One of the benefits of the credit cards issued by Discover (e.g Discover it, Discover it Miles or Discover it Secured) is the fact they offer price protection. Let’s take a look at their price protection policy in detail. Unlike other credit card issuers Discover actually provides coverage for Black Friday sales.
What’s Covered?
You’re covered if you purchase an item and the identical item is advertised at a lower price within 90 days of the original purchase date. When they say identical, they mean identical – they can refuse your claim for things as small as it being a different color.
There are some exclusions to what is covered as well:
- Items must be purchased and advertised in the United States, or its terroitories, including Puerto Rico.
- All services are excluded, this covers items only.
- Any used, rebuilt, remanufactured or second hand items are all excluded.
- Consumable and perishable items (e.g food, fuel, oil, household products & cosmetics)
- Travelers checks, tickets of any kind, jewelry, art objects, negotiable instuments, bullion, rare or precious coins or stamps, antiques cash and it’s equivalents
- Computer components including but not limited to external and internal hard drives, CPUs, power supplies, batteries, DVDs, video cassettes, CDs, audio cassettes, printed materials, or any other informational and recreational media (this was added in August)
- Motorized vehicles and their parts including, but not limited to, boats, airplanes, automobiles, trucks and motorcycles; and their parts and accessories including but not limited to tires and batteries
- Floor models, demonstrator models and one-of-a-kind items
- Live animals and live plants
- Negotiated sales, one-of-a kind sales, cash-only sales
- Close-out/liquidation/going-out-of-business sales but only as they relate to a business (not a particular item) going out of business
- Employee discounts
- Digital downloads including, but not limited to, music, movies, books, mobile apps and eCertificates
- Gift cards
- Special discounts offered through a specific retailer membership or rewards program
- Price differences involving manufacturer or merchant rebates
- Purchase transactions involving refunds, exchanges, trade-ins, layaways, gift cards, or store credits
- Items purchased and/or advertised as price quotes or bids from an Internet auction site
- If you return the item, Discover can charge back the amount you received from the Price Protection claim
How Much Is Covered?
You’re limited to a maximum of $500 per item and up to $2,500 per account annual limit. If you make multiple purchases of identicalal iteams then you’re subject to the $500 per item limit per sales receipt and or calendar day.
How To File A Claim
To file a claim, do the following:
- Contact Discover at 1-800-DISCOVER (1-800-347-2683), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (ET) and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (except holidays).
- Choose between receiving your claim form via e-mail or snail mail (e-mail is much quicker and recommended)
- File out the claim form, making sure to include a copy of your receipt and also a copy of the ad you want to claim against
- Check the status of your claim:Â https://www.cardbenefitcenter.com/
Tips
- Make sure you make the full purchase with your Discover card, if you use store loyalty points or gift cards for any part of your purchase your claim will be denied.
- Make sure the model & item numbers match exactly. If they don’t then Discover is likely to reject your claim. You also want those numbers to be clearly visible in the attached advertisement.
If you’ve used Discover’s price protection before, please let us know in the comments your experiences. If you have any other tips, I’d also like to hear them. If people are interested I can also put together a piece comparing the different price protection policies between the major credit card issuers (Hint: Discover’s is the best).
