Best Cards For Rental Cars

We don't love this card, but we love renting cars from Costco. Prices are great and second driver is free. Which card you use doesn't matter (although it has to be a Visa at Costco).

Wells Fargo Propel Amex is a great way to earn a free car rental. When it comes time to book your rental, use your Wells Fargo Propel Amex card to pay for it in its entirety, earning you 3x points per $1 spent. Then use your Go Far Rewards toward your statement credit to erase the rental charge. There's no annual fee attached to this card. You get secondary car rental insurance.

Chase Sapphire cards, whether it’s the “Preferred” or “Reserve,” are some of the best to use when booking your rental because of the "primary car rental insurance" that comes with it. When you rent your vehicle with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, make sure to decline the insurance that the rental company offers and use your card to pay for the entire rental. This will give you 2x (Preferred) or 3x (Reserve) Ultimate reward points per $1 and primary car insurance.

Chase Ink Business is another great option for the "primary car rental insurance." It's a business credit card, so you would definitely want to use this card for “business purposes,” especially because your coverage is applied in the states only when you’re renting a car for business purposes. However, that little detail doesn’t apply to international rentals. Another unique thing about this card is that, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can book your rental through the Chase Portal and increase your points by 25% while earning 3x Ultimate Rewards because you’ll be booking a travel expense. This card is comparable to the Sapphire cards, with the one big difference being that it's a business card.

American Express Platinum Card offers "secondary car rental insurance," meaning you need to file a claim with any other applicable insurance before this insurance kicks in. That includes reaching out to your own car insurance. The reason we like this option is because Amex Platinum does offer benefits, discounts and elite status with Hertz, Avis & National Car Rental, including complimentary class upgrades when available. You’ll see a running theme with all of these cards that you need to decline the collision damage waiver (CDW) offered by the rental company and always remember to look over the exclusions like, for example, when renting in Australia, Italy or New Zealand.

Using this card gives you "primary car rental insurance" when you charge the entire rental cost to your card. Reimbursement is up to the cash value of the vehicle and covers theft and collision damage in the U.S. and abroad. Another neat perk included with this card is that it comes automatic with membership to Hertz President's Circle, which is the highest status at Hertz. Simply enroll and link your card membership.

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Travel Reward Visa is a great card for a couple of car rental reasons. The catch with this one is that it's only available to U.S. Bank customers, so you'll have to get your foot in the U.S. Bank door with a simpler card first. If you are able to get this card, you can pay the entire rental with the card, earning 2x FlexPerks per $1 and then use perks to pay off your statement. This particular card offers "secondary car rental insurance." If you decide to go luxury, make sure to check out your discounts with Chauffeured Black Car Service or special rates with Silvercar if driving an Audi on vacation is something you might be interested in.

Capital One Savor, Spark and Venture cards make our list for those of us who want a “free” car rental. Because you get cash back on every single purchase made with these cards, you can use that money to pay for your car. Plus, in some cases, if you signed up during one of their target offers, your sign-up bonus alone can pay for your entire rental. Another nice thing about Capital One is that all of their cards offer coverage of physical damage or theft of the rental vehicle. There are always exceptions -- like if you have an exotic or antique vehicle, for example. But if your rental is 15 days or less domestic or 31 days or less international, the Capital One cards will offer sufficient car insurance.