All about rental car insurance through Capital One cards

Vacations are great. But trouble with a rental car while you’re on vacation? Not so great. The good news is rental car insurance is available through some Capital One credit cards.

With rental car insurance, you may be covered in the event of a collision or the theft of your rental.

What you’ll learn:

• Rental car insurance through a Capital One card may cover theft, damage to a rental car due to a collision and reasonable loss-of-use charges.

• Rental car insurance is available through many Capital One cards, including Venture X as well as some Venture and Venture One cards.*

• Venture X comes with rental car insurance as primary coverage. For the majority of covered Capital One cards, though, the coverage is secondary.

• To use the insurance, you’ll need to decline the rental car company’s collision damage waiver and pay for the full rental with your Capital One card.

Rental car insurance is a cardholder benefit that comes with some credit cards. This coverage can help protect cardholders when there’s damage to their rental vehicle or if their rental car is stolen.

Rental car coverage may be available through other cards too. You can check your Capital One card’s benefits guide to see what benefits come with your Capital One card.

To be eligible for this insurance benefit, you’ll need to decline the collision damage waiver that’s typically offered by rental car companies. You’ll also need to use your eligible Capital One card to pay for the full amount of the rental.

Reading your card’s benefits guide can give you a better idea about requirements, what’s covered and how to file a claim. For example, some say losses aren’t covered if you don’t report them within 45 days of the incident.

Capital One cards offer rental car insurance as primary or secondary coverage.

Venture X provides primary coverage. That means your card insurance is applied before your personal auto insurance when making a claim. The other Capital One cards offering rental car insurance provide secondary coverage. That means your personal auto insurance is applied first. From there, your personal auto policy deductible may be reimbursed through the car rental coverage on your credit card.

With rental car insurance through a Capital One card, you could be covered for the following events:

• Collision—when an accident results in physical damage to your rental car

• Theft—in case your rental vehicle is stolen

• Loss-of-use charges—when the rental company seeks compensation for lost revenue while the vehicle is being repaired

Some types of claims aren’t covered through the insurance offered through Capital One credit cards. They include: 

• Incidents with the vehicle involving a driver not listed on the rental agreement

• Bodily injury to you or other people

• Mechanical breakdown of the rental vehicle 

• Damage to other vehicles

• Damage to other people’s property 

• Theft of luggage or other items from the rental vehicle

Regardless of which covered credit card you use, the process for starting a claim is mostly the same. You’ll need to:

1. Report your covered event: Tell your card’s benefits administrator as soon as possible. To begin a claim, refer to your card’s benefits guide for the phone number or website to begin the process.

2. Provide documents: You might need to present copies of your vehicle rental agreement, repair estimate and itemized repair bill, among other documents.

3. Wait for next steps: Your card’s benefits administrator should be in touch with information about what to do next.

Check out these frequently asked questions about rental car insurance through Capital One credit cards.

Rental car insurance is a benefit that comes with several Capital One credit cards. It can offer peace of mind when you travel because it can help cover the cost of the theft of a rental vehicle or repairs if you’re involved in an accident while driving it. 

If you’re thinking about getting a card that comes with rental car insurance, you can compare Capital One credit cards and see if you’re pre-approved, without harming your credit scores.