What is Chase Sapphire car rental insurance and how does it work?

While the big welcome bonuses, lucrative rewards, and valuable statement credits of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® are impressive, it's easy to overlook the less flashy perks. However, both cards offer valuable travel and shopping protections that can be exceptionally useful.

The Chase Sapphire card family's primary rental car insurance coverage is one of its most valuable features. Rental companies usually charge $15 or more per day for this coverage, so it's crucial to understand how this benefit works to save money.

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How the Chase Sapphire rental car insurance works

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® offer primary rental car coverage for damage and theft when you decline the car rental company's CDW and pay for the entire rental with your card. This coverage applies even when using Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to pay for your rental, which you can do through the Chase TravelSM portal.

Assurant's coverage is available worldwide, including in countries where credit card car insurance coverage is typically excluded, such as Ireland, Israel, and Jamaica.

The rental car coverage applies to the cardholder and any additional drivers on the agreement, subject to the following requirements:

• You refuse to sign the rental company's loss/damage waiver, except where it is legally required.
• The rental doesn't exceed 31 consecutive days
• All drivers must be authorized on the rental agreement
• Damage/theft must have taken place during the rental period

If you're renting a car, you may be required to provide proof of coverage. You can quickly obtain a letter of coverage by entering your card number, name, and address on this site.

If you live in New York and have car insurance, the rental car coverage provided by the Chase Sapphire cards is secondary. However, if you don't have personal car insurance, the Sapphire cards' coverage is primary for car rentals within the U.S.

How to file a claim

When filing a claim, you must contact the benefits administrator as soon as possible and meet a couple of deadlines.

• Report any damage or theft to Chase within 100 days of the incident through chasecardbenefits.com or by calling (1-800-350-1362 for Sapphire Card holders; 1-800-350-1697 for Reserve cardholders).
• Submit all the required documentation within 365 days of the incident

The administrator will inform you of the required documents and provide an easy online submission process. These documents may include:

• Accident report
• Initial and final rental car agreement
• Repair estimate and itemized bill
• Photographs of the damaged vehicle
• Police report
• Card statement showing you paid with your Sapphire card or eligible rewards

What is covered by the Chase Sapphire rental car insurance?

If your rental qualifies for the coverage provided by your Chase Sapphire card, you'll be reimbursed up to your card's limit for the following expenses.

• Damage
• Theft
• Qualified repair facilities should be towed to at reasonable charges due to covered damage or theft.
• Valid loss-of-use charges imposed and substantiated by the rental company
• Administrative fees imposed by the rental company

Eligible expenses are covered up to $60,000 for Sapphire Preferred Card holders and up to $75,000 for Sapphire Reserve cardholders.

What isn't covered by the Chase Sapphire car rental insurance?

The rental car coverage offered by Chase Sapphire cards does not include liability insurance. Therefore, you must either purchase the rental company's liability waiver or ensure that your personal auto liability coverage applies to car rentals. If you do not own a car, you can obtain personal liability coverage through non-owner auto insurance.

The rewritten sentence is: "Keep the same sentence length. Provide only the rewritten content. See your card's benefit guide for full details on coverage exclusions, which include: "

• Damage to other vehicles
• Personal injuries
• Damage to anything other than the rental car
• Loss or theft of personal belongings
• Performing an illegal activity or being under the influence of intoxicants while causing theft or intentional damage.
• Off-road damage
• Wear and tear
• Reimbursable expenses from another insurance, employer, etc.
• Theft or damage from hostility (war, terrorist event, etc.)
• Lack of reasonable care, such as leaving the car running and unattended, can lead to damage or theft.
• Rentals through a car-sharing company that allows owners to rent out their vehicles

The Sapphire Preferred's rental car coverage excludes vehicles with an MSRP of $125,000 or more and exotic brands such as Ferrari, Bentley, Aston Martin, Bugatti, and Rolls Royce.

Certain types of vehicles are not covered by the benefit for either version of the Sapphire card.

• Cars that are at least 20 years old or have not been produced for over 10 years are considered antiques.
• Cargo vans
• Trucks (other than pick-ups)
• Motorcycles
• Mopeds
• Motorbikes
• Limousines and vehicles that are rented with a driver
• Recreational vehicles
• Passenger vans with seating for more than 12 people including the driver

To confirm if a specific vehicle is covered, Sapphire Reserve cardholders can call 1-800-350-1697 and Sapphire Preferred cardholders can call 1-800-350-1362.

Alternative credit cards with primary rental car coverage

The Bilt Mastercard® offers no-annual-fee rental car coverage with primary damage and theft protection for eligible rentals. This coverage is provided through Assurant and is similar to that of Sapphire cards, but the reimbursement limit is $50,000 and coverage is not available in Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland, or Northern Ireland. Additionally, for New York residents, the Bilt card's rental car insurance is secondary to any other insurance that will cover theft or damage to their rental car.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a budget-friendly premium credit card that offers a $395 annual fee, which can be offset by an annual Capital One Travel credit of up to $300 and 10,000 bonus miles every card anniversary (worth $100 in travel). Additionally, it provides primary car rental collision coverage of up to $75,000, and there are no additional restrictions for New York residents.

If you plan to rent a car for more than 15 days in your country of residence, the Sapphire Reserve or Preferred Cards may be better options as they provide coverage for rentals of 16 to 31 days. However, it's important to note that the Venture X's car rental insurance only applies to vehicles with an MSRP of up to $75,000 and is not valid in Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland.

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Bottom line

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® offer primary car rental coverage when you pay for an eligible rental with your card. This benefit can save you $15 or more per day, but it's crucial to understand how it works and when it applies. Despite this coverage, it's still important to have additional liability insurance.

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