10 Ways a Credit Card Concierge Can Make Your Life Better

If you live a busy life, a credit card concierge can take tasks off your plate.

If you have credit cards, maybe one of them offers a little-known feature: complimentary concierge service.

Credit card concierge service gives you access to personal assistants who can help you with an assortment of tasks, each designed to make your life easier. One of the sweetest things about this concierge benefit service is that it's available 24/7. If you're traveling between time zones, you may find this perk particularly helpful.

What is a concierge?

When you're booked into a nice hotel, a concierge is there to help you with anything you might need, from booking a reservation at the best seafood restaurant in town to helping you score tickets to a basketball game. In short, a concierge acts as your assistant, taking care of things you might not have time to do yourself. A credit card concierge does precisely the same thing.

What a concierge typically cannot do are things you can't do either. For example, if you're in London and want tickets to a sold-out show on the West End, a concierge will have as little luck snagging those tickets as you would -- unless they have a special relationship with the theater. Still, if your life tends to be crazy busy, a credit card concierge can help you get more than one thing accomplished at a time. Here are 10 ways a concierge can become your new best friend -- at least for the day.

1. Travel planning

Some people love planning every detail of a trip. If you're not one of them, a credit card concierge can take care of the task. Give the concierge an outline for where you want to go, when you want to travel, how much you're willing to spend, and if there's any wiggle room. Before you know it, you'll have a trip planned without having to sweat the details.

2. Personal shopping

Say you've arrived in Pittsburgh for a wedding and realize that the outfit you planned to wear is still at the dry cleaners back home. Provide a credit card concierge with your size, what you're looking for, and how much you want to spend, and clothes can be delivered within hours.

3. Check crime stats

You've found a great deal on a vacation rental house in a famous city, but you're a little suspicious of the low price. A concierge can check out crime rates for the area. While crime rates don't guarantee your safety, they can give you a sense of what you're getting into.

4. Dining experiences

A concierge can tell you about the hottest restaurants in town and (if they have connections) may be able to snag you a reservation. They can also set up tastings at small, out-of-the-way bistros you may have never heard of or turn you on to an up-and-coming gastropub in the area.

5. Arrange VIP events

Let's say you're dying to attend an art gallery opening but aren't sure how to snag an invitation. It can't hurt to check with your credit card concierge to learn if they have any insider connections that can help.

6. Gift shopping

Have you ever hit a brick wall as you tried to come up with the "perfect" gift? A concierge just might have a fresh set of ideas to inspire you. Plus, once you settle on something, the concierge can take care of everything from providing your payment information to setting up a delivery time.

7. Specialized shopping

You've left home without the non-allergenic soaps, shampoos, and detergents that you need. A quick call to a concierge means someone else will locate the items in question and arrange to have them delivered.

8. Recover items

If you routinely leave your headphones on a plane or cell phone in your hotel room, a concierge will work to track them down.

9. Set up tours

Wherever you are, a concierge can help set up tours. For example, if you want a tour of a historical site or to take an insider's peek at the operations of a small brewhouse, a concierge can organize experiences like those.

10. Find kid-friendly experiences

If you're in a town you don't know and you have no idea how to entertain the children with you, a concierge can offer a rundown of kid-friendly options in the area.

How do I know if my credit card(s) offer a concierge service?

If concierge services are a benefit of your credit card, they will be mentioned somewhere in the paperwork provided by your credit card issuer. If you're unsure where that paperwork is or don't have time to pore over it, give customer service a call to find out if the service is included.

Concierge services are often reserved for "select" cards offered to customers with a high credit score. If you learn that your card does not include concierge services, but your credit score has improved since applying for the card, find out what it would take to upgrade to a card that does include the service.

How much does it cost to use the concierge service?

Using a concierge is free. However, anything you purchase will be billed to your credit card. For example, if a concierge purchases tickets to an amusement park on your behalf, your card will only be charged for the tickets. There are no service or finder fees attached.

This list of concierge services represents the tip of the iceberg. Now that you have an idea of how a concierge can make your life easier, make it a point to learn if the service is available through any of the cards in your wallet.

DO YOU HAVE AN AMEX? If so, check out The Ascent's Amex concierge review and learn about all their extra benefits.