Best Credit Cards for Cell Phone Insurance of March 2023
When you pay your monthly cell phone bill with certain credit cards, you get insurance coverage that can reimburse you for a damaged or stolen phone. Once a rare and unusual perk, phone coverage has become a common credit card benefit. You probably shouldn't choose a card based solely on this feature. But if you're already paying separately for cell phone insurance through your provider or elsewhere, putting your bill on one of these cards can save you some cash each month.
Some of our picks for the best credit cards with cell phone coverage can be applied for through NerdWallet, and some cannot. Below you'll find application links for the credit cards from our partners that are available through NerdWallet, followed by the full list of our picks.
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Nerdwallet's Best Credit Cards for Cell Phone Insurance of March 2023
- Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card: Best for Simple cash back
- Chase Freedom Flex℠: Best for Bonus cash back
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Best for Travel rewards
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: Best for Premium travel perks
- U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card: Best for Road tripping
- U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card: Best for 0% intro APR
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Best for Small business
Whether you want to pay less interest or earn more rewards, the right card's out there. Just answer a few questions and we'll narrow the search for you.
Best Credit Cards for Cell Phone Insurance From Our Partners
Simple cash back
The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card gives you 2% cash back on every purchase, with no categories to track or spending limits to contend with. Phone coverage: Up to $600 in secondary coverage in the event of damage or theft when you pay your monthly bill with the card; $25 deductible; limit of two claims per 12 months.
Bonus cash back
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is a treat for cash-back maximizers, offering an array of 3% and 5% cash-back categories. Phone coverage: Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year for damage or theft; applies to phones listed on monthly statement paid with card; $50 deductible per claim; limit of two claims per 12 months.
Travel rewards
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card delivers terrific benefits, provided you're willing to do your travel spending through Capital One's online booking portal to get the highest rates and claim valuable credits. Phone Coverage: Must pay cell phone bill with card; up to $800 per claim for damage or theft; $50 deductible per claim; maximum of two claims per 12 months.
Premium travel perks
The Platinum Card® from American Express comes loaded with perks for those who crave the VIP lifestyle. Phone Coverage: Up to $800 to repair or replace a damaged or stolen phone when bill is paid with card; $50 deductible per claim; up to two claims per 12 months; terms apply.
Road tripping
The phone protection isn't as generous as on other cards, but if you spend a lot of time on the road, the U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card will likely be a good fit for your finances. Phone coverage: Up to $600 in secondary coverage for damage or theft when monthly bill is paid with card; $100 deductible; limit of one claim per year.
0% intro APR
The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card basically has one job — saving money on interest — and does it well with a long 0% intro APR period. Phone coverage: Up to $6,000 per claim for damage or theft when monthly bill is paid with card; $25 deductible per claim; max benefit of $1,200 per 12 months.
Small business
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has one of the richest bonus offers on any credit card, anywhere, and it pays handsome rewards in a variety of business categories. Phone coverage: Up to $600 per claim for damage or theft when bill is paid with card; $100 deductible per claim; limit of three claims and $1,800 in reimbursement per 12 months; coverage is secondary; employees are included if they are listed on the monthly bill.
FULL LIST OF EDITORIAL PICKS: BEST CREDIT CARDS FOR CELL PHONE INSURANCE
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Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Our pick for: Simple cash back
Among flat-rate cash-back cards, you'll be hard-pressed to beat the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card. It earns an unlimited 2% back on all purchases, which is excellent. But in addition, the card offers a rich sign-up bonus and a generous 0% intro APR on both purchases and balance transfers. That's an impressive, hard-to-find combination of features on a card with a $0 annual fee. Read our review.
Cell phone coverage is standard on Wells Fargo's consumer cards. In addition to the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, you'll also get the benefit with the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card, which is a top choice for a long 0% intro APR period, and the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card, which is a terrific rewards card with 3X points across multiple categories.
Chase Freedom Flex℠
Our pick for: Bonus cash back
The Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers bonus cash back in quarterly categories that you activate, as well as on travel booked through Chase, at restaurants and at drugstores. Category activation can be a hassle, but if your spending matches the categories — and for a lot of people, it will — you can rack up hundreds of dollars a year. There's a fantastic bonus offer for new cardholders and a 0% intro APR period, too. Read our review.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Our pick for: Travel rewards
Capital One's premium travel credit card can deliver terrific benefits — provided you're willing to do your travel spending through the issuer's online booking portal. That's where you'll earn the highest rewards rates plus credits that can make back the bulk of your annual fee. Read our review.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Our pick for: Luxury travel perks
The Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a hefty annual fee, but travelers who like to go in style (and aren't afraid to pay for comfort) can more than get their money's worth. Enjoy extensive airport lounge access, hundreds of dollars a year in travel and shopping credits, hotel benefits and more. That's not even getting into the high rewards rate on eligible travel purchases and the rich welcome offer for new cardholders. Read our review.
In 2021, American Express added cell phone protection on a variety of premium cards, in addition to The Platinum Card® from American Express. Terms apply.
U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card
Our pick for: Road tripping
The U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card is one of the most generous cards on the market if you're taking to the skies or the road, thanks to the quadruple points it earns on travel and purchases at gas stations and EV charging stations. It's also a solid card for everyday expenses like groceries, dining and streaming, and it comes with ongoing credits that can offset its annual fee: $0 intro for the first year, then $95. Read our review.
U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card
Our pick for: 0% intro APR period
A lengthy 0% introductory APR period for both purchases and balance transfers has made the U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card a NerdWallet favorite. Read our review.
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Our pick for: Small business
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card starts you off with one of the biggest sign-up bonuses of any credit card anywhere (assuming you spend enough to earn it), then gives you bonus rewards in common business spending categories. Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel booked through Chase, or you can transfer them to about a dozen airline and hotel partners. Learn more and apply.
In 2019, Mastercard added cell phone insurance as a benefit for World and World Elite credit card holders. Coverage on these cards is provided by the payment network (Mastercard) rather than the issuing bank, although issuers can choose to supplement this benefit. If you have a World or World Elite Mastercard, click here to find out more about your benefits.
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To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page.
Last updated on March 16, 2023
Methodology
NerdWallet's credit cards team selects the best credit cards in each category based on overall consumer value. Factors in our evaluation include fees, promotional and ongoing APRs, and sign-up bonuses; for rewards cards, we consider earning and redemption rates, redemption options and redemption difficulty. A single card is eligible to be chosen as among the "best" in multiple categories. Learn how NerdWallet rates credit cards.
If a credit card offers cell phone coverage, you must pay your monthly wireless bill with the card in order to enjoy the protection. If your phone is damaged or stolen, you'll file a claim with the company that administers the cell phone benefit, and you'll be reimbursed. (The company administering the benefit will usually be different from the bank that actually issued the card.)
In most cases, a deductible will apply. That means there's a certain amount you have to pay first before the coverage kicks in. For example, say you have a $50 deductible and $800 in coverage per claim. If your $600 phone gets smashed, your coverage would pay you only $550, since the first $50 is your responsibility. Learn more about credit card cell phone coverage.
Most cell phone coverage offered by credit cards applies only to phones listed on the monthly bill paid with the card offering the benefit.
Coverage generally applies only to instances of damage or theft. Simply losing your phone is not covered. Wells Fargo, for example, says on its website: "This benefit does not cover cell phones that are lost (i.e., mysteriously disappear)."
In order to get reimbursed, you may be required to obtain an estimate for a repair, send in the damaged phone if you're getting paid for a replacement, or provide a police report for an instance of theft.
If the cell phone coverage on your credit card is identified as "secondary," it means your benefit applies only after any other coverage has kicked in.
If you have coverage from your wireless carrier, for example, you're expected to make a claim there first, then use your credit card's coverage on whatever is left over. If your homeowner's or renter's insurance covers mobile phones, secondary coverage would require you to file a claim under that policy first.
