Citi Card Car Rental Insurance
Citi no longer offers car rental insurance or other travel insurance on most of its credit cards, but you may still be covered on a Citi card through the credit card network. The major credit card networks, including Mastercard and Visa, typically offer car rental insurance as a benefit. Check with your card network to see if you’re covered, or use a different card that explicitly offers this benefit.
Compare Credit Cards With Car Rental Insurance Benefits
If your credit card offers car rental insurance, check its guide to benefits to see how to qualify for coverage. Typically this involves:
- Paying for your entire car rental with the credit card that offers insurance.If you dont pay for your reservation with this card, you wont be covered.
- This might be abbreviated as CDW or called a loss-damage waiver in the companys contract. If you accept the rental companys collision damage waiver, you wont be eligible for your credit cards car rental insurance.
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Actual cash value of vehicle | US, most foreign countries | Primary when renting for business, outside the US for personal use or if you dont have auto insurance secondary when renting in the US for personal use |
Pros & Cons Of The Capital One Spark Classic For Business
PROS | CONS |
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Opportunity to build credit:This card can help you build your credit if you use it responsibly and you pay your balances on time. | No 0% introductory APR: You cant take advantage of interest-free financing if you plan to use this card to make a large purchase. |
Only requires fair credit: Business owners with fair credit can qualify for the Capital One® Spark® Classic credit card. | No sign-up bonus: Unlike most small business credit cards, this card doesnt offer a sign-up bonus. |
No annual fee: You can earn unlimited fixed-rate rewards without having to pay an annual fee. | High APR: The Capital One® Spark® Classic credit card charges a high ongoing APR of 26.99%, which changes with the prime rate. |
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What Does Turo Say About Credit Card Insurance
Turo makes it clear on its website that you shouldnt automatically assume that credit card insurance will cover your rental. For example, Turo Support states, your credit card company may not provide coverage for a Turo trip in one article. Then, in another article, Turo Support further explains:
Its very unlikely that your credit card company provides coverage for damage to a car booked through Turo. Its even less likely that it provides liability coverage for injuries or damage you may cause to other people or their property. Thats because Turo is not a rental car company. Were a peer-to-peer car sharing platform, so credit card companies may provide no coverage for a car booked through Turo.
Of course, we cant provide advice on the specific terms of any coverage that your credit card may or may not offer. Youll want to carefully review the terms they provided you and contact them if you have coverage questions.
So, lets take a closer look at the terms of several credit card issuers that offer car rental coverage.
Who Is Covered Under The Capital One Venture X Insurance

Just because youve got a Capital One Venture X card and used it to make your car rental doesnt mean youre all set. Its important to know exactly who and what is covered.
The primary cardholder whose name is printed on the card is covered as long as they are listed as the primary renter on the car rental agreement. In addition, any additional driver listed in the rental agreement will also be covered. Anyone in your party not listed in the rental agreement as a driver will not be covered.
This benefit also extends rental car coverage to any authorized users on your card so long as they use their card to rent a car.
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Travel And Emergency Assistance Services
Capital One provides travel, emergency, medical, and legal assistance 24 hours a day to the cardholder, their immediate family members, and any business associates. The number is toll-free, but youll be responsible for the cost of any actual medical, legal, transportation, cash advance, or other services provided.
Is Turo Cheaper Than Renting
Low Price points available While Turo doesnt claim or try to beat traditional rental car prices, it can be a cheaper alternative. This allows cheaper cars to be rented. The price is also governed by the car owner. For example, for our compact Smart four two it was $17 per day rental and $8.50 per day for insurance.
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Using Credit Card Car Rental Insurance
You might need to take several steps if you want to take advantage of your credit card’s rental car coverage.
It’s important to know what type of coverage your credit card offers and just how much it will protect you otherwise, you could end up paying for more than you think.
Main Capital One Ventureone Card Rewards And Benefits
The Capital One VentureOne Card includes impressive rewards rates for a card with no annual fee:
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 1.25X miles per dollar spent on all purchases
As for the welcome bonus, new cardholders earn 20,000 bonus miles after using their card to spend $500 within three months of account opening. Additionally, new cardholders receive a 0 percent intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months , making this card a solid choice to consider if youre looking to finance a large purchase or transfer a balance.
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Rental Car Insurance Using A Credit Card In Costa Rica
For us there are a number of advantages to using our card coverage instead of buying CDW or other policies from the rental car agency
We cant guarantee that it will be the same for everyone because coverage depends on your card agreement and the rental agreement including all the fine print therein. We can tell you it is worth checking into.
Other Options | Damage Claims | Fine Print
Auto Rental Collision Damage
The actual cash value of your rental, minus depreciation | |
How to file |
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How Does Credit Card Car Rental Insurance Work
Many of the best travel credit cards count auto rental insurance among their benefits, but youll also find it on many cards without annual fees. To be eligible for your credit cards car rental insurance, you must:
- Pay for the entire rental agreement with your credit card.
- Be listed as the primary driver.
Then, if something happens with your rental car, you can file a claim with your credit card. Its benefits will kick in either before or after your regular auto insurance, depending on whether your cards coverage is primary or secondary. Youre typically covered for a certain number of consecutive days, up to the cash value of the car.
- Primary: Acts as the main insurance on your rental car, so your regular car insurance company wont even be contacted.
- Secondary: Only applies once your regular car insurance has been maxed out.
Clearly, primary coverage is preferable, because it doesnt involve your own insurance. Which means you wont risk paying a deductible or increasing your premium.
Though Chase has the most options with primary coverage, its policies vary by card. The Chase Freedomcar rental insurance, for example, is secondary, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred car rental insurance is primary. The majority of other credit card companies offer secondary coverage on most of their cards.
Its worth noting, though, that most secondary insurance policies become primary in two situations:
Insider tip
Does Capital One Include Rental Car Coverage With Their Credit Cards

I have a Visa Platinum card from Capital One. I will be renting a car next week and am deciding what coverage I need. Does Capital One offer rental car insurance?
canât be longer than 15 days1-800-397-9010
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A Word Of Warning To The Uninsured
If you don’t have personal auto insurance, it’s important to do your homework before signing the rental car company’s insurance waiver or depending on your credit card’s auto rental insurance benefit.
“If you do not drive a vehicle otherwise and dont have a car insurance policy, the coverage offered by rental car companies is a wise choice,” Tilford said, adding that a credit card companys supplemental coverage could be helpful as well. “Although the coverage offered by rental companies is unregulated and therefore, not technically considered insurance, remember that there will be a claims process similar to standard car insurance and coverage limits to consider.”
Additionally, if you arent covered by a personal car insurance policy, remember that what your credit card insurance offers doesnt typically include liability or injury coverage, nor does it cover property damage or loss costs.
There Are Some Things That No Policy Covers
Driving on the beach or through rivers, drunk driving or driving while committing a crime are a few examples of things that will void all insurance coverage including credit card. See the fine print on the policy for details
Fording the Río Agujitas about three km from where the road south of Drake dead ends into Playa San Josecito. The suspension bridge is part of the coast trail that is the only way to get around the region on land in the rainy season.
Other Options | Damage Claims | Fine Print
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Is Rental Car Coverage Primary Or Secondary
Primary coverage is better, but few cards offer it. After an accident, primary coverage pays first, allowing you to bypass your personal auto insurance. That means you can avoid paying a deductible and potentially seeing your premiums rise. The secondary coverage that most credit cards offer typically means your auto insurer pays the claim but the card will reimburse your deductible and potentially other costs not covered by your personal policy.
Other Things To Know About Primary Rental Car Insurance
- You should pay for the rental with your credit card and decline the rental car agencys CDW to activate your cards policy. You may have to book the rental with your card as well.
- Your cards CDW only covers theft and damage to your rental car it will not cover damages to property or another car, or injuries to yourself or another person.
- Certain countries as well as certain vehicle types may be excluded from your cards rental car coverage check your cards terms and conditions closely for exclusions.
- In case of an accident, be sure to hold onto all documentation including the accident report and a copy of your rental agreement and report the incident to your benefit administrator as soon as possible. There may be a time limit on the policy.
While these are some common limitations, your cards benefits guide will contain a detailed list of limitations. You should familiarize yourself with your benefits guide before you rent a car.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Green Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
The Capital One Spark Cash for Business card may no longer be available.
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Amexs Premium Car Rental Protection
As you can see above, Chase and Capital One have the best credit cards with rental car coverage. Unfortunately Citi cards largely dont offer this kind of coverage anymore.
What about American Express, though, especially given the number of premium cards the issuer has? While Amex cards dont offer primary rental car coverage as a standard card perk, Amex does have a premium rental car protection program, whereby you can pay a fixed amount per rental to get coverage.
While Id personally prefer to use a Chase or Capital One card with included coverage, this is worth being aware of if you primarily have Amex cards and want to rent a car.
How Does Credit Card Rental Car Insurance Work
Here’s how credit card rental car insurance works. In most cases, you:
If you get into a crash, your rental car gets stolen, or you experience another covered mishap, file a claim with the credit card company within the required time. If the coverage on your card is secondary , you’ll first need to file a claim with any other insurance that covers you.
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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
While not quite as comprehensive as the other options, you can still lean on this card’s benefits to help you out in a pinch. Its annual fee is $95.
Car Rental Coverage: As a Visa Signature card, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card extends secondary auto collision damage waiver coverage. It applies to physical damage and theft of the covered rental vehicle, loss of use, and towing charges to the nearest facility due to theft or damage. However, it won’t cover longer rentals , and excludes most expensive or exotic automobiles, among other restrictions.
Primary Coverage Vs Secondary Coverage

Youll notice that some credit cards offer primary rental car coverage, while others offer secondary coverage. Whats the difference?
- Primary coverage is when the policy applies regardless of what your existing insurance situation is in other words, if you get in an accident, you could file a claim through your credit card benefit before you have to go through your personal insurance
- Secondary coverage is when your policy is supplemental to any existing insurance benefit you have in other words, youd have to go through your personal insurance first, and that could cause your insurance premium to go up
Whenever possible, youll want to use a card with primary rental car coverage. Its also worth noting that some credit cards offer primary rental car coverage abroad, while they only offer secondary coverage in the United States. The logic is that many people have an insurance policy in the United States, which doesnt cover them abroad.
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