Chase Sapphire Rental Car Insurance Guide

How the Chase Sapphire rental car insurance works
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® provide primary rental car coverage for damage and theft when you decline the car rental company’s collision damage waiver (CDW) and pay for the entire rental with your card. It applies even when using Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to pay for your rental, which you can do through the Chase TravelSM portal. This coverage is provided by Assurant and available worldwide, including in countries commonly excluded from credit card car insurance coverage, such as Ireland, Israel and Jamaica. The insurance covers the cardholder and any additional drivers on the rental car agreement. Here are the main requirements for the coverage to apply: You decline the rental company’s loss/damage waiver (except where prohibited by law)
The rental doesn’t exceed 31 consecutive days
All drivers must be authorized on the rental agreement
Damage/theft must have taken place during the rental period Depending on where you’re renting a car, you may be asked to provide proof of coverage. In that scenario, you can instantly access a letter of coverage through this site after entering your card number, name and address. One note for New York residents, the rental car coverage provided by the Chase Sapphire cards is primary for car rentals within the U.S. only if you don’t have personal car insurance. If you live in New York and have car insurance, then the protection provided by the Sapphire cards is secondary.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn More On Chase’s secure site Rewards Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, and $50 annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
Welcome bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual fee $95
Intro APR None
Regular APR 20.99% – 27.99% variable on purchases and balance transfers
Balance transfer fee Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater
Foreign transaction fee None
Credit needed Excellent/Good
Terms apply. Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review. Pros Points are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel via Chase Travel℠
Transfer points to leading frequent travel programs at a 1:1 rate, including: IHG® Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy™ and World of Hyatt®
Travel protections include: auto rental collision damage waiver, baggage delay insurance and trip delay reimbursement
No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S. Cons $95 annual fee
No introductory 0% APR Learn More View More
Chase Sapphire Reserve® Learn More On Chase’s secure site Rewards Earn 5X total points on flights and 10X total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3X points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases plus, 10X points on Lyft rides through March 2025
Welcome bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual fee $550
Intro APR None
Regular APR 21.99% – 28.99% variable
Balance transfer fee 5%, minimum $5
Foreign transaction fee None
Credit needed Excellent
Terms apply. Read our Chase Sapphire Reserve® review. Pros $300 annual travel credit for travel purchases
Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit up to $120 every four years
Priority Pass™ Select lounge access at 1,000+ VIP lounges in over 500 cities worldwide
Points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel via Chase Travel℠
Special benefits at The Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection
Complimentary year of Lyft Pink membership Cons High annual fee, but it can be offset by taking advantage of all the card’s perks
No introductory APR Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $1,469
$1,469 Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $3,346 Rewards totals incorporate the points earned from the welcome bonus Learn More View More
How to file a claim You’ll need to meet a couple of deadlines when filing a claim. You should contact the benefits administrator as soon as possible, but you must: Report the damage or theft through chasecardbenefits.com or by calling (1-800-350-1362 for Sapphire Card holders; 1-800-350-1697 for Reserve cardholders) within 100 days of the incident
Submit all the required documentation within 365 days of the incident The benefits administrator will let you know what documents you must submit, which you can easily do online. This could include: Accident report
Initial and final rental car agreement
Repair estimate and itemized bill
Photographs of the damaged vehicle
Police report
Card statement showing you paid with your Sapphire card or eligible rewards
What is covered by the Chase Sapphire rental car insurance?
If your rental qualifies for the coverage provided by your Chase Sapphire card, you’ll be covered for the following up to your card’s reimbursement limit: Damage
Theft
Reasonable towing charges (due to covered damage or theft) to the nearest qualified repair facility
Valid loss-of-use charges imposed and substantiated by the rental company
Administrative fees imposed by the rental company Sapphire Preferred Card holders are covered for up to $60,000 in eligible expenses and Sapphire Reserve cardholders are covered for up to $75,000 in eligible expenses.
What isn’t covered by the Chase Sapphire car rental insurance?
The rental car coverage provided by the Chase Sapphire cards doesn’t include liability insurance. So you’ll need to either pay for the rental company’s liability waiver or ensure your personal auto liability coverage applies to car rentals. If you don’t own a car, you can cover personal liability with non-owner auto insurance. See your card’s benefit guide for full details on coverage exclusions, which include: Damage to other vehicles
Personal injuries
Damage to anything other than the rental car
Loss or theft of personal belongings
Theft or damage caused intentionally while performing an illegal activity or under the influence of intoxicants (drugs, alcohol, etc.)
Off-road damage
Wear and tear
Reimbursable expenses from another insurance, employer, etc.
Theft or damage from hostility (war, terrorist event, etc.)
Damage or theft that is a result of lack of reasonable care, such as leaving the car running and unattended
Rentals through a car-sharing company that allows owners to rent out their vehicles The Sapphire Preferred’s rental car coverage doesn’t apply to vehicles worth $125,000 or more, based on the dealer or manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). It also doesn’t cover exotic vehicles, including brands such as Ferrari, Bentley, Aston Martin, Bugatti, Rolls Royce and more. In addition, certain types of vehicles aren’t covered by the benefit for either version of the Sapphire card, including: Antique cars over 20 years old or cars that have not been manufactured for 10+ years
Cargo vans
Trucks (other than pick-ups)
Motorcycles
Mopeds
Motorbikes
Limousines and vehicles that are rented with a driver
Recreational vehicles
Passenger vans with seating for more than 12 people including the driver If you want to confirm whether a specific vehicle is covered, Sapphire Reserve cardholders can call 1-800-350-1697 and Sapphire Preferred cardholders can call 1-800-350-1362. Pro tip: Chase explicitly excludes leases and mini leases from coverage, as well as vehicles that are not rented from a rental agency, meaning rentals through peer-to-peer and hourly rental companies like Turo and Zipcar typically won’t be covered.
Alternative credit cards with primary rental car coverage
The Bilt Mastercard® is a no-annual-fee credit card that provides primary rental car damage and theft coverage for eligible rentals. This coverage is also through Assurant and is similar to what you’ll get with the Sapphire cards, however, the reimbursement limit is $50,000 and coverage isn’t available in Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. The Bilt card’s rental car insurance is also secondary for New York residents who have other insurance that will cover theft or damage to their rental car.
Bilt Mastercard® Learn More On Bilt’s secure site Rewards Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points – Earn 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points each calendar year, 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points on other purchases
Welcome bonus None
Annual fee None
Intro APR N/A
Regular APR See Terms
Balance transfer fee Up to 5% for each balance transfer, with a minimum of $5.
Foreign transaction fee None
Credit needed Excellent/Good See rates/fees and rewards/benefits; terms apply. Pros No annual fee
Solid rewards on broad spending categories
Ability to pay your rent with no transaction fees
Transfer points to leading frequent traveler programs at a 1:1 rate, including United and World of Hyatt® Cons No welcome offer Learn More View More
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is one of the more affordable premium credit cards. It has a $395 annual fee, which can be offset by an annual Capital One Travel credit of up to $300 and 10,000 bonus miles every card anniversary (worth $100 in travel). It also provides primary car rental collision coverage of for up to $75,000, and there are no additional restrictions for New York residents. The Venture X’s car rental insurance only applies to rentals of up to 15 days within your country of residence, so the Sapphire Reserve or Preferred Cards are better options for rentals of 16 to 31 days where you live. The coverage also only applies to vehicles with an MSRP of up to $75,000 and isn’t valid in Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Learn More Rewards Unlimited 2X miles on all eligible purchases, and 5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals and 10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars when booked via Capital One Travel portal
Welcome bonus Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening
Annual fee $395
Intro APR None
Regular APR 19.99% – 29.74% variable APR
Balance transfer fee $0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you
Foreign transaction fees $0
Credit needed Excellent
Terms apply. Read our Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card review. Pros Large welcome bonus
No foreign transaction fees
Up to $120 statement credits for either Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network Cons High annual fee
No introductory 0% APR period Learn More View More
Compare travel insurance plans
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® provide primary car rental coverage when you pay for an eligible rental with your card. This perk can easily save you $15 or more per day, but it’s important to understand how it works and when it applies. Even with this coverage, you’ll want to be sure you have additional liability insurance.
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