Having the right credit card can save you a lot on your next car rental. Many cards offer free rental car insurance when you pay for the rental with that car.
The best cards offer primary rental car insurance, which pays for any damage to the rental car before your insurance. But you will always need to still maintain liability insurance for damage to other vehicles.
Some cards, such as the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review), offers extra points plus rental car elite status.
We’ve got a lot of information to cover, so let’s dive right in.
1. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
10x Points via Capital One Travel and Primary Rental Car Insurance
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is a premium travel rewards card that’s perfect for travelers who want outstanding travel perks like annual travel credits, worldwide airport lounge access, and travel and purchase protections.
The Venture X earns 2x miles on all purchases helping you maximize every dollar of your spending. Plus, you can earn 10x miles on hotels and rental cars, and 5x miles on flights booked through Capital One.
The card has a $395 annual fee, completely offset by an easy-to-use travel credit of up to $300 back annually as statement credits for Bookings via Capital One Travel, and 10,000 points (worth at least $100) for each account anniversary.
Plus, you get airport lounge access via Priority Pass, Capital One, and Plaza Premium Lounges, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, rental car insurance, trip and luggage insurance, cell phone insurance, and purchase protection.
2. Chase Sapphire Reserve
3x Points and Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards Points for Spending $4,000 in the First 3 Months
- $300 Annual Travel Credit
- 10x Points on Hotels and Rental Cars and 5x Points on Flights Booked Through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3x Points on Dining, Takeout, & Eligible Food Delivery
- 50% More Redemption Value
- Priority Pass Airport Lounge Access
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $550 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a great option for travelers who want premium perks such as airport lounge access and top-tier travel protections.
The Sapphire Reserve has a $550 annual fee, but you receive an annual easy-to use $300 travel credit and access to 1,300 Priority Pass airport lounges.
Plus, great benefits such as trip delay insurance, primary rental car insurance, trip cancellation insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, purchase and return protection, extended warranty, and no foreign transaction fees.
Cardmembers also earn extra points with 5x points on flights and 10x points on hotels and car rentals through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on travel, dining, and food delivery purchases, and 1x points everywhere else.
You can also cash out points at a 50% bonus (1.5 cents per point) when redeeming points towards travel or transfer the points to Chase’s airline and hotel partners.
3. Chase Sapphire Preferred
2x Points and Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards Bonus Points for Spending $4,000 in the First 3 Months
- 5x Points on Travel Booked Via Chase
- 3x Points on Dining and Eligible Delivery Services
- 3x Points on Select Streaming and Online Grocery (excluding Walmart, Target, and Wholesale Clubs)
- 2x Points on All Other Travel Purchases
- 10% Anniversary Points Boost
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation Insurance
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- $95 Annual Fee
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best rewards cards for travelers who want solid earning rates for travel and dining expenses.
For only $95 per year, this card earns 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on travel booked through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, 3x points on dining, online groceries, and streaming services, and 2x on all other travel purchases.
Cardholders will also get a 10% anniversary points bonus, a 12-month DoorDash DashPass subscription, and a $50- anniversary hotel statement credit.
Plus, it provides extensive travel protections, including trip delay, primary rental car, baggage, and purchase protection plans.
4. Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
3x Points and Primary Rental Car Insurance for Business Rentals
- Earn 100,000 Ultimate Rewards Points After Spending $15,000 in Purchases in the First 3 Months
- 3X Points on Travel, Shipping, Advertising (Social Media and Search Engines), Internet, Cable, and Phone on the First $150,000 Each Account Year
- 25% Additional Points Value in Travel Redemption
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
- Cell Phone Protection
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a versatile business rewards card earning 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year in business categories, including shipping, online advertising, internet, phone, and travel.
This business card offers a lucrative bonus of 100,000 points worth $1,000 cash back or $1,250 when redeemed toward travel via Chase.
For $95 per year, the Chase Ink Business Preferred offers comprehensive protection, including trip cancellation insurance, trip delay insurance, primary rental car insurance, purchase protection, cell phone insurance, and extended warranty.
5. Bilt Rewards
2x Points and Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Pay Rent Without Fees and Earn 1 Point Per Dollar on Rent (up to 50,000 Points Per Calendar Year)
- No Annual Fee
- 3x Points on Dining
- 2x Points on Travel
- Transfer Rewards to Airlines and Hotels
- Cell Phone, Primary Rental Car, and Trip Delay Insurance
Bilt Mastercard® is a no-annual-fee credit card that allows you to pay rent without a transaction fee and earn 1 point per dollar on rent (up to 50,000 points per calendar year).
You also earn 3x points on dining, 2x points on travel, and 1x points everywhere else.
The Bilt Rewards card also has great benefits for a no-annual fee card, including cell phone insurance, primary rental car insurance, 90-day purchase protection, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and no foreign transaction fees.
Plus, you can transfer your points to airline and hotel partners such as United Airlines, American Airlines, and World of Hyatt. Or redeem the points for travel or at Amazon.
6. United℠ Explorer Card
1x Points and Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Earn 50,000 United Miles After Spending $3,000 in the First 3 Months
- 2X Miles on United Purchases, Dining, and Hotel Stays
- 2 United Club One-Time Passes Per Year
- Free First Checked Bags for Two People
- $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or Nexus Credit
- 25% Savings on United In-Flight Food and Drinks
- Priority Boarding
- Primary Rental Car and Trip Delay Insurance
- $0 Intro Annual Fee, Then $95 Per Year
The Chase United℠ Explorer Card is one of my favorite cards to keep long-term because of the great benefits when flying United, including:
- Free first checked bag when you pay using the Explorer card;
- Two free United Club passes each account anniversary;
- Priority boarding for you and companions on the same reservation;
- Extra award space when redeeming your United miles;
- 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages, and Wi-Fi on United; and
- Premier upgrades on award tickets.
The Explorer card also allows you to save money by booking a basic economy ticket, while still getting the ability to bring a free carry-on or checked bag.
7. United Business Card
- Earn 75,000 Miles after Spending $5,000 in the First 3 Months
- 2X Miles for United Airlines, Dining, Gas Stations, Office Supply Stores, Local Transit, and Commuting
- 2 United Club One-Time Passes Per Year
- $100 United Travel Credit
- Free First Checked Bags and Priority Boarding
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Trip Delay and Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
- $0 Intro Annual Fee, $99 Annual Fee Thereafter
The United℠ Business Card currently offers a welcome bonus of 75,000 miles after spending $5,000 within three months.
The United Business card offers nice perks on United Airlines, including:
- Two United Club lounge passes annually;
- Priority boarding for you and your companions;
- Free first checked bag for you and one companion on the same reservation;
- 25% back on in-flight purchases in the form of statement credits;
- $100 Annual Travel Credit if you make at least seven United flight travel-related purchases, each totaling at least $100;
- Anniversary bonus of 5,000 miles;
- Premier upgrades on award tickets;
- Expanded award availability; and
- Ability to earn Premier Qualifying Points for United elite status with spending.
8. Ink Business Cash Credit Card
- Earn a $750 Cash Welcome Bonus After Spending $6,000 in the First 3 Months.
- 5% Cash Back at Office Supply Stores, Internet, Cable, and Phone Services up to $25,000 Each Account Year
- 2% Cash Back at Gas Stations and Restaurants Up to $25,000 Each Account Year
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- No Annual Fee
The no-annual-fee Ink Business Cash® Credit Card currently offers a $750 cash-back bonus when you spend $6,000 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Plus, the Ink Business Cash earns:
- 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services each account anniversary year.
- 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year.
- 1% cash back on all other purchases.
The card also offers nice benefits such as primary rental car insurance (when renting for business purposes), 120-day purchase protection, and extended warranty protection.
9. Chase Freedom Unlimited®
1.5% Cash Back and Secondary Rental Car Insurance
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a good no-annual fee credit card option that offers 5% cash back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% cash back at restaurants, takeout, eligible delivery services, and on drugstore purchases. Plus it offers 1.5% cash back on all other eligible purchases.
The card also offers nice benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, and secondary rental car insurance.
10. Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles After Spending $4,500 in the First 3 Months
- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x Miles On Every Purchase
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the First Year, $95 Thereafter
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business is one of the top travel rewards credit cards for small business owners.
The card earns unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. It also earns unlimited 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, which can be transferred to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners.
The Spark Miles also offers a statement credit for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four years (up to $100) and no foreign transaction fees.
11. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
2x Points and Secondary Rental Car Insurance
- Earn 75,000 Bonus Miles After Spending $4,000 Within the First Three Months
- 5x Miles on Hotels and Rental Cars via Capital One
- 2x Miles Everywhere Else
- 2 Free Visits to Capital One Lounges Each Year
- Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check Credit
- Hertz 5-Star Elite Status
- Rental Car Insurance and Extended Warranty
- $95 Annual Fee
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a travel rewards credit card that earns an unlimited 2 miles per dollar on all purchases and 5 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.
The card also offers up to a $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit, and two free visits each year to the Capital One Lounge.
