 TITLE: How Your Credit Cards Can Protect Your Holiday Purchases CONTENT: Product-Related Purchase Protections\n------------------------------------\nHere are some of the protections you might receive if you purchase a product or gift with your credit card:\n*   **Return protection**: Some retailers extend their return periods during the holidays, but that's not always the case. Fortunately, many credit cards offer return protection, which allows you to return and get a refund on eligible purchases even if the merchant doesn't accept a return. The benefit usually extends your return period to 60 or 90 days after a purchase and may be limited to $250 to $500 per claim. Some purchases might not be eligible, such as jewelry, animals or plants, and you may need to pay for return shipping.\n*   **Purchase protection**: This valuable benefit can reimburse you if an eligible item you buy is damaged, lost or stolen. The protection generally applies for 60 to 120 days from the purchase date, and there may be a limit on the reimbursable amount, such as $500 or $1,000 per item. However, premium cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, offer up to $10,000-per-item limits. There are usually annual and lifetime benefit limits to keep in mind as well.\n*   **Extended warranties**: Many credit cards offer extended warranties on eligible purchases. The benefit can give you an additional year or two of coverage if an item is originally covered by a manufacturer's warranty. An extended warranty can apply even if you gift the item, although the recipient may need a copy of your credit card's billing statement when they go to make a claim.\n*   **Price protection**: The price protection benefit lets you get a refund if an item's price drops soon after you make a purchase. Unfortunately, only a few cards still offer this benefit, such as the Capital One Platinum Credit Card.\n*   **Cellphone protection**: A purchase-related perk that some credit cards offer, cellphone protection could cover part of the cost of replacing a lost or damaged phone if you pay the monthly phone bill with your credit card. It could be worth looking into this if you plan on buying yourself (or a family member who is on your phone plan) a new phone.\nThe eligibility, requirements, limits and claim process can depend on your card, and you'll want to read over your cards' benefits to understand what your card offers and ensure your purchases qualifies. END