The 10 Best Credit Cards for Price Protection [2024]

You finally completed your comparison shopping and purchased that laptop computer you’ve been eyeing. But 2 days later, you see the exact same laptop advertised for less.

It can be frustrating to see those extra dollars fly right out the window. Sure, you could return the item and repurchase it… but that’s not always convenient or possible. What if you could just tell your credit card company the story, provide some documentation, and have them give you a refund for the price difference?

Well, you can! It’s called price protection, and the coverage is offered free of charge on some credit cards. While most major credit card issuers and networks have removed this protection from their cards, there is still a small group of credit cards available that provide this complimentary coverage. Capital One, by far, currently offers the most cards that still carry this protection, but you may find the coverage on a few Visa and Mastercards.

In this article, we’ll cover what price protection is, the Capital One cards that have this coverage, additional cards that may have the coverage, and what you need to know to file a claim.

Let’s get started seeking out those credit cards that still offer the valuable price protection benefit.

What Is Price Protection?

When we look at common purchase benefits that are offered with credit cards, we generally find extended warranties, purchase protection, and price protection.

Unfortunately, price protection often gets confused with purchase protection, so we’ll start by explaining the difference between these 2 benefits:

• Purchase Protection: When you purchase an item with your credit card, coverage is provided for a specific number of days, usually 90 to 120. This protection typically reimburses the cost of repairs or refunds the cost of the item if it is damaged or stolen.
• Price Protection: Price protection simply reimburses you the difference in price if an item you purchased with your qualifying credit card is found for less. The price drop must occur within a specific period after the date of purchase, usually 60 to 120 days.

So with price protection, you’re really receiving peace of mind. If you purchase a qualifying item and the price goes down, you’ll be financially compensated for the difference.

This sounds like a valuable benefit — but it’s not always easy to find out if a credit card comes with price protection. You may have to dig deep into the benefits guide of a specific card to find out if coverage is offered.

Also, there are several credit card issuers like Discover and Citi that have completely eliminated the coverage. American Express rarely offers it, and Chase is not including the coverage on newly-issued cards such as its United-branded cards that previously had the coverage.

Let’s take a look at which credit cards do offer price protection and how you can utilize the coverage.

Capital One Credit Cards

While most major credit card issuers have removed price protection, you’ll still find it on several Capital One cards. Whether you have this benefit depends on the specific credit card you have and which network it’s affiliated with (e.g., Visa or Mastercard).

Let’s review the Capital One cards that do have this protection and the corresponding benefit details.

Bottom Line: Several Capital One cards offer price protection, but benefits do change, and the benefit has been removed from several cards. To find out if your Capital One card has price protection, refer to your specific card’s Guide to Benefits.

Submitting a Price Protection Claim to Capital One

Filing a price protection claim is not a simple task. Here’s what you’ll need to do to file with Capital One:

1. Call 800-MC-ASSIST to request a claim form.
2. Once you’ve completed and signed the claim form, submit it along with the required documentation, which can include the following:
   • A copy of the printed advertisement showing the reduced price, with date, retailer name, and the product
   • An itemized receipt for the purchased item
   • Your credit card statement showing the purchased item
   • Any other requested documentation

The claim must be reported within 60 days of purchase for the Capital One Platinum card and eligible Capital One Spark cards and 120 days for World Elite Mastercards. You then have 180 days from the date of purchase to file a complete claim.

Learn more about price protection offered on Capital One World/World Elite Mastercards and Visa Signature cards by accessing the associated Guide to Benefits.

Bottom Line: Be sure to take note of the deadlines for reporting and submitting a Capital One price protection claim. The actual terms/conditions for doing so can be found in the Guide to Benefits for your card or by calling the number on the back of your card.

Visa and Mastercard

Card processing networks such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover, plus the associated financial institutions, determine which coverages are included on each issued credit card.

When it comes to price protection specifically, you can still find coverage on some World or World Elite Mastercards. Mastercard’s basic core benefits do not include price protection (it was eliminated in 2019). You may also find coverage on some Visa Signature and Visa Infinite cards.

You’ll need to access your Guide to Benefits to determine if this benefit is available on your specific card or you can call the number on the back of your card.

Bottom Line: While most card issuers have removed price protection, you may occasionally still find the coverage on some World/World Elite Mastercards, Visa Signature, and Visa Infinite cards.

Additional Cards With Price Protection

The price protection benefit may be becoming as scarce as a unicorn these days, but you can still find it on select cards.

Here are some examples of cards that still carry the coverage and the verified associated price protection policies:

Bottom Line: You’ll have to look long and hard to find cards that offer price protection. Card issuers often do not list the benefit in the promotional material, making the coverage difficult to find and verify. Each card’s Guide to Benefits is the definitive source for the existence and details of the benefit.

Tips for Utilizing Price Protection

Each card’s price protection policy is different, but there are some overall guidelines for using price protection and filing a successful claim:

• Purchase large items with credit cards. If you’re making a large purchase such as a TV, appliance, computer, or other expensive items, you could benefit significantly in case of a price drop (of course, you’ll need to weigh whether you’d be earning more rewards on another card and if that has greater value to you).
• Register your purchase, if applicable, and keep receipts. Most credit card issuers do not require you to register your purchased items, but you should check the terms and conditions just in case. Regardless, you should still keep good records of your purchase, including the date you bought the item and the original receipt.
• Pay attention to required timeframes. Each price protection policy has specific periods of coverage, deadlines for filing a claim, and a specific process to follow. Check your benefits guide or call the number on the back of your credit card to request a claim form or ask other questions about the coverage.
• Make sure the sale advertisement qualifies. When submitting a claim, many price protection policies require a print or online (non-auction) ad that displays the lower price, the date, retailer, manufacturer, and even the model number. Some policies exclude online advertisements.
• Check the exclusion list and coverage limits. Many purchased items aren’t covered; knowing coverage limits can help manage your expectations about how much you could receive for a single-item price drop.

Hot Tip: Some retailers will refund the difference if the price of an item decreases after your purchase within a certain time frame. If you see the item advertised for less, you can simply take in the receipt and ask. Many price protection policies are secondary to, or in excess of, any other coverage, including that provided by the retailer, so it’s prudent to try the retailer first.

Final Thoughts

Price protection is a valuable benefit for large purchases and items that tend to fluctuate in price, such as electronics. It makes sense to use a credit card that offers this protection when buying such an item.

While you may not sweat a small price difference on that USB cord you purchased, you may value the opportunity to receive some major cash for a drop in price on a laptop or appliance.

Saving hundreds on an item if the price should drop may be far more valuable than earning points or miles — you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons of the transaction among your card options.

It’s worth noting that price protection is disappearing from the benefits offered on many credit cards. As we mentioned earlier in this article, several credit card issuers and networks have already discontinued the coverage. And while this article does contain many of the credit cards that still offer price protection, you may find others.

Also, for the sake of being as concise as possible, benefits overviews and claim procedures described in this article are summarized and abbreviated. The final say on terms and conditions for price protection coverage on a specific credit card is always the Guide to Benefits that comes with the card.

The information regarding the Wells Fargo Visa Signature Card and UBS Visa Infinite Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.