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All the Hacks: Money, Points & Life

20+ Credit Card Benefits You’re Probably Not Using

6/24/20261 hr 3 min

#284: Chris breaks down the credit card benefits that save real money but rarely get attention, from getting a cracked iPhone repaired for free to purchase protections, travel coverage, and a deep bench of lesser-known perks. Learn exactly which card to reach for on every purchase, so you're always covered and never leaving money on the table.

Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/hidden-credit-card-benefits-2026/

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Full Show Notes

(00:00) Introduction

(02:15) Purchase Benefits Overview

(02:36) Purchase Protection: Coverage for Damaged or Stolen Items

(05:15) How Extended Warranty Protection Works

(06:36) Return Protection for Items Stores Won’t Take Back

(07:55) When Price Protection Can Save You Money

(12:27) Travel Benefits Overview

(12:46) Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance

(13:22) Trip Delay Coverage

(13:47) Delayed Luggage Reimbursement

(14:04) Lost and Damaged Bag Insurance

(16:01) Rental Car Coverage: Primary vs. Secondary Insurance

(21:37) Emergency Medical Coverage While Traveling

(22:54) Non-Emergency Medical and Dental Coverage

(23:22) What Travel Accident Insurance Actually Covers

(23:53) Lounge Access Across Issuers and Networks

(25:06) Booking the Luxury Hotel Collections for Free Perks

(29:34) Free International Data and Roaming Benefits

(31:46) Global Entry, TSA PreCheck & Trusted Traveler Credits

(32:29) Cell Phone Protection Benefits

(35:12) How to Maximize Card-Linked Offers

(36:16) Automating Card-Linked Offers With CardPointers

(37:26) What Credit Card Concierge Services Can Actually Do

(38:49) Free Credit Scores and Credit Monitoring Tools

(40:06) The Chase Instacart Benefit (and How to Stack It)

(45:18) The Chase DoorDash Benefit

(47:31) Exclusive Restaurant Reservation Programs

(48:30) American Express Uber Benefits

(49:14) Lyft Perks for Mastercard Holders

(49:43) Capital One Entertainment and Drink Benefits

(50:24) Free Museum Access With Bank of America and Capital One

(52:22) Experience and Entertainment Programs

(54:11) Getting Cash Out of Your Credit Card Benefits

(55:50) Instant Approval and Virtual Card Numbers

(58:02) Visa Network Benefits Worth Knowing

(59:26) Mastercard Network Perks: Transit, Peacock, Airport Fast Track & Soho Friends

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Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

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Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Chris Hutchins· Host0:00

    Over the years, I've gotten thousands of dollars of value from my credit cards, but not just from welcome bonuses, points, cashback, or even those big monthly credits. Sure, I've earned thousands of dollars there as well, but I'm talking about the benefits you get that no one talks about. Things like getting your broken iPhone or your MacBook replaced or repaired for free, getting a car rental claim without having to run it through your own car insurance, hundreds of dollars of cashback from card-linked offers, and a lot more. So I wanted to find all the benefits, not just for one card, but for every major issuer and network. And as I did this, I found out a lot has changed. Some benefits disappeared, some improved, and there are quite a few new ones that I didn't even know existed. For example, I bet most people listening to this have access to free international data, no matter what carrier they're on. I also think that most people are probably able to get some of their public transit costs partially refunded if they have the right card. So today, I'm gonna walk through all this and make sure you are not leaving any money on the table, and that you always know which cards to use so you're protected with every purchase. I'm Chris Hutchins. If you enjoy this episode, please leave a comment, share it with a friend, and if you wanna keep upgrading your money, points, and life, click follow or subscribe. Okay. Coming off the heels of last week, where we went deep on travel insurance and some of those benefits on your card, I wanted to cover all of the other benefits of all of our credit cards because I did this three years ago and did an episode, and a lot has changed. This also took a lot of research, reading a lot of guide to benefits, especially Cap One, which is

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