Thinkpads Forum

Thought this might be helpful...

While researching various options for my new T61, I came across some conflicting information concerning credit cards (specifically Visa and AMEX), and extended warranties.

After much research and many phone calls...contrary to what I was told initially by many Visa reps, using their card does NOT give you an additional year of coverage (they give extra coverage UPTO 1 year by doubling initial warranty, ex. 60 days would give you 120 days, etc.). I confirmed this with Visa International. This of course would not help you if your warranty was already one year or greater (bkz it is again, only UPTO 1 year).

AMEX however, DOES give an addtional year and MIRRORS your extended warranty upto 5 years. So, as I was specifically told, if you bought a 4 year accidental warranty with an AMEX card, you now would have 5 years of accidental damage coverage...pretty good deal.

Odyssey3 wrote:Thought this might be helpful...

While researching various options for my new T61, I came across some conflicting information concerning credit cards (specifically Visa and AMEX), and extended warranties.

After much research and many phone calls...contrary to what I was told initially by many Visa reps, using their card does NOT give you an additional year of coverage (they give extra coverage UPTO 1 year by doubling initial warranty, ex. 60 days would give you 120 days, etc.). I confirmed this with Visa International. This of course would not help you if your warranty was already one year or greater (bkz it is again, only UPTO 1 year).

AMEX however, DOES give an addtional year and MIRRORS your extended warranty upto 5 years. So, as I was specifically told, if you bought a 4 year accidental warranty with an AMEX card, you now would have 5 years of accidental damage coverage...pretty good deal.

I don't know what type of Visa card you have, or from which bank, and where the bank is located. A basic Visa card may not give any usable benefit, but since I don't have one, I can't check that.

Visa Signature and Visa Platinum level cards issued in the USA generally offer what is called "Warranty Manager Service." I believe that Mastercard and perhaps some other cards have essentially the same thing. How the "Warranty Manager Service" works differs by the issuing bank, as they contract out to another company to support this service. Although marketed as being something special, the Signature and Platinum level cards are widely available and most "affinity" cards such as airline mileage cards are of one of these levels.

What you have written above is simply not true, or certainly is NOT true of my visa cards and the benefits they provide. The Warranty Manager Service on my cards provides up to an additional year of warranty on (non excluded) items that have warranty durations of up to THREE years (at least). Excluded items include such things as motorboats and cars, but does not include computers.

One of my card issuers, which is Chase, uses a contractor that will even allow you to buy additional years of extended warranty, under the same terms as the manufacturer's warranty, something I have done on my T43, at a price much cheaper than Lenovo wanted for the additional 2 years. I paid them about $80USD and they sent me a document laying out the terms of the extended warranty and the dates it was in effect. The first year of this extended warranty was free, and I paid for the 3rd year.

I have done something similar with a Whirlpool branded upright freezer, that my appliance repairman told me (during a service call on this appliance) was troublesome, and that I should get an extended warranty on it. In that case, I got the 2nd year free from Visa, then I bought the 3rd (and I think up to 5th) years from Whirlpool. I was able to send a copy of the Visa service agreement to Whirlpool, and they accepted the fact that the freezer was going to be warranteed for the first 2 years, and that therefor they would only charge me for subsequent years.

I have another visa card, this one from Bank of America, which also provides up to an additional year of warranty, however their servicer will NOT allow you to buy additional years. I have found their servicer to be less helpful on the phone, and their personnel to be less knowledgeable.

It is certainly possible that your card, due to the type of the card or where it was issued (and by whom) does not offer these services. I can say, however, that as far as I know, if you have a Platinum or Signature level Visa card, from a US issuing bank, that Warranty Service Manager will cover a 2nd year of warranty on a Thinkpad purchased using that card, that comes with a 1 year warranty. It will also add a final (4th) year onto longer warranties that do not exceed 3 years.

Ken Fox wrote:
A basic Visa card may not give any usable benefit, but since I don't have one, I can't check that. . . .

What you have written above is simply not true, or certainly is NOT true of my visa cards and the benefits they provide. The Warranty Manager Service on my cards provides up to an additional year of warranty on (non excluded) items that have warranty durations of up to THREE years (at least). . . .

One of my card issuers, which is Chase, uses a contractor that will even allow you to buy additional years of extended warranty, under the same terms as the manufacturer's warranty,. . .


I have another visa card, this one from Bank of America, which also provides up to an additional year of warranty, however their servicer will NOT allow you to buy additional years. I have found their servicer to be less helpful on the phone, and their personnel to be less knowledgeable.

It is certainly possible that your card, due to the type of the card or where it was issued (and by whom) does not offer these services. I can say, however, that as far as I know, if you have a Platinum or Signature level Visa card, from a US issuing bank, that Warranty Service Manager will cover a 2nd year of warranty on a Thinkpad purchased using that card, that comes with a 1 year warranty. It will also add a final (4th) year onto longer warranties that do not exceed 3 years.

All of my Visa cards are either signature or platinum...so actually, I was not addressing basic Visa benefits.

I have more than 8 Visa cards and yes they come from different banks and management companies. I don't work for Visa so all I can tell you is what I was told when I called the numerous customer reps. Initially each one told me that their card would provide me with an additional year of warranty service that would match whatever warranty came with the computer...regular or extended. Being more than a litttle paranoid about such things (from past experience), I called back a number of times, talking to different reps, and asking the same questions...namely...if I buy an extended warranty form Lenovo of 4 years, does this mean Visa would cover the 5th? Each time they said "yes".

This sounded almost to good to be true...so I called back a couple of more times. Finally, after about 7 or 8 reps, I spoke with a very nice woman that had a very different story. She said what I outlined in my original post, namely, that they would double the provided warranty, even including the extended warranty IF it came directly from the manufacturer, and in total, the warranty time did not exceed 1 year.

I explained what I had been told by earlier reps and she was very apologetic and said no, that they were "confused". To be certain, I again called into Visa several more times and each time I was now receiving this new story.

Myself now confused, the last few reps put me through to their/your Warranty Manager Service, Buyers Assurance, Extended Membership, Visa Enhancement Services and Purchase Replacement programs (I still have my notes). Each time, and yes I again called multiple times, I was told ... only "UP TO 1 year," ...again confirming this new story.

Looking for the final word, I was put through to Visa International, the parent company of all Visa programs (so I was told). Two more conversations provided this exact same answer...I was told categorically, only up to 1 year and again given apologies for the earlier misinformation.

You said:

The Warranty Manager Service on my cards provides up to an additional year of warranty on (non excluded) items that have warranty durations of up to THREE years (at least).

I am confused by what you mean when you say: "up to THREE years (at least). I am not being critical, but "up to" and "at least" seem to contradict each other and so I don't quite understand what you mean... but regardless, the three years you mention are beyond the time I was told (above) was accepted.

You mention that you "paid" additional money and bought an outside extended warranty. If paying additional money for an outside warranty saves you some money and works for you, that is good, but that was not what I was addressing nor looking to do. AMEX gave me an additional year of Lenovo service at no cost to me.

Actually, I looked into using my AMEX card when I was told by someone on another forum (before I discovered this great forum), that they had had issues with their Visa warranty service...that it had been a difficult experience. The poster discussed how incredibly simple the process had been for him on several prior occassions working with AMEX for similar issues. He highly recommended I use AMEX.

I went through the same call process with AMEX and never heard a contradiction...in fact they emailed and then regular mailed me their warranty terms. The terms were clearly written and were, as I stated above...1 full extra year (up to 5 years). This extra year mirrors my extended warranty and is WITH Lenovo, NOT an outside party...and, more to the point...it cost me nothing. So when you say that what I have written is "simply not true", ... all I can tell you is, I did my homework and this is what Visa and Visa International themselves say.

I'd love an answer to that as well. I have several Platinum (VISA and Mastercard) cards that offer extended warranty for items purchased that are warrantied. I forget which card I used to purchase my current T60p...but it was one of them. I want to say VISA...???

Thanks...

Once again, I cannot speak to what is provided by anyone else's Visa Card. The various benefits for my airline affinity card issued by Chase are to be found here:

http://tinyurl.com/yuxbu7

Specifically, here is the verbiage as it applies to purchases and the free extended warranty offered:

What are these benefits?

Purchase Security
Within the first ninety (90) days of purchase, Purchase Security will, at the Provider’s discretion, replace, repair, or reimburse you for eligible items of personal property purchased entirely with your eligible Visa Business card up to a maximum of $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per cardholder in the event of theft or damage.

Extended Protection
Extended Protection doubles the time period of the original manufacturer’s written U.S. warranty up to one (1) full year on warranties of three (3) years or less up to a maximum of $10,000 per claim.

There is similar wording on other cards offered and referenced in this site, such as for platinum level cards:

How do I benefit from Warranty Manager Service?

Warranty Manager Service offers you a number of valuable features, including warranty registration and Extended Warranty Protection, all available with a simple toll-free telephone call. And with our Visa Performance Guarantee you have the option of purchasing affordable Extended Service Agreements.*

Warranty Manager Service offers Extended Warranty Protection that doubles the free repair period under the original manufacturer’s written U.S. repair warranty up to one (1) additional year on eligible warranties of three (3) years or less when an item is purchased entirely with your eligible Visa card.

I guess one could apply a Macchiavellian interpretation to this but I have not found them to act in that way. Individual banks in the Visa network contract out the actual fulfillment of these extended warranties and other services. This is to say that cards from various banks will not use the same servicers, and the warranties and other services offered may differ, as may the interpretation of the terms and how the servicer will actually treat you in a claims situation. For this reason, I always charge important purchases (on which I want the extended guarantee) on my Chase Visa Card and not on the card I have from another bank. In the couple of occasions I have needed to deal with Chase's contractor on a claim, I have been treated fairly.

My own experiences with Amex caused me to drop their card about 10 or 12 years ago (after many years of platinum card "membership") when I was treated like crap after filing a claim for a chargeback from an unscrupulous merchant. Unlike the arrangement with bank cards, where your own bank has every reason to go to bat for you, Amex is the sole intermediary between buyer and seller. The result is that if you get screwed and file a request for a chargeback, the overwhelming odds are that Amex will side with the whichever party gives them the most business, which will probably not be you if you are on the buying end of the transaction.

I thought I would miss that Amex card, but in fact merchants are happier to accept bank cards because they have to pay a lesser "discount rate" than they have to pay Amex. I have not had one occasion since ditching the Amex card where I missed it or felt that my Visa cards were not up to the task at hand.[/b]