Get Money Back on Prior Purchases With Price Protection Benefits

Seeing a lower price on an item you recently purchased is frustrating, especially if it’s a significant price drop. All you can think is “If I’d just waited a few more days, I could have gotten it for this price.” Well, you still may be able to, but you’ll need your receipt.

Price Adjustment at the Store

Many stores offer price adjustments, but only within two weeks of the purchase if the item is currently priced lower than it was when you purchased it. You’ll need your original receipt to get the adjustment. Items that were originally purchased on clearance or with coupons often do not qualify.

Refunds are usually made in the original form of payment. So, if you originally paid with cash, you’ll get cash back. Or, if you paid with a credit card, the merchant will make a credit back to your account. You typically don’t have to know for sure if the items are lower priced; the cashier can just scan your receipt to see if any of your purchased items are on sale.

Citi Price Rewind

You may also have price protection benefit from your credit card issuer or processor, depending on the credit card you paid with.

Citi credit cards come with the card issuer’s Price Rewind benefit. If, within 30 days of the original purchase, the price falls at least $25 below the original purchase price, you can get reimbursed for the difference. The amount is up to $250 per item and a maximum of $1,000 all year.

You must register your items on the Citi Price Rewind website, at citi.com/pricerewind to get a price adjustment. The benefit is that you can (in some cases) automatically get a reimbursement when the price drops – you don’t have to seek out the sales price or request an adjustment. The automatic adjustment only works for online prices. Otherwise, you’ll have to submit a claim by mail, but first contact Citi by phone at 1-866-934-1140 to have a claim form sent to you

Discover Price Protection

Discover has a Price Protection program for items you’ve purchased on your Discover card. The adjustment period is within 90 days of the original purchase date. You can be reimbursed for a price difference up to $500. There’s no fee and all you have to do is call Discover to make a claim. The annual limit is $2,500 per account. You can make a claim by calling Discover at 1-800-347-2683. Certain items, like jewelry or rare items, may not be covered.

MasterCard Price Protection

MasterCard offers price protection on all its credit cards, regardless of the credit card issuer. If you find a lower price for the item within 60 days of the purchase, you can submit a claim to be refunded the difference up to $250 per claim. You can only make four claims per account in a 12-month period. Make your claim by calling 1-800-MC-ASSIST.

Certain items are excluded under MasterCard’s price protection benefits. That includes professional services, limited quantity items, customized or special order items, jewelry, art, antique items, collectibles, and other recycled or refurbished items. See the MasterCard terms and conditions for a full list of items that are excluded. You’ll need your original receipt and a copy of the advertisement that includes the lower price.

Make sure you read the complete terms and conditions before making a claim or contact your card issuer for details about making a claim.

Sources: Citi.com, Discover.com, Mastercard.com