My First Experience with Filing an AmEx Extended Warranty Claim

I must admit, extended warranty benefit on certain credit cards is something I was aware of, but never really paid much attention to. I figured it would be hard to cash in on it, based on my experience with filing travel insurance claims. Plus, most appliances last way longer than warranty period these days anyway.

But the stars aligned, and I was able to cash in on extended warranty claim a few days ago. But let’s back up. About fourteen years ago I was pregnant with my daughter, and needed a lightweight vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. I did some research and ended up purchasing Simplicity Freedom model for $250. I loved that vacuum cleaner so much, that when it died ten years later, I ended up buying the exact same model for $259 on Amazon.

At the time I was working on meeting minimum spending requirements on Amex Everyday Preferred card, so that’s what I ended up using. Only three and a half years later, to my shock and dismay, that vacuum cleaner died a sudden death. I looked up the warranty information, and was surprised to discover that it was 3 years (normally it’s 1 year for most vacuum cleaners).

I knew that Amex usually adds an extra year of warranty, so it appears I had a shot at getting something out of my misfortune. The question was: how many hoops would I have to jump through? Would they require me to take it to a certified repair shop, which happens to be 2 hours from our house? Also, in that period of time, my Amex Everyday Preferred was downgraded to a no-fee version a few times. Would that matter?

But in reality, the process could not have been more painless. You have to log in to your account via this link, and fill out an online form detailing your extended warranty claim. At the end, you also have to upload an online receipt of your purchase. I wasn’t required to upload the screenshot of the warranty, but did it anyway. The whole process took only a few minutes. Unfortunately, I goofed and put on there that the vacuum cleaner came with a 2-year warranty instead of 3. I only realized it after I submitted the claim.

I called right away, and a friendly rep said he would fix it for me. Then, about a week later I got an email saying the claim was approved and that I got a statement credit for the entire purchase. That’s it!

I wasn’t required to take it to a repair shop or anything like it. I still can’t get over how easy it was to file this claim, plus the fact that I got the money within a week. If there is such a thing as “too good to be true” in the miles and points hobby, I can definitely say that Amex Extended Warranty benefit is it. This is how things are supposed to work.

You better believe that I will be more cognizant of it when I make appliance purchases in the future. Many credit cards come with this perk (always check “T and C” to make sure, since benefits may have changed), but I’m going to try to stick with Amex if at all possible. I’m a creature of habit.

Speaking of, despite some reservations , I ended up buying the exact same vacuum cleaner again. Naturally, I used an Amex card (Morgan Stanley Blue Cash Preferred version I got recently). It’a a win-win, since I’m currently working on meeting minimum spending requirements anyway. I did take a screenshot of the receipt, just in case.

What can I say, I’m an optimist. I am a little concerned that the warranty on this model is now only one year instead of three. Hmm, I wonder why? I hope if the vacuum cleaner decides to kick the bucket, it will happen within two years.

How does my family travel so much? We use miles and points from credit card bonuses. See my Travel Hacking 101 post as well as current credit card offers here.