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Your rental car could be covered against damage and theft thanks to your credit card.
Evan Zimmer
Staff Writer
Evan Zimmer has been writing about finance for years. After graduating with a journalism degree from SUNY Oswego, he wrote credit card content for Credit Card Insider (now Money Tips) before moving to ZDNET Finance to cover credit card, banking and blockchain news. He currently works with CNET Money to bring readers the most accurate and up-to-date financial information. Otherwise, you can find him reading, rock climbing, snowboarding and enjoying the outdoors.
CNET editors independently choose every product and service we cover. Though we can’t review every available financial company or offer, we strive to make comprehensive, rigorous comparisons in order to highlight the best of them. For many of these products and services, we earn a commission. The compensation we receive may impact how products and links appear on our site.
We are an independent publisher. Our advertisers do not direct our editorial content. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in editorial content are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the advertiser.
To support our work, we are paid in different ways for providing advertising services. For example, some advertisers pay us to display ads, others pay us when you click on certain links, and others pay us when you submit your information to request a quote or other offer details. CNET’s compensation is never tied to whether you purchase an insurance product. We don’t charge you for our services. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear.
Our insurance content may include references to or advertisements by our corporate affiliate HomeInsurance.com LLC, a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 8781838). And HomeInsurance.com LLC may receive compensation from third parties if you choose to visit and transact on their website. However, all CNET editorial content is independently researched and developed without regard to our corporate relationship to HomeInsurance.com LLC or its advertiser relationships.
Our content may include summaries of insurance providers, or their products or services. CNET is not an insurance agency or broker. We do not transact in the business of insurance in any manner, and we are not attempting to sell insurance or asking or urging you to apply for a particular kind of insurance from a particular company.
In a digital world, information only matters if it’s timely, relevant, and credible. We promise to do whatever is necessary to get you the information you need when you need it, to make our opinions fair and useful, and to make sure our facts are accurate.
If a popular product is on store shelves, you can count on CNET for immediate commentary and benchmark analysis as soon as possible. We promise to publish credible information we have as soon as we have it, throughout a product’s life cycle, from its first public announcement to any potential recall or emergence of a competing device.
How will we know if we’re fulfilling our mission? We constantly monitor our competition, user activity, and journalistic awards. We scour and scrutinize blogs, sites, aggregators, RSS feeds, and any other available resources, and editors at all levels of our organization continuously review our coverage.
But you’re the final judge. We ask that you inform us whenever you find an error, spot a gap in our coverage, or have any other suggestions for improvement. Readers are part of the CNET family, and the strength of that relationship is the ultimate test of our success. Find out more here.
Travel credit cards can bolster your experiences away from home in a number of ways, from making your transit quicker to earning rewards on your travel spending. Across all of the travel card types — airline credit cards, hotel credit cards, or general travel credit cards — most will offer a selection of travel insurance protections aimed at saving you money in the face of unexpected and unfortunate circumstances.
For example, there are a number of credit cards that provide cardholders with an auto rental collision damage waiver, or rental car insurance. Rental car insurance can be either secondary coverage or the more coveted primary coverage.
Primary coverage means the credit card’s insurance will pay out before any other car insurance you may have, whereas secondary coverage will take effect only after your personal insurance pays. Primary coverage is also likely to have better terms and to cover the full cost of the damage. Secondary coverage could cover less, but still offers some protection.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the best credit cards for general travelers. It has a lot of earning potential and offers a number of travel protections, including primary auto rental collision damage waiver. It has an annual fee of $95.
Additionally, it earns 5x points per dollar for travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Cardholders are able to use Chase Ultimate Rewards to book rental cars, as well as hotels and airfare. You could use the Sapphire Preferred to book your rental, and then redeem the points you earn for a 25% bonus if you book travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Or you can transfer them to a hotel or airline partner where you could find an even better value for them.
You can learn more in our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.
Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred review.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
In exchange for a high annual fee of $695, cardholders gain access to an impressive collection of perks and credits. Because of the expense, it should only be considered by travelers who can take full advantage of everything the card has to offer.
One of its many benefits is car rental loss and damage insurance*. However, coverage is secondary, which means it’ll only take effect once your personal car insurance has paid out. While that does detract from the perk’s value, there are a number of other benefits to having this card, including premium car rental status.
Premium car rental status grants extra perks with a number of rental car agencies, including Avis Preferred®, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards® and National Car Rental® Emerald Club Executive. Rental agency membership perks include skipping lines, upgrades when available and getting your pick of the rental agencies’ best vehicles.
Take note: Cardholders will need to enroll in any or all of these memberships via their benefit dashboard.
Check out our The Platinum Card from American Express review to learn more.
The Capital One Venture X is Capital One’s premier travel card. It offers a selection of strong perks for its $395 annual fee, including an annual travel credit and primary auto rental insurance**.
Along with providing primary coverage, the card also earns 10x miles per dollar for rental cars booked directly through Capital One Travel. It also features Hertz President’s Circle® membership status, which provides travelers with guaranteed upgrades, their pick of rental and a dedicated customer service line.
Check out our Capital One Venture X review for more information.
**Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.
The Capital One VentureOne Rewards offers miles for all of your purchases and a surprising number of travel protections for a card with no annual fee. Included in that offering is auto rental insurance**.
While coverage is secondary, it still presents an affordable option to get some additional coverage when using a rental vehicle. You can also earn a high 5x miles per dollar for rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, and cover the expense using the miles you earn with the card.
It’s a good option if you travel every so often and are looking to earn a decent return on your travel spending. You can learn more about the card in our Capital One VentureOne Rewards card review.
**Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.
The no-annual-fee Chase Ink Business Cash is one of the best business credit cards. In addition to its lucrative rewards program, it features a number of travel protections, including auto rental collision damage waiver.
Coverage is primary when renting for business purposes, which makes it an inexpensive option if you’re looking for rental coverage. The card is also a good choice if you travel for business a few times a year and are looking to earn a solid return on your expenses. Its rewards and welcome bonus are its best features, but it adds a dash of travel thanks to its rental car insurance, roadside assistance and travel and emergency assistance services perks.
For more details, see our full Chase Ink Business Cash review.
The best overall credit card for car rentals is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. It has an affordable annual fee of $95 and has high potential to be a very rewarding choice. It features primary rental car insurance meaning it’ll pay out before your personal insurance and negating the need to file a claim with your primary car insurance provider. You can use it for car rentals through Chase’s travel portal, Chase Ultimate Rewards, to earn 5x points per dollar.
In order to qualify for a credit card’s rental car insurance benefit, you’ll have to decline any insurance offer provided by the rental car agency and then charge the full amount to your card. You’ll then be eligible for coverage against damage or theft, subject to your cardmember agreement.
Most rental car agencies in the US require you to be at least 25, but there are some exceptions. So long as you’re 21 you can likely rent a car, though there may be an underage driver fee.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card from American Express, click here
*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
Best Credit Cards for Car Rental Insurance for December 2022 – CNET
