Are You Taking Advantage of These 5 Credit Card Perks in 2025? – Technologist

Do you have a good rewards credit card in your wallet for 2025?

If so, you’re likely focused on getting the most value you can out of your cash back or travel points opportunities.

But did you know that your card issuer may be offering you a chance to save money on select purchases that go beyond the standard rewards opportunity?

You probably already know that fancy cards with high annual fees will offer you well-defined perks like travel and dining credits, airport lounge access, and more. If you have one, those are probably a big part of the reason you applied.

However, you may not know that even some of the most basic low- and no-annual-fee cards offer easy additional chances to save cash.

In fact, one of those cards could be in your wallet right now. Make sure to check your credit card benefits to see if you’re eligible to “cash in” on some of these popular benefits in 2025.

1. Opting into “Offers” on Your Card App Could Save You Hundreds Per Year

Let’s start with one that has saved me quite a bit of money on my personal purchases over the years: “Offers” from your card issuers.

A quick summary of how this works: Credit card issuers, such as Chase and American Express, offer promotional deals from third-party businesses that can land you statement credits for purchases that you make with your credit card.

The “offer” will be provided on your card’s app or website, and you’ll need to click to “opt in” to that offer. You’ll also need to use the card associated with the offer to make a purchase in the timeframe provided. If your purchase meets the parameters of the offer, you’ll receive a statement credit that can serve as a sizeable discount on your purchase.

An example of what this might look like:

You can find popular brands in big spending categories like travel, dining, entertainment, clothing and more. A couple of real-life examples that I’ve been able to enjoy over the years:

• Saving money on streaming services via Amex Offers. I’ve used offers for many of the top live TV streaming services, such as YouTube TV, Sling and Fubo. Most recently, I was able to get a $30 statement credit per month for three months with a Fubo subscription. That saved me $90 for accessing channels I wanted to watch during football season.
• Saving on TurboTax service via Chase Offers. While there are some great free tax filing services available, sometimes you need to upgrade for some more complex filings. I was able to get a $20 statement credit for a $39 purchase.

Check with your credit card issuer to see if it has an “Offers” program. It should look something like this on your credit card’s app or website:

2. Use Your Credit Card App for Free Access to Your Credit Score

If you’ve followed money expert Clark Howard’s advice, you know that he’s a proponent of regularly monitoring your credit score and freezing your credit with the bureaus until you actually need to use it.

And there’s no reason you should have to pay out of pocket to do this. We have a list of places to get your credit score for free, but the truth is that many of you may already be receiving it free of charge through your credit card issuer.

Known credit card issuers who offer this a perk to cardholders as of January 2025 include:

• American Express
• Bank of America
• Citibank
• Discover

If you carry a card from one of these banks, you can sign in to your account online to see if you have access to your credit score.

3. Pay with Your Credit Card To Avoid Car Rental Insurance Fees

Before you book your next rental car, you may want to check with your credit card issuer to see if they provide auto rental collision and damage waiver coverage.

Many travel cards offer this, but you may find that a cash back card has this perk as well.

If you have a card that offers this perk, you’ll be able to skip the add-on fees at the rental counter with confidence, knowing that paying with your credit card will provide you coverage.

To better understand the nuances of this perk and car rental insurance, you can read my article on the topic here.

4. Pay Your Wireless Bill with a Credit Card to Protect Your Cell Phone

Have you recently invested in an expensive cell phone? You may be worried about what happens if it is damaged or stolen.

Clark generally advises against paying for add-on protection services from the manufacturer or from your wireless provider. But there’s a way some of you can get added protection without paying for it.

Some credit card issuers offer what is usually termed “Cell Phone Protection” if you pay your wireless bill each month with their credit card.

This protection is a third-party insurance policy that usually protects against damage, theft, or unintended separation. Typically, there is a deductible you’ll have to pay ($25 or $50, most commonly) and a maximum benefit per claim (typically between $600 and $1,000).

This won’t protect you from phone malfunction like a manufacturer protection plan might, but it’s a freebie that is worth claiming for wireless phone users who have a credit card that offers it. You can read more about this perk in my article about it here.

5. Skip Lines at the Airport for Free with This Credit Card Benefit

Have you ever experienced the line-skipping luxury of the TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or CLEAR lanes at the airport?

Did you know that your credit card may cover your membership fees to join that club?

Select credit card issuers will issue a statement credit to cover a subscription to one of these services as long as you pay for it with their card.

Depending on which services your card covers, this could save you $100 or more on a subscription and precious minutes at the airport each time you travel.

For those who aren’t familiar, TSA PreCheck is a five-year membership offered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). It costs $78 and is used for domestic air travel in the United States.

TSA reports that, in January 2025, 99% of PreCheck customers experience wait times of less than 10 minutes at airport security checkpoints.

You can read more about this perk and the cards that offer it in my article here.

Do you have another money-saving tip from your credit card perks? We’d love to hear from you in the Clark.com community.

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