Renting a car is often a necessary part of traveling, and you want to protect yourself financially when renting a vehicle. Fortunately, Chase makes it easy for its customers to receive rental car insurance coverage when they purchase a rental car with an eligible Chase credit card. Let’s look at the history of Chase and what you need to know about Chase rental car insurance.
The History of Chase
The original Chase Manhattan Bank dates all the way back to 1799 when it was founded by Aaron Burr, who would later go on to serve as the third Vice President of the United States. The company expanded across the country by purchasing several smaller banks and merging with companies like Bank One Corporation. In 2000, Chase merged with JP Morgan & Co. to become JP Morgan Chase Bank, more commonly known as Chase.
Today, Chase operates in 85 countries and is one of the top five banks in the United States. It provides essential banking services, such as checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards. Many Chase credit cards offer incredible benefits, including rental car insurance.
What Is Rental Car Insurance?
Rental car insurance protects a driver who is operating a rental car. Typically, you can purchase rental car insurance from your primary car insurance provider, your credit card company, or the company providing you with the rental vehicle. Depending on the amount of coverage you purchase, your rental car insurance policy will cover damages to the vehicle, property damage and injuries you’re responsible for, and your personal injuries. It might also cover the loss of personal items due to theft.
There are four types of insurance typically offered by rental car companies. They are:
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)
This type of coverage pays for repairs if you damage your rental vehicle. Your CDW might exclude particular car parts like tires or the windshield. It might also not cover weather damage or damage that occurs on private property.
Rental Car Liability
This type of coverage pays for repairs if you damage another driver’s vehicle or cause injuries to the other driver. It does not cover damages to your rental vehicle, your injuries, or your passengers’ injuries. Most states require rental car companies to include minimum liability coverage in the rental fee. One exception is California, which doesn’t require rental companies to include liability coverage in the price.
Personal Accident Insurance
This type of coverage pays for any medical care that you or your passengers might need for injuries sustained in an accident. Some personal accident insurance policies also cover damage to any personal property you have in the vehicle.
Personal Effects Coverage
If your personal accident insurance doesn’t cover property, you can purchase personal effects coverage. It pays for clothes, luggage, and other items lost if you’re a victim of rental car theft. Typically this coverage excludes or limits electronics and other expensive items.
Chase Rental Car Insurance
Several Chase credit cards offer rental car insurance, serving as either your primary or secondary rental car insurance provider. If you have primary coverage from Chase, that coverage is applied first. Any costs that exceed the primary coverage limits are covered by a secondary policy or out-of-pocket, depending on what other coverage you have. If Chase is your secondary rental car insurance provider, you must submit a claim with your primary provider before Chase pays for any damages.
Here are Chase credit cards that provide primary or secondary rental car insurance:
Chase Sapphire Reserve
This credit card provides primary rental car insurance with a $75,000 coverage limit. It requires customers to pay a $550 annual fee, and cardholders can earn points for travel, dining, and other purchases.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
This credit card provides primary rental car insurance coverage up to the cash value of the rental vehicle. Cardholders must pay a $95 annual fee and, as with the Reserve card, can earn points for various purchases.
Chase Freedom Unlimited
This card provides secondary coverage up to the cash value of the rental car and has no annual fee. Cardholders can earn cash back on travel purchases using the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. This card also offers cash back on dining, drugstore purchases, and other purchases.
Chase Freedom Flex
Like the Unlimited card, the Flex card has no annual fee and offers secondary insurance not exceeding the cash value of the rental car. It also gives cardholders several cash-back incentives for various purchases.
United Club Infinite
This card is ideal for travelers who frequently fly with United Airlines and want access to the United Club, which provides members with complimentary snacks, beverages, and Wi-Fi. The United Club Infinite card offers primary rental car insurance coverage up to the rental car’s cash value and has a $525 annual fee.
Keep in mind that if you have a Chase credit card that provides primary rental car insurance, you must sign a waiver refusing insurance from the rental car company if you want to take advantage of your credit card benefits.
Chase Rental Car Insurance Exclusions
While Chase rental car insurance covers most vehicle rentals, some exclusions apply. Your Chase rental car insurance will not cover the following:
- Luxury vehicles like Maseratis, Rolls-Royces, and Aston Martins. Your Chase benefits guide has a complete list of luxury brand exclusions.
- Vans that seat more than nine passengers
- Rental periods that exceed 31 days
- Traveling to specific countries. Your Chase benefits guide has a full list of countries where Chase rental car insurance is unavailable.
How to File A Chase Rental Car Insurance Claim
To file a Chase rental car insurance claim, take the following steps:
- Contact your Chase benefits administrator as soon as possible. Typically, you have 60 days to report an accident.
- Obtain as much documentation as possible, including the rental car agreement, repair estimate, and police report.
- If your rental car provider charges you any additional fees, pay for them with your Chase card. This ensures that you’ll quickly receive any eligible reimbursements.
- Fill out your claim and submit your documentation within 100 days of the accident.
Chase typically pays rental car insurance claims within 15 days of receiving your documentation.
Now that you know which Chase cards offer rental car insurance, you can decide which card is right for you. With Chase rental car insurance, you’ll travel with confidence and peace of mind.
At FIXD, our mission is to make car ownership as simple, easy, and affordable as possible. Our research team utilizes the latest automotive data and insights to create tools and resources that help drivers get peace of mind and save money over the life of their car.
