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When you rent a car with your Chase credit card, chances are your insurance is covered. This perk comes with all Chase credit cards when you pay your rental car with your Chase Visa card.
Does Chase have car rental insurance?
According to a Chase representative we spoke with, all Chase Visa credit cards typically have auto rental collision damage waivers (CDWs), and Sapphire products even offer primary coverage — an uncommon perk among credit card issuers.
Note that, at the time of this writing, almost all of Chase’s currently available cards are Visas, except for the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card and the IHG® Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card.
The rep mentioned that specific terms of the benefit might vary between card accounts. If you’re in doubt about your policy, call the number on the back of your card and speak with Chase support.
Where is Chase car rental insurance available?
Your Chase car rental policy applies in the US and in most countries internationally. It doesn’t apply where it conflicts with laws, violates rental agreements or runs contrary to the rules of individual merchants.
Chase car rental insurance: What it covers
Here’s what your Chase collision damage waiver covers:
Theft of your rental vehicle
Damage to your rental vehicle
Eligible loss-of-use charges from the rental company
Administrative fees
Reasonable towing charges
How long does Chase car rental insurance cover me for?
Your Chase policy covers rental of up to 31 consecutive days.
How much does Chase car rental insurance cover me for?
Your Chase policy covers you for damage or theft up to the actual cash value of most rental vehicles. Actual cash value means the cost of a vehicle’s replacement, not including depreciation.
What does Chase car rental insurance not cover?
Chase car rental insurance doesn’t apply to the following:
Vehicles of high value
Exotic and antique vehicles
Cargo vans
Trucks (pickups are OK)
Limousines
Vehicles equipped with open cargo beds
Motorcycles, motorbikes and mopeds
Recreational vehicles
Passenger vans that can seat more than nine people
Your Chase policy doesn’t apply in many instances. It likely won’t reimburse you for negligence — for example, if your vehicle is damaged or stolen because you’ve violated the rental agreement. It also won’t reimburse you for loss of personal items, bodily injury or damage to other vehicles.
Is Chase car rental insurance primary or secondary?
Most Chase cards offer secondary insurance coverage. Factors such as higher-tiered cards, where you rent your vehicle and whether you have personal insurance determine if you have primary or secondary coverage through Chase.
Which Chase personal credit cards offer primary car rental coverage?
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offer primary coverage for rentals around the world, except in select countries.
Primary coverage is a great deal, and not offered by most card issuers. And it’s especially helpful because you can make a claim via your Chase policy immediately, instead of having to go through your personal insurer first.
Coverage rules for other Chase personal credit cards
Most Chase personal credit cards offer secondary coverage when you rent in your country of residence. This means your Chase policy applies after your personal insurance and other forms of coverage.
There is good news: Your Chase policy will reimburse you for your deductible. It’ll also cover unreimbursed administrative, loss-of-use and reasonable towing charges.
In the following cases, you can claim with your Chase policy immediately for theft and damage to your rental vehicle:
You don’t have personal insurance or another form of coverage.
You rent a vehicle outside your country of residence. In this case, your coverage is primary.
Your Chase policy also reimburses you for qualifying theft or damage to your rental vehicle, plus administrative, loss-of-use and reasonable towing charges.
Do Chase business credit cards offer primary or secondary coverage?
Chase business credit cards follow this model for their collision damage waiver rules:
Coverage is primary if you’re renting a vehicle for business reasons, you don’t have personal insurance or another form of coverage, or you’re renting outside your country of residence for non-business reasons.
Coverage is secondary if you’re renting for non-business reasons in your country of residence, and you have personal insurance or another form of coverage.
How to use Chase car rental insurance
There are two steps to activate your Chase auto rental collision damage waiver:
Initiate and complete your entire rental purchase with your Chase card account.
Decline the collision damage waiver offered to you at the rental counter.
If you accept the rental company’s coverage, you’ll invalidate your Chase coverage.
If the rental company’s representative says you must buy coverage, call the Chase benefit administrator at 888-320-9961. If you’re traveling internationally, call collect at 804-673-1691.
How to make a claim for Chase car rental insurance
Immediately after the theft or damage, call the Chase benefit administrator at 888-320-9961. If you’re outside the US, call collect at 804-673-1691. A representative tells you next steps, as well as where to send your claim form.
If you can’t call right away, report the incident to your benefit administrator within 60 days.
What to submit with your claim
Make sure to get the following paperwork at the accident, or when you return the vehicle:
A copy of the accident report
A copy of the initial rental agreement, front and back
A copy of the final rental agreement, front and back
A copy of the repair estimate and itemized repair bill
Two photos of the vehicle damage, if possible
A police report, if you called the police
A copy of the demand letter, which should detail the costs you’ve incurred because of the incident and what you’ve already paid
After you’ve collected those materials, assemble the following information to submit for your claim:
Your auto rental collision damage waiver claim form, completed and signed
Your credit card statement with the last four digits of your account number, which proves you put the rental transaction on your card
A statement from your insurance provider — or carrier of another form of coverage — listing the costs you’ve incurred because of the incident and what you’ve already paid
If necessary, a statement explaining you don’t have personal insurance or another form of coverage
A copy of the declarations page of your personal insurance policy. This should show your deductible.
Other information your benefit administrator requires
Even if you’re having trouble assembling the required material, have your claim form postmarked within 100 days of the incident. Otherwise, the benefit administrator may automatically deny your claim.
Compare Chase credit cards with car rental insurance
Who gets to use Chase car rental insurance?
You, as the primary renter of the vehicle, are eligible for Chase car rental insurance. Your name must be embossed on a US-issued Chase card. Other individuals may qualify as well, as long as they’re listed on the rental agreement.
Chase is an excellent choice in part because its Sapphire cards offer primary coverage in most instances. This is very uncommon among credit card providers. The provider also offers a variety of cards with car rental coverage.
While you’ll find car rental coverage with most issuers, some providers — such as Citi and Discover — have removed the benefit from most or all of their cards.
With select travel products, you’ll find travel protections such as trip cancellation, baggage delay and trip delay reimbursement.
Kevin Joey Chen is a credit cards, banking and investments writer whose work and analysis have appeared on CNN, U.S. News & World Report, Business.com, Lifehacker and CreditCards.com. He's passionate about helping you get your finances in order by expertly navigating cutting-edge financial tools — including credit cards, apps and budgeting software.
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