Credit card rental car insurance: What it is & how it works

Credit cards can offer cardholders everything from rewards to travel perks. And some card benefits even include rental car insurance. 

This coverage can help protect cardholders when there’s damage to their rental vehicle and more. Learn more about how rental car insurance works.

What you’ll learn:

• Credit card issuers sometimes offer rental car insurance through their cards.

• Credit card rental car insurance may cover things like damage to vehicles and towing. 

• In some cases, credit card rental car insurance can supplement personal auto insurance. 

• Credit card rental car insurance may be comparable to the coverage rental companies offer.

• Rental car insurance is available to eligible Capital One Venture X, Venture, VentureOne, Quicksilver, QuicksilverOne and Savor cardholders.

When you rent an eligible vehicle with a qualifying credit card, you may automatically receive rental car insurance. To take advantage of the insurance, you’ll need to:

• Pay the entire rental amount with your qualifying credit card.

• Add all drivers to the rental car agreement.

• Decline the rental company’s optional collision damage waiver.

Keep in mind that if your rental vehicle is in an accident and you’re found to be at fault, credit card car rental insurance generally won’t cover medical expenses or damage to other vehicles.

Also, some vehicles like antique cars, exotic cars and high-capacity vans are excluded from this coverage. If you’re unsure whether your rental is covered, contact the card’s benefits administrator before your trip to ensure you make an informed decision at the rental counter.

Credit card rental car insurance is typically either primary or secondary coverage. With primary coverage, credit card insurance is applied before a renter’s personal auto insurance kicks in. With secondary coverage, personal auto insurance is applied first and then the credit card insurance supplements it if necessary. 

If an individual rents a car using secondary credit card insurance and does not have personal auto insurance, the credit card coverage generally converts to primary coverage.

Rental car insurance is available through a variety of credit cards. Capital One offers rental car insurance on eligible Venture X, Venture, VentureOne, Quicksilver, QuicksilverOne and Savor cards. Before your trip, check your benefits guide and/or contact the card’s benefits administrator to confirm your coverage and become familiar with the terms and conditions as well as the exclusions.

Rental car insurance can vary between credit card networks and card issuers. 

If your card offers rental car insurance, you can check its benefits guide for details about your coverage.

Rental car coverage could differ from card to card. It can also vary based on location. 

Here are some types of coverage the benefit may provide:

• Collision coverage: For physical damage to your rental car in case of a collision

• Theft coverage: In case your rental vehicle is stolen

• Towing charge coverage: To recover your rental vehicle if it needs to be towed after an accident

• Loss-of-use charge coverage: For when the rental company seeks reasonable compensation for lost rental revenue if your vehicle is damaged since it can’t be rented while it’s being repaired

To verify exactly what’s covered by your credit card network, check your card’s benefits guide.

Credit card rental car insurance is limited to situations involving only your rental car. Here are claims that aren’t covered by credit card rental car insurance:

• Physical injury to you or others

• Damage to other vehicles

• Property damage to the belongings of others 

• Luggage or other items stolen from the rental vehicle

• Mechanical breakdown of the rental vehicle 

If you aren’t sure exactly what’s covered by your rental car insurance, check your card’s benefits guide.

If you don’t know whether the coverage through your card is primary or secondary, you may want to check your card’s benefits guide. Secondary coverage tends to be more common.

There are required timelines by which you’ll need to provide notice of an incident. For that reason, regardless of whether you have primary or secondary coverage, you’ll want to provide notice of the incident as soon as possible—even if you don’t have all the required documentation in hand. Information on your responsibilities as well as how to initiate a claim online is typically found in your card’s benefits guide.

Here’s how the process might work:

1. Notify your card’s claims administrator about the incident involving your rental car or initiate a claim online.

2. Complete a claim form and provide documentation, which may include things like the vehicle rental agreement, the police report from the incident and an itemized repair estimate.

3. Receive payment for proven losses in the time frame specified by the benefits administrator.

Here are answers to frequently asked questions about credit card rental car insurance:

Credit card issuers sometimes offer rental car insurance through their credit cards. This benefit can be used on its own or in combination with personal car insurance to give extra peace of mind. 

Capital One offers travel rewards credit cards with valuable benefits—including rental car insurance—and elevated rewards to help make your travel experience more enjoyable. 

• Explore travel rewards cards with unlimited miles you can actually use. 

• Earn a one-time 75,000-mile bonus and receive an additional 10,000 bonus miles every year, starting on your first anniversary, with the Venture X card.

• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day, and earn a one-time 75,000-mile bonus with the Venture card. 

• Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day, with the VentureOne card.