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Our pick for Chase car rental insurance: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
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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.
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.
Here’s what your Chase collision damage waiver covers:
Your Chase policy covers rental of up to 31 consecutive days.
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.
Chase car rental insurance doesn’t apply to the following:
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.
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.
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.
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:
Your Chase policy also reimburses you for qualifying theft or damage to your rental vehicle, plus administrative, loss-of-use and reasonable towing charges.
Chase business credit cards follow this model for their collision damage waiver rules:
There are two steps to activate your Chase auto rental collision damage waiver:
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.
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.
Make sure to get the following paperwork at the accident, or when you return the vehicle:
After you’ve collected those materials, assemble the following information to submit for your claim:
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.
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 offers auto rental coverage with all of its Visa cards. The Sapphire cards are especially good choices, offering primary coverage in most cases.
If a Chase Visa card isn’t right for you, however, consider other cards with car rental insurance.
