Whether you are traveling for business or vacation, renting a car is the best and most convenient way to get around. However, there will be a probability of getting into an accident or your rental car can be stolen and all this will become a significant source of anxiety for many travelers. Also, all the insurance policies offered by different rental car companies can be so confusing as well as costly.
Fortunately, Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Rental Car Insurance Preferred cardholders have access to rental car insurance with many benefits included with their credit card. Both Chase Sapphire cards provide virtually identical rental car insurance along with many benefits, the only difference is the maximum liability covered in both.
Chase Sapphire Rental Car Insurance
The Chase Sapphire card provides the car rental collision damage waiver to claim your damage caused by accident or theft. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card covers reimbursement up to $75,000 while the Chase Sapphire Preferred card will reimburse up to the actual cash value of the rental car. The CDW or LDW does not cover any other type of loss by Chase Sapphire.
This means that if an accident happened with you in your rental car and you are at fault, then damage to another driver’s car or property or injury to that person is not covered by the Chase Sapphire. In addition, The Chase Sapphire covers the theft of rental but the content inside the car is not covered. That means, if the rental car is stolen then your personal belongings or property such as your luggage or money in the car would not be insured by the Chase Sapphire CDW.
Travel Insurance with Chase Sapphire Rental Car Insurance
What’s covered
- Theft or Physical damage covered with rental car
- Reasonable and customary towing charges of the car to the nearest qualified repair facility
- Valid loss-of-use charges done by the rental car agency
What’s not covered
- Expenses reimbursed under your car insurance policy, your employer, or your employer’s insurance
- Any obligation you assume other than the agreement
- Injury of any person or thing during an accident
- Leases or mini leases, and car-share services
- Violation of the car rental agreement
- Loss or theft of personal property
What are the Eligibility requirements for using Chase Sapphire for Rental Car Insurance?
To be eligible for Chase Sapphire rental car insurance, you must meet the following requirements:
- Use your Chase Sapphire card or points to pay for the entire rental car
- Decline the rental car company’s coverage
- The rental period must be 31 days or less
How to file a Claim to Chase Sapphire Rental Car Insurance
If you need to submit a claim file to Chase Sapphire rental car insurance, you can do the following these steps:
- Collect all necessary documentation: Collect all documentation relevant to the incident, including a police report, rental car agreement, etc.
- Contact the Benefits Administrator: Call the Benefits Administrator in the Chase Sapphire company to report theft or damage to the rental car.
- File your claim online: You can file your claim online through mail or the website eclaimsline.com.
- Provide the required information: At the time of filing your claim, you must provide details about the incident, including the date and time of the incident, the rental car company, and all other relevant information.
- The copy of the accident report form
- A copy of the rental agreement
- A copy of the car repair estimate and final repair bill
- At least two photos of the damage
- Police report (if available)
- A copy of the demand letter written by the rental agency (which indicates what you are liable for)
- Completed and signed CDW claim form
- Credit card account statement that shows the charge for the rental car transaction
- Wait for your claim to be processed: After you file your claim, you must wait for a few days to be processed. The processing time of a claim it takes to process a claim depends on the specifics of the claim.
- Receive reimbursement for covered costs: If your claim is approved, Chase Sapphire will reimburse you for the damage costs according to the policy limits.
What are the Alternatives to Chase Sapphire Rental Car Insurance?
There are a few alternatives with Chase Sapphire Rental Car Insurance as follows:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
This Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a new premium travel card making waves in the market with its $395 annually, which is much lower than the Chase Sapphire Reserve but has many similar perks. This card has a $300 annual travel credit (booking confirmed through Capital One Travel) and a yearly bonus of 10,000 miles with no inclusion of foreign transaction fee. It accesses more than a dozen transfer partners along with Hertz rental car elite status.
American Express Green Card
The American Express Green Card offers several benefits as same as the Chase Sapphire Reserve but most importantly lower annual fee, i.e., $150 (Terms apply). Both Card companies earn 3x points on any travel and restaurants worldwide.
Even the cardholder of an American Express Green Card receives a $100 LoungeBuddy credit to visit airport lounges worldwide. It also comes up with a ShopRunner Prime membership, which is valued at $79. The overall benefits are the same for both but the perks are more practical with American Express Green Card.
The Platinum Card from American Express
The Platinum Card from American Express rings more bells and whistles in the customer’s mind by providing a justifiable annual fee (Terms apply). It is probably in the closest competition with the Chase Sapphire Reserve. The Platinum Card from American Express cardholder gets access to many money-saving programs like Fine Hotels & Resorts & AmEx Offers as well as the FHR elite class bookings.
This booking includes free breakfast, resort credits, space-available room upgrades, and complimentary nights. Even the annual $200 Uber fee credit of the Platinum Card from American Express is more practical than the Chase Sapphire Reserve DoorDash credit.