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Beginning April 1 2021, select Amex cards gain cell phone protection. Eligible cards include Centurion cards (consumer and business), Platinum cards (including the business Platinum and co-branded consumer variants), Delta Platinum (consumer and business), and Delta Reserve (consumer and business). Strangely missing from the list, in my opinion, are the $450 Bonvoy Brilliant and Hilton Aspire cards. I’m also a bit surprised not to see the Gold Card or Business Gold Card on the list.
Coverage Details
- Coverage includes phones that are stolen or damaged.
- We have been told that cracked screens are covered.
- Max $800 per claim or $1,600 per 12 month period.
- A $50 deductible applies to each claim.
- “You must charge your monthly Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone bill to your Eligible Card Account.” (interestingly, the terms do not say that you must pay in full each month, but maybe that’s implied?)
- Policy details can be found here.
My Take
Cell phone protection is already available from many other credit cards (see: Credit card cell phone insurance compared), but it’s great to see Amex join the party. Keep in mind that this is different from purchase protection (which Amex provides as well). Amex’s purchase protection covers damage, loss, or theft for 90 days from purchase. Nick had great luck using their purchase protection with a phone that smashed shortly after he bought it. Cell phone protection, meanwhile, is continuously available as long as you pay your wireless bill with your eligible card. With purchase protection there’s no deductible, but with cell phone coverage they impose a $50 deductible per claim. If Amex handles cell phone protection claims themselves the way they do with purchase protections, that’s fantastic news: According to many accounts, Amex is generally much better to work with than 3rd party insurers.
If you have multiple eligible cards, here are my thoughts about which are best to use to pay your cell phone bill in the short term:
- Delta Business Platinum or Business Reserve: If you’ve had your business Delta card since January 1, 2021, then it is eligible for monthly $15 (Platinum) or $20 (Reserve) wireless credits. See this post for details: Delta cards: Enhancements for 2021 (dining, wireless, status boost, and Delta spend bonuses).
- Amex Business Platinum: If you’ve had your Business Platinum card since Nov 1 2020, then you are eligible to earn 5X rewards for wireless spend (among other categories) through June 2021. Amex Business Platinum – 5X gas station, wireless, office supply, shipping, and advertising.
More Info
For reference, here’s the information sent to us by Amex’s PR firm:
Knowing how important these devices are, American Express is supporting Card Members by adding Cell Phone Protection as a new benefit for eligible U.S. Consumer and Small Business Cards, inclusive of protection against screen damage, which is typically excluded from damage coverage. Effective April 1, 2021, if a Card Members’ cell phone is stolen or damaged, including a cracked screen, they can be reimbursed for the repair or replacement costs for up to two approved claims, for a maximum of $800 per claim or $1,600 per 12-month period, when their cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month’s wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible applies to each approved claim.
Cell Phone Protection will be included for no additional cost for the following American Express Card Members:
- Platinum Card® from American Express
- Business Platinum Card®
- Centurion® Card from American Express
- Business Centurion Card®
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
- The Platinum Card® Exclusively for Charles Schwab
- The Platinum Card® Exclusively for Morgan Stanley
- The Platinum Card® Exclusively for Goldman Sachs
- The Centurion® Card Exclusively for Goldman Sachs
For more information about the coverage, please see the Guide to Benefits at americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/features-benefits/policies/cell-phone-protection.html.
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Another bummer. Verizon users lose their multi-phone discount if you pay your monthly bill with anything but direct ACH from your bank.
Ha! Right after I switched my Sprint bill to my IHG card because of the cell phone protection. Nice timing Amex. 🙂
Greg, the insurance start April 1. The policy states, “ You are eligible for coverage the first day of the calendar month following the payment of your Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone bill…” Do you know if that means a payment in March will trigger coverage starting April 1 or will it actually be an April payment that starts coverage May 1?
I’m assuming that a March payment triggers April coverage, but I don’t know that for sure.
What is NOT covered:
Replacement Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone(s)purchased from anyone other than a cellular service provider’s retail or internet storethat has the ability to initiate activation with the cellular service provider;
means only phone purchased directly from carrier are covered??
. How to file a claim
Copy of the original Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephonepurchase receipt
means only phone on installment plan is not covered??
(there is no receipt for phone on installment plan, you got a receipt of tax first, the monthly installment in mixed with the monthly service bill)
1) I don’t know what “Replacement Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone(s)” means. I’m sure that you’re covered regardless of where you bought the phone as long as you meet the other requirements.
2) I’m sure they can work with whatever receipts you do have.
What about people that have a pre-paid plan like a “pay as-go-go” plans (no annual contract) through AT&T and other carriers? There is no monthly bill to print since it does not generate a bill, however some info is available online from the prepaid account.
I don’t think you’re covered when on a pay as you go plan
See above with my example of Mint Mobile.
Under the section about what is not covered, it says “Cosmetic damage…that does not impact the Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone’s ability to make or receive phone calls.” With the cracked screens that I have had, I was still able to send & receive calls. Are we sure they are covered?
Great question! I’ve sent that to the PR company for follow-up
Here’s their answer: “screen cracks are covered, but cosmetic damage (i.e. superficial abrasions or scuffs) are not covered.”
Hopefully Amex will clarify this a little better by April 1. Otherwise, it appears that some people will be stuck telling the insurance carrier that the P.R. team said that cracked screens are covered. The terms really do make it seems like a cracked screen (or any other damage) will only be covered if it affects the “ability to make or receive phone calls.”
Both Amex and MasterCard are underwritten by New Hampshire insurance Company. The MasterCard reps get really firm that the ONLY things covered are things that effect your ability to make phone calls. No web access? Your problem. Broken camera? Your problem. In this way, the Chase coverage (CIP) is far superior, as they say it covers all damage, incl screen, camera. They have a $600 limit and $100 deductible. But far more user friendly. In the end it depends a bit on the actual claims administrator you get. I would hope that Amex provides a better benefit than MasterCard. Hopefully it is not the same program.
How does this compare to coverage from Chase Freedom? Looks similar except Chase Freedom limits to $1,000/year and AmEx more?
They do look similar.
Must the entire bill be paid on one of these cards, or will paying any amount on one of these cards get you coverage?
From above:
“and the prior month’s wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account.”
Sounds to me like the entire bill needs to be paid with the eligible card.
From the post:
Have you seen any data points on how to have coverage if you have more than one card that you pay your bill one i.e. multiple cards with the $10 credit.
Would you use the Amex platinum or the chase ink (I’m grandfathered into the old $95AF product) for cell phone insurance?
If you have the old Ink Plus, then I don’t think that one has cell phone insurance. The Ink Business Preferred has insurance and earns 3X for wireless, but also has a higher deductible. Amex Platinum only earns 1X for wireless, but has a lower deductible and is probably much easier to work with for using the benefit.
This should apply even if you are overseas, correct?
Yes, I believe so
How does credit card insurance work if you have Mint Mobile and pay once a year?
I don’t think it will work
I have Mint mobile as well. I’ve made a claim under the MasterCard cell benefits for this, and it took a long time, but worked. I have called 4 cards that have cell coverage through MasterCard, and also Chase’s card benefit services, asking about this, (creating my own spreadsheet), and I get similar answers: 1. You have to load your wallet monthly, as benefits are predicated on paying your bill with the card providing the coverage. 2. You have to provide proof of the charge on the cc and something from your carrier showing the charge/payment. 3. Your phone must have been purchased separately from your Pre-paid plan. You may need to provide the receipt from the purchase of your phone. 4. It is at the discretion of the claims administrator (for MasterCard). 5. For MasterCard, my claims administrator required me to provide a receipt proving replacement of my stolen iPhone. The police report was not enough. (Apple allows returns, fyi. I bought a new phone just for this receipt, then returned it. No guilt, my phone was legitimately stolen, and what phone I chose to use after that did not change the value of the stolen item, imo.)
I intend to call Amex about their policy on monthly payments to a pre-paid plan, but have not yet.
I’d love to sort out a way to mail Mint a check, through Plastiq, and automate this, but that is in the future too. For now I have to remember to do it each month.
Mint can use your accrued “wallet balance” to pay your annual plan charge (or 3 month, 6 month). So you are just pre-paying.
Oh, my claim was under the REI World MasterCard.
Forgot to explain, the Amex coverage and MC (some if not all) coverage, are both underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Co. So I suspect they may have similar rules. We’ll see.