Does chase freedom unlimited have car rental insurance

Q: What are the benefits of the Chase Freedom Card?

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® credit card awards 1.5% cash back for every $1 spent on all purchases. You also earn 5% cash back on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards® and 3% cash back on dining purchases at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, and drugstores.

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Does my Chase Freedom Visa card have rental car insurance?

I have a Chase Freedom Visa card. Does it include rental car insurance? I heard that credit cards often come with rental car insurance. I'm renting a car this weekend and want to know what coverage I have.

“Your Chase Freedom Visa card doesn’t come with full coverage rental car insurance. However, it offers roadside assistance and a collision damage waiver.

When you purchase a rental car with your Chase Freedom card and decline the rental car company’s collision coverage, your card will provide you with coverage for theft and collision on the vehicle.

If you have car insurance already, this coverage is secondary to your current auto policy.

If you don’t have car insurance or would like extra protection, you can still opt for the rental car company’s liability insurance. This would protect others if you injure them or damage their vehicle in an at fault accident. Before you decline the rental car company’s insurance, you can reach out to Chase at 1-800-432-3117. to confirm your card’s rental car coverage.”

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The Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited® both offer insurance coverage for the financial cost of damage or theft to a rented vehicle. However, coverage through the collision damage waiver (CDW) is secondary insurance -- it only kicks in after other forms of insurance (like your personal car insurance).

That's why those who use rental cars more often may be better off with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, as both of these credit cards offer cardholders primary rental car insurance.

How the rental car collision damage waiver works

The CDWs from Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited® provide reimbursement for damage resulting from collision or theft up to the cash value of a vehicle you rent with the card. But note that this benefit pays out only after other forms of insurance do.

The benefits guide states that the CDW will not pay for theft or damage that's reimbursable by your own insurer, employer, employer's insurance, or any other valid reimbursement.

That means the CDW from Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited® is secondary insurance. It will only cover what your own car insurance doesn't. In most cases, the benefit will cover your deductible, or perhaps the money you have to pay out of pocket when making a claim to your existing car insurance policy.

Other Chase credit cards provide primary insurance, which steps in before your personal car insurance when you make a claim. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one such card, but unlike the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited®, it carries an annual fee of $95.

How to get this benefit

You receive a CDW from the Chase Freedom Flex℠ or Chase Freedom Unlimited® when you use the card to pay for the entirety of the car rental transaction and decline similar coverage from the car rental company.

Here's the two-step process for getting a CDW:

Complete the entire rental transaction using your card that's eligible for the benefit.
Decline the rental company's collision damage waiver or similar provision if it's offered to you. The company may refer to the collision damage waiver as a CDW or LDW (loss damage waiver) in their contract or when speaking with you. If you accept the collision damage waiver offered by the rental company, you will not be eligible for the auto rental CDW.

What's covered?

The CDW reimburses cardholders for any covered damage or loss up to the cash value of the rental car. This benefit only covers rental periods of up to 31 consecutive days, and the entire transaction must be initiated and completed on your Chase credit card.

Here are some of the common covered losses:

Physical damage and theft of the covered rental vehicle
Reasonable towing charges to take the vehicle to the nearest qualified repair facility
Valid loss-of-use charges the rental company assesses while the vehicle is being repaired

Loss-of-use coverage is very important, as few people realize that they're responsible for paying to rent the car while it's in service for repairs. For example, if a collision results in damage that takes a week to fix, the renter has to pay for that week it was out of use. Credit card rental car insurance can be very valuable here.

Note that the coverage does not cover any liability or damage to other cars. It also doesn't cover any bodily harm or other liability. The coverage is solely for the cost of repairing or replacing a damaged or stolen vehicle you rented. On the bright side, state laws typically require that car rental companies provide liability and bodily injury coverage for people who rent cars.

Some vehicles aren't covered

For obvious reasons, most credit cards, including Chase Freedom® cards, don't cover automobiles that are especially expensive. Most luxury and exotic cars (for example, Lamborghinis), larger vehicles (vans that can transport more than eight people), and antique vehicles (autos more than 20 years old or those that haven't been made for the last 10 years) are excluded from the CDW. Trucks, motorbikes, and a few other types of vehicles are also excluded from coverage.

Who gets covered?

When you use a Chase Freedom Flex℠ or Chase Freedom Unlimited® to pay for a rental car, you are covered as the primary renter. Any additional drivers that the rental contract permits to operate the car are also covered.

Your card's CDW will cover other people only if you add them to the rental contract. Note that car rental companies usually charge a fee for additional drivers, often $5 or $10 per day, per additional driver.

How to think about the collision damage waiver

A CDW is really a protection for the financial cost of a damaged or stolen rental car, and little more. If you return a car with damage, the card's coverage will kick in after other forms of insurance, including your personal car insurance. For that reason, secondary rental car insurance is most valuable for people who have a high deductible on their existing car insurance policy.

Frequent car renters would be better off with a credit card that provides primary rental car insurance, since it steps in before your personal auto insurance policy. Cardholders who have primary rental car insurance can avoid a claim, and thus higher premiums on their car insurance, because the card, rather than other forms of insurance, covers the claim.

That's not the case with the secondary insurance most credit cards provide, which require you to make a claim on your personal car insurance before it pays out on any excess expenses.

For cards with better primary car insurance policies, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which offers primary car insurance and has the lowest annual fee of any card that offers the benefit. On the downside, the only cards that offer primary insurance carry an annual fee, but for frequent renters, the annual fee more than pays for itself, given that rental car companies charge as much as $10 or $15 a day for CDWs. So, a $95 annual fee on a card with primary coverage pays for itself for people who rent cars for at least one week each year.

Here's how the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card compares to the Chase Freedom Flex℠ and Chase Freedom Unlimited®:

As of Nov. 08, 2022

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Chase Freedom Flex℠

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars.

4.50 stars

Info IconCircle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.

5.00 stars

Rating image, 5.00 out of 5 stars.

5.00 stars

Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

On Chase's Secure Website.

Apply Now for Chase Freedom Flex℠

On Chase's Secure Website.

Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®

On Chase's Secure Website.

Read Full Review

Credit Rating Requirement:

Good/Excellent (670-850) Info IconCircle with letter I in it. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.

Credit Rating Requirement:

Welcome Offer: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

60,000 bonus points

Welcome Offer: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening!

$200 bonus

Welcome Offer: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.

Up to $300 cash back

Rewards Program: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. Enjoy beneﬁts such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.

2x - 5x points

Rewards Program: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Plus, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.

1% - 5% cash back

Rewards Program: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 1.5% on all other purchases

1.5% - 5% cash back

Intro APR: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. N/A

Purchases: N/A

Balance Transfers: N/A

Intro APR: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months

Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months

Intro APR: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months

Purchases: 0% Intro APR on Purchases, 15 months

Balance Transfers: 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers, 15 months

Regular APR:

18.99% - 25.99% Variable

Regular APR:

17.99% - 26.74% Variable

Regular APR:

17.99% - 26.74% Variable

Annual Fee: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. N/A

$95

Annual Fee: Info IconCircle with letter I in it. N/A

Highlights:

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Enjoy benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.
Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.

Highlights:

Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter!
5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more
3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 17.99% - 26.74%.
No annual fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Flex℠ card
Keep tabs on your credit health - Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, real-time alerts, and more.

Highlights:

INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards®, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 17.99% - 26.74%.
No annual fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, real-time alerts, and more.

Apply Now for Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

On Chase's Secure Website.

Apply Now for Chase Freedom Flex℠

On Chase's Secure Website.

Apply Now for Chase Freedom Unlimited®

On Chase's Secure Website.

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Does Chase Freedom have travel protection?

The Chase Freedom Unlimited card offers several helpful travel protections, including: Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance covering up to $1,500 per person or $6,000 per trip. Secondary auto rental collision damage waiver.

What are the benefits of the Chase Freedom Card?

The Chase Freedom Unlimited^® credit card awards 1.5% cash back for every $1 spent on all purchases. You also earn 5% cash back on travel purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards^® and 3% cash back on dining purchases at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services, and drugstores.

Does Chase offer discounts on car rentals?

Chase credit card car rental discounts give qualifying cardmembers up to 35% off rentals when they book a car through Avis, Silvercar, or National Car Rental. While Chase only markets this benefit for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you could get discounts as a payment network perk if you have another Chase card.