Which credit cards are best for renting a car in 2022?
When we analyze travel credit cards, it’s easy to spot obvious perks like sign-up bonus points and cashback on purchases. Some hidden perks are valuable but often overlooked, such as free rental car insurance, accidental trip interruption insurance, and more. This article will take you to summarize, which credit cards are the most cost-effective for car rental in 2022~
Credit card with car rental insurance
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
- Ink Business Cash Credit Card
- United Explorer Card
- United Business Card
Not only do these credit cards come with great perks, but they also come with free rental car insurance. Renting a car with these credit cards means a free extra layer of security. Some cards have Primary car rental coverage, which can bypass your car insurance and pay directly, and you do not need to buy insurance provided by the rental car company, which can save a lot of money.
The Difference Between Primary and Secondary Car Insurance
Generally speaking, there are two types of insurance provided by credit cards with free rental car insurance benefits, one is called Primary insurance, and the other is called Secondary insurance. These two types of insurance are very different, so we must be sure before using them. Find out what you have first.
Secondary insurance claims will be involved after the personal insurance payment, which means that when we rent a car if an accident occurs, we need to use our insurance to pay first. If the personal insurance payment is insufficient, the secondary insurance on the credit card itself will intervene. Come in and pay.
For example, an accident needs to pay the rental car company and other losses of $88,229. Personal auto insurance can cover $50,000, and the remaining $38,229 can be applied for credit card insurance.
Primary insurance can apply for claims directly without using personal car insurance and insurance provided by rental car companies. This type of insurance is of course more affordable than the previous one, and it has the least impact on the user itself, so when renting a car, you can explicitly refuse the commercial car rental insurance provided by the car rental company.
It should be noted that no matter what kind of insurance there is a payout limit. Friends need to first figure out what the upper limit of their credit card car rental insurance is, and they can use it with confidence.
In special cases, Secondary insurance can automatically become Primary insurance.
If the rental car takes place abroad, the credit card rental insurance covers foreign regions, but the personal auto insurance only covers the United States, then the credit card insurance can automatically become Primary insurance.
Another situation is that if the individual does not have a car and therefore does not have insurance, some credit card policies stipulate that in this case, Secondary insurance can also automatically become Primary insurance. The editor recommends that in the above situation, you may wish to call the bank to verify before using it.
Chase Sapphire Collection Credit Card
The Sapphire family of credit cards offers Primary insurance, which covers the cost of car crash damage, loss, car theft, and trailer rescue services.
Chase Sapphire Reserve coverage is capped at $75,000, while Chase Sapphire Preferred coverage is capped at the cash value of the car itself.
Ink Business Series Credit Cards
Like the Sapphire series, the Ink series of business credit cards also provide Primary insurance, and the insurance payout is capped at the cash value of the car itself. The difference to note is: To get Primary insurance for this card, the rental car itself should be for business/official use rather than private use. If it is for private use, the insurance is automatically changed to Secondary insurance.
United Airlines Series Credit Cards
The United Airlines series of credit cards also provide Primary insurance, and the insurance payout is capped at the cash value of the car itself. Applying for a United family of credit cards recently is a great deal, as sign-up bonuses all offer limited-time upgrades. Travel enthusiasts or those who love flying with United should not miss this opportunity.
AmEx currently does not have a card that offers Primary insurance
American Express does not currently provide Primary insurance, and all its cards with free rental car insurance are Secondary coverage. However, most Express cards provide a Premium Car Rental Protection policy, which is similar to allowing users to pay a sum of money to cover a period. Rental car insurance for a specific period. The advantage of this policy is that instead of charging by the day like the insurance offered by rental car companies, it can cover up to 42 days.
Credit Card Rental Car Insurance Notes
It is good to bring your car rental insurance with a credit card, but you also need to pay attention to the following matters to avoid accidental losses.
- Credit card insurance does not include Liability insurance. It means that in the event of a car collision, the credit card insurance compensation only covers your rental car, but does not cover the other party’s vehicle and other related compensation.
- Credit card rental car insurance does not cover all motor vehicles. Such as large trucks, motorcycles, large transport vehicles, and so on.
- Insurance is only available for short-term, specific time rentals. In the case of long-term monthly rental, compensation will be refused.
- In most cases, the insurance will not compensate for the loss of other fixed assets or personal injury caused by the accident.
In general, it is best to read the instructions before using them. If there is any problem, you can check with the bank first. It is more secure to use it after ensuring that it is correct.
Epilogue
There are fewer and fewer credit cards offering the passive benefit of primary insurance, and Chase’s high-end travel card is one of the few. When choosing a credit card, most small partners will give priority to intuitive benefits such as sign-up bonuses and cashback rebates. Such potentially high-value passive benefits are easily overlooked. For friends who often need to rent a car, consider a credit card suitable for renting a car.
