Comments on: American Express Purchase Protection Plan – a Rare Credit Card Benefit

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:48:28 +0000

Do not use AMEX with the idea that you have protection if something goes wrong. The technical rules they apply almost guarantee you will be disappointed when filing a claim. I have had experience with extended warranty and buyer protection. The extended warranty is not extended at all but more like an additional period. If your item breaks during the last week of the original period and you file a claim with Amex the next week, the first week AMEX should be responsible, they won’t pay because it occurred during the manufacturers warranty period. Yet the manufacturer won’t cover because you have passed the original warranty period. On buyer protection max of $300 per incident covers only certain items and the item must be in perfectly new condition for the return. Way too much trouble to be worth anything.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:32:33 +0000

Catch 22.. With Amex it is all in the fine print maybe. I purchased an item for my son that had a 1 year warranty. The item broke not long before the original warranty period was up. I did not know about this in time to file with the manufacturer so I filed with Amex on the extended warranty. Amex ask when the item broke. I told them sometime in the previous month. Amex said the item would not be covered because the item broke during the original warranty period. Apparently the fine print reads “AMEX WILL COVER FOR THE ADDITIONAL PERIOD ONLY IF THE ITEM BREAKS DURING THE ADDITIONAL WARRANTY PERIOD”. I was in a CATCH 22 fix because the manufacturer said I was past the warranty period and Amex said it did not break during their period of responsibility. I am appalled that Amex would screw a very GOOD customer with a technicality like this. This is the only warranty claim filed with AMEX in 30 years.

By: Ron Ablang

Ron Ablang — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:01:09 +0000

At PK:

You told them exactly that? “I dropped it in water.”? Or, “It fell in the toilet accidentally.”?

Either way, they are amazing.

By: PK

PK — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:14:33 +0000

I had dropped my iphone in water,it stopped working. I just had to call Amex, and they refunded the amount back to me in about 5 hours! Unbelievable…

I am now an Amex fan for life!

By: Freediver

Freediver — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:36:47 +0000

Gotta love that Amex. Recently got the Platinum card which at 450.00 sounds like a lot, but..you get admission to the American, Delta, and US Air Airport clubs and 200.00/year reimbursement for miscellaneous charges that the airlines hit you with like baggage fees, food, drinks, change fees, etc. They’ll also pay the 100.00 application fee to the special Global Entry trusted traveler program which expedites you when you re-enter the country. that’s in addition to all the other perks like purchase protection. It’s a no brainer for anyone who travels.

By: inspin

inspin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:24:58 +0000

They also have an extended warranty that will add up to a year to any manufacturer’s warranty (doubles the warranty up to 1 year for coverage up to 5 years, e.g. 5+1=6). Joy!

By: G.E. Miller

G.E. Miller — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:46:02 +0000

@ Robbie – you are referring to ‘return protection’, which is not the same as ‘purchase protection’. They are two separate programs. Coverage is limited to up to $1,000 per Occurrence, up to $50,000 per Cardmember account per policy year, and is in EXCESS of other sources of indemnity. https://www212.americanexpress.com/dsmlive/dsm/dom/us/en/phaseib/purchaseprotection_shareddetailsall.do?vgnextoid=fc1a4959f3156010VgnVCM100000cef4ad94RCRD&vgnextchannel=e2cb0db3915e7010VgnVCM10000084b3ad94RCRD&name=purchaseprotection_shareddetailsall&type=intbenefitdetail

By: Robbie

Robbie — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:23:45 +0000

Unfortunately, your article misrepresents part of the program.

AmEx won’t pay you up to $1000 per item – it’s $1000 per year, $300 per item.

The lady who broke her shoe? Even if she had bought it with AmEx, she’s still out of luck because AmEx will only take the item back if it’s undamaged and unworn.

You can read their policy terms here: https://www124.americanexpress.com/cards/benefits/includes/pdf/returnProtection2003.pdf

It makes you wonder just what exactly you *can* return to them.

To me, the only reason I still have my AmEx card is that their customer service people are great. On the times when my card has had fraudulent charges on it, they’ve been great about taking care of the problem (as opposed to Etrade, who ran us through the wringer).

Robbie

By: Isa

Isa — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:29:59 +0000

I was only 2 weeks into the 90 day protection plan when I dropped my camera. The lens broke off and I filed the claim with AmEx. I have been having a difficult time getting the claim processed. I will continue to be patient and keep my fingers crossed that the lens is replaced. But it is definitely not as simple as they make it appear.

By: Mer

Mer — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:24:55 +0000

Purchase protection is nice, but when my car stereo got stolen the day I bought it, AmEx didn’t cover it because it was “installed” in the vehicle or something. So, caveat emptor.