My iPhone’s screen was a casualty of a mishap during my recent trip to Italy, necessitating that I take some time out of my trip while staying at the Hyatt Centric Milan Centrale to head to the Apple Store in Milan to get it repaired. While unfortunate, it gave me a chance to test out the Amex cell phone protection benefit‘s claim process in action.

Spoiler alert: Making a claim under the Amex cell phone protection benefit is relatively straightforward but it does require getting on the phone to speak with an agent and the benefit gets paid out in a paper check, not electronically. Here’s how it went for me.

Basics of Amex Cell Phone Protection Benefit

The Amex Cell Phone Protection Benefit is a relatively new benefit offered by American Express, introduced in 2021 on a variety of their premium credit cards including the Platinum Card and Business Platinum Card.

To qualify for the benefit, all you have to do is pay your wireless phone bill with an eligible American Express card and your device is automatically covered.

The benefit applies for a maximum of two approved claims a year. If you have a valid claim, American Express will reimburse the cost of replacement or repair of your device up to a maximum of $800 a claim with a $50 deductible.

Coverage is included for damaged and stolen phones but does not cover loss or mysterious disappearance or cosmetic damage.

In my case, the Apple Store genius technician found water damage and replaced the phone rather than repairing it.

Check out our complete guide to the Amex cell phone protection benefit here or go here to access the complete terms and conditions for your card.

Cards Eligible for the Amex Cell Phone Protection Benefit

The Amex Cell Phone Protection Benefit is included on a range of premium American Express cards. This includes both personal and business cards such as The American Express Platinum Card®, Centurion Card® from American Express, Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, among others.

Personal Cards with the Amex Cell Phone Protection Benefit

• The Platinum Card^® from American Express
• Centurion Card^® from American Express
• The Platinum Card^® from American Express Exclusively for Ameriprise Financial
• The Platinum Card^® from American Express Exclusively for Goldman Sachs
• The Platinum Card^® from American Express Exclusively for Morgan Stanley
• The American Express Platinum Card^® Exclusively for Schwab
• Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card

Business Cards with the Amex Cell Phone Protection Benefit

• The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express
• Corporate Platinum Card^®
• Business Centurion^® Card from American Express
• The Corporate Centurion^® Card from American Express
• Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card
• Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card

How To File An Amex Cell Phone Protection Benefit

1. Call AIG to Start the Claim

This particular policy by American Express is kind of a throwback. There’s no online form to start a claim, instead, you’ll need to call AIG to get the process started at +1 833-784-1467. The office is open from 7 am to 7 pm central (US) time.

There are quite a few questions before you get through to a person but once I was through, the process was relatively smooth. They asked me some questions to start the claim and told me to expect an email to provide information to complete the claim. I was on the phone for a total of about 20 minutes.

2. Submit Claim Documentation By Email

Before I got off the phone, I had already received an email with PDF attachments of the claim documents (a claim form, disclosure acknowledgment form, and a redundant “new claim” form) to fill out along with a list of requested documents to verify the claim to allow it to begin processing.

A copy of the email (minus identifying information) is below:

G Hashimoto,

Thank you for contacting AIG Claims. Enclosed are the claim forms requested for the aforementioned loss. Please complete and return the forms along with the items outlined below.

Attachment size limitation alert:  AIG email size limit is 14MB.   If your claim form, attachments and photographs exceed 14MB,  the email will not be delivered.  Large documents and photographs may exceed the 14MB limit. Therefore, we recommend you send two separate emails if you intend to submit large and/or multiple documents and photographs with your claim form.  Please check for your confirmation email(s) from AIG Claims to ensure your email was received. 

In addition, please ensure your claim number is included in your email communications or by replying directly to this email so your documents can be efficiently associated to your claim.

Remember to block out all financial account and credit card numbers on any documentation you submit.

Required Documents

AMERICAN EXPRESS STATEMENT – 04 APRIL
Provide a copy of your full Eligible American Express card statement confirming the cellular wireless provider payment made in April. Include the New Charges Summary section of the statement which indicates all cards and all card holder names that are on your account.

CELLULAR PROVIDERS BILLING STATEMENT FROM MONTH /PERIOD OF THE THEFT /DAMAGE
Provide a copy of your Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone service provider’s billing statement for plan coverage dates in effect on the date the Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone was damaged or stolen.

CELLULAR PROVIDERS BILLING STATEMENTS FROM PRECEDING MONTH/PERIOD OF THE THEFT / DAMAGE
Provide a copy of your Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone service provider’s billing statement which corresponds to the payment made using your Eligible Card Account in the calendar month prior to the date Eligible Cellular wireless telephone was damaged or stolen.

CLAIM FORMS
Please complete the attached claim forms.

PROOF OF ELIGIBLE CELLULAR WIRELESS TELEPHONE
Provide confirmation of the make and model of the damaged or stolen Eligible Cellular Wireless Telephone. This may be found on some cell providers billing statements, within the online account under device listings, or an original purchase receipt.

RECEIPT OF PURCHASED CELLULAR TELEPHONE
Please provide a copy of the receipt of purchase for the replacement cellular telephone.

REPAIR ESTIMATE
Please provide a copy of the repair invoice showing actual or estimated cost of repairs along with the name of the repair center, address and phone number.

If you have any questions, please contact us at your convenience.

Sincerely,

AIG Claims

Email: [email protected]

Phone:1-833-784-1467

Fax: 715-295-1113

I got to work filling out the forms and compiling the forms, submitting them a week after starting the claim.

Interestingly, the email came from AIG Claims Travel Insurance. This could be because my phone was replaced while I was abroad or could just be that all phone protection benefit claims are covered as travel insurance.

3. Submit Additional Evidence As Needed

It took AIG about 10 days to begin processing my claim and review the documentation I submitted. I received an email on June 5 asking for additional evidence, a copy of the Apple Genius Bar technician’s notes. I submitted that on June 6.

This led to a further email requesting clarification on June 23:

Thank you for the claims information received to date.

The following information remains outstanding from our original request and is required in order to further review your claim.

Per the claim form received, an iPhone 12 Pro Max with serial number [removed] is claiming to have been damaged.

The genius bar work authorization received is for an iPhone 12 Pro Max with serial number [removed].

A repair invoice from a repair center who examined the iPhone 12 Pro Max with serial number [removed] that is being claimed is required to be able to further review the claim.

Since my phone was replaced, I had two serial numbers listed on various receipts and had listed the replacement phone’s serial number on the claim form. I sent a quick clarification email the next day.

4. Claim Approved

Finally, on July 21, I got an email that my claim had been approved in the amount of $744.10.

The amount was based on the $794.10 cost of replacement at the Apple Store minus the $50 deductible.

Approved claims get paid out through a physical check that gets mailed to you and should be received within 7-10 business days.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to receive an electronic funds transfer or statement credit to your American Express account.

That’s obviously quite inconvenient.

While I haven’t received the check quite yet, I did some research, and it appears my SoFi Money account includes the ability to make mobile check deposits on the iOS app.

Like most people in the year 2023, physical checks aren’t something I’m used to handling so hopefully this goes smoothly. Presumably, most bank apps will have similar functionality.

Bottom Line

The Amex Cell Phone Protection Benefit was first introduced by American Express in 2021. The benefit, available on various premium credit cards including the Platinum Card and Business Platinum Card, covers the cost of repair or replacement of a damaged or stolen phone, up to $800 per claim with a $50 deductible, for a maximum of two approved claims a year. Filing a claim is quite straightforward but feels a bit retrograde. The claim process requires a phone call to AIG and the submission of various documents via email. The benefit is paid out in a paper check, not electronically. While that’s inconvenient, the benefit provides valuable coverage if you find yourself needing to repair or replace your phone.