Shopping Protection

Inside this Page

CreditCardsLab is compensated by featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own.

MasterCard Credit Card Benefits

Other Credit Card Benefits

Available MasterCard Credit Cards

NorthOne Mastercard® Business Debit Card

Details

Intro APR: N/A*
APR: 0.00% (fix)*
Annual Fee: $0*

First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card

Details

Intro APR: N/A*
APR: 19.24% (var)*
Annual Fee: $39*

MasterCard offers several kinds of protection to safeguard the interests of cardholders who use their credit cards and debit cards to shop and also ensure that they get real value for their money every time they make a purchase. Some of these services include Extended Warranty, Purchase Assurance, Price Protection, and Satisfaction Guarantee.

Extended Warranty

The first service that MasterCard offers to its members is the extended warranty program. Under this program, the original product warranty period for any product purchased is doubled or in cases of a manufacturer's or branded U.S. store warranty, the original warranty terms of coverage are duplicated for a maximum period of one year.

If a product has multiple components that bear separate warranty terms such as warranty on parts and labor, the extended warranty still applies to each and every warranty item and therefore duplication of warranty periods up to a maximum of one year. Failure to register the original manufacturers' warranty properly will affect the extended warranty in that coverage will only double the actual period of time that the manufacturer will offer for warranty.

The benefit of the extended warranty only becomes valid after the expiration of the original warranty or any other additional warranties that may be in effect. Additional warranties refer to service contracts and other optional warranties other than the original manufacturer warranty that one may purchase to cover a certain aspect of the products purchased. If no additional contracts exist, the extended warranty benefit takes effect immediately after the manufacturer's warranty expires.

Purchase Assurance Coverage

Purchase assurance coverage is a sort of insurance scheme that indemnifies MasterCard cardholders for any lost products. The loss can be either through theft or accidental damage and the cover is valid for loss that occurs within 90 days from the date of purchase. All eligible purchases that are covered under the purchase assurance program are usually indicated on the MasterCard receipt at the time of purchasing and this is considered the effective commencement date for the insurance cover.

It is important to note that this program supplementary to any primary insurance cover that may be applicable. As a result, the insurance coverage offered by the purchase assurance scheme is restricted to those amounts that are over and above the value that is covered by the primary insurance or any other coverage scheme that may exist.

Satisfaction Guarantee Coverage

The satisfaction guarantee coverage benefit is another insurance program offered by MasterCard. The program offers MasterCard cardholders security and safety when shopping by guaranteeing that they only purchase goods that will satisfy their needs.

In the event one is dissatisfied with a purchase and the store that the purchase was made does not accept the return of items already sold, then they are eligible to claim the benefits extended by the satisfaction guarantee coverage provided the purchase was made entirely using a MasterCard card and that the purchase is made less than 60 days from the effective date (normally indicated on the MasterCard receipt) of coverage.

Just like the purchase assurance scheme offered by MasterCard credit card, the satisfaction guarantee coverage program is also supplementary to any primary insurance coverage that may be applicable and insurance coverage under this scheme is restricted to those amounts that are over and above the value that is covered by the primary insurance or any other coverage scheme that may exist.

Price Protection

MasterCard offers a price protection program to shoppers using a MasterCard card to ensure that they get the best possible prices for any purchases that they make. If a cardholder makes a purchase and within 60 days of that purchase there is a printed advertisement for that exact product (i.e., product is made by the same manufacturer, manufactured in the same year and bears the exact same model number) being offered at a lower cost, then the cardholder is eligible for a reimbursement for the price difference. The price protection program is very beneficial since it cushions shoppers from paying exorbitant prices every time they go shopping.

MasterCard offers great benefits to its cardholders through the 4 major schemes above. It is vital that for one to qualify for any of the programs, all purchases be made using the MasterCard card. Eligible purchases should be personal goods either bought for personal use or to be dished out as gift. The benefits do not extend to products bought for commercial purposes. The programs are also very flexible since they allow unregistered purchases to be covered provided the purchase was made by a MasterCard card.

Shopping Protection (MasterCard Benefits)