cell phone, but some will cover “involuntary and accidental parting” where you know the location of your mobile phone, but it is impractical to retrieve.
Here’s what is typically covered and excluded:
- Stolen phones – Stolen phones are usually covered by cell phone insurance. Be sure to file a police report within 48 hours after your phone is stolen.
- Damage that makes your phone unusable – If you damage your phone and your phone becomes unusable, you are usually covered.
- Cracked screens – Most cell phone protection benefits exclude cracked screens that do not affect your phone’s functionality. Some cell phone protection benefits require that your phone not be able to make or receive calls.
- Prepaid phones – Prepaid phones plans are frequently excluded from coverage. American Express and Chase exclude prepaid phones. Wells Fargo’s insurance does not exclude prepaid phones.
- Lost phones – Almost all cell phone insurance benefits exclude lost phones and phones that “mysteriously disappear.”
- Other devices – . If you have an iPad, smartwatch, or other device connected to your cell phone plan, it will usually not be eligible for any coverage under cell phone protection.
If your phone is stolen or damaged, you will typically be able to receive reimbursement for repair or replacement of your phone. In some cases, cell phone protection may replace your phone with an equivalent phone or provide you with a payment based on the current value of your phone.
Credit card cell phone protection is secondary insurance
Cell phone protection is usually secondary insurance, meaning that you must claim against other insurance first. Other insurance that could cover your cell phone might include:
- Cell phone protection plans offered by your cell phone carrier
- Purchased extended warranties that cover accidental damage, theft or loss (such as AppleCare+)
- Homeowner’s, renter’s, or automobile insurance
- Insurance policies that may cover you on a business trip
How to activate coverage
You generally activate cell phone protection by paying your monthly cell phone bill with a credit card offering this benefit.
Coverage usually does not start immediately. The cell phone protection benefits offered on many Visa, Mastercard and American Express credit cards only become effective in the month following your first monthly charge of your cell phone bill to your cards. In addition, you must continue to pay your monthly cell phone bill with your eligible card; coverage will stop if you stop paying your monthly cell phone bill with your credit card.
If you have a prepaid phone service that you pay for every few months or annually, you likely will not qualify for credit card cell phone protection. Most cell phone protection benefits require you to pay a monthly cell phone bill with your card to be eligible for coverage.
What to do if you need to make a claim
Your credit card’s benefits guide will have the details of how to file a cell phone protection claim. Generally, you must provide documentation to substantiate your claim, including:
- A copy of your wireless bill showing that you paid with your eligible credit card
- Proof that your claimed device was linked to your wireless account
- A police report if your cell phone was stolen
- Photos of your damaged phone
- A repair estimate or a receipt showing the purchase of a replacement phone
You must submit a claim within a reasonable amount of time after your phone damaged or stolen. Additionally, if your phone is stolen, you will typically need to provide a police report, filed soon after you discover your phone is stolen. Your guide to benefits will provide time limits for submitting your claims.
When do you need other coverage?
The biggest caveat to credit card cell phone protection is that coverage usually requires paying your monthly bill with your card. If you have a prepaid plan where you pay annually, your credit card most likely will not get you coverage.
Also, the large carriers, including Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T typically require you to pay for your cell phone bill with a debit card or a bank account… and if you don’t, they’ll charge you more. (This is usually framed as a “discount” for using auto-pay with a bank account.)
That said, it might be a better deal to seek coverage through your cell phone provider if the fees are reasonable and if you’d pay more for your cell phone when paying with a credit card.
Bottom line: Cell phone protection is a nice benefit, but be sure to check your card’s terms
Getting protection against damage of theft of your cell phone just for paying your monthly bill with your credit card can be a nice benefit, but you’ll want to be sure to check your card’s guide to benefits to be sure that you’ll get the coverage you’re expecting as well as your cell phone provider’s terms and conditions to see if they’ll charge you more for paying with a credit card.
