The 6 Best Credit Cards for Car Rental Insurance Coverage [2021]

We may be compensated when you click on links from one or more of our advertise partners. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone. Terms apply to offers below. See our Advertiser disclosure for more details. When renting a vehicle you ’ re faced with several decisions. Should I get that GPS, prepay for gas, or take that automatic pistol toll-paying detector ? Should I spend a few extra dollars and get the life-size cable car ? The decisions are many…and the salesperson is a professional at the up-sell. try starts to set in, but some of the most expensive decisions are so far to be made.

One of the most expensive decisions to make is whether to opt for the rental car company’s collision/loss damage waiver coverage. This coverage can cost a much as $ 30 per rental day, and you may have a unmanageable time opting out of it. In the worst case scenario, you might opt out and have something happen to your rental. You could be out thousands of dollars until you resolve the issue between the rental car company and your policy company. even then, you could be left with a high deductible to pay. however, there is some available relief to this lunacy — and you may already have entree to the solution ! By knowing the extent of any car rental coverage you have on your accredit cards, you can save yourself stress and a distribute of money. While the collision damage release ( CDW ) ( or loss damage waiver/LDW, as it is sometimes called ) is not technically policy, it functions similarly. And it can besides be equitable as confusing ! But not to worry — as common, we ’ ve done the work for you and put together a collection of some of the best credit card rental car coverage out there. In this article we ’ ll cover :

• What is collision damage waiver coverage
• Which credit cards offer the best protection
• What you need to know to file a claim

Let ’ s get started with our overview of credit card rental cable car coverage and take a front at some of the best credit cards to use when renting a vehicle .

What Is the Car Rental Collision Damage Waiver ?

car rental Collision Damage Waiver

The Car Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( CDW ) or Loss Damage Waiver ( LDW ) is coverage that reimburses you for damage to your rental car or larceny of the cable car while the fomite is in your hands. It can besides cover “ loss of practice ” of the rental car, which car lease agencies can charge you if the fomite is damaged or stolen. ( Since the vehicle wouldn ’ t be available to rent out, the agency could be losing tax income and elapse this passing on to you. ) Car lease companies require you to purchase CDW/LDW coverage before you take monomania of the rental car, unless you have the coverage elsewhere. respective credit rating cards provide CDW coverage at no extra charge, and if you have this coverage you can decline the expensive cable car rental company option .

primary volt. secondary coverage

While many credit cards offer CDW coverage, there can be a significant dispute in how the coverage functions .

• Secondary CDW Coverage: If your credit card offers secondary CDW coverage, you will need to first file a claim with any other available insurance before the secondary coverage kicks in.
• Primary CDW Coverage: Provides coverage without the need to file a claim with other insurance. If an incident happens, the primary coverage applies.

Hot Tip: note that coverage on the like credit rating card can be secondary in certain countries and circumstances while primary coil in others. Check with your wag ’ second benefits administrator for particular questions .

Requirements to Ensure Coverage

For the CDW coverage that is offered on accredit cards to be valid, most credit card coverage requires the pursuit :

• Reserve and pay for your rental car with the qualifying credit card
• Decline the rental car company’s CDW/LDW coverage
• List all drivers on the rental agreement

Make sure you know the requirements before you rent a vehicle, and call the benefits administrator if you have questions. You can tied ask for a letter showing your CDW coverage to show when renting a vehicle. Bottom Line: Your citation card usher to benefits will be very particular in explaining the definition of the poster ’ s particular CDW coverage. It will besides provide pass information on where and when coverage is secondary or primary .

Best Personal Chase Credit Cards for Car Rental Insurance coverage

Chase excels in offering car rental coverage by providing worldwide primary CDW coverage complimentary with its credit rating cards .

One of the best overall credit cards for cable car rental coverage is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. not alone will you be earning 2 Ultimate Rewards Points per dollar spent on your car rental ( and all other travel ), but you ’ ll have peace of mind knowing you have primary CDW coverage worldwide .

What’s Covered

The Chase Sapphire Preferred and any Chase citation cards offering CDW coverage come with primary coverage. This means you won ’ triiodothyronine have to worry about filing a claim with your car indemnity ship’s company if something should happen to the rental vehicle. You can expect the pursue coverage worldwide with your Chase credit circuit board :

• Reimbursement for damage or theft of the rental car up to the actual cash value of the vehicle
• Valid loss of use charges assessed by the rental car company
• Reasonable towing charges
• Rentals are covered for 31 days or less

Who’s Covered

• Primary cardholders and authorized users
• Additional drivers listed on the rental agreement

Hot Tip: There is no appoint for adding an authorized drug user to the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and they receive the same primary CDW coverage when renting a fomite with their card ! Keep in mind that authorized users driving a vehicle rented by the basal cardholder do need to be listed as a driver to be covered. Read more about maximizing car rental indemnity benefits with the Chase Sapphire Preferred .

What’s Excluded

• Certain luxury, antique, and exotic vehicles
• Cargo vans, motorcycles, recreational vehicles
• Certain countries may be excluded where prohibited by law
• Liability coverage

The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with the lapp worldwide elementary CDW coverage as the Chase Sapphire Preferred, but with a maximum of $75,000 coverage for the rental vehicle. The most compelling reason to use the Chase Sapphire Reserve for your rental car is that you can pay for the rental with Ultimate Rewards Points and receive 50 % more value for your points ! If you choose to charge the cable car rental to your Chase Sapphire Reserve, you ’ ll earn 3 Ultimate Rewards Points per dollar spend. You can besides pay with points in advance or reserve with your card and use the Chase Sapphire Reserve when you check-in at the rental counterpunch — you ’ ll be covered for elementary CDW coverage. With this card, you besides receive elect status with National Car Rental and Avis, plus a 30 % discount on Silvercar rentals. Bottom Line: Chase credit cards are a great choice to use when renting a car because they offer complimentary cosmopolitan chief CDW rental car coverage for rentals of 31 days or less .

Best Personal Amex Credit Cards for Car Rental Insurance coverage

Most American Express credit cards come with complimentary secondary CDW coverage and allow you to purchase optional Premium Car Rental Protection. This means that American Express credit cards are basically created peer when it comes to CDW coverage. As a result, it makes sense to use an American Express card that delivers premium travel benefits and earns flexible points or hotel rewards when renting a vehicle. hera ’ s what we suggest : For luxury travel benefits, it ’ sulfur unmanageable to beat the Amex Platinum card. Plus, you ’ ll receive especial benefits, discounts, and elite status with Hertz, Avis, and National Car Rental. Airline tickets and hotels earn 5 valuable Membership Rewards Points per dollar spend, and points can be transferred to travel partners. Use the complimentary secondary CDW that comes with the tease, or opt for agio Car Rental Protection for primary coil coverage. Hot Tip:  Don ’ t miss our dedicated article for more information on the car rental and policy benefits of the Amex Platinum circuit board. When you book your car lease with the Hilton Honors Aspire Card, you ’ ll be earning 7 Hilton Honors Points per dollar spent. You ’ ll besides have the option to enroll the tease and purchase Premium Car Rental Protection, or use the complimentary secondary CDW coverage that comes with the card.

The wag offers premium travel benefits including sofa access, elect condition, repair credits, airline credits, and an annual exempt night .

American Express Car Rental coverage

American Express is unique in its offer of CDW coverage on its credit cards. The circuit board issuer offers both complimentary secondary CDW that comes with their credit cards, and primary Premium Car Rental Protection that can be purchased .

• Standard complimentary secondary CDW coverage included with its credit cards
• The option to enroll your credit card in advance for primary Premium Car Rental Protection that’s automatically applied when you use the card to rent a vehicle

American Express Complimentary Secondary CDW Coverage

complimentary CDW is included on most American Express credit cards. But for the complimentary CDW coverage to be effective, the play along must be done :

• Reserve and pay for the entire car rental with the qualifying American Express card
• Decline the car rental company’s CDW/LDW coverage

To find out if your American Express credit wag has complimentary CDW coverage, review your benefits steer here. What’s Covered

• Damage or theft of a rental vehicle up to a maximum of $50,000
• Loss of use, appraisal fees, towing
• Rentals of 30 days or less

Who’s Covered Drivers covered for CDW under the complimentary coverage on your credit card include :

• Primary cardholders and additional drivers listed on the rental agreement
• Authorized users and additional drivers listed on the rental agreement

For CDW coverage to apply, the car rental must be reserved and paid for with the American Express card. Exclusions

• Cars rented in Australia, Italy, New Zealand, or any OFAC listed country (due to economic or trade sanctions)

American Express Optional Primary Premium Car Rental Protection

To purchase Premium Car Rental Protection, you will need to enroll your American Express credit calling card in progress of your car rental. once you use your wag to reserve and pay for the car lease after registration, the coverage is charged to your card and becomes effective for that lease terminus. This coverage is primary when purchased, meaning you do not need to submit a claim with another insurance company first. There are 2 levels of Premium Car Rental Protection available, and they range in price from $ 12.25 to $ 24.95 depending on the department of state you reside in and the limits of coverage you select. The price you pay is for the entire rental period ( up to 42 days ), not a per day charge ! What’s Covered

• Damage or theft of your rental car for up to $100,000
• Secondary medical coverage and accidental death benefit for driver/passengers
• Personal property coverage

Who’s Covered

• The primary cardholder and drivers listed on the rental agreement
• Authorized users and accompanying drivers listed on the rental agreement

What’s Not Covered

• coverage is worldwide, except for vehicles rented in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, and New Zealand. OFAC sanctioned countries are also excluded.
• Liability, Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist, or Disability

To entree the terms/conditions of the basic CDW coverage that comes with your American Express credit wag, view the usher to benefits for all 58 cards here. To register your American Express wag for Premium Car Rental Protection, visit the registration page. Hot Tip: If you ’ re renting a fomite for more than 30 days, the Premium Car Rental Protection for purchase with your American Express credit card is a big value. You receive primary CDW coverage for pennies per rental day and are covered for up to 42 days .

Best Business Credit Cards for Car Rental Insurance coverage

Enjoy primary worldwide CDW car rental coverage global with the Ink Business Preferred Card when renting a car for business practice. coverage becomes secondary when you rent a vehicle for personal practice in the United States. The no-annual-fee Ink Business Cash tease besides comes with primary global cable car rental coverage and junior-grade coverage when you rent a vehicle for personal use in the United States .

General Tips for Filing a CDW Coverage Claim

The foremost mistreat when your rental car is in an accident or stolen is to call the benefits administrator. You ’ ll be asked some questions and sent a claim human body to complete. Be aware that when submitting a CDW claim, you ’ ll have deadlines to meet, documentation to gather, and a province to follow up. Hot Tip: Since most claims will be processed on a reimbursement basis, you ’ ll likely have enough of bonus to get your claim processed quickly !

Know the Deadlines

There will be specific deadlines at each step of the summons, which you should familiarize yourself with. here are a few to look out for :

• Reporting the claim
• Submitting the completed claim form
• Submitting all required documents

Gather All Relevant Information

Don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate forget to gather information when the accident/theft happens — some items may be unmanageable to obtain former. here ’ s what you might need :

• Copy of the entire rental agreement
• Copy of the accident report from the car rental company showing the amount you owe
• Police report
• Photos of the damage

Follow up With Additional Needed Documents

If the claim administrator asks for anything else, make sure to provide it right aside. For model, they might request :

• Copy of your credit card statement showing that the rental was paid for with your qualifying credit card
• Repair estimates

Ask for Assistance

If you have worry getting the compulsory documents, ask the claim administrator for help .

Final Follow Up

It ’ s your province to make certain all of the necessitate documentation is received by the claim administrator on prison term and is completed to their atonement. broadly, if you have elementary CDW coverage or secondary CDW coverage with no stream car insurance, the call work will be straightforward. But if you have secondary CDW coverage that applies to the rental car incidental and you have car indemnity a well, you will need to report the claim to that company first. Hot Tip: Be aware in improvement of what you ’ ll indigence to do in shell of a rental car incidental, so you ’ ll be prepared to gather american samoa much documentation as possible when the incident happens. Photos, patrol reports, and documentation from the rental car company can be impossible or difficult to obtain late on .

Final Thoughts

If you have your own car insurance, the best CDW coverage for domestic car rentals is primary credit card CDW coverage. This is because it ’ second best to avoid filing a claim with your own insurance company, which could mean potentially having to pay a high deductible and having your rates increased. broadly, those who carry car indemnity can get by with secondary CDW coverage when renting a car out of the state — chances are your U.S. policy will not cover you there. The secondary CDW coverage on your credit circuit board would then become primary. If you do not carry auto insurance, you can get by with secondary CDW coverage, since it will act as your elementary indemnity in closely all rental car situations ( foreign or domestic ). You may, however, be responsible for a deductible on the car rental company ’ s coverage. Call your benefits administrator for clarification of coverage before renting any vehicle. In all cases, you should purchase indebtedness policy from the rental car company or be sure it is included in your lease agreement, as it is not included in CDW coverage that comes with your credit card.

If you frequently rent a car, you can save time, frustration, and money knowing the type of coverage you have with your credit cards ! The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, click hera .