A crash course in how to use Chase Sapphire rental car insurance

Just imagine that you’re driving through paradise, it’s the golden hour, the sun is setting on the horizon and you pull off the side of the road to catch that once-in-a-lifetime Instagram worthy pic. Just then you hear a loud screech, and a boulder on the side of the road digs into the side of your car, ripping the metal to shreds. Any moment of zen or happiness is lost as you start to worry about whether or not you’re on the hook for this car repair and your vacation is ruined. 

This was the exact scenario that happened to me on a recent trip to Hawaii. Having a Chase Sapphire credit card in my wallet not only saved me from the stress of dealing with the car rental company, I was able to get a replacement car and be on my way and enjoy the rest of my vacation with peace of mind.

How to get Chase Sapphire rental car insurance

The great part about rental car insurance with the Chase Sapphire family of cards is that there’s nothing special that you have to do in order to receive this benefit. The benefit is a part of the very wide suite of benefits that you get by being a cardholder. It’s included, along with all the other travel protections, in your annual fee.

Holding either the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is only the first step in activating this powerful perk.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

Intro bonus

60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual fee	$95
Regular APR	21.49%–28.49% variable

How do I activate Chase Sapphire’s Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver?

While there is no extra fee involved with the insurance, you do have to make sure that you complete two very simple steps in order to qualify.

First, you’ve got to charge the full amount of the rental car with your Sapphire card. If you end up making the transaction with a different card, you won’t be covered. Holding the card isn’t enough, you’ve gotta make sure to pay for it with the same card. However, making an award booking using points from a Sapphire card does count. 

Second, you’ve got to decline the rental car company’s collision waiver, commonly called a CDW or LDW. If you accept their coverage, you will nullify the free coverage provided by Chase.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Intro bonus

60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual fee	$550
Regular APR	22.49%–29.49% variable

What kind of insurance do Chase Sapphire cards offer?

The insurance is very similar between the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but the limits are a bit different.

The auto rental insurance (officially called Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver) covers reimbursement for theft or collision damage to your rental car. If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you’re covered up to the actual cash value of the car. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the limit is much higher, for a total of $75,000. You’ll be covered for:

• Theft
• Damage
• Valid loss of use charges
• Administrative fees
• Towing charges to the nearest facility

How do I file a claim with the Chase Sapphire Rental Car Insurance?

Assuming your car is driveable and you manage to make it back to the rental car facility, there are a few things you’ll need to ask for from the rental car company. Keep hold of these, because the Chase team will be asking for them later.

• Copy of the accident report
• Copy of the front and back of the entire rental agreement
• Copy of the repair bill including itemizations
• A minimum of 2 photos of the damaged car
• A police report, if you filed one
• Copy of the demand letter prepared from the rental car company

Once you’ve got all of these, you’ve got to call the benefit administrator within 100 days from the date of the incident. In other words, don’t feel like you’ve got to call the credit card company while the smoke is coming out of the engine. You’ll be able to get home, relax, gather your documents, and then call.

The benefit administrator will make sure to tell you everything else that you need, but you’ll need your credit card statement and a completed form that they’ll send you as well. Hate talking to people on the phone? Never fear, an online claims process has been established. You can start and finish your claim online via this link.

Are there any special limitations?

Don’t think you’re going to be able to become a speed demon in a Lamborghini and crash it into the side of the highway. If you’ve got the Chase Sapphire Preferred, some of the brands not covered by this policy include Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Maserati, Porsche and Tesla. The Chase Sapphire Reserve doesn’t have this limitation, but the $75,000 limit still applies.

You might also think you’re covered if you’ve made other common rentals like passenger vans or other trucks like U-Hauls, but you would be mistaken. Similarly, mopeds, motorcycles, motorbikes and RVs aren’t covered.

There are a few other things to keep in mind about this rental car insurance, considering that it is only meant to cover the cost of the vehicle and its associated costs:

• Theft to your personal property is not included
• Liability insurance is not a part of this benefit
• Injury to you or anyone else is not covered
• If you’re found to be intoxicated or otherwise incapacitated, that voids your coverage
• If you head off roading, you’ll cancel your coverage
• If you rent the car for longer than 31 days, you won’t be covered

How I used Chase Sapphire’s Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

My adventure with Chase Sapphire’s rental car insurance started with an abrupt stop in Maui. After I realized I had smashed into a boulder and had a miniature freak out, it became clear that the car was undriveable. I called the number for the rental car company and told them I had an accident. The tire was flat and the wheel well was bent to a point that I couldn’t drive it if I wanted to. They dispatched a tow truck for us, so we had plenty of time to just chill out and enjoy the sunset.

We were towed back to the airport where we dropped off the car and filed out all their accident reports. Since we still had two more days left in our vacation, we picked up a new car and promised that we wouldn’t run into any more boulders.

Once we got back home, the calls started pretty frequently from the rental car facility, wondering who would be paying for the car. I told them that I was contacting my insurance company, in this case Chase, and would get back in touch with them. I called the benefit administrator on the phone and the process couldn’t have been easier. I uploaded the documents and was assured that they would take care of everything.

Magically, that was the end of my interactions with the rental car company. The benefit administrator took care of everything. I wasn’t on any sort of black list with the rental car company since the car was paid off and they got what they needed.

Are the Chase Sapphire cards worth it?

Many people wonder if the annual fee is worth it on credit cards, and often seek out low or no annual fee credit cards. Considering the cost to replace a new car would have been multiple tens of thousands of dollars, it’s safe to say that the $95 we pay every year for the Chase Sapphire Preferred was well worth it. While the Chase Sapphire Reserve has a higher fee, the other benefits can outweigh the fee as well if you consider all the other benefits that you get with the card, including Ultimate Rewards and other travel protections, the annual fee seems like an easy pill to swallow.

Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.