Does Amex Purchase Protection Work? My $1,059 Claim

Amex Purchase Protection covered my brand-new $1,059 camera after it broke on the first day of a European trip. Here’s what the claim required—and what surprised me.

TL;DR

My new $1,059 DJI Osmo Pocket 4 broke on the first day of my European trip.
Amex requested a detailed technician’s report before approving my claim.
After I supplied the right documents, I received a full $1,059 statement credit.

Disclosure: This post describes my personal experience and is not financial or insurance advice. Card benefits vary, exclusions apply, and terms can change. Check the current benefit guide for your specific card before relying on Amex Purchase Protection. This post may also contain an American Express referral link. If American Express approves your application through my link, I may receive a referral bonus at no additional cost to you.

What happened in London

Two hours after I took a vacation photo in London, I was checking into my first hotel when my purse fell. As it was falling, my brand-new camera came out and hit the ground.

The gimbal took the impact, and the camera no longer worked correctly. My DJI Osmo Pocket 4 had cost $1,059, and this was day one of a trip through London, Portugal, and France.

I felt sick.

I had bought the camera specifically for travel content. Replacing it overseas was not realistic, and most of the trip still lay ahead. Once the initial panic settled, I remembered why I had intentionally used my American Express Platinum Card.

I had heard a story from The Points Guy about American Express Purchase Protection covering accidental damage to an expensive purchase. I made a mental note: the next time I bought something costly, I would think about the protections attached to the card—not only the points I could earn.

That decision mattered. After some unexpected documentation problems and help from an excellent claims representative, American Express reimbursed me the full $1,059 as a statement credit.

This is exactly how my Amex Purchase Protection claim worked, including the mistake that nearly derailed it and what I would do differently next time.

I bought the camera for our European trip

Before our London, Portugal, and France trip, I ordered a DJI Osmo Pocket 4 from Amazon. I wanted smooth travel video without carrying a bulky setup all day.

London street leading toward Tower Bridge at the beginning of a European trip — The camera broke at the beginning of my trip through London, Portugal, and France.

At $1,059, it was not an impulse purchase. When I checked out, I deliberately charged it to my American Express Platinum Card. Like many travelers, I knew about the card’s lounges and travel-related benefits. Purchase Protection was easier to overlook because I had never needed it.

Until then, it was simply a benefit I had heard someone else discuss. I hoped I would never need it.

Redacted Amazon receipt used for my Amex Purchase Protection claim — My redacted Amazon order shows the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 and the $1,058.94 total charged to my American Express card.

Then I dropped it on the first day of the trip

Only a couple of hours after taking photos in London, I was checking into my first hotel when my purse fell. As the purse was falling, the camera came out and hit the ground. Its gimbal took the impact.

Anyone who travels with a camera knows the awful moment when you pick it up and hope the damage only looks bad. In this case, it was not cosmetic. The gimbal had broken, and the camera would not function properly.

It was the beginning of a trip through London, Portugal, and France. I had bought the camera to document it, and now I could not use it.

DJI Osmo Pocket 4 displaying a gimbal protection error after an accidental fall — The fall damaged the gimbal, leaving my new DJI Osmo Pocket 4 unable to function correctly.

I could not solve the problem while traveling, so I put the camera away and dealt with it after I returned home.

How Amex Purchase Protection worked in my case

American Express says Purchase Protection on eligible cards may help when a covered purchase is accidentally damaged or stolen during the coverage period. Rules, limits, exclusions, and required documents vary.

The official American Express Purchase Protection terms are the right place to find the benefit guide for a specific card. Amex’s guide says cardmembers can begin a qualifying claim through its online claims center and Amex may request proof such as an itemized receipt, photographs, or a repair estimate.

The repair estimate became the most important part of my claim. This is my experience with one accidental-damage claim, not a promise that another claim will have the same result.

Filing my Amex Purchase Protection claim was the easy part

When I got home, I opened an Amex Purchase Protection claim online. The process was straightforward: I explained what happened and submitted information about the camera, purchase, and damage.

My files included the Amazon receipt and proof that I had used my American Express Platinum Card. I also had the damaged camera. The clearest evidence, I assumed, would be information from DJI showing that the needed replacement parts were unavailable.

So I submitted the relevant material from the manufacturer’s website. Without the parts, I assumed, a repair would be impossible.

But that was not enough for the claim.

Redacted Amex Purchase Protection request for a physical inspection and repair estimate — American Express requested a physical inspection and a detailed repair estimate before it could proceed with my claim.

The mistake that nearly derailed my claim

American Express did not formally decline my claim after I submitted the manufacturer information. Instead, the claims team requested more documentation: an actual technician needed to inspect the camera and describe the damage.

I had misunderstood the requirement. The adjuster needed a professional assessment of my specific camera: which parts had broken, whether a technician could repair them, and what the repair would cost.

Instead of guessing what to submit next, I called my claims representative. That phone call made the process much less stressful. The representative clearly explained what was missing and told me to take the camera to a repair shop for an inspection.

I found a local repair technician who examined it. He confirmed that the gimbal had broken and replacement parts were unavailable. I uploaded the additional document, but when I later called American Express, the representative said Amex had not received it. I uploaded it again.

Even then, the shop’s first report did not contain enough detail. A general statement that no one could repair the camera was not enough. The claims team needed the technician’s explanation of the specific failure.

At this point, what impressed me most was that the representative did not leave me to shuttle vague messages back and forth. American Express contacted the repair shop directly. The technician explained what had failed, and the claims team received the detail it needed.

After American Express received the documentation and all required details, the claims team approved my Purchase Protection claim and reimbursed the full $1,059 purchase price as a statement credit.

Redacted repair technician form submitted for my Amex Purchase Protection claim — A technician documented that the damaged camera could not be repaired—the detail American Express needed to complete my claim.

The customer service surprised me as much as the reimbursement

I expected a stressful process with repeated calls, different representatives, and constant retelling of the story.

That was not my experience.

I had a dedicated claims representative who returned my calls. The representative followed up when promised, explained what the documentation needed to show, and communicated directly with the repair technician when the paperwork was still unclear.

The communication was professional throughout. At the end, the representative even thanked me for being a loyal cardmember.

The $1,059 statement credit was the tangible benefit, but the service mattered too. The team explained exactly which evidence the claim required and helped resolve the documentation gap.

Clear expectations and a real person who stayed involved made a frustrating situation manageable.

Redacted Amex Purchase Protection letter approving a $1,058.94 credit — American Express approved my claim and issued a $1,058.94 statement credit after receiving the required repair documentation.

Lessons I learned filing an Amex Purchase Protection claim

My claim ended well, but it taught me several practical lessons I will remember whenever I make a costly purchase.

Save the itemized receipt

Save the receipt, order confirmation, and any document showing the exact item, price, sales tax, purchase date, and payment method.

Use the right card for an expensive purchase

Points are only one part of a credit card’s value. Before buying costly electronics, luggage, or other travel gear, look at the protections offered by the cards already in your wallet. Then read the current terms, because coverage and exclusions vary.

File the claim promptly

Do not put it off. The current benefit guide for your particular card will explain the coverage window and claim deadlines. Starting promptly also makes it easier to preserve photos, receipts, and a clear account of what happened.

Do not assume a manufacturer’s website is enough

This was my biggest mistake. General manufacturer information did not replace an inspection of my actual camera. If the claims representative requests a repair estimate, ask exactly what it must include.

Make the repair documentation specific

Based on my experience, the technician’s paperwork should clearly state:

what component is broken;
whether the item can be repaired;
the estimated repair cost, if applicable; and
why repair is impossible, if parts or service are unavailable.

DJI’s official guidance for a handheld device damaged by a drop recommends sending affected products for diagnosis when the gimbal fails its self-check or the device no longer records properly. Readers with a damaged DJI camera can start with DJI’s official repair guidance.

Keep copies of everything

Save the original files and a copy of every document you upload. I would keep the receipt, photos of the damage, claim communications, repair paperwork, and final decision together until the claim is completely resolved.

Call the claims representative when something is unclear

That was the turning point for me. A short conversation told me exactly what the claims team needed and prevented me from continuing to submit the wrong kind of evidence.

My honest opinion of Amex Purchase Protection

Most conversations about the American Express Platinum Card focus on airport lounges, statement credits, hotel benefits, or welcome bonuses. Those perks can be valuable, but they were not the benefit I was thinking about as I stared at a broken $1,059 camera in London.

Amex Purchase Protection turned out to be one of the most valuable card benefits I have personally used.

That does not mean the card is right for everyone, and my approved claim does not guarantee anyone else’s. The Platinum Card has a significant annual fee, and its value depends on which benefits a person will genuinely use. Anyone considering it should review the current offer, annual fee, benefit terms, and eligibility rules rather than applying because of one good claim story.

If you have already decided that the card makes sense for you, you can review my referral offer here:

Review the American Express Platinum Card referral offer

Referral disclosure: If American Express approves your application through my link, I may receive a referral bonus at no additional cost to you. Offers may vary, and you should compare the referral offer with other publicly available offers before applying.

The card you use can matter as much as what you buy

Breaking a brand-new camera at the start of a trip through London, Portugal, and France was still awful. Purchase Protection could not give me back the footage I had planned to capture.

But it prevented one accident from becoming a $1,059 loss. Even better, the claims team handled everything with far less stress than I expected.

The biggest lesson is not simply to buy an American Express Platinum Card. It is to think carefully about which credit card you use whenever you make an expensive purchase. The protections attached to that card may ultimately matter just as much as the points—or even the item itself.

Have you ever filed a Purchase Protection claim? Did it go smoothly? And after hearing my story, would you choose a different card the next time you buy something expensive? Share your experience in the comments.

Does Amex Purchase Protection Work? How It Reimbursed My Broken $1,059 Camera