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The best perks of credit cards are not always the most talked about.
Savvy travelers already know that rewards can cover the cost of travel (by using points and miles, or redeeming cashback). However, if you dig deeper into fine printing, there are some truly prevalent benefits that are definitely worth using.
From exclusive access to restaurants and events to admission to the best museums, here are four card perks that can improve your trip.
Exclusive Restaurant Reservations and Event Experiences
For cardholders: American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve Platinum Card®
Imagine eating on a basketball court in an arena like Madison Square Garden or making reservations difficult at one of the city’s hottest restaurants. Premium credit cards can provide insider access to tables and private experiences.
For Amex Platinum members, that means prime time seats at the restaurant that are requested, through Resy and priority notifications, when the table becomes available.
Platinum cardholders can also build paths for experiences that are not open to the public. Previous event included 2 nights White lotus –Four Seasons Westlake Village’s inspiration package aims to capture the essence of the hit series. Available to purchase from Amex’s Premium Event Collection. Future packages include VIP access to the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix starting at $11,500.
Similarly, Chase offers perks to its high-end customers. Through the Chase Experience Portal, Sapphire Reserve Card Holders offer exclusive bookings reserved for cardholders as well as invitations to private dining experiences, sporting events and music festivals. One of the more unique products? Thank you for Chase’s continued partnership with Foodie Site I’m crazyChase card holders will get early access tickets for this year’s EEEEEATSCON, a two-day food festival that will be held in Los Angeles from June 28th-29th. Chase Sapphire Reserve and Priority Cardholders can also get 1 hour early admission access to Over the Top Food Fest.
Free or discount museum visit
For cardholders: All Bank of America Credit or Debit Cards. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
For Bank of America customers, a long-standing, forgotten profit is free general admission access to more than 200 cultural institutions across the United States, but there is a warning. PERK is available only on the first weekend of each month.
To enter these properties, you must present your Active Bank of America Credit or Debit Card with a photo ID. Eligible venues include some of the nation’s top museums, from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the De Young Museum in San Francisco to the National Civil Human Rights Center in Atlanta and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Separately, Capital One Venture X cardholders can work with an art membership club called The Cultivist to take advantage of the discount museum’s benefits. Cultivator members have free access to over 60 museums around the world, from the National Portrait Gallery in London to Guggenheim in New York. Venture X Cardholders pay half the price on their membership ($220 instead of $440).
Save on bookings for Delta Airline Awards
For cardholders: Delta Skymiles® Gold American Express Card, Delta Skymiles® Platinum American Express Card, Delta Skymiles® Reside American Express Card (and comparable business versions of these cards)
In 2023, Delta introduced valuable benefits to most AMEX co-branded credit card holders. 15% discount on all award reservations. Called “Takeoff 15”, the PERK will be a little more appealing to Delta Amex credit cards, especially for Delta loyalists.
To use this perk, you must first select “Shop with Miles” and log in to your Skymiles account and search for award trips. If you select a qualified flight, miles savings will be applied to your itinerary at checkout.
Here’s how it actually works: One-way Delta Flight priced at 30,000 SkyMiles from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK) is 25,500 SkyMiles for eligible cardholders.
This discount applies to all Delta-operated flights, but excludes partner flights as operated by other SkyTeam airlines. Additionally, Skymiles members must pay the award taxes and fees with their Delta credit card.
Refunds for lost luggage or delayed flights
For cardholders: Almost 20 of the most popular travel reward cards, including Chase SapphirePreferred® cards and Capital One Venture Rewards credit cards
Credit cards cannot prevent your bag from getting lost, but you can make it much less when it’s done. Almost 20 credit cards come in the form of baggage protection insurance. This means that if your bag is lost by the airline, your credit card will cover the cost of purchasing a new item.
Although each card has its own rules, the two popular Chase Travel cards offer some of the benefits of the most generous delayed package. Both Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve credit cards offer $100 per day for five days if your check bag is delayed for more than six hours. And if it’s completely lost, you can rest more easily, knowing that it’s covered at least for up to $3,000. Please keep all receipts for purchased items to replace your lost luggage.
On the other hand, these same travel cards usually include travel protection and insurance. These are protections such as travel delay coverage (flight delayed) and travel cancellation coverage (you must cancel due to unexpected circumstances).
Eligible cards usually have annual fees, but they don’t always have to be prohibitive. For example, even the $95 annual Capital One Venture Rewards credit card includes all of these perks.
The above offers are accurate at the time of publication, but are subject to change at any time and may be subject to change or unavailable.
