Using the right Bank of America credit card for a rental car purchase could provide you with helpful car insurance protection.
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Bank of America credit cards often provide a wide range of benefits to cardholders. Some cards offer travel benefits such as rental car insurance that could come in handy on your next trip.
Paying for a rental car with a credit card that offers this insurance could help you save money and provide you with essential coverage at the same time. Let’s dig into the details of how Bank of America credit card benefits work with rental cars.
In this articleBank of America credit cards that offer travel rewards may also offer car rental insurance. But it’s likely best to check your card benefits guide or contact your benefit administrator to see whether this is actually the case before using your card to make a car rental purchase.
However, it’s certain that these Bank of America cards offer rental car insurance coverage:
These cards are geared toward earning and redeeming travel rewards, so having this added benefit makes sense. Here’s how the two cards’ car rental insurance benefits compare against each other.
| Card | Offers insurance | Covers | Primary or secondary |
| Bank of America ® Travel Rewards credit card | Yes, Visa Signature | Damage due to collision or theft | Secondary |
| Alaska Airlines Visa Signature ® Credit Card | Yes, Visa Signature | Damage due to collision or theft | Secondary |
| Bank of America ® Premium Rewards ® credit card | Yes, Visa Signature | Damage due to collision or theft | Secondary |
| Bank of America ® ️ Premium Rewards ® Elite Credit Card | Yes, Visa Infinite | Damage due to collision or theft | Primary |
The Bank of America Travel Rewards offers car rental insurance in the form of an auto rental collision damage waiver. This type of waiver typically means you’re covered against damage due to a collision or theft of the vehicle.
This card’s rental insurance benefit is secondary. This means it will only take effect after a claim has been made with any other applicable insurance, which could include your personal car insurance company.
Other notable card benefits include:
This card has a $0 annual fee. Check out our Bank of America Travel Rewards credit card review for more details.
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature offers rental car insurance in the form of an auto rental collision damage waiver. This insurance is secondary to any other type of applicable insurance you might have and covers against damage due to a collision or theft of a vehicle.
Other notable card benefits include:
This card has a $95 annual fee. Read our Alaska Airlines Visa Signature review for more information.
The Bank of America Premium Rewards also offers car rental insurance in the form of an auto rental collision damage waiver. This secondary insurance applies after any other insurance you have has already taken effect.
Other notable card benefits include:
This card has a $95 annual fee. Check out our Bank of America Premium Rewards review for more details.
The Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite also offers an auto rental collision damage waiver benefit that covers rental car damage due to a collision or theft.
This card’s rental insurance benefit is primary, so you likely wouldn’t have to make a claim with any other insurance policy before this benefit kicks in. This auto rental collision damage waiver offers up to $75,000 in coverage (up to the actual cash value of most rental cars).
Other notable card benefits include:
This card has a $550 annual fee.
Consider these tips to help improve your experience if renting a car with a credit card.
Using a credit card’s rental car insurance benefit is often straightforward, but you typically have to follow these steps to ensure you have coverage:
Keep in mind that different rental agencies could have different terms and conditions, especially in international locations. This could include requiring proof that your credit card company’s insurance benefit will actually cover the car rental. In this case, you might have to contact your credit card company before your trip to receive a confirmation letter or email.
What happens if you’ve followed the above steps and are involved in a covered incident with a rental car? You typically need to fill out a claim form provided by your credit card company or benefit administrator to submit a car insurance benefit claim.
Primary coverage is considered a much better benefit than secondary coverage. If you have a covered accident in a rental car, you could immediately file a claim with primary coverage benefits.
But secondary coverage typically only covers anything your primary insurance provider doesn’t pay. Your primary insurance is often your personal car insurance policy. Having to first file a claim with your auto insurance could mean paying a deductible and an increase in your car insurance premiums.
It depends on the card, but typically the cardholder (primary renter) and any friends or family members listed as additional drivers on the rental car agreement receive coverage.
Most credit card rental insurance benefits cover damage due to collision or theft. This isn’t liability or any other type of insurance unless specifically stated in your credit card benefits.
For example, certain cards might offer reimbursement for towing charges and other similar charges in addition to covering damage or theft of a rental vehicle.
It depends on the terms and conditions of your card’s benefits, but injuries and loss or theft of personal belongings might not be covered. Any type of car share service such as Turo is also typically excluded from these types of benefits.
Additionally, check your card’s benefit to see how much coverage is offered. A vehicle that’s over the coverage limit might not be covered. Further exclusions could include non-standard vehicles such as exotic cars, antique cars, motorcycles, limousines, and other types of vehicles.
Keep in mind that credit card rental insurance typically only covers rentals of up to around 28 days, though it could depend on the card and the rental country.
For example, Visa Infinite credit cards such as the Premium Rewards Elite typically provide primary coverage for rentals of up to 15 consecutive days within your country of residence and 31 days abroad. Countries where credit card rental insurance and similar services might not work include:
You might want to take the rental car company’s insurance if it’s a reasonable price and gives you some peace of mind. But it’s typically not a reasonable price when you buy it from a rental car company.
You could save money if you use a credit card that offers primary rental car coverage. It likely makes more sense to use this strategy if you already have a card that offers this benefit.
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If these Bank of America credit cards don’t make sense to you, compare credit cards using our dedicated page with top offers. Here are three specific card options to consider from other credit card issuers.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card offers primary car rental coverage and is often considered one of the best credit cards for travel. It has a $95 annual fee but offers opportunities to earn valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Other available travel insurance and purchase benefits include trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation or interruption insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection.
Check out our Chase Sapphire Preferred review for more details.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card also offers primary car rental coverage. It has a $395 annual fee that could easily be offset by the card’s earning potential and benefits. Notable perks and benefits include a $300 annual travel credit, 10,000 anniversary miles, and a complimentary Priority Pass Select membership.
The Platinum Card ® from American Express offers secondary car rental coverage. This isn’t the end of the world because American Express has a Premium Car Rental Protection optional service available for American Express credit cards.
This service typically costs a flat rate of up to $24.95 total for primary coverage of rentals of up to 42 consecutive days. This could include up to $100,000 of coverage for damage or theft of a rental car.
Using this service could be an easy solution if you like the benefits of the Amex Platinum card. The perks could potentially make up for the $ 695 annual fee.
Yes, you can get a rental car with a Bank of America credit card. Bank of America credit cards typically use the Visa or Mastercard card networks, which are often accepted by most rental car agencies. These cards also offer rental car insurance:
Bank of America Premium Rewards is a credit card offered by Bank of America. This and other Bank of America credit cards provide opportunities to participate in the Bank of America Preferred Rewards® program. You could earn 25% to 75% more rewards on your purchases through Preferred Rewards.
Yes, the two Bank of America Premium Rewards credit cards cover rental car insurance. This includes the Bank of America Premium Rewards credit card with secondary coverage and the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card with primary coverage.
Using the right Bank of America credit card for a rental car purchase could provide you with helpful car insurance protection. Keep in mind that many credit cards offer secondary coverage, though the Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite Credit Card offers primary coverage.
Check out credit card offers from our list of the best travel credit cards for more cards with car rental insurance benefits.