15 Best Credit Cards for Rental Cars in 2024

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Knowing which credit card you use for rental car bookings can unlock several rewards besides earning bonus points. For example, you can have complimentary rental car insurance and even special privileges or discounts.

This guide will help you uncover several credit cards with rental car benefits.

What to Know Before Renting a Car

Here are several factors to consider when comparing the best credit cards for rental cars. 

Earning Rental Car Bonus Points

Rental car agencies require booking a rental with a credit card or debit card. So, you can make the transaction more rewarding by earning some bonus points.

Many travel credit cards are now offering the highest earning potential when you book car rentals through the credit card travel portal. Our current favorite cards include the following.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – Earns 10x miles per dollar spent for car rentals booked through Capital One Travel. ($395 annual fee)

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – Earns 5x points per dollar spent for car rentals booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards. ($95 annual fee)

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card – Earns 5x miles per dollar spent for car rentals booked through Capital One Travel. ($95 annual fee)

American Express® Green Card – Earns 3x points per dollar spent on car rentals booked directly with the company as well as through Amextravel.com. ($150 annual fee)

When booking directly through the rental agency, your purchases may only earn the base rate for travel spending. This is usually 1 or 2 points per $1, but it depends on the card. Cards like the Amex Green Card earns 3x points per dollar spent for bookings direct with the rental car agency, which is among the highest rates.

While earning fewer points, you may prefer booking directly through the rental agency as you can have more negotiation power if you encounter an issue at pickup. For example, you reserve a full-size sedan but get a compact car and can’t get a partial price refund.

Rental Car Credits

A couple of premium travel cards offer annual travel credits which reimburses your first travel purchases of the year — including car rentals.

Notable cards include: 

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card ($300 credit per year for travel, including car rentals, booked through Capital One).
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® (earn up to $300 back as statement credits each anniversary year for travel purchases, including car rentals)

You may also be able to redeem credit card points for rental cars at 1 cent each. It’s not as good as a travel purchase credit but minimizes your out-of-pocket costs.

Rental Car Loyalty Program Privileges

Select credit cards provide automatic elite status with participating rental cars. Your perks can include rental car discounts, complimentary discounts, and a free additional driver.

Premium travel credit cards are more likely to offer these privileges.

Participating car rental loyalty programs include:

• Avis
• Hertz
• National Car Rental
• Silvercar 

Rental Car Insurance

Once you arrive at the rental desk to retrieve your keys, the agent will eventually ask you about purchasing rental car insurance to offset collision and theft damage expenses.  

This add-on can be expensive but many cards offer complimentary secondary or primary Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) coverage. You’re eligible for this card perk when you decline the agency’s policy.

The overwhelming majority of cards offer secondary coverage which only activates after submitting a claim for your auto insurance provider first.

You should also read your credit card benefits guide to review the exclusions. For example, rentals lasting longer than 14 days for domestic rentals or overseas rentals occurring in Ireland and Jamaica are usually ineligible.

Best Credit Cards for Renting Cars

These travel credit cards offer the most rewards when booking rental cars.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card should be your first card to consider as you get primary coverage and flexible point redemptions with an affordable $95 annual fee.

Car rental benefits include:

• Primary collision damage waiver (up to the vehicle’s actual cash value)
• 5x on car rentals through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• 2x on all other travel purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more. So you will earn 2x on rentals directly from the rental agency.
• 25% redemption bonus on award travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards

Going a little further, the Chase Sapphire cards arguably have the best car rental insurance benefits in the industry. Most domestic and foreign car rentals 30 days or less are eligible but competing programs have a 15-day cap for United States rentals.

This card also has several other travel benefits including:

• Up to $20,000 per trip in trip cancellation/interruption coverage
• $50 annual statement credit on qualifying hotel stays booked through Chase
• 1:1 airline and hotel transfer partners

On each card anniversary, you also receive a 10% bonus on the total number of points you earn during the year. As a result, you get a year-end gift for every car rental.

Further Reading: Chase Sapphire Preferred Benefits

The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express offers these rental car status benefits:

• Avis: Discounted bookings and complimentary one-class upgrades
• Hertz: President’s Circle status and its many benefits
• National: Emerald Club Executive membership (i.e., guaranteed upgrades)

Sadly, secondary coverage (up to $75,000 in theft or damage) is the standard benefit for eligible rentals which is uncommon for premium travel cards. Fortunately, you have the option of buying add-on primary coverage for a flat fee of $19.95 to $24.95 per rental.

This card also excels at providing fringe travel and lifestyle benefits other premium travel cards don’t offer:

• Up to $200 airline fee credit per calendar year payable via statement credits at one selected airline for incidental purchases (enrollment required)
• Global Lounge Collection airport lounge benefits, including Centurion Lounges
• Up to $200 in annual Uber Cash on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Renews annually.
• Hotel loyalty program elite status (enrollment required)
• Earn up to 5x on flights (booked direct and at amextravel.com up to $500,000 per calendar year) and prepaid hotels through amextravel.com.
• 1:1 point transfers
• Built-in travel insurance.

The annual fee is $695.

Further Reading: Amex Platinum Card Benefits

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Travel insurance is Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is one of the most affordable rewards cards offering premium travel benefits. 

Your rental car benefits can include:

• Hertz President’s Circle status
• Primary rental car insurance (up to $75,000)
• $300 Annual Travel Credit for bookings through Capital One Travel (includes rental car bookings)
• 10x Venture miles per dollar spent on car rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per dollar spent on remaining car rentals

This card also offers a few additional travel benefits:

• Priority Pass Select access
• Capital One Lounge access
• Up to $100 in Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credits
• 10,000 miles anniversary bonus
• 1:1 point transfers

The annual fee is $395.

Further Reading: Capital One Venture X Card Benefits

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Most people recommend the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for its air travel benefits. However, it can be an excellent option if you book several car rentals a year for these perks:

• Primary collision damage waiver (up to $75,000 for theft and collision).
• National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status
• Avis Preferred Plus status
• Silvercar (Audi) discounts
• 10x Ultimate Rewards per dollar spent on car rentals booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards (after earning the $300 travel credit)
• 3x points per dollar spent on car rentals and other travel purchases directly from the carrier (after earning the $300 travel credit)
• Annual $300 travel credit that can be used for car rentals (these purchases don’t earn rewards points)
• 50% redemption bonus on award travel bookings through Chase Ultimate Rewards

The complimentary primary collision damage is a standard feature for Visa Infinite cards. Its $75,000 coverage limit is more robust than the “actual cash value” primary coverage of the more affordable Chase Sapphire Preferred.

Other featured benefits for this card include:

• Priority Pass Select membership
• Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS application fee credit (up to $100 every four years) – (see the best credit cards offering Global Entry and TSA PreCheck reimbursement)
• 1:1 point transfers

The Sapphire Reserve’s annual fee is $550.

Further Reading: Chase Sapphire Reserve Benefits

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card helps you enjoy car rental benefits while avoiding high annual card fees:

• Secondary coverage for collision and theft (up to actual cash value)
• Hertz Five Star status
• 5x Venture miles per dollar spent on car rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per dollar spent on all remaining car rentals

The Chase Sapphire Preferred can be the better option for the $95 annual fee tier. However, you may enjoy the elite Hertz loyalty status if you prefer this car rental agency.

Other Capital One Venture Rewards travel benefits include:

• Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• 1:1 point transfers
• Earn 5x miles per dollar spent on Capital One Hotel purchases
• Earn 2x miles per dollar spent on all non-bonus purchases

Further Reading: Capital One Venture Card Benefits

U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card

The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve is a Visa Infinite premium credit card just like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Capital One Venture X. Its annual fee is a cozy $400 although one frustrating factor is that you must be a U.S. Bank customer to qualify.

Its car rental benefits include:

• Primary coverage (up to $75,000)
• National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status
• Avis Preferred Plus status
• Silvercar rental discounts
• Up to $325 in annual credits for travel and dining
• 5x on prepaid hotels and car rentals through Altitude Rewards Center
• 3x on remaining travel and mobile wallet purchases

This card also provides frequent flyer-friendly benefits such as Priority Pass Select and free Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. 

The information for the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card has been collected independently by The Vacationer. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. 

United Airlines Credit Cards

Five of the six consumer and small business co-brand United Airlines credit cards through Chase provide primary rental car coverage. You can also earn bonus MileagePlus miles on Avis and Budget rentals by entering exclusive promotion codes.

Unfortunately, the $0 annual fee United Gateway℠ Card only offers secondary rental insurance benefits.

These consumer cards offer primary coverage up to the vehicle’s actual cash value:

Consumer Card	Key Benefits	Annual Fee
United℠ Explorer Card	1x miles per $1 spent on car rentals 2 one-time United Club passes per year Free first checked bag (up to $140 roundtrip)	$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95
United Quest℠ Card	2x miles per $1 spent on car rentals and other non-United travel purchases Up to $125 annual United purchase statement credits Two 5,000-mile anniversary award flight credits	$250
United Club℠ Infinite Card	2x miles on car rentals and other non-United travel spending First and second free checked bags (up to $320 roundtrip) United Club lounge membership Avis President’s Club	$525

Each card offers additional United Airlines perks such as a 25% in-flight purchase discount and priority boarding. 

The small business United card offers primary coverage up to the actual cash value:

Business Card	Key Benefits	Annual Fee
United℠ Business Card	1x miles per $1 spent on car rentals 2 one-time United Club passes per year $100 United flight credit (after 7 qualifying flight purchases per card anniversary year) Free first checked bag (up to $140 roundtrip)	$99

Chase Ink Business

All three Chase Ink Business credit cards offer primary coverage up to the actual cash value. However, one important caveat is that only business-related car rentals qualify.

These cards earn Ultimate Rewards points but only the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card provides a travel redemption bonus and 1:1 point transfers. 

Business Card	Key Benefits	Annual Fee
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card	Up to 3x points per $1 spent on travel and select business categories (on the first $150,000 per year) 25% travel redemption bonus 1:1 point transfers	$95
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card	1.5x points per $1 spent on all purchases made for your business, including car rentals Flexible redemption options	$0
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card	Up to 5x points per $1 spent on business purchases in select categories (on first $25,000 spent per year) 1x points per $1 spent on car rentals for your business	$0

Further Reading: See full benefits forthe Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, and the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card

Cheap Car Rentals by City

Major destinations can also offer independent rental agencies unaffiliated with a national brand. It can be worth exploring these options if you’re on a shoestring budget or want to exhaust every opportunity.

• Rental Cars in Atlanta
• Rental Cars in Boston
• Rental Cars in Denver
• Rental Cars in Fort Lauderdale
• Rental Cars in Fort Myers
• Rental Cars in Honolulu
• Rental Cars in Houston
• Rental Cars in Kauai
• Rental Cars in Las Vegas
• Rental Cars in Los Angeles
• Rental Cars in Maui
• Rental Cars in Miami
• Rental Cars in Nashville
• Rental Cars in Orlando
• Rental Cars in Phoenix
• Rental Cars in San Diego
• Rental Cars in San Francisco
• Rental Cars in Seattle
• Rental Cars in Tampa

The Vacationer’s Final Thoughts

The best rental car credit card can easily offer a combination of primary coverage benefits and special perks at your favorite car rental agency. 

While rental cars can be a small portion of your travel budget, these built-in benefits are an easy way to save money on travel and provide additional peace of mind.

These cards can also provide additional value on flights and hotels which can help you get more mileage from your travel expenditures. Further reading: best travel credit cards, best hotel credit cards and best airline credit cards.

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

The information for the U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card has been collected independently by The Vacationer. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.