Protect Your Smartphone With Your Credit Card
Before shelling out extra cash on insurance for your mobile device, check to see if your credit card's benefits include coverage.


Do you worry about cell phone mishaps? Before you shell out for insurance, see whether your credit card comes with coverage as a free benefit. Last year, Mastercard began offering cell phone protection for holders of its World and World Elite credit cards. Consumer credit cards from Wells Fargo come with phone insurance, and so do the Chase Ink Business Preferred Visa, Uber Visa and U.S. Bank Visa Platinum cards.
To get the insurance, you have to pay your monthly wireless bill with the credit card (check with the issuer to see whether all phones on a family plan are covered). The coverage limit per claim is often $600, although Mastercard World Elite cardholders get up to $800 a claim. Yearly coverage limits apply, too, typically ranging from about $1,000 to $1,800. And the number of claims may be capped at two or three annually. Deductibles run from about $25 to $100.
The insurance usually covers devices that are damaged or stolen (but not lost). The type of damage that qualifies varies. Mastercard’s protection, for example, includes screen scratches that don’t affect your phone’s ability to make or take calls; some other plans exclude cosmetic damage. Other exclusions may include phones paired with a prepaid wireless plan, devices stolen from checked baggage during air travel and electronic problems not caused by physical damage, such as inability to charge the battery. If your phone is stolen, you may have to provide the benefit administrator a police report that was filed within 48 hours of the incident, and damage claims may require a repair estimate. And you’ll typically have to file your claim within a specified window after the damage or theft occurred—often 90 days.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
If you buy insurance through your phone carrier, you may enjoy higher coverage limits of about $2,000 per claim and inclusion of lost phones in the plan, says Tina Chang, of WhistleOut, a phone-plan comparison site. But the cost may be about $10 to $20 per month in premiums.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Lisa has been the editor of Kiplinger Personal Finance since June 2023. Previously, she spent more than a decade reporting and writing for the magazine on a variety of topics, including credit, banking and retirement. She has shared her expertise as a guest on the Today Show, CNN, Fox, NPR, Cheddar and many other media outlets around the nation. Lisa graduated from Ball State University and received the school’s “Graduate of the Last Decade” award in 2014. A military spouse, she has moved around the U.S. and currently lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two sons.
-
Medicare Prior Authorization Expands to Ambulatory Surgical Centers
Starting in December, Medicare will begin requiring prior authorization for certain procedures when performed in ambulatory surgical centers.
-
Frontier’s GoWild! Annual Flight Pass: Is the $299 All‑You‑Can‑Fly Deal Worth It?
Frontier’s GoWild! Pass offers unlimited flights for $299, but blackout dates, standby rules, and fees apply. See who benefits and if it’s worth it.
-
When Tech is Too Much
Our Kiplinger Retirement Report editor, David Crook, sounds off on the everyday annoyances of technology.
-
I Let AI Read Privacy Policies for Me. Here's What I Learned
A reporter uses AI to review privacy policies, in an effort to better protect herself from fraud and scams.
-
Amazon Resale: Where Amazon Prime Returns Become Your Online Bargains
Feature Amazon Resale products may have some imperfections, but that often leads to wildly discounted prices.
-
What Is AI? Artificial Intelligence 101
Artificial intelligence has sparked huge excitement among investors and businesses, but what exactly does the term mean?
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2025
Roth IRAs Roth IRAs allow you to fund your retirement with after-tax dollars while you're working, and then withdraw those contributions and earnings tax-free when you retire. Here's a look at 2025 limits and income-based phaseouts.
-
Four Tips for Renting Out Your Home on Airbnb
real estate Here's what you should know before listing your home on Airbnb.
-
Five Ways to a Cheap Last-Minute Vacation
Travel It is possible to pull off a cheap last-minute vacation. Here are some tips to make it happen.
-
How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?
insurance When assessing how much life insurance you need, take a systematic approach instead of relying on rules of thumb.