UPDATE: CCs that still have Cell Phone Protection?

[CBartowski]

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@lhcole77 wrote:

FYI-

World Elite Mastercards come with cellphone protection:

Coverage for a Stolen or damaged Eligible Cellular Wireless
Telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions, and
limits of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $600
per claim for World Mastercard, and $1,000 per Covered
Card per 12 month period. Each claim is subject to a $50
deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per Covered
Card per 12 month period.

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This would have been perfect just using my citi DC BUT that one sadly does not qualifiy despite my world elite MC status. 

[CBartowski]

UPDATE: I had no idea this was going to be such a popular subject. Thanks to all. So through all of the research I've done since posting it almost looks like the WF Propel may be the best option. 3x on the bill + 600$ in protection with 25$ deductable. It didn't say sell bill triggers the 3x but a friend told me her Boost Mobile bill triggers it soooo maybe but likely YMMV.

[Aim_High]

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@CBartowski wrote:

UPDATE: I had no idea this was going to be such a popular subject. Thanks to all. So through all of the research I've done since posting it almost looks like the WF Propel may be the best option. 3x on the bill + 600$ in protection with 25$ deductable. It didn't say sell bill triggers the 3x but a friend told me her Boost Mobile bill triggers it soooo maybe but likely YMMV.

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I think your friend either discovered a glitch in the system or is mistaken about the 3x rewards on cell phone.  Like the other cards mentioned with Wells Fargo, you do get the cellphone protection with Propel but I think you don't normally earn higher rewards on cell phone service, only certain streaming services. 

Maybe your friend is not buying a traditional post-paid cellphone plan but buys gift cards to pay her pre-paid Boost Mobile bills??  But that wouldn't trigger the cellphone protection if it is needed since the WF disclosures require the cell phone payments to be billed monthly to your card.

Per Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards (see links below for more information):

1. Earning Points

You can earn unlimited Points, unless We tell You otherwise. Points do not expire while this Credit Card account is open.

• You only earn Points if Your Credit Card is open and not delinquent.
• You earn one Point for every $1 You spend with this Credit Card for Net Purchases (purchases minus returns/credits). We round the amount to the nearest whole dollar.
• You may also earn bonus Points for promotions or offers connected to Your Credit Card account. We will let You know the terms and conditions for earning bonus Points when We have a promotion or offer for Your Credit Card. There may be a limit on bonus Points.

2. Earning Bonus Points

Bonus Points on Purchases

Here is how You can earn bonus Points:

• You earn 2 bonus Points (for a total of 3 Points) for every $1 You spend on Your Credit Card (rounded to the nearest whole dollar) for Net Purchases made at retailers whose merchant category for American Express is classified in the following categories:

• Airline, hotel/motel, timeshare, or vehicle/auto rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds.
• Eating places and restaurants, drinking places, or fast food restaurants. (Caterers, bakeries, grocery stores and other miscellaneous places that serve food or operate restaurants on their premises are not considered eating places and restaurants.)
• Gas stations and automated fuel dispensers, passenger railway, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, parking lots and garages. (Gas purchases at warehouse/membership clubs, grocery stores, car washes, auto repair stores and superstores that sell gasoline may not be coded as gas stations or automated fuel dispensers.)

• You earn 2 bonus Points (for a total of 3 Points) for every $1 You spend on Your Credit Card (rounded to the nearest whole dollar) for Net Purchases made at eligible online streaming services. The current list of eligible streaming services is available at: wellsfargo.com/propelstreaming

Earn 3X Points

Pay for these online streaming services with your Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card and earn 3X points.

• Apple Music®
• Apple News+
• Apple TV+
• Amazon Music Unlimited
• Audible
• ESPN+
• Disney+
• fuboTV
• HBO Now
• Headspace, Inc.
• Hulu
• Kindle Unlimited
• Netflix
• NHL.TV
• Pandora®
• Prime Video
• Sirius XM Radio Inc.
• Spotify Premium

https://gofarrewards.wf.com/?_ga=2.224997981.693890795.1595701045-880724471.1595701045#/Tnc/C0020/We...

https://www.wellsfargo.com/credit-cards/propel/streaming/

[CBartowski]

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@Aim_High wrote:

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@CBartowski wrote:

UPDATE: I had no idea this was going to be such a popular subject. Thanks to all. So through all of the research I've done since posting it almost looks like the WF Propel may be the best option. 3x on the bill + 600$ in protection with 25$ deductable. It didn't say sell bill triggers the 3x but a friend told me her Boost Mobile bill triggers it soooo maybe but likely YMMV.

---

I think your friend either discovered a glitch in the system or is mistaken about the 3x rewards on cell phone.  Like the other cards mentioned with Wells Fargo, you do get the cellphone protection with Propel but I think you don't normally earn higher rewards on cell phone service, only certain streaming services. 

Maybe your friend is not buying a traditional post-paid cellphone plan but buys gift cards to pay her pre-paid Boost Mobile bills??  But that wouldn't trigger the cellphone protection if it is needed since the WF disclosures require the cell phone payments to be billed monthly to your card.

Per Wells Fargo Go Far Rewards (see links below for more information):

1. Earning Points

You can earn unlimited Points, unless We tell You otherwise. Points do not expire while this Credit Card account is open.

• You only earn Points if Your Credit Card is open and not delinquent.
• You earn one Point for every $1 You spend with this Credit Card for Net Purchases (purchases minus returns/credits). We round the amount to the nearest whole dollar.
• You may also earn bonus Points for promotions or offers connected to Your Credit Card account. We will let You know the terms and conditions for earning bonus Points when We have a promotion or offer for Your Credit Card. There may be a limit on bonus Points.

2. Earning Bonus Points

Bonus Points on Purchases

Here is how You can earn bonus Points:

• You earn 2 bonus Points (for a total of 3 Points) for every $1 You spend on Your Credit Card (rounded to the nearest whole dollar) for Net Purchases made at retailers whose merchant category for American Express is classified in the following categories:

• Airline, hotel/motel, timeshare, or vehicle/auto rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds.
• Eating places and restaurants, drinking places, or fast food restaurants. (Caterers, bakeries, grocery stores and other miscellaneous places that serve food or operate restaurants on their premises are not considered eating places and restaurants.)
• Gas stations and automated fuel dispensers, passenger railway, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, parking lots and garages. (Gas purchases at warehouse/membership clubs, grocery stores, car washes, auto repair stores and superstores that sell gasoline may not be coded as gas stations or automated fuel dispensers.)

• You earn 2 bonus Points (for a total of 3 Points) for every $1 You spend on Your Credit Card (rounded to the nearest whole dollar) for Net Purchases made at eligible online streaming services. The current list of eligible streaming services is available at: wellsfargo.com/propelstreaming

Earn 3X Points

Pay for these online streaming services with your Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card and earn 3X points.

• Apple Music®
• Apple News+
• Apple TV+
• Amazon Music Unlimited
• Audible
• ESPN+
• Disney+
• fuboTV
• HBO Now
• Headspace, Inc.
• Hulu
• Kindle Unlimited
• Netflix
• NHL.TV
• Pandora®
• Prime Video
• Sirius XM Radio Inc.
• Spotify Premium

https://gofarrewards.wf.com/?_ga=2.224997981.693890795.1595701045-880724471.1595701045#/Tnc/C0020/We...

https://www.wellsfargo.com/credit-cards/propel/streaming/

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So I agree, I couldn't find ANYTHING to support what she was saying but I figured weird things happen in the world of merchant codes on occasion. I'm with you, I think there are better cards IF the Propel doesnt code the 3x. Otherwise, if it does a no AF card with that is fairly tempting, seems like a decent no AF card by itself.

Thanks for the reply

[Aim_High]

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@CBartowski wrote:

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@Aim_High wrote:

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@CBartowski wrote:

... it almost looks like the WF Propel may be the best option. 3x on the bill + 600$ in protection with 25$ deductable. It didn't say sell bill triggers the 3x but a friend told me her Boost Mobile bill triggers it ...

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I think your friend either discovered a glitch in the system or is mistaken about the 3x rewards on cell phone.  Like the other cards mentioned with Wells Fargo, you do get the cellphone protection with Propel but I think you don't normally earn higher rewards on cell phone service, only certain streaming services. 

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So I agree, I couldn't find ANYTHING to support what she was saying but I figured weird things happen in the world of merchant codes on occasion. I'm with you, I think there are better cards IF the Propel doesnt code the 3x. Otherwise, if it does a no AF card with that is fairly tempting, seems like a decent no AF card by itself.

Thanks for the reply

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You're welcome.  Maybe you could ask her a few more questions to see if you can figure out if it's correct or how the loophole is coding that way.  Propel is a great card, regardless of the cell phone coverage and/or rewards.  I think Propel is about as good as you'll find on the cell phone protection if that is what you prefer between choosing a protection plan or a discount. 

I tend to agree with @Taurus22 's assessment: 

" ... The caveat about having a CC with phone protection, is that you will rarely find anything that also includes high CB levels. you pretty much have to choose if the CB or phone protection is more important."

[longtimelurker]

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@Aim_High wrote:

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I tend to agree with @Taurus22 's assessment: 

" ... The caveat about having a CC with phone protection, is that you will rarely find anything that also includes high CB levels. you pretty much have to choose if the CB or phone protection is more important."

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Right, and that's going to depend on the price of your plan (if it is low, a lower rate of CB is probably OK, if you spend $1000 a month, you might want to maximize cashback!), the replacement/repair cost of the phones (don't really need insurance for a phone that costs $100 to replace...) and your assessment of how likely you are to need insurance (given that most don't pay for merely lost phones).   And this might change over time, that great flagship of two years ago (or sadly even a year) may not be worth spending much on insuring now.

[Anonymous]

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@wasCB14 wrote:

Here are some examples of what is not covered:

• Cellphones that are not received as a part of a recurring monthly plan from a cellular provider.
• Replacement Cellphone(s) purchased from other than a cellular service provider's retail or internet store; or Taxes, delivery or transportation charges or any fees associated with the service provided.
• Damage or theft resulting from hostilities of any kind (including, but not limited to, war, invasion, rebellion or insurrection),  flood, earthquake, radioactive contamination.

Emphasis mine. Those are major exclusions.

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I would hate it if mine were that specific, because the top one would exclued me right off the bat! And i haev to laugh at the last one because they basically saying that damage from any event is excluded. This begs the question of what does it actually cover? Most people want to feel comfortable knowing their $600-1K^ Cellphone is covered in teh case of an accidental drop or if it's actually stolen. Seems to me that everything in that would actually happen to a phone is ineligible. lol

The main reason i don't buy coverage from my provider is because I've never had an issue in all my years with phones, then again they didn't used to be $700 or more. So on the outside cellphone coverage looks good, but it may be more trouble than it's worth trying to file a claim when actually needed.

Fred Meyer Rewards MC Issued by USB:

Cellular Wireless Telephone Protection provides reimbursement for the actual cost to replace or repair a stolen or damaged eligible cellular wireless telephone. Coverage for a stolen or damaged eligible cellular wireless telephone is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and terms of liability of this benefit. The maximum liability is $600 per claim for World Mastercard, and $1,000 per covered card per 12-month period. Each claim is subject to a $50 deductible. Coverage is limited to two (2) claims per covered card per 12-month period. To get coverage, you must charge your monthly eligible cellular wireless telephone bill to your card.

So right now this is who I'm currently using for the benefit because they offerd me 1000 points to add it. I'm still looking for a slightly better one without so many exclusions, at least the one for me where I buy the phone outright instead of on payments. lol

Wells Fargo's coverage looks attractive but I don't much care for them as  Bank.

I used to have it billed to Amex Bonvoy BIZ for the 4X points but it didn't offer phone protection.

[kdm31091]

Keep in mind maximizing the rewards on the bill itself may only be a couple dollars difference in rewards per month which pales in comparison to the cost of a new phone if you have no insurance on it at all. The insurance certainly has a lot of caveats as others have said, but to me it may be worth giving up a couple bucks in rewards for. 

[Aim_High]

By the way, I prefer to optimize my rewards (at 7.5% return on Chase INK Cash card, mentioned earlier) in lieu of cell phone protection. 

And THIS >>>>  is my cellphone protection plan!  Lol

Seriously, I've had a few Otterboxes and my cell phones have stayed pristine for years in them. 

I pull them out and they literally look like brand new.  All for about $50 bucks. 

[Taurus22]

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@kdm31091 wrote:

Keep in mind maximizing the rewards on the bill itself may only be a couple dollars difference in rewards per month which pales in comparison to the cost of a new phone if you have no insurance on it at all. The insurance certainly has a lot of caveats as others have said, but to me it may be worth giving up a couple bucks in rewards for. 

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100%  -  For example, I have a $1000 samsung S20+ through Verizon. My phone service + my monthly payment on the phone for 24 mths combined is approx. $110/mth.

If you forego any CC insurance and opt for cashback @ (let's say you can get 5% CB just for example) , over those 24 months you would get $132 CB. However, if anything happens to your phone......oops.

In contrast, $600 - $50 deductible ($550)  toward a new phone goes much further.

For me it's just a no brainer. Ideally the NFCU Cash Rewards @ 1.5% CB would insure for ($550) after deductible plus the ($39.60) CB for a total of ($589.60) if anything ever happened to the phone. Almost 60%.