Whether you’re planning a cross-country road trip or just need a car to get from your hotel to a nearby national park, renting a car is a common part of your vacation. When you pick up your car, the rental company will offer a variety of insurance options – for an additional fee, of course.
Did you know that using the right credit card to pay your rent can protect thousands of dollars at no additional cost?
related: Best credit cards for rental car insurance
While preparing for emergencies is never fun, Chase Sapphire car rental insurance can cover theft, accidents, or other damage to your rental car. This benefit is offered by two cards: Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Chase Sapphire Preferred CardWhile we tend to focus on earning points and redeeming them for memorable vacations, it’s also important to understand how to protect your family the next time something goes wrong on vacation.
Here’s a closer look at the Chase Sapphire card and its rental car insurance benefits, which can give you peace of mind the next time you hit the road in a rental car.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Rental Car Insurance
When you use Sapphire Reserveyou can decline the rental company’s Collision Damage Waiver (sometimes abbreviated CDW or LDW) and still receive up to $75,000 in theft or collision damage to your rental car.
This benefit provides primary rental car insurance and also covers fees that the rental company may assess, such as loss of use fees, administration fees, and even the cost of towing the car to a repair shop.
related: 5 Things to Do After Getting the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
It’s worth noting that this benefit has limitations. For example, it doesn’t offer other types of insurance, like medical or liability insurance, and it doesn’t cover rentals longer than 31 days. However, it does cover other drivers listed on the rental contract and is valid in most countries around the world.
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The following types of cars are not covered by this benefit; however, they include, but are not limited to:
- Antique car
- Vans, trucks, vehicles with open cargo boxes, and vans that can accommodate more than 9 people
- Motorcycles and mopeds
- Luxury car
Coverage also does not apply if you were driving off-road or were doing anything illegal when the damage occurred.
related: Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card Review
For more details, see the full benefits guide here.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Car Rental Insurance
Unlike Sapphire Reserve insurance, Sapphire First Choice The policy does not list a specific amount for the maximum coverage. Instead, it says the coverage is “up to the actual cash value of most leased vehicles.”
This benefit provides primary rental car insurance against theft, damage, and fees charged by the rental company and is available when you use the card to pay for your rental and waive the damage insurance provided by the rental company.
related: Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred?
This coverage has the same limitations as the coverage offered by Sapphire Reserve (described above), including vehicle types, no additional coverage types, and only covers rentals of 31 days or less.
related: Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card Review
For more details, see the full benefits guide here.
How to Get Chase Car Rental Insurance
To get Chase Sapphire car rental insurance, you must pay for your rental with your card (if you Chase Travel℠) and then decline the rental company’s damage protection benefit when you pick up the car. If you choose to add the rental company’s damage protection, your credit card damage protection benefit (LDW or CDW) will not be applied.
It’s worth noting that you can still add other protection benefits to your rental car — such as liability insurance, roadside dispatch, or other benefits offered by the rental company — without losing the rental car damage protection provided by the Chase Sapphire card. Also, as always, you should still inspect your car when you leave the rental lot and when you return it — including taking a video of the car’s condition and documenting any existing damage.
related: The 1-minute video you should shoot every time you rent a car
How to file a claim
If an accident occurs or your rental car is stolen, you should first notify the rental company and the police. Next steps include filing a claim with your credit card benefits administrator.
There are two important dates to know about Chase Sapphire rental car insurance. First, you must file your initial claim within 100 days of the accident. Second, your claim form must be mailed within 120 days of the accident, even if you are still gathering additional documents. Alternatively, you can submit your claim form online eclaimsline.com Same 120 day period.
related: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve Insurance Benefits – Which is Better?
You will need to submit the following documents:
- Incident Report Form
- Your rental agreement
- Repair Estimates and Itemized Repair Bills
- Photos of damaged vehicles
- Police report (if applicable)
- A copy of the subsequent claim from the rental company, outlining the costs you are responsible for and the amount paid to date
- Credit card statement showing rental charges
Depending on your situation, your claims administrator may request additional documentation. Therefore, you should keep copies of all documents related to your accident or vehicle theft until the claim is resolved.
related: Chase Sapphire Showdown: Sapphire Preferred vs. Sapphire Reserve
What is primary car rental insurance?
We’ve mentioned several times that Chase Sapphire rental car insurance provides primary coverage. But what does that mean?
Rental car companies often offer an additional insurance benefit for a fee, often called a “collision damage waiver,” or CDW. Fortunately, Many popular credit cards offer car rental insurance This allows you to decline this extra cost but still enjoy car protection. However, the vast majority of these policies provide you with secondary coverage. As the name implies, this will kick in secondarily after your other applicable insurance policy (i.e. your own personal auto insurance) kicks in if your rental car is damaged or lost.
Primary coverage does the opposite. When a covered event like an accident or theft occurs, primary coverage kicks in first. This saves you from having to file a claim with your personal insurance company, which could cause your premiums to go up.
Keep in mind that this benefit only provides coverage for your car; it does not include liability coverage for property damage you cause, nor does it cover injuries sustained by you or others in the accident.
in conclusion
Travel rewards credit cards It can bring many benefits, such as helping you Book a first class flight or Luxury hotels using pointsHowever, travel credit cards also offer some less-glamorous benefits, Protect your trip during delays Or when you have a problem with your rental car. Chase Sapphire Preferred Car rental insurance can cover the cost of your vehicle. Chase Sapphire Reserve Provide first-class protection for rental cars.
Using any of these cards to pay for your next car rental can provide peace of mind and save you and your loved ones tens of thousands of dollars if you run into problems while on vacation.
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Preferred
Apply here: Chase Sapphire Reserve
