6 Things to Know About the Capital One Venture Card’s Rental Car Insurance

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card comes with several benefits, including no foreign transaction fees, the ability to transfer points to travel partners, access to Capital One lounges and rental car insurance. Here, we’ll dive into six things you should know about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card rental car insurance benefit.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

1. Complete the required steps to receive coverage

To have your rental car covered by the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card rental car insurance benefit, you’ll need to take two steps:

• Charge your entire car rental transaction to your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

• Decline the rental car company’s collision damage waiver.

Remember these steps before renting a car if you want to take advantage of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card rental car insurance coverage.

2. There’s no additional cost

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card rental car insurance benefit (which Capital One calls the “auto rental collision damage waiver”) is provided to Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card holders at no additional cost.

While the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has an annual fee of $95, using the card’s rental car insurance benefit can help you easily recoup some, if not all, of the annual fee.

» Learn more: Is the Capital One Venture Credit Card worth its annual fee?

3. Damage due to theft or collision is covered

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card's rental car insurance benefit will cover you for damages due to theft or collision of your rental car only, up to the actual cash value of most rental cars.

It’s important to note that other losses are not covered by the card’s rental insurance benefit — for example, if you get into an accident with another car and the other car is damaged, your rental insurance benefit will not cover the damage to the other car or injuries to passengers.

» Learn more: How to make the most of your Capital One Venture Rewards Card

4. Benefits apply for a limited number of days

If you’re using the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card's car rental insurance benefits, you should note that coverage only applies for the following rental periods:

• 15 consecutive days in your country of residence.

• 31 consecutive days outside your country of residence.

If you’re renting a car for longer (for instance, if your primary car is in the shop or you’re on an extended vacation), you may want to purchase separate car rental insurance coverage.

5. All authorized drivers are covered

While you’ll need to be the primary car renter to be covered by the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card car rental insurance, the benefit also covers any additional drivers permitted by the rental car agreement.

This means that if you want to rent a car with a friend on a vacation and you want your friend to drive, you’ll still be covered as long as you’re the primary driver and your friend is added to the rental car agreement as an additional driver.

6. Certain types of vehicles aren’t covered

It’s important to know that some cars are not covered by the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card rental insurance, including:

• Expensive or exotic cars, including brands like Aston Martin, Bentley, Tesla, Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Porsche.

• Some vans, including cargo vans.

• Motorcycles and mopeds.

• Antique cars (defined as cars that are over 20 years old or that have not been manufactured for 10 years or more).

Before renting a car, we recommend checking Capital One’s website or calling Capital One directly to ensure the type of car you’re planning to rent will be covered.

» Learn more: Benefits of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card rental car insurance, recapped

So, does the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card provide rental car insurance? Yes.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card's rental car insurance benefit can help cardholders recoup part, if not all, of the card’s annual fee. However, you should note that there are certain steps you need to take to ensure coverage, and some types of cars aren’t covered.

Also, benefits are limited to theft or damage of the rental car itself, and there are time limits to how long your rental car will be covered by the insurance.