Special Summer Perks From Your Credit Card

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This post comes from Bill Hardekopf at partner site LowCards.com.

If you are looking for things to do this summer, your credit card could give you free or discounted tickets to museums and theme parks, as well as some lucrative travel benefits.

These perks can save you money but you have to know they are available. The description of the perks and benefits can be found in your card’s welcome packet or online, but you may have to dig to find them. If you can’t find a list of benefits, contact your issuer.

Here are six perks to credit cards you may not be aware of:

  • Bank of America’s Museums on Us offers free admission to more than 150 museums in 31 states with a Bank of America credit card or debit card during the first full weekend of every month for 2013. However, the free admission only applies to cardholders, not guests. The museums include the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J., National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Atlanta History Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville, Fla., the Miami Science Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The full list can be found here.
  • Discover cardholders save 5 percent at Six Flags online and around the park on season passes, play passes, admission tickets, parking, food, merchandise, the Flash Pass and VIP tours.
  • Citi Private Pass gives cardholders discounts on select sports camps taught by professional athletes, such as basketball camps with Joe Abunassar and Ray Allen, the Brian Kelly football camp, the Mitch Moreland baseball camp and the Billie Jean King tennis camp.
  • Chase Ultimate Rewards offers cooking classes or food tours, sports tickets and outdoor adventures in selected cities. All are available with rewards or can be charged to your Chase card.
  • American Express offers pre-sale tickets and preferred seat tickets for events and concerts. Recently, American Express provided pre-sale tickets for sporting events, concerts such as Kesha, Lionel Richie, Earth Wind and Fire, and select Broadway shows such as “Betrayal” and Billy Crystal’s “700 Sundays.” There are also tickets to special events like fashion week shows in Miami.
  • Visa Signature offers “+1 Movie Fridays” for movies at Fandango. Purchase two or more movie tickets with a valid U.S.-issued Visa Signature card on Fandango for any film on sale for a Friday showing and receive the lowest-priced ticket in your order for that show free of charge. This movie ticket offer is only valid for purchase each Friday through Aug. 2 while supplies last.

In addition, there are some little-known perks that may be valuable to summer travelers:

  • The Visa Signature card offers many reward perks for travel. It offers 15 percent off Luggage Forward service where your luggage is shipped to your hotel, cruise ship or home in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The card also offers hotel room upgrades, $25 travel vouchers for food, 20 percent off every $25 in movie tickets on Fandango, and discounts for car rentals.
  • Some airlines waive the fee for the first checked bag on any flight booked with a partner credit card.
  • Chase Sapphire helps cover expenses for a trip delay or a baggage delay on a covered trip.
  • U.S. Bank FlexPerk Travel Rewards card offers a reimbursement of up to $25 toward incidental airline expenses, such as baggage fees or in-flight food and drinks charged to your card.
  • Using your credit card for a car rental may cover damage incurred while renting the car, so it may not be necessary to purchase extra insurance coverage from the car rental company. Before renting, check the description of this coverage in your cardmember agreement. To be covered, you must be the primary renter and use your card to pay for the entire rental. You must decline the collision damage waiver or similar option when you are reserving and picking up your rental car. Coverage applies for the first 30 days, and is in excess of your other sources of insurance. Coverage may not be available in some countries.

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