What Non-Travel Benefits Come With My Travel Credit Cards?

As travelers are daydreaming about the places they can’t go to right now, I’m looking at my credit cards and reviewing the perks that I should be taking advantage of — the ones that are normally relegated to the back of my head.

Even if you're starting to travel again, it's useful to keep your cards’ non-travel benefits top of mind. Here are some that could be useful for you, too.

Free two-day shipping and free returns

You might be ordering more items online than you normally do. And if you dislike paying extra for faster shipping or to return products that didn’t fit right, there’s a credit card benefit worth paying attention to.

Many AmEx cards, and some Mastercards, come with a complimentary ShopRunner membership that will get you two-day shipping and returns from participating stores at no charge to you. This membership normally has a value of $79. To activate your membership via one of your cards, set up an account, then you'll be able to start using free expedited shipping. Terms apply.

Some of the participating stores are Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Popcorn Factory and the NBA Store. You can check the store list here. Here are some of the cards that will get you this benefit:

AmEx:

• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express/The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card.

• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card/Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card.

• The Platinum Card® from American Express.

• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card.

Terms apply.

For Mastercard holders, check to see whether your card is branded as a World Elite or World card, like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®. Both of these Mastercard categories come with ShopRunner privileges.

» Learn more: NerdWallet’s best credit cards for online shipping

$120 Lyft and $120 Grubhub credit

Speaking of the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, this card has several credits that can helps cardholders offset costs. The two non-travel related ones are a $120 Lyft credit and $120 Grubhub credit. Cardholders are eligible for a $10 Lyft credit after taking three rides in a month. The Grubhub credit is doled out as a $10 statement credit per monthly billing statement.

$120 dining credit

If you have an American Express® Gold Card, you can save up to $120 annually on dining. All you have to do is enroll and you'll get up to $10 every month credited back on your statement when you use your card to pay for your food delivery orders at Grubhub or Goldbelly. The same benefit applies to dine-in options like the Cheesecake Factory, Milkbar and participating Five Guys. Enrollment required. Terms apply.

With the American Express® Gold Card, you will also earn 4x points for those restaurant purchases — whether you're ordering in or going out (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year). Terms apply.

$100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit

The Platinum Card® from American Express offers a $50 statement credit from January through June, and a second $50 statement credit from July through December for purchases made at Saks Fifth Avenue (both online and in stores). You can use it across multiple orders as long as you keep tabs on the two credit amounts, but it does require enrollment before you purchase. Enrollment required. Terms apply.

$240 digital entertainment credit

The newest benefit on the The Platinum Card® from American Express is a $240 digital entertainment credit, doled out in monthly increments of up to $20. This credit can be used for eligible purchases on Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.

$60 DoorDash credit

Anyone holding the Chase Sapphire Reserve® credit card can have up to $60 annually credited back to their statements for food orders processed through the delivery service. The best thing about this benefit is that you don't need to register to make use of it, and it’s allotted as a lump sum (so none of that drip-drip-drip benefit like other cards offer every month).

The downside? The terms and conditions say this benefit is only for 2020 and 2021, and so far it doesn’t look like this will continue past this year.

» Learn more: NerdWallet’s best credit cards for restaurants

Up to $400 Dell credit

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express will credit up to $200 back to your statement from January to June, plus another $200 from July to December, for purchases with this card at Dell, for a total of up to $400. Terms apply.

$300 travel credit

Did you know that some of those "travel" benefits on your Chase Sapphire Reserve® aren’t only for flights and hotels? Some of your charges for tolls, toll bridges, parking, garages, ferries, taxis, buses and trains may also qualify under the travel category and be offset by the card’s $300 in annual travel credits on your statement.

You don't have to enroll for this benefit, but the merchant has to be coded on the travel category for Chase to recognize the purchase and grant the credit.

» Learn more: The beginner's guide to points and miles

If you want to use non-travel credit card benefits

It can be difficult to remember all of the ways you can get the most out of your credit cards. Keep this list handy, or set a quarterly reminder to review the terms and conditions of the cards in your wallet. Then, you'll be lightyears ahead of many when it comes to maximizing these financial tools.