ATHLLC9586869823
00:00:00.000 | (upbeat music)
00:00:02.280 | - Hello, and welcome to another episode of All The Hacks,
00:00:05.120 | a show about upgrading your life, money, and travel.
00:00:07.840 | I'm Chris Hutchins, and I'm so excited you're here today
00:00:10.200 | for an episode all about the hidden benefits
00:00:12.640 | you get with your credit cards.
00:00:14.080 | And when I say hidden benefits,
00:00:15.440 | I'm not talking about the main perks that cards market,
00:00:18.160 | like lounge access or free checked bags.
00:00:20.840 | I'm talking about all the others,
00:00:22.280 | like travel insurance, purchase protection,
00:00:24.760 | which I've used to repair multiple iPhone screens for free,
00:00:27.640 | and lots of other perks you might not know about,
00:00:29.880 | like rental car discounts, concierges,
00:00:32.360 | free wine tastings, free credit scores, and a lot more.
00:00:36.460 | I know I've saved thousands of dollars
00:00:38.400 | using all these hidden benefits,
00:00:39.640 | so I am excited to share them with you
00:00:41.440 | so you can do the same.
00:00:42.560 | But two quick things.
00:00:44.160 | First, you probably know I've been on a quest
00:00:46.240 | to hit 1,000 reviews on Apple Podcasts.
00:00:48.640 | And as of this recording, I'm at 993.
00:00:51.740 | So thank you to everyone who's left a rating or a review.
00:00:54.720 | It means so much to me.
00:00:56.280 | And if you haven't done it yet
00:00:57.500 | and wanna be one of the last few people
00:00:59.200 | to help me get over the edge, that would be amazing.
00:01:02.080 | Second, one of the best travel cards out there,
00:01:04.520 | the Chase Sapphire Preferred,
00:01:06.200 | just increased the signup bonus
00:01:07.960 | to 80,000 ultimate rewards points.
00:01:10.500 | I know many of you already have this card
00:01:12.400 | or have the Chase Reserve,
00:01:13.760 | but if not, this is a fantastic bonus
00:01:16.680 | on a card that earns 3X on dining, streaming,
00:01:19.480 | and online groceries, and 2X on travel,
00:01:22.240 | or 5X on travel if you book in the Chase portal.
00:01:24.680 | While I've been able to get as much as 4 to 5 cents of value
00:01:27.440 | for my Chase points, if I'm being conservative,
00:01:29.640 | I can value them at 2 cents
00:01:31.120 | because of their flexibility to transfer
00:01:33.280 | to so many great partners like Hyatt, United, Air France,
00:01:36.680 | which makes that signup bonus
00:01:38.280 | worth at least $1,600 in my eyes.
00:01:41.320 | Now, I know Chase has a few important rules
00:01:43.860 | that I wanna make sure you think about
00:01:45.240 | before you think you can just jump in and get this bonus.
00:01:48.080 | First, as is true for all Chase cards,
00:01:50.640 | you can't have more than five cards opened
00:01:53.360 | in the last 24 months,
00:01:54.880 | including being added as an authorized user.
00:01:57.720 | That's the 5/24 rule,
00:01:59.100 | so if you're already at 5/24, you have to wait.
00:02:01.640 | Second, you can't have more than one Chase Sapphire card,
00:02:05.040 | so if you already have the Reserve or the Preferred Now,
00:02:07.840 | you're gonna need to downgrade to something
00:02:09.640 | like the Freedom or the Freedom Unlimited,
00:02:11.480 | and you'll probably wanna wait a few weeks
00:02:13.400 | or maybe even one statement cycle before applying again.
00:02:16.560 | And finally, you can't have earned a Chase Sapphire bonus
00:02:20.000 | in the past 48 months,
00:02:22.080 | which starts when the statement closes
00:02:24.480 | that you earn the bonus,
00:02:25.560 | not when you actually open the card,
00:02:27.520 | so it might be a little more like two or three months
00:02:30.720 | after when you first opened that card.
00:02:32.720 | So if given all of that, you're still eligible,
00:02:35.720 | this is the best bonus I've seen online for this card,
00:02:39.080 | and if you wanna support me in the show,
00:02:40.880 | you can sign up at allthehacks.com/cards
00:02:43.400 | and use the links there,
00:02:45.160 | but as much as I'd love you to use those links,
00:02:47.560 | I have heard that you can get a 90,000 point bonus
00:02:51.080 | on the Sapphire Preferred by applying in a Chase branch.
00:02:55.280 | It's not a guarantee, it's one of those things
00:02:57.360 | where some people have had success and some people haven't,
00:03:00.340 | but I want you to get the most points possible,
00:03:02.640 | so if going to a Chase branch
00:03:04.520 | is worth getting those extra 10,000 points and it's nearby,
00:03:07.660 | that might be a great option for you to at least try out.
00:03:10.480 | Okay, those are my two quick announcements,
00:03:12.760 | let's talk about these credit card benefits
00:03:14.800 | right after this.
00:03:17.800 | Okay, so almost every card out there
00:03:20.360 | has a guide to benefits that you get
00:03:22.480 | when you first open the card that explains all the benefits.
00:03:25.560 | It looks like one of those terms and condition docs
00:03:27.720 | and many of us just throw them away,
00:03:29.240 | so you can usually search online to find yours,
00:03:32.920 | I'll include a few links in the show notes
00:03:34.800 | that'll help you find one,
00:03:36.280 | and some issuers make it really easy.
00:03:38.240 | If you just search Chase Sapphire Reserve Guide to Benefits,
00:03:41.320 | there's a PDF, it's so quick and simple.
00:03:44.040 | Some make it a little difficult,
00:03:45.660 | you might even have to call or send a message
00:03:47.680 | to get it, and then there's Capital One,
00:03:50.360 | which is a whole different beast,
00:03:52.040 | and I honestly didn't actually know this about Capital One
00:03:54.920 | until I started preparing for this episode,
00:03:57.560 | but when you apply for a Capital One card,
00:04:00.280 | you might not actually know
00:04:01.680 | whether it's gonna be a Visa or a MasterCard,
00:04:04.320 | and within those issuers, they have different tiers,
00:04:06.600 | there's Visa Infinite, Visa Signature,
00:04:08.800 | MasterCard World, MasterCard World Elite,
00:04:11.040 | and you don't actually know
00:04:12.400 | which one of those cards you're gonna get
00:04:14.400 | until you go through the application process
00:04:17.600 | and the underwriting and get the card,
00:04:19.680 | and then you'll find out.
00:04:21.360 | So when you actually go to look at the list
00:04:23.240 | of the Guide to Benefits for Capital One cards,
00:04:25.940 | they actually just give you a list that says,
00:04:27.280 | "Hey, if your card's a MasterCard World Elite,
00:04:29.680 | "here's the Guide to Benefits,"
00:04:31.400 | but you won't know which one it is
00:04:32.760 | until you get the card and are approved for it.
00:04:35.200 | So Capital One makes it extra difficult.
00:04:37.920 | As I go through this episode,
00:04:39.240 | I would love to be able to tell you
00:04:40.760 | for every specific card what perks
00:04:42.720 | and what benefits you have,
00:04:44.160 | and it would be amazing if I could somehow custom use AI
00:04:47.240 | to automatically generate the content in this episode
00:04:49.800 | just for you and your cards, but we're not there yet,
00:04:53.000 | so I'm gonna do my best
00:04:54.120 | to tell you everything you need to know,
00:04:55.680 | and I'll put as many links in the show notes
00:04:57.280 | as I can to help out.
00:04:58.720 | First, I'm gonna start with purchase benefits.
00:05:01.400 | For so many cards, there are a ton of benefits you get
00:05:04.060 | anytime you buy something with your card,
00:05:06.520 | and the requirement is usually only
00:05:08.440 | that you put the cost of the purchase on your card,
00:05:11.360 | and all these claims that you might have to do
00:05:13.640 | to get money back are pretty easy to do online.
00:05:17.000 | I've filed at least four or five
00:05:18.880 | purchase protection benefit claims online
00:05:21.800 | and have been reimbursed well over $1,000,
00:05:24.400 | so it's definitely worth taking advantage of these
00:05:26.880 | if you wanna make sure that you're getting
00:05:28.360 | the most out of your credit cards
00:05:30.200 | for the next time you have an opportunity.
00:05:31.960 | And just to be clear,
00:05:32.800 | when I say put the purchase on your card,
00:05:34.680 | that's important because if you're buying something
00:05:36.800 | on Amazon and you end up using your Amazon gift card
00:05:39.440 | instead of using your credit card,
00:05:41.200 | you're not gonna get all these perks,
00:05:43.240 | and for some of these protections,
00:05:45.480 | the amount that you're able to be reimbursed
00:05:47.440 | is limited by the amount you put on the card,
00:05:51.160 | and others, it's just a requirement
00:05:53.540 | that you put a purchase of any amount on the card.
00:05:56.120 | So for example, for a lot of the travel protection benefits,
00:05:59.440 | as long as some aspect of the purchase is on your card,
00:06:02.520 | that could even mean just the taxes and fees
00:06:05.240 | of a ticket that you bought with miles, you're covered.
00:06:08.400 | For some things, you might need to put
00:06:09.560 | the entire purchase on if you wanna maximize the benefit.
00:06:12.360 | The first benefit I wanna talk about is purchase protection.
00:06:15.200 | This is one of my favorites
00:06:16.760 | because it means you can get reimbursed
00:06:18.360 | to repair or replace items that you bought on your card
00:06:21.880 | that get stolen or damaged within 90 to 120 days of purchase
00:06:26.880 | depending on the card you have.
00:06:28.640 | This is a common benefit offered on so many different cards,
00:06:32.240 | and it usually requires the entire purchase
00:06:34.580 | to be on the card, and is often limited
00:06:36.920 | to up to $10,000 per item and up to $50,000 per year,
00:06:40.960 | which is a lot.
00:06:42.200 | Now, there are a ton of exclusions
00:06:43.880 | for things like animals, software, perishables, vehicles,
00:06:47.680 | but most common purchases like electronics
00:06:50.280 | or home goods are covered.
00:06:51.600 | I've used purchase protection to replace an SD card
00:06:54.440 | that I ran through a washing machine
00:06:56.120 | to repair at least three cracked iPhone screens.
00:06:59.420 | Note that normally the screen needs to have been cracked
00:07:02.240 | within three to four months of the original purchase.
00:07:04.760 | However, one time I actually cracked my phone screen
00:07:08.240 | nine months after I bought the phone, so it wasn't covered.
00:07:12.200 | But then I managed to drop my phone again
00:07:14.840 | and crack the screen just a few weeks later,
00:07:18.100 | and so I was able to get the second repair covered
00:07:21.000 | by pointing out that the screen that was cracked
00:07:23.280 | wasn't the original phone that was nine months ago,
00:07:26.400 | it was the screen that I had bought a few weeks ago
00:07:29.360 | as a replacement.
00:07:30.900 | So I know that might seem a little crazy,
00:07:32.540 | but when there's a few hundred dollars on the line,
00:07:34.280 | it's definitely worth trying to see
00:07:35.600 | if you can make it happen.
00:07:36.800 | Also, I promise, I don't really break my screen
00:07:39.160 | as much as this might seem.
00:07:40.600 | I've probably done it three or four times in my life,
00:07:43.760 | but it just happens that I take advantage
00:07:45.960 | of this perk all the time, and for some reason,
00:07:48.000 | it seems like it always breaks
00:07:49.720 | within 90 days of buying the phone.
00:07:51.600 | Also, if you're outside of that 90-day window,
00:07:53.720 | later in this episode, I'm gonna cover cell phone coverage,
00:07:56.320 | which actually might cover you, but with a deductible,
00:07:59.400 | whereas Purchase Protection has no deductible.
00:08:02.240 | So that's Purchase Protection, definitely an awesome perk.
00:08:06.080 | Another one I love is Extended Warranty.
00:08:08.360 | This is another common benefit
00:08:09.920 | that increases the manufacturer's warranty of an item
00:08:12.560 | by an additional year, or on a lot of city cards,
00:08:15.480 | by an additional two years.
00:08:17.640 | So similar to Purchase Protection,
00:08:19.480 | it's often limited to $10,000 on an item
00:08:22.000 | or $50,000 in a year.
00:08:23.880 | This is something that's come in handy for me,
00:08:25.960 | especially with things like a computer.
00:08:28.180 | I bought a MacBook Pro a handful of years ago,
00:08:30.680 | and sometime in year two,
00:08:32.840 | after Apple's one-year warranty was up,
00:08:35.480 | something went wrong.
00:08:36.680 | And Apple, of course, was gonna charge me to fix it
00:08:39.000 | because it was outside of the warranty,
00:08:40.320 | and I didn't pay for AppleCare,
00:08:42.200 | but I used the Extended Warranty Protection on my card,
00:08:45.240 | and that covered the cost to repair the computer.
00:08:48.100 | In researching this, I didn't actually realize
00:08:49.880 | that city cards had two years of additional warranty.
00:08:52.960 | So if I were gonna buy something like a computer
00:08:55.380 | where the cost to repair it in years two or three
00:08:57.880 | could be pretty expensive,
00:08:59.120 | I'd probably prioritize putting that on a card,
00:09:01.640 | like a city card,
00:09:02.800 | so that I could get the Extended Warranty Protection
00:09:05.000 | for two years, even if it meant getting less points,
00:09:08.160 | because it's just, I like that safety,
00:09:10.160 | and the only other alternative
00:09:11.880 | is paying for something like AppleCare,
00:09:13.400 | which is gonna cost way more
00:09:14.560 | than the points I would otherwise get.
00:09:15.920 | There's also a benefit called Return Protection.
00:09:18.520 | It's a commonly offered perk
00:09:19.920 | that extends the return window of something,
00:09:22.760 | or even creates a return policy where one didn't exist,
00:09:26.520 | either because the retailer doesn't accept returns
00:09:29.120 | or something was final sale.
00:09:31.040 | I actually haven't used this benefit yet,
00:09:33.320 | but in the past, I've probably been hesitant
00:09:35.280 | to buy things that are final sale,
00:09:37.280 | thinking, "Oh, if I actually don't like this,
00:09:39.040 | "there'll be no way to return it."
00:09:40.760 | And I don't think I need to be worried about that anymore,
00:09:42.700 | as long as I put it on a card with Return Protection.
00:09:45.600 | No, however, Return Protection,
00:09:48.080 | unlike Purchase Protection, Extended Warranty,
00:09:49.920 | usually has much lower limits than other benefits,
00:09:52.680 | often 250, $300 per item,
00:09:55.640 | and usually caps out at around $1,000 a year.
00:09:58.960 | So that's one I haven't tried yet, but stay tuned if I do.
00:10:02.680 | The last one in this group is called Price Protection.
00:10:05.280 | It's much less common now that a lot of cards
00:10:07.760 | have been taking it away,
00:10:09.280 | but it reimburses you the difference
00:10:11.360 | when the price of something you purchased
00:10:13.000 | drops within a few months.
00:10:15.280 | It was really common,
00:10:16.560 | and now it's only on a handful of cards,
00:10:18.600 | mostly obscure ones that I don't think are very common,
00:10:21.320 | like the UBS Visa Infinite card.
00:10:24.000 | Some Capital One cards actually do have this perk,
00:10:27.000 | but I can't tell you which ones,
00:10:28.760 | because as I mentioned before,
00:10:30.640 | it's a perk tied to a specific type of card,
00:10:33.280 | like a MasterCard World Elite,
00:10:35.440 | but I don't actually know if that's the card that you have,
00:10:38.280 | because you might have a Quicksilver card
00:10:40.840 | that is a MasterCard World Elite,
00:10:42.480 | while someone else might have that exact same card,
00:10:44.720 | and it's just a regular Visa Signature card.
00:10:47.120 | So you're gonna have to look up
00:10:48.760 | whether your Capital One card has this
00:10:50.520 | by going to the Guide to Benefits.
00:10:51.960 | I'll link to that in the show notes,
00:10:53.640 | and matching it up with which kind of card you have.
00:10:56.480 | One hack, if you're not eligible for this,
00:10:58.320 | I have had so much luck chatting, or emailing,
00:11:01.440 | or even calling a retailer to just ask them
00:11:03.960 | to refund the difference when a price drops,
00:11:06.320 | especially if it's within the return window
00:11:08.520 | of buying something.
00:11:09.800 | Most retailers would much prefer to just give you $10 back,
00:11:13.240 | then have you send something back,
00:11:15.280 | then repurchase it to save $10,
00:11:17.680 | because they're probably gonna spend
00:11:18.640 | more than that in shipping.
00:11:20.000 | So that's an option if you want some price protection,
00:11:22.900 | and you can't actually get it from a card.
00:11:24.700 | Now, all these benefits, like I said,
00:11:26.800 | you need to put the purchase on the card,
00:11:28.860 | so I'm really cognizant when I'm buying something
00:11:30.600 | to make sure I'm not using gift cards
00:11:32.120 | if I want these benefits to kick in.
00:11:34.120 | So if someone gives me an Amazon gift card,
00:11:36.400 | I'm much more likely to use that Amazon gift card
00:11:38.940 | to buy groceries with Amazon Fresh
00:11:41.760 | than I am to buy electronic product
00:11:44.140 | that I might wanna use these perks for,
00:11:45.840 | because I'm really not expecting to be able to need
00:11:48.680 | extended warranty protection on bananas,
00:11:51.040 | or anything else I'm buying from the grocery store.
00:11:52.960 | So that's one thing to keep in mind,
00:11:54.680 | especially with things like if you're buying something
00:11:57.200 | and you wanna try to get an even better deal,
00:11:59.180 | so you're gonna buy gift cards.
00:12:01.200 | I know I always talk about the strategy
00:12:02.760 | of buying gift cards at the grocery store,
00:12:04.620 | so you can get 4X points with an Amex Gold.
00:12:08.080 | Keep in mind that for some things that's fine,
00:12:10.400 | but if you're buying gift cards
00:12:11.720 | so that you can buy things to get these benefits,
00:12:13.720 | you might not get those benefits
00:12:15.520 | if you're paying with a gift card.
00:12:17.080 | Now, you could potentially read the terms and conditions,
00:12:20.400 | see whether it's capped at the purchase price or not.
00:12:23.060 | If not, then make sure you put at least some
00:12:25.660 | of the purchase on your card.
00:12:27.280 | So that's one big category of benefits I've used a ton.
00:12:30.440 | It is astonishing how much of our personal information
00:12:34.980 | is online, and in the last few months,
00:12:37.220 | I've been trying to remove as much of Amy
00:12:39.800 | and my info as possible.
00:12:41.940 | I also did the same for our parents,
00:12:43.820 | and in total, after reviewing over 20,000 listings,
00:12:47.940 | we found over 1,000 pieces
00:12:49.940 | of personally identifiable information.
00:12:52.220 | Thankfully, it's all getting removed,
00:12:54.180 | and instead of spending 50-plus hours
00:12:56.380 | searching and filing requests to do that,
00:12:58.740 | it only took a few minutes
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00:13:44.680 | With Mother's Day around the corner,
00:13:48.060 | I'd be crazy not to share an absolutely amazing gift idea,
00:13:51.700 | which also happens to be one of my favorite brands as well.
00:13:54.940 | It's something Amy and I use almost every day,
00:13:57.540 | and I know it would make a great gift for anyone.
00:13:59.940 | But what is it?
00:14:00.780 | Well, it's really anything Viore makes.
00:14:03.200 | They're one of my all-time favorite brands,
00:14:04.980 | and I'm so excited to be partnering
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00:14:07.900 | Viore makes performance apparel that's incredibly versatile.
00:14:11.340 | Everything is designed to work out in,
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00:14:15.900 | and it is so freaking comfortable
00:14:17.500 | you will wanna wear it all the time.
00:14:19.220 | I know because I do wear it all the time.
00:14:21.560 | In fact, I'm wearing my Sunday Performance Joggers
00:14:23.740 | and a Strato Tech Tee right now,
00:14:25.820 | and like I said, it's not just for men.
00:14:28.100 | My wife will vouch that everything she's bought,
00:14:30.220 | from their joggers to their hoodies to their tops,
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00:14:34.200 | I think at least half of our weekly wardrobe is Viore
00:14:37.060 | because their products are incredibly versatile
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00:14:41.500 | whether it's running, training, or yoga,
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00:14:46.420 | and they even have polos, button-downs,
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00:14:51.180 | Honestly, I think Viore is an investment in your happiness,
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00:15:19.960 | Another one that is really common on a lot of cards
00:15:22.920 | is all of the travel benefits you get.
00:15:25.180 | There are a lot of different types of coverages.
00:15:27.360 | I haven't tested most of these,
00:15:29.380 | but I've definitely heard enough success stories
00:15:31.760 | that I wouldn't hesitate to rely on them
00:15:33.860 | and file a claim if you wanna make sure
00:15:35.680 | you get some money back.
00:15:36.760 | Most travel cards have these, except Citi,
00:15:39.720 | because Citi cut all the travel benefits
00:15:41.760 | from their cards a few years ago.
00:15:44.300 | First, one of the most common ones is rental car coverage.
00:15:47.820 | So first off, if you already have auto coverage
00:15:50.140 | for your own vehicle,
00:15:51.980 | that coverage will likely carry over to a rental car.
00:15:54.980 | Though, if you're renting a more expensive car
00:15:57.060 | than you drive, you might wanna supplement it.
00:15:59.280 | And also, if you're filing a claim on a rental car
00:16:02.260 | using your auto insurance company,
00:16:04.460 | it's very likely that those rates
00:16:06.180 | on your auto insurance might go up,
00:16:07.940 | so I personally don't like to rely on that as an option.
00:16:10.740 | Also, when you're renting overseas,
00:16:12.080 | your US insurance might not cover you at all.
00:16:14.340 | So, given all of this,
00:16:15.820 | I always try to make sure I have some type
00:16:18.060 | of rental car insurance on a car I'm renting
00:16:20.140 | that isn't relying on my personal auto insurance.
00:16:23.620 | And I do that by using a card
00:16:26.100 | that offers primary rental car insurance.
00:16:28.700 | It's very common on a lot of cards,
00:16:30.640 | Chase Sapphires, Capital One Venture,
00:16:32.500 | Venture X, Built Rewards.
00:16:34.360 | It is notably not included with most Amex cards.
00:16:38.700 | To get primary rental car coverage with an Amex card,
00:16:41.980 | you're gonna need to pay for premium rental car protection.
00:16:45.900 | And while it's probably a much better deal
00:16:47.900 | than paying the rental car company for coverage,
00:16:50.100 | it does cost about 12 to $25 per rental,
00:16:53.800 | so I'm not using my Amex cards to rent cars.
00:16:57.220 | I will also point out that once you turn on
00:16:59.220 | premium rental car protection on an Amex,
00:17:01.820 | every time your card is used at a rental car company,
00:17:05.620 | whether you want that rental car protection or not,
00:17:07.820 | it gets automatically added, so be careful there.
00:17:11.020 | And to be clear, the difference between
00:17:12.300 | primary and secondary coverage,
00:17:13.740 | because there are a lot of cards
00:17:14.900 | that also have secondary coverage,
00:17:17.140 | is that with secondary coverage,
00:17:19.340 | it kicks in only if all of your other insurance policies
00:17:22.300 | don't cover the accident.
00:17:24.180 | So for me, like I said,
00:17:25.460 | I don't wanna have to reach out to our insurance carrier,
00:17:27.820 | which is USAA, if we get in an accident,
00:17:30.300 | so I'm looking for a card
00:17:31.260 | that has primary rental car coverage.
00:17:33.500 | And all you need to do for this coverage to kick in
00:17:35.940 | is decline the collision damage waiver
00:17:38.180 | when you rent the car
00:17:39.740 | and put the whole rental car on your card.
00:17:42.940 | However, there is one important caveat.
00:17:44.900 | Collision damage waiver is the type of insurance
00:17:47.260 | when you rent a car that covers damage to the car.
00:17:50.140 | There is another type of coverage called liability coverage,
00:17:53.340 | which covers damage that you do
00:17:55.580 | while driving the car to someone else.
00:17:57.820 | Credit cards are not going to cover your liability coverage,
00:18:01.620 | and that's what you're gonna need to rely
00:18:03.060 | on your auto insurance for.
00:18:04.540 | Depending on the state you rent a rental car in,
00:18:06.900 | it might by default come with liability coverage,
00:18:09.740 | though the limits might be very low.
00:18:11.460 | And in other states, it might not be there at all.
00:18:13.740 | So you can't rely on your credit card for liability.
00:18:16.500 | And if you don't have your own auto insurance,
00:18:19.260 | because maybe you don't own a car at all,
00:18:21.380 | I would definitely make sure
00:18:22.700 | that you either get liability coverage
00:18:24.900 | from the rental car company,
00:18:26.380 | or you can actually get a non-owner's auto insurance coverage
00:18:29.900 | that's fairly inexpensive,
00:18:31.420 | that will cover you when you're renting a car for liability.
00:18:34.500 | That's rental car coverage.
00:18:35.900 | It's an awesome perk.
00:18:36.940 | Every time I rent a car, I always decline the coverage,
00:18:39.620 | and I rely on my Venturax or my Chase Sapphire Reserve.
00:18:43.380 | Next is delayed luggage.
00:18:45.240 | So I've only seen this on Chase cards,
00:18:47.800 | but definitely check your guide to benefits.
00:18:50.140 | It covers the cost of anything you need
00:18:52.200 | when your bag is delayed.
00:18:53.660 | Change of clothes, toiletries.
00:18:55.860 | It usually requires your bag to be delayed at least six hours
00:18:58.380 | and covers you up to $100 a day,
00:19:00.580 | which is probably less than you're gonna be able to get
00:19:02.740 | if you really push the airline,
00:19:04.560 | but it's nice to have there as a backup.
00:19:06.700 | There's also lost and damaged baggage coverage,
00:19:08.940 | which is common on Chase and Amex cards.
00:19:11.500 | It's also secondary as a backup
00:19:13.420 | to whatever the airline provides
00:19:14.980 | if your bag gets lost or damaged or stolen,
00:19:17.900 | but it usually covers the cost of the contents
00:19:20.560 | and replacing or repairing the baggage itself.
00:19:23.980 | Now, most policies have a maximum coverage
00:19:26.380 | of anywhere from 500 to $3,000 a person,
00:19:29.180 | and all that you need to do is make sure
00:19:30.940 | that the flight that you took was booked on the card.
00:19:34.100 | And for a lot of these,
00:19:35.300 | the flight doesn't have to be entirely on the card
00:19:37.740 | if you book it with miles
00:19:39.140 | and you pay just the taxes and fees that'll cover it,
00:19:42.020 | or if you use a credit for part of it
00:19:43.520 | and put the rest on your card,
00:19:44.940 | but definitely read into it, but that's normally the case.
00:19:47.940 | There's also trip delay coverage,
00:19:49.700 | which is another common coverage
00:19:51.140 | on many travel and rewards cards
00:19:53.100 | that'll reimburse you for any additional reasonable expenses
00:19:56.420 | that occur as a result of the trip delay.
00:19:58.820 | That could be your flight gets delayed or canceled
00:20:01.000 | and you have to rebook something else.
00:20:03.040 | Most cards require a delay of at least six to 12 hours,
00:20:06.260 | and the coverage is usually capped at about $500 a person.
00:20:09.380 | Now, there's also trip cancellation
00:20:11.700 | and interruption insurance,
00:20:13.320 | which will provide reimbursement for non-refundable
00:20:15.780 | or prepaid travel expenses
00:20:17.780 | when you have to cancel or change your trip
00:20:19.960 | due to a covered situation.
00:20:21.780 | Those covered situations typically include
00:20:23.700 | most major medical situations or injuries,
00:20:26.140 | severe weather, named storms,
00:20:28.340 | jury duty that can't be postponed,
00:20:30.740 | death or the hospitalization of travelers,
00:20:33.420 | and sometimes, depending on the policy, family members.
00:20:36.660 | Now, for the pandemic, many of us learned
00:20:38.380 | that this doesn't include pandemics.
00:20:40.380 | It also doesn't include
00:20:41.620 | if you just don't wanna take the trip,
00:20:43.760 | but this coverage is common on many travel and rewards cards.
00:20:47.500 | It usually covers anywhere from three to $10,000 per person,
00:20:50.940 | but do note Capital One does offer this,
00:20:53.340 | but their covered situation list is much, much smaller
00:20:56.900 | and is primarily only for major medical situations
00:20:59.620 | or injuries to a traveler.
00:21:01.340 | So depending on the card you have
00:21:03.140 | and depending on the kind of protection you want,
00:21:05.420 | this is where travel insurance could come into play
00:21:08.200 | as something you wanna get.
00:21:09.700 | But when I think about all of these perks,
00:21:12.000 | and there's still actually a few more,
00:21:14.400 | it begs the question of do you need travel insurance
00:21:16.420 | and what do you need it to cover?
00:21:17.660 | And so I wanna do more in a future episode
00:21:20.300 | about travel insurance
00:21:21.540 | because there are things like canceling for any reason
00:21:23.960 | or pandemics that you might want to supplement,
00:21:26.680 | but at least know that if your card
00:21:28.140 | has these kinds of coverages,
00:21:29.620 | you are protected for many situations.
00:21:31.980 | Another one is emergency evacuation insurance.
00:21:34.480 | So if you're in need of serious medical attention,
00:21:37.180 | this benefit covers the cost of transportation
00:21:39.740 | to the nearest medical facility capable of proper care.
00:21:43.420 | Now, this probably isn't necessary
00:21:45.460 | on a trip to Paris or Tokyo,
00:21:47.500 | but if you're on safari in Africa or in a remote island,
00:21:50.660 | it could be really, really expensive to get you
00:21:53.440 | from wherever you get injured
00:21:54.780 | or have something happen to you
00:21:56.180 | to a quality medical center.
00:21:58.340 | The Amex Platinum is the most generous card
00:22:00.660 | for this benefit that I've seen.
00:22:02.020 | There's no cap on the cost
00:22:04.020 | and they don't even require you
00:22:05.660 | to have used the card to pay for your trip.
00:22:08.660 | Other cards like the Chase Sapphire have a cap
00:22:11.420 | and they require you to have paid
00:22:12.580 | for at least part of the trip with your card.
00:22:15.140 | And while many of these benefits
00:22:16.420 | can be claimed after the fact,
00:22:18.220 | this is one where you absolutely need to coordinate
00:22:21.340 | with the card benefits team before using it.
00:22:23.900 | For anyone that hasn't looked into
00:22:25.140 | what emergency evacuation flights would cost,
00:22:28.180 | these can often go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
00:22:31.580 | So definitely don't just book a flight like that
00:22:34.460 | and expect to get reimbursed.
00:22:35.940 | Definitely call the card issuer
00:22:38.180 | and make sure that you can coordinate everything in advance.
00:22:41.140 | Next, I'll talk about accident insurance.
00:22:43.220 | While I don't know anyone who's ever used this coverage,
00:22:45.920 | the ideas that it would pay out in the case of death
00:22:48.640 | or losing eyesight or a limb
00:22:50.940 | while on travel booked with your card,
00:22:52.700 | the coverage varies widely by cards.
00:22:55.500 | Some cards don't offer it at all, like Amex.
00:22:58.060 | Chase offers up to a million dollars in coverage
00:23:00.980 | and there are some exclusions about things happening
00:23:02.940 | when cars and taxis,
00:23:04.820 | but hopefully this never comes into play.
00:23:07.140 | In some of these coverages, I hope you don't have trip delays,
00:23:09.540 | I hope you don't have to be evacuated,
00:23:11.100 | but I just wanna make sure you at least know
00:23:13.100 | of all the benefits that are in there related to travel.
00:23:15.940 | Finally, not necessarily on the insurance side,
00:23:18.420 | but while we're on the topic of travel,
00:23:20.460 | most travel cards that have an annual fee over about $300
00:23:24.900 | include some type of lounge access.
00:23:27.780 | If you have a branded airline card,
00:23:29.500 | it's usually access to that airline's lounge.
00:23:32.540 | Otherwise, it's almost always access to a priority pass,
00:23:36.380 | which is a set of lounges you can use
00:23:38.340 | while you're traveling.
00:23:39.660 | There isn't actually much benefit
00:23:40.780 | to having multiple of these,
00:23:41.980 | although some people listening might have two or three cards
00:23:44.860 | that offer priority pass.
00:23:46.420 | It is worth noting that there are subtle differences
00:23:48.980 | on the types of lounge access you get.
00:23:51.140 | For example, the Platinum card from Amex
00:23:54.740 | also includes access to Amex Centurion lounges
00:23:57.900 | and some other lounges in their network,
00:24:00.260 | but their priority pass membership
00:24:02.180 | doesn't include getting credit and reimbursement
00:24:04.900 | at priority pass restaurants,
00:24:06.740 | whereas I believe Capital One does include that.
00:24:09.860 | So whenever you get any of these cards,
00:24:11.980 | make sure you activate the priority pass benefit.
00:24:14.580 | You can link it up in the priority pass app
00:24:16.580 | and see what you have access to.
00:24:18.620 | But definitely when traveling,
00:24:20.180 | if you have a card with a high annual fee,
00:24:22.420 | make sure you're taking advantage of the fact
00:24:24.260 | that you probably get access to lounges
00:24:26.540 | when you're traveling in most major airports.
00:24:29.500 | Another common benefit of cards with a higher annual fee
00:24:32.980 | is a free Global Entry or TSA Pre.
00:24:35.460 | If you travel and you're eligible
00:24:37.080 | for TSA Pre and Global Entry and you haven't enrolled,
00:24:39.260 | you really should consider it.
00:24:40.960 | There are 37 different cards that cover the cost
00:24:43.940 | of getting TSA Pre or Global Entry,
00:24:45.940 | so it's very possible you have a card that offers this.
00:24:49.220 | And since many people have multiple cards
00:24:51.180 | that cover this cost,
00:24:52.220 | it might not even be hard to find someone
00:24:53.880 | that could do it for you.
00:24:55.540 | One important thing to know,
00:24:56.500 | if you have Global Entry, you get TSA Pre included,
00:24:59.060 | so I definitely recommend doing Global Entry
00:25:01.300 | instead of TSA Pre so that you can skip the lines
00:25:04.300 | coming back into the United States.
00:25:06.100 | Those memberships usually last for five years,
00:25:08.580 | so the perk usually only is eligible to be used
00:25:11.500 | once every four years.
00:25:13.140 | So don't think that just because you have it,
00:25:14.860 | you can use it every year for you and your family members.
00:25:17.860 | You'll need to use it once every four years.
00:25:20.060 | Now, I know one of the challenges with that
00:25:21.500 | is actually finding a Global Entry appointment.
00:25:24.020 | So to solve that, definitely check out Appointment Scanner.
00:25:27.680 | It is an awesome product that monitors
00:25:29.640 | all the different Global Entry appointment times
00:25:32.060 | and sends you an alert right away as soon as one opens.
00:25:34.940 | Sometimes it looks like there might not be appointment
00:25:36.900 | for six months, but I know in my experience,
00:25:39.140 | even though that was the case,
00:25:40.200 | I don't even think there was a single appointment
00:25:41.760 | any time at San Francisco Airport.
00:25:43.960 | I signed up for Appointment Scanner.
00:25:45.460 | Within the first day,
00:25:46.580 | I was able to get an appointment that week.
00:25:48.500 | So it was a really awesome service.
00:25:50.020 | You do have to be able to jump on top
00:25:52.220 | of making those appointments
00:25:53.180 | the second you get the notification,
00:25:55.100 | but they support email and text, so that's a great option.
00:25:58.100 | One other thing that I recently learned,
00:26:00.280 | which I haven't been able to test yet,
00:26:03.060 | is if you have Global Entry and you log in,
00:26:05.940 | there's a thing called the APEC Business Travel Card.
00:26:08.980 | It's a reciprocal program
00:26:10.580 | as part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation,
00:26:14.160 | and it facilitates short-term business travel
00:26:16.980 | within the APEC region, which is most of Asia
00:26:20.560 | and Australia, New Zealand, as well as Mexico.
00:26:24.000 | It's kind of an interesting thing
00:26:25.280 | that I've been told is a really great travel hack
00:26:28.000 | if you're eligible.
00:26:29.360 | So it costs $70, but if you have a card
00:26:32.240 | that reimburses Global Entry,
00:26:33.540 | or maybe you even have more than one,
00:26:35.320 | you could use this to cover that fee.
00:26:38.040 | And the idea is if you are traveling for business
00:26:41.940 | to these regions, then you are eligible to apply
00:26:45.580 | and get an APEC Business Travel Card.
00:26:47.580 | Now, you need to go to an interview
00:26:49.300 | and you need to show documentation
00:26:51.580 | that you actually do travel for business to these regions
00:26:55.020 | for reasons that are included,
00:26:56.500 | which are many different reasons.
00:26:58.200 | And in return, you're able to skip
00:27:01.100 | through most of the immigration lines
00:27:03.540 | in all of these countries
00:27:04.740 | and use the diplomatic and crew lines
00:27:07.860 | to cut through immigration.
00:27:09.120 | It's supposed to only apply to the individual with the card,
00:27:12.760 | but if you read through some of the forums,
00:27:14.560 | I'll link to them on Flyer Talk,
00:27:16.220 | there are people that in some countries
00:27:17.780 | have had success having their family come with them.
00:27:20.360 | Definitely something that if I start to do
00:27:22.800 | more business travel to Asia.
00:27:24.840 | One more travel perk that most of these premium cards offer
00:27:29.120 | is around hotel collections.
00:27:31.120 | So Capital One, Visa, MasterCard, and Amex
00:27:34.440 | all have their own hotel collections.
00:27:37.020 | And depending on the program,
00:27:38.560 | it might be a few hundred hotels or a few thousand hotels.
00:27:41.880 | And depending on the type of card,
00:27:43.720 | you're probably gonna get a set of perks
00:27:46.400 | that looks like this.
00:27:47.760 | You get early check-in, late checkout, upgrades,
00:27:51.240 | all those being of course, if available.
00:27:53.640 | And then you'll usually also get free breakfast
00:27:56.360 | and some type of property credit
00:27:58.040 | that's often just $100 that you can use in the spa
00:28:01.640 | or the restaurant or something like that.
00:28:03.760 | So the way this all works
00:28:05.160 | is that hotels really value channels
00:28:07.680 | who have high value customers.
00:28:10.640 | Credit card companies do that, and so do travel agents.
00:28:13.720 | And so if you book through the right travel agent
00:28:15.960 | or the right credit card portal platform,
00:28:18.680 | you're gonna get all those perks I just mentioned.
00:28:21.040 | When you're booking high-end hotels,
00:28:23.480 | four and a half, five-star hotels
00:28:25.480 | where the room rate is 300 to $1,000 a night and up,
00:28:28.980 | they do this 'cause they wanna build
00:28:30.520 | a deeper and longer term relationship
00:28:32.600 | with those booking channels.
00:28:34.340 | Now, from my experience
00:28:35.480 | and talking to people in the industry,
00:28:37.400 | the highest likelihood of those perks like upgrades,
00:28:40.200 | confirming is to go through travel agents,
00:28:42.800 | not through the hotel portal.
00:28:44.700 | Not to mention that if you go through the right agent,
00:28:47.900 | there's probably somewhere around two to 4,000 hotels
00:28:52.900 | that you can get all of those benefits and perks at.
00:28:55.900 | And most of the property collections
00:28:58.440 | linked to the credit cards.
00:29:00.320 | So I think Visa has about 200,
00:29:02.120 | Amex has about 1,000, are a little bit smaller.
00:29:05.400 | So I partnered with Savanti,
00:29:07.640 | which is a company that multiple-time guest,
00:29:09.840 | Lee Rowan manages, who has those relationships.
00:29:13.080 | And so if you're looking to book a luxury hotel,
00:29:16.480 | we have a collection of over 4,000 high-end,
00:29:19.600 | four or five-star hotels around the world
00:29:22.280 | where you can get all those perks.
00:29:24.000 | Breakfast for two, property credit, free Wi-Fi,
00:29:26.900 | upgrade, early check-in, late check-out.
00:29:29.120 | So if you wanna take advantage of that,
00:29:31.500 | you can use the credit card platforms by all means.
00:29:34.580 | But if you wanna potentially get more access
00:29:37.240 | to more hotels and support me and Lee,
00:29:39.880 | you could just head on over to allthehacks.com/upgrade
00:29:43.200 | and I have details of how the whole thing works right there.
00:29:45.840 | Last on the travel side, aside from all of those benefits,
00:29:48.920 | many cards offer different types of travel discounts
00:29:51.900 | that are worth checking out.
00:29:53.680 | For example, Visa Infinite cards,
00:29:55.660 | like the Chase Sapphire Reserve,
00:29:57.200 | get you up to 30% off on Avis, Hertz,
00:29:59.720 | National, and Silver Car.
00:30:01.720 | World Elite MasterCards, like the Citi Premier,
00:30:04.360 | give you status and discounts with Hertz, Sixth, and Avis.
00:30:08.520 | And the Amex Platinum offers you status and discounts
00:30:11.120 | with Avis, Hertz, and National.
00:30:13.240 | So as you can see, depending on the type of card you have,
00:30:17.160 | you might get a bunch of different benefits.
00:30:18.800 | Now, most of the benefits and perks
00:30:20.680 | that I've talked about so far in this episode
00:30:22.440 | fall into those two big buckets
00:30:24.320 | of different types of purchase benefits and protections
00:30:26.960 | and travel benefits and protections.
00:30:28.820 | And most cards with annual fee, except Citi,
00:30:31.640 | have perks in both of those categories.
00:30:34.240 | Depending on the card, you might get more or less,
00:30:36.640 | but there are a bunch of other benefits
00:30:38.480 | that I wanna run through that I think are super interesting
00:30:41.720 | that don't apply to all cards,
00:30:43.900 | but I think that are worth going through.
00:30:45.960 | You all know I love credit card points,
00:30:49.400 | so I'm excited to be partnering with Card Pointers today,
00:30:52.340 | which is one of my favorite tools for travel hacking.
00:30:54.960 | It's a free app that helps you manage
00:30:56.720 | all of your credit cards in one place
00:30:58.900 | and makes it easy to find the right card
00:31:01.020 | to maximize your category bonuses on every purchase.
00:31:04.640 | You can also load it on your partner's phone
00:31:06.860 | so they always know the best cards to use.
00:31:09.840 | The app automatically tracks every category bonus
00:31:12.820 | and recurring credit from over 5,000 cards,
00:31:16.260 | and they also track and help you use your Amex, Chase,
00:31:20.100 | Bank of America, or Citibank offers
00:31:22.460 | to save even more money every day.
00:31:24.940 | And with their browser extension,
00:31:26.460 | you can actually activate every single Amex
00:31:29.240 | and Chase offer in just one click.
00:31:31.660 | And because of that massive credit card database,
00:31:34.140 | you can do all of this without having to give up
00:31:36.660 | any personal or banking details.
00:31:39.180 | The app is free to download,
00:31:40.980 | and many of the features are free as well,
00:31:43.380 | but if you wanna try out the pro version,
00:31:45.140 | there's a free trial.
00:31:46.460 | And if you decide you wanna sign up after the trial,
00:31:49.260 | which you probably will,
00:31:50.920 | you can go to allthehacks.com/cardpointers
00:31:54.880 | to get 20% off.
00:31:56.580 | Again, that's allthehacks.com/cardpointers.
00:32:01.580 | Getting the crew together isn't as easy as it used to be.
00:32:06.580 | I get it, life comes at you fast,
00:32:08.980 | but trust me, your friends are probably desperate
00:32:11.860 | for a good hang.
00:32:12.980 | So kick 2024 off right by finally hosting that event.
00:32:17.060 | Just make sure you do it the easy way
00:32:19.020 | and let our sponsor Drizly,
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00:32:27.480 | It doesn't even have to be a good one.
00:32:29.340 | It could be your dog's birthday,
00:32:30.760 | that the sun finally came out,
00:32:32.720 | or maybe you just wanna celebrate
00:32:34.200 | that you got through another week.
00:32:36.280 | With Drizly, you can make hosting easy
00:32:38.380 | by taking the drink run off your to-do list,
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00:32:47.440 | Drizly compares prices on their massive selection
00:32:50.020 | of beer, wine, and spirits across multiple stores.
00:32:53.000 | So when I really wanted to make a few cocktails
00:32:55.020 | while we were hosting family last week,
00:32:56.860 | not only could I get an Italian Amaro
00:32:58.940 | delivered in less than an hour,
00:33:00.580 | but I found it for $15 less than my local liquor store.
00:33:04.040 | So whatever the occasion,
00:33:05.700 | download the Drizly app or go to drizly.com.
00:33:08.980 | That's D-R-I-Z-L-Y.com today.
00:33:12.980 | Must be 21 plus, not available in all locations.
00:33:16.240 | I just wanna thank you quick for listening to
00:33:20.140 | and supporting the show.
00:33:21.620 | Your support is what keeps this show going.
00:33:24.440 | To get all of the URLs, codes, deals,
00:33:27.160 | and discounts from our partners,
00:33:28.920 | you can go to allthehacks.com/deals.
00:33:32.480 | So please consider supporting those who support us.
00:33:35.840 | So first, let's talk about a fun one
00:33:37.740 | that's near my neck of the woods,
00:33:39.980 | and it's free wine tastings in Sonoma.
00:33:43.000 | So in Northern California, there's a Sonoma wine region.
00:33:45.760 | It's very close to Napa, but different.
00:33:47.800 | And if you have a Visa signature or Visa Infinite card,
00:33:50.640 | you get two for one tastings and $1 ground shipping
00:33:53.960 | from 50 plus wineries in Sonoma.
00:33:57.060 | I'm gonna put a link to the map of all the wineries,
00:33:59.440 | as well as a link to all the details in the program.
00:34:03.200 | But that is an awesome thing.
00:34:04.440 | If you're up in wine country,
00:34:05.880 | I definitely recommend you use a Visa signature
00:34:08.000 | or Infinite card to get a deal.
00:34:09.200 | I have done that a ton.
00:34:10.680 | Another one that is pretty common
00:34:12.680 | that I think is super helpful
00:34:14.360 | if you're outside of the 90-day window
00:34:16.440 | for purchase protection is your cell phone coverage.
00:34:19.380 | So depending on the card you have, if it has this perk,
00:34:22.320 | there's usually a 25 to $100 deductible,
00:34:25.120 | and it covers up to 800 to $1,000 in damages or repairs
00:34:29.340 | twice a year for any phone on your plan,
00:34:32.200 | as long as you pay for that plan's monthly bill
00:34:34.640 | on your card.
00:34:35.800 | Now, I know with Verizon, they give you $10 a month discount
00:34:39.560 | if you pay with a debit card or their credit card.
00:34:42.160 | So you're gonna have to do the math
00:34:43.400 | on whether you'd prefer saving that $10 per line
00:34:46.160 | per month each month or putting it on a credit card
00:34:49.720 | and getting protection from cell phone coverage.
00:34:52.280 | So this is a great option.
00:34:53.800 | I know that Venture X, the Built Rewards,
00:34:56.320 | Amex Platinum, Chase Freedom Flex,
00:34:58.080 | Chase Inc Business Preferred all have this perk.
00:35:00.400 | Notably, the Chase Sapphire cards do not.
00:35:03.220 | So they are not cards that I put my cell phone bill on
00:35:05.920 | because I wanna make sure that I get this protection.
00:35:08.000 | Another one that I've talked about a ton in the past
00:35:10.540 | is all of the shopping discounts that you get on the portal
00:35:14.280 | that are kind of like cash back or points back.
00:35:17.340 | So every single issuer has a different collection
00:35:20.120 | of these merchant offers,
00:35:21.760 | and they can be a lot more valuable than you think.
00:35:24.680 | I looked at my Amex offers and across all of my cards,
00:35:27.960 | I've earned almost $1,000 back
00:35:31.040 | through different rebates from purchases
00:35:32.880 | at places like Home Depot, Best Buy, Delta, and Marriott.
00:35:36.700 | The offers actually vary by card.
00:35:39.000 | So if you have multiple cards, it's worth checking each one.
00:35:42.100 | And if you're new to these offers,
00:35:43.500 | I'll put a link in the show notes
00:35:45.000 | to how they work on Chase and Amex, Citi, and CapOne.
00:35:47.960 | There are a bunch, they change all the time.
00:35:50.500 | But if it's a pain for you to go monitor all of this,
00:35:53.080 | I definitely recommend checking out the Card Pointers app.
00:35:56.240 | If you install the Card Pointers extension on your browser,
00:35:59.680 | it will actually auto enroll you in all of these perks.
00:36:03.100 | And you don't have to go in manually and select them.
00:36:06.600 | And the extra benefit is that
00:36:08.760 | if you have multiple cards on Amex or Chase,
00:36:11.580 | when you activate one of these benefits,
00:36:13.280 | so sometimes I've seen ones where it's like $100 off
00:36:16.040 | a $300 Delta purchase,
00:36:17.860 | which is great if you have a bunch of Delta flights.
00:36:20.120 | But as soon as you activate it on one card,
00:36:21.880 | you can't activate it on the other.
00:36:23.700 | But Card Pointers actually activates them
00:36:25.740 | at the exact same time across your cards.
00:36:28.480 | So you end up being able to use those offers
00:36:30.640 | more than once, which is amazing.
00:36:33.040 | So definitely check out Card Pointers.
00:36:35.240 | You will need to use the pro version of Card Pointers,
00:36:37.680 | which has a free trial.
00:36:39.280 | But the biggest discount he's ever offered
00:36:41.760 | is to All The Hacks listeners and members.
00:36:45.020 | So if you're a listener,
00:36:45.900 | you can get 30% off at allthehacks.com/cardpointers.
00:36:49.860 | And if you're a member of the podcast,
00:36:51.860 | which you can do at allthehacks.com/join
00:36:54.980 | until the end of April, so you only have a few more days,
00:36:57.700 | you can get 50% off Card Pointers Pro.
00:37:00.220 | So huge shout out to Emmanuel,
00:37:01.780 | who I know listens to the show for supporting the community
00:37:04.620 | and giving everybody a discount.
00:37:06.220 | It's really awesome.
00:37:07.100 | I love this app.
00:37:08.020 | I use it to add all of these offers.
00:37:09.820 | And multiple times, I've ended up getting cash back
00:37:12.640 | on things that I didn't even know
00:37:14.340 | that I had added as an offer.
00:37:16.320 | So that's a great one.
00:37:17.600 | They also have shopping portals for every card
00:37:20.000 | that's similar to these offers,
00:37:21.760 | but where you can go and click through links
00:37:23.960 | to go buy things at retailers like Nike or Apple
00:37:26.960 | and earn points and miles with your credit card programs.
00:37:30.320 | I always go to Cashback Monitor,
00:37:32.240 | which lets you compare for any retailer
00:37:34.320 | where you're gonna get the most rewards.
00:37:36.600 | So if you're buying something from Nike,
00:37:38.100 | it might be cool that you can get two chase points
00:37:40.120 | per dollar you spend,
00:37:41.360 | but it might be better to get 10% cash back on Rakuten.
00:37:44.480 | Another perk is concierges.
00:37:46.640 | So most travel rewards cards
00:37:48.480 | offer a 24/7 concierge service
00:37:51.160 | that you can use things like restaurant reservations,
00:37:53.380 | vacation requests, personal shopping, or event tickets.
00:37:56.860 | And while I probably don't use them as much as I could,
00:38:00.480 | there is one request that I often use them for,
00:38:03.140 | and that's making a reservation in a foreign country
00:38:06.380 | where they might have someone local on their team
00:38:08.520 | that can speak that language.
00:38:10.040 | I've also used them in the past to do some basic research,
00:38:12.800 | like find a store in San Francisco
00:38:15.200 | that's open on a Sunday
00:38:16.460 | that sells an inflatable balloon with a number one.
00:38:19.620 | I'll send some links in the show notes with some articles
00:38:22.160 | that might give you a little bit of inspiration,
00:38:24.120 | but many of the travel cards cover this.
00:38:26.440 | In fact, now's probably a decent time to kind of explain
00:38:29.440 | where a lot of these perks come from.
00:38:31.560 | So on the MasterCard and the Visa side,
00:38:35.400 | there are three tiers of cards
00:38:37.760 | within those payment networks.
00:38:40.000 | So on the MasterCard side, there's standard,
00:38:42.540 | there's world and world elite,
00:38:44.240 | and on the Visa side,
00:38:45.180 | there's traditional, signature, and infinite.
00:38:47.680 | And then Amex has its own system
00:38:49.920 | that's unique to each card,
00:38:51.200 | so there's not a specific tiering system within Amex.
00:38:54.320 | And a lot of these perks are tied to those tiers
00:38:58.360 | within the payment network.
00:39:00.100 | So MasterCard world elite has a concierge,
00:39:02.400 | Visa infinite, Visa signature has a concierge,
00:39:04.960 | and a lot of the benefits here,
00:39:06.760 | like I mentioned in the wine tasting,
00:39:08.280 | those are benefits of Visa signature and Visa infinite.
00:39:10.940 | So just something to understand how this works,
00:39:13.960 | and like I mentioned with Capital One,
00:39:15.720 | you might not know what tier you're in
00:39:17.840 | until you actually get your card and look at it,
00:39:20.000 | but the card on Visas above the Visa logo
00:39:22.840 | will say signature or infinite,
00:39:24.580 | and then on MasterCard, either near the logo or on the back,
00:39:27.620 | you'll see world or world elite.
00:39:29.400 | So a few other perks that come with those programs
00:39:32.200 | that are really relevant
00:39:33.160 | to getting the most out of your credit cards.
00:39:35.320 | On the shopping side, World Elite MasterCards
00:39:38.560 | and a lot of American Express cards
00:39:40.280 | get you a free membership to ShopRunner,
00:39:43.200 | which is a site that just gives you free two-day shipping
00:39:46.040 | and return shipping on over 100 different retailers,
00:39:49.400 | like Saks and Allbirds and CB2 and Under Armour.
00:39:53.280 | So I'll put a link in the show notes
00:39:54.480 | where you can sign up for that.
00:39:55.480 | I know I've used that in the past
00:39:56.640 | to get free, faster shipping.
00:39:58.800 | And then there's a service called Shipt,
00:40:00.400 | which offers same-day delivery from tons of stores locally,
00:40:04.240 | like Walgreens, Target, Safeway, CVS,
00:40:07.240 | and Visa has a partnership to give you
00:40:09.540 | some amount of free time with Shipt.
00:40:12.320 | If you have a regular Visa card,
00:40:13.760 | you just get one month free.
00:40:15.260 | If you have a Visa signature card, you get three months free.
00:40:18.060 | But if you have a Visa infinite card,
00:40:19.520 | like the Chase Sapphire Reserve,
00:40:21.360 | you actually get Shipt free through the end of 2024.
00:40:24.680 | So we've used this a ton
00:40:26.280 | to get free same-day delivery from Target.
00:40:29.020 | So I've actually been really happy with this perk,
00:40:30.760 | but I didn't know about it
00:40:31.640 | till I did a little bit of research,
00:40:33.360 | but it's not well-promoted.
00:40:34.640 | So definitely worth looking into.
00:40:36.320 | A couple other perks.
00:40:37.160 | So if you have a MasterCard World or World Elite card,
00:40:40.020 | you get $5 of Lyft credit.
00:40:42.160 | It's a little tricky.
00:40:43.200 | You have to take three rides in a month,
00:40:46.000 | and then you get a credit that you can use on your next ride.
00:40:49.200 | So if you're taking a lot of Lyfts
00:40:50.640 | and you have a MasterCard World or World Elite card,
00:40:53.040 | it could be worth it.
00:40:53.880 | But if you're a much more casual user,
00:40:55.840 | then it might not actually get you much.
00:40:57.800 | Chase, on the other hand,
00:40:59.260 | separate from the tiering structure,
00:41:01.820 | has a perk with Lyft where, depending on your card,
00:41:05.620 | if it's a Chase Sapphire Reserve,
00:41:07.540 | you'll get 10X points on Lyft,
00:41:09.540 | and you'll get Lyft Pink for two years for free.
00:41:13.180 | And if you have a Chase Ink or Freedom card
00:41:15.700 | or a Chase Sapphire Preferred,
00:41:17.260 | you get 5X points on Lyft,
00:41:19.320 | but you don't get the Lyft Pink free membership.
00:41:21.700 | That Lyft Pink free membership
00:41:22.940 | actually is good for two years,
00:41:25.020 | as long as you activate it by the end of 2024.
00:41:28.520 | There's also a perk with DoorDash.
00:41:30.880 | So on DoorDash, if you have a World Elite card,
00:41:33.680 | you get three free months of Dash Pass,
00:41:35.880 | which offers you savings on DoorDash orders.
00:41:38.360 | And it looks like you also get $5 a month off
00:41:40.780 | using your World Elite card at checkout.
00:41:42.680 | Chase also has a deal with DoorDash going on,
00:41:44.800 | which is separate from that,
00:41:46.320 | which if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve,
00:41:49.080 | you get Dash Pass membership through the end of 2024,
00:41:53.280 | plus you get $5 a month in DoorDash credits.
00:41:56.800 | And those credits actually last three months each,
00:41:59.320 | and it'll go through the end of 2024.
00:42:01.080 | So you can stack up three of them,
00:42:02.880 | use them for $15 off and repeat.
00:42:05.720 | Your Chase Sapphire Preferred and most co-brand cards,
00:42:08.760 | like United, Marriott, Southwest,
00:42:10.360 | also will get you the Dash Pass membership for free,
00:42:12.720 | but no credits.
00:42:14.080 | And then the Freedom Unlimited and Flex cards
00:42:16.120 | will get you three months off,
00:42:17.700 | and then 50% off after that,
00:42:19.760 | but not quite as good as the other cards.
00:42:21.720 | All you have to do to use those is just add
00:42:23.520 | your payment method to DoorDash,
00:42:26.120 | and it automatically kicks in.
00:42:27.760 | So those are some of the perks that you get
00:42:29.460 | as part of those kind of tiered systems.
00:42:32.280 | A few other last perks that are related to credit cards.
00:42:35.280 | One is a free credit score.
00:42:37.200 | So while sites like Credit Karma
00:42:38.600 | offer you free credit scores,
00:42:40.000 | they're almost never showing you your true FICO score.
00:42:43.200 | And instead, they show you a score called the Vantage score.
00:42:46.680 | And I'll put a link in the show notes to the differences.
00:42:49.000 | And while those sound similar,
00:42:51.080 | many lenders are still using your FICO score
00:42:53.840 | for making banking decisions.
00:42:55.280 | So I like to be able to know what that score is as well.
00:42:57.960 | Amex, Bank of America, and Discover
00:43:00.280 | all give you access to your FICO score for free.
00:43:03.200 | I'll put a link to all the providers that do.
00:43:05.480 | Almost every card issuer these days
00:43:07.200 | gives you access to your credit score for free,
00:43:09.760 | but only those issuers and a few others
00:43:12.200 | actually give you your FICO score.
00:43:14.140 | Next, I'm gonna talk about museums.
00:43:16.400 | If you have a Bank of America credit card
00:43:18.080 | or even a debit card,
00:43:19.920 | they have a program called Museums on Us,
00:43:21.960 | and they've been doing it for 25 years.
00:43:24.160 | You get free general admission
00:43:25.820 | during the first full weekend of every month
00:43:28.360 | to more than 200 institutions across the US.
00:43:32.320 | So you can go to their website,
00:43:34.280 | I'll put it in the show notes,
00:43:35.240 | and you can see a list of all the museums
00:43:37.400 | you get access to.
00:43:38.640 | The next weekend from this recording is May 6th and 7th.
00:43:42.120 | So that's something that's really interesting.
00:43:44.120 | And if you have a Capital One card
00:43:46.480 | and you wanna go to museums,
00:43:47.800 | one option is you can be part of the Cultivist Community,
00:43:51.480 | which is something that you get
00:43:52.680 | a six-month complimentary membership to
00:43:54.840 | as a Capital One cardholder.
00:43:56.400 | And that gives you access for you and up to three guests
00:43:59.720 | to more than 100 museums around the world,
00:44:02.080 | including the Guggenheim, the MoMA in San Francisco,
00:44:06.360 | the Louvre in Paris.
00:44:08.320 | It's normally $40 a month,
00:44:10.240 | but you can get a six-month free membership.
00:44:12.200 | I'll put the link in the show notes.
00:44:13.840 | Great option if you're traveling to somewhere
00:44:15.800 | where you're gonna be doing a lot of museums
00:44:17.220 | and you wanna get a good discount.
00:44:18.640 | So there are probably tons of other perks and benefits
00:44:21.640 | that I didn't include.
00:44:22.860 | I tried to highlight the ones
00:44:24.360 | that I think are the most valuable,
00:44:26.000 | the most likely to use, the most interesting.
00:44:28.600 | If there are ones I missed, definitely send me a note.
00:44:31.000 | I'd love to add to the database
00:44:32.720 | so the next time I talk about this or write about it,
00:44:35.480 | I can include them.
00:44:36.640 | And finally, one perk that's included
00:44:39.000 | with many of these cards, if not all of them,
00:44:41.720 | is called emergency card replacement.
00:44:43.760 | So if you need to get access to your card
00:44:46.460 | and it gets stolen or lost,
00:44:48.220 | they'll actually send it to you anywhere in the world.
00:44:50.960 | Might not always be overnight,
00:44:52.300 | might be two or three days,
00:44:53.600 | depending on how far and remote you are,
00:44:55.940 | but you are able to get your card replaced
00:44:58.260 | almost anywhere in the world if you lose it.
00:45:00.100 | So don't forget that you have that.
00:45:01.780 | On the back of your card,
00:45:02.820 | there's usually a number you can call,
00:45:04.460 | even call Collect if you don't have access
00:45:06.660 | to international dialing.
00:45:07.920 | You can use services like Google Voice
00:45:09.540 | that make it really, really cheap
00:45:10.980 | or even free to call U.S. phone numbers.
00:45:13.260 | So that's another option
00:45:14.620 | if you don't want to have to rely on calling Collect.
00:45:18.060 | Hopefully this was helpful.
00:45:19.140 | The idea was to give you a real deep rundown
00:45:21.620 | of all the types of benefits and perks
00:45:23.340 | you might get from your credit cards that you're not using.
00:45:26.100 | If you have any great stories of using these
00:45:28.340 | and getting a great deal or even having problems with them,
00:45:30.940 | shoot them my way.
00:45:31.820 | I'd love to make sure everyone is as informed as possible
00:45:34.180 | on everything that's happening.
00:45:35.960 | I appreciate it.
00:45:36.980 | And I really hope you enjoyed this episode.
00:45:39.340 | Thank you again for helping me get to a thousand reviews.
00:45:42.420 | I'm guessing by the end of the week, I'll be there.
00:45:44.780 | So I just really want to thank everyone
00:45:46.820 | for your support and your help there.
00:45:48.660 | It means the world to me.
00:45:49.980 | Have a great week.
00:45:51.140 | See you next week.
00:45:52.260 | (upbeat music)
00:45:55.540 | (electricity buzzing)
00:45:58.780 | (birds chirping)
00:46:01.520 | [BLANK_AUDIO]