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Credit cards with cell phone protection

Cell phone protection pays to repair or replace a phone that is stolen or damaged, and every guide behind the cards listed here makes coverage depend on paying the monthly wireless bill with the card ⁠1⁠2⁠3⁠4⁠5. Eight of the 45 cards we cover list it: the Platinum Card from American Express, Capital One Venture X, Chase Freedom Flex, U.S. Bank Shield and the Wells Fargo Active Cash, Autograph, Autograph Journey and Reflect ⁠1⁠6⁠3⁠7⁠5⁠8⁠9⁠10.

Compiled from official sources 8 cards from 5 issuers Last reviewed How we research
Contents6 sections

How the phone bill switches coverage on and off

Coverage follows the wireless bill, not the phone purchase. Chase's Freedom Flex guide requires the entire monthly cellular bill to be charged to the card for the billing cycle before the month of the incident ⁠3. Wells Fargo's guides say the bill must post to the card account in the month immediately before the loss, with coverage starting the first day of the following calendar month ⁠5⁠8⁠9⁠10. In all five issuers' guides, a month in which the bill is not paid with the card suspends coverage, and it resumes the month after the next payment with the card ⁠1⁠2⁠3⁠4⁠5.

Coverage reaches every line on the bill: American Express covers the primary and additional lines on the cellular statement, and Wells Fargo covers all phones with lines on the wireless bill ⁠1⁠5. Wells Fargo's definition of a cell phone leaves out tablets and smartwatches even when they appear on that bill ⁠5.

None of these benefits pays ahead of other insurance. Chase and Wells Fargo describe their coverage as supplemental to and in excess of other insurance, such as cell phone insurance programs or homeowner's and renter's policies, and Chase says it covers the deductible on those policies ⁠3⁠5. Capital One's Visa Infinite guide and U.S. Bank's Shield guide pay once all other insurance has been exhausted, and American Express calls its coverage excess of any other applicable insurance ⁠2⁠4⁠1.

What the guides exclude

All five issuers' guides exclude phones that are lost or mysteriously disappear, meaning they vanished with no evidence of a wrongful act ⁠1⁠2⁠3⁠4⁠5. They also exclude phones in the care of a common carrier such as an airline or the U.S. Postal Service, accessories beyond the standard equipment, and cosmetic damage that does not affect how the phone works ⁠1⁠2⁠3⁠4⁠5.

Screens are treated differently. American Express lists a cracked screen as covered damage, while Wells Fargo's guides exclude cracked screens that do not affect the phone's capabilities or functionality ⁠1⁠5. Chase excludes electronic issues such as mechanical or battery failure, and Capital One and U.S. Bank exclude them where there is no evidence of physical damage ⁠3⁠2⁠4.

Filing a claim

A theft needs a police report: American Express, Capital One, Chase and U.S. Bank require it within 48 hours ⁠1⁠2⁠3⁠4. Chase, Capital One, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo ask for notice within 60 days of the loss, and American Express within 90 days ⁠3⁠2⁠4⁠5⁠1. Documents are due within 90 days of the loss for Chase, Capital One and U.S. Bank, and within 120 days for American Express and Wells Fargo ⁠3⁠2⁠4⁠1⁠5.

The guides list the wireless bill showing payment with the card, the matching card statement, proof of the phone model and a repair estimate for damage, and Chase, Capital One and Wells Fargo say not to discard a damaged phone until the claim is reviewed ⁠3⁠2⁠5.

How the eight cards differ

The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey pays up to $1,000 per claim and $2,000 per 12 months, while the Active Cash, Autograph and Reflect pay up to $600 per claim and $1,200 per 12 months; all four have a $25 deductible and a limit of 2 paid claims per 12 months ⁠9⁠5⁠8⁠10. The Platinum Card and Venture X pay up to $800 per claim with a $50 deductible and 2 claims per 12 months, and Capital One adds a $1,600 limit per 12 months ⁠1⁠2.

Chase's Freedom Flex guide, describing benefits in effect as of 10/01/24, pays up to $800 per claim after a $50 deductible but caps the card at 2 paid claims and $1,000 per 12 months ⁠3. The Freedom Flex product page does not mention phone protection; the benefit appears in the Guide to Benefits ⁠11⁠3. U.S. Bank Shield pays up to $600 per claim with a $100 deductible and allows 1 claim per 12 months ⁠4.

Cards with cell phone protection

8 of the 45 cards we cover list cell phone protection, 5 of them with no annual fee. Select a heading to sort the table. Each card’s page has the full terms.

Credit cards with cell phone protection, by annual fee
Terms
Chase Freedom Flex Credit CardChase $0 $800$502 paid claims per 12-month period Up to $800 per claim, $50 deductible, 2 claims and $1,000 per 12 months.⁠3
U.S. Bank Shield Visa CardU.S. Bank $0 $600$1001 per 12-month period Up to $600 per claim, 1 claim per 12 months, $100 deductible; pay the monthly phone bill with the card.⁠4⁠12⁠7
Wells Fargo Active Cash CardWells Fargo $0 $600$252 paid claims per 12 month period Up to $600 per claim, $25 deductible, 2 claims and $1,200 per 12 months; pay phone bill with card.⁠5
Wells Fargo Autograph CardWells Fargo $0 $600$252 paid claims per 12 month period Up to $600 per claim, $25 deductible, 2 claims and $1,200 per 12 months; pay phone bill with card.⁠8
Wells Fargo Reflect CardWells Fargo $0 $600$252 paid claims per 12 month period Up to $600 per claim, $25 deductible, 2 claims and $1,200 per 12 months; pay phone bill with card.⁠10
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey CardWells Fargo $95 $1,000$252 paid claims per 12 month period Up to $1,000 per claim, $25 deductible, 2 claims and $2,000 per 12 months; pay phone bill with card.⁠9
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit CardCapital One $395 $800$502 per 12-month period Up to $800 per claim, $50 deductible, 2 claims and $1,600 per 12 months; pay bill with card.⁠6⁠2
Platinum Card from American ExpressAmerican Express $895 $800$502 claims per Eligible Card Account per 12-month period Up to $800 per claim, $50 deductible, 2 claims per 12 months; pay the phone bill with the card.⁠1⁠13⁠14

Related: Purchase protection · Extended warranty · Return protection. Need several benefits at once? Use the card finder.

Sources

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