I read this article today & think it can really help everybody save a good chunk of money when buying expensive electronics.

When you make your big purchase with a credit card, you are automatically getting up to an additional year of warranty coverage. Depending on the card, it could mean free repairs or even replacement or full refund!

Therefore, depending on the situation & the card you use, buying an extended warranty at BestBuy or Circuit City may not be a smart thing to do.

“Extended Warranty is a special benefit offered to Citi™ Platinum and Gold MasterCard® Cardmembers. This service enables you to make a claim for repairs if the original manufacturer’s warranty has expired on an item you purchased on your MasterCard card. Your claim must be made within the Citibank® Extended Warranty period (double the time of the manufacturer’s warranty, up to one additional year). No registration is necessary.”

And if you have an American Express card, that extra coverage will even give you a replacement or full refund (including tax).

So I guess it’s worth the effort in reading the fine prints of your credit card policies after all.

original article