By Ben LuthiWhat Is Price Protection and Which Credit Cards Offer It?
By Ben Luthi
Price protection used to be a common perk on a credit card, but now there are only a handful of credit card issuers that still offer it. Even then, they don't offer it on all of their credit cards.
But price protection could potentially save you a lot of money if something you purchase goes on sale shortly after you buy it. Here's what you need to know about price protection and which major credit cards still offer it.
What Is Price Protection?
As the name suggests, price protection covers you if the price of an item drops after you buy it with your credit card.
For example, if you purchase the latest model iPhone shortly before a new one is announced and the price drops once the newest model goes on sale, you may be able to get a refund for the difference through your credit card's price protection. The perk is typically valid for a set period after you made the purchase—say 60 or 90 days—and usually limits how much of a refund you can qualify for per claim.
Note that price protection isn't the same as purchase protection. The latter is a credit card benefit that provides coverage if an item you recently purchased with your card is stolen or damaged—again, within a certain period after you bought the item.
Best rewards cards of 2026
Compare cards from our partners that earn points, cash back or miles on everyday spending.
Offers from our partners
Citi Double Cash® Card
Intro APR:0% for 18 months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 27.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Intro bonus:You may be eligible for as high as $200 cash back after spending $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply.
Intro APR:0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 3% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Discover it® Chrome
Intro bonus:INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards.
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 6 Months on Purchases and 0% intro APR for 18 Months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 26.49% Variable APR
Rewards:1% - 2% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
The opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
Ongoing APR:23.89% Variable
Rewards:10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$35
Credit One Bank American Express® Card for Rebuilding Credit
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$75 First year. $99 thereafter, billed monthly at $8.25
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Intro bonus:You may be eligible for as high as $300 cash back after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Cash back is received as Reward Dollars, redeemable for statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout. Terms Apply.
Intro APR:0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 6% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card
Intro APR:0% for 15 months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
Citi Strata Premier® Card
Intro bonus:Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 27.49% (Variable)
Rewards:1x - 10x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$95
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Ongoing APR:18.74% - 26.74% (Variable)
Rewards:1% - 5% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
American Express® Gold Card
Intro bonus:You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Ongoing APR:See Pay Over Time APR
Rewards:1x - 4x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$325
First Latitude Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:27.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$99, waived for first 12 months
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$75*
Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:1x - 6x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$350
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:Introductory fee of $75 for the first year. After that, $99 annually.*
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39*
Credit One Bank® Platinum X5 Visa® Metal Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% - 5% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$95
First Progress Prestige Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:13.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$49
First Progress Select Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:17.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39
Credit One Bank® Premier American Express® Credit Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Intro bonus:Earn 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 5/13/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:2x - 6x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$650
Discover it® Miles
Intro bonus:UNLIMITED BONUS: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match. You could turn 35,000 Miles into 70,000 Miles.
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 15 months on Purchases and Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49% - 26.49% Variable APR
Rewards:1.5x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Intro bonus:Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 04/01/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1x - 2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.
Credit One Bank® Premier American Express® Unlimited Rewards Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Intro bonus:Earn 130,000 Bonus Points plus a Free Night Reward after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 4/15/2026.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:3x - 12x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$150
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
Intro bonus:Earn 10,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1x - 2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
One Key™ Card
Intro bonus:Limited Time Offer: Earn $300 in OneKeyCash™ after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. OneKeyCash is not redeemable for cash and can only be used on Expedia®, Hotels.com® and Vrbo®. To learn more, please refer to the One Key Terms and Conditions at www.expedia.com/one-key-terms.
Ongoing APR:18.49%, 23.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR
Rewards:1.5x - 3x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
One Key+™ Card
Intro bonus:Earn $350 in OneKeyCash™ after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. OneKeyCash is not redeemable for cash and can only be used on Expedia®, Hotels.com® and Vrbo®. To learn more, please refer to the One Key Terms and Conditions at www.expedia.com/one-key-terms.
Ongoing APR:18.49%, 23.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR
Rewards:2x - 3x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$99
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard® - With A Higher Credit Limit
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$125*
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0*
See all our best rewards credit cards for 2026.
Who Offers Price Protection?
In the past, price protection was a mainstay among major credit cards. But recently, card issuers such as Chase and Citi have removed the benefit from some or all of their cards or decreased its value. This change coincided with the rise in services that automated the process, causing a spike in price protection claims for cardholders. With these services, a bot tracks your purchases and alerts you to price drops (some automatically file a claim), so you don't have to do it all manually.
But while price protection is no longer a given, it's still provided on some credit cards.
How to Use Credit Card Price Protection
Price protection can save you hundreds of dollars every year, but it's important to know what your card issuer requires to take advantage of the perk.
For starters, read the benefits guide for your credit card to understand what you need to file a claim, as well as the card's eligibility information and restrictions. You'll typically need the original receipt, billing statement showing the charge, and an original advertisement dated within the timeframe specified in the policy's terms.
You'll also need to file your claim within a certain number of days following the date of the advertisement.
Also, know what's covered and what isn't. It can vary by card, but some examples include cash-only and close-out sales, seasonal and discontinued items, motor vehicles, real estate, cellphone contracts and more.
One way to cut out some of the work is to sign up for a service like Sift or Earny. These apps can pull digital receipts from select retailers in your email inbox and compare prices, then file a claim on your behalf when they find a price drop. The service takes 25% of the reimbursement amount as payment, but that can be worth it if you don't want to deal with the hassle.
Alternatives to Credit Card Price Protection
Your credit card's price protection isn't the only way to ensure that you're getting the best available price. For example, Sift and Earny also take advantage of retailers' price protection policies.
So even if your credit card doesn't offer the perk, you can still register and get refunds on price drops if you qualify for price protection with the services' participating retailers.
Also, some retailers offer to match a competitor's price, which can come in handy if you prefer a certain retailer over another, but their price for an item isn't the best available. Some retailers will even price match an item from a competitor after you've bought it, as long as it's within the predetermined timeframe.
The downside to working with retailer price protection and price matching policies is that you have to do a lot of the legwork on your own, which can be challenging and time-consuming. So it's definitely worth considering signing up for an app that will do the work for you, even if it charges for doing so.
Focus on Credit Cards That Can Give You the Most Total Value
Credit card price protection can be a nice perk to have, but it's far from the only feature you should consider when picking a credit card. If you find a card that's a great fit and it happens to offer the perk, try to take advantage of it, especially on larger purchases.
But focus on credit cards that can give you the best total package, including the welcome offer, the rewards program and perks. Also, run the numbers if the card has an annual fee to make sure you're getting enough net value versus a card that doesn't charge an annual fee.
Missing out on price protection on your credit card can be a bummer. But as you shop around and compare rewards credit cards, remember that you can still get refunds on price drops through retailer policies, and with several price protection apps available, you don't even have to do anything to make it happen.
Don’t apply blindly
Apply for credit cards confidently with personalized offers based on your credit profile. Get started with your FICO® Score for free.
See your offers
About the author
Ben Luthi
Ben Luthi has worked in financial planning, banking and auto finance, and writes about all aspects of money. His work has appeared in Time, Success, USA Today, Credit Karma, NerdWallet, Wirecutter and more.
Read more from Ben