Bank of America Rental Car Insurance: Primary or Secondary?
Whether a Bank of America credit card covers a rental car depends on the card, not the bank. Bank of America’s Premium Rewards Elite benefits page lists auto rental collision damage waiver as primary coverage up to $75,000, while its Premium Rewards page lists the benefit as supplemental to and in excess of other insurance. Its Unlimited Cash Rewards product page lists no rental benefit at all.
This guide reflects Bank of America’s benefit pages as read in October 2026 and the Premium Rewards Elite Guide to Benefits (a Visa Infinite card, edition dated September 1, 2021). It covers which cards list the waiver, how many days it lasts, which vehicles and losses are excluded, and the claim deadlines. Your own card’s current Guide to Benefits controls, so confirm it before you book.
How Bank of America Rental Car Insurance Works
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The benefit is called Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, and it is narrower than most renters assume. Under the Premium Rewards Elite guide, it reimburses you for damage caused by theft or collision, up to the actual cash value of a rental vehicle with an original sticker price (MSRP) of up to $75,000 when new. The guide states that it covers no other type of loss: damage to another driver’s car and injury to anyone are not covered.
Three conditions decide whether it applies. First, your name must be embossed on an eligible card issued in the United States, and you must use it to initiate and complete the entire car rental transaction. Second, you must decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver (CDW) or loss damage waiver (LDW), because the guide says accepting that coverage cancels out the benefit. Third, only you as the primary renter and any additional drivers permitted by the rental agreement are covered.
The guide adds that the benefit is in effect while the car is in your control or an authorized driver’s control, and it ends when the rental company takes the vehicle back. Claims go to a Benefit Administrator named in the guide, not to the bank branch or the rental counter.
Which Bank of America Cards Offer Rental Car Insurance
Bank of America publishes benefits card by card, and the wording differs. This table shows only what each page says as read in October 2026; it does not cover every Bank of America card.
| Card | What Bank of America’s page says | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Rewards Elite (Visa Infinite) | Primary coverage up to $75,000 for damage due to collision or theft, up to the actual cash value of most rental cars | Benefits page and the Guide to Benefits |
| Premium Rewards | Reimbursement for damage due to collision or theft; coverage is supplemental to and in excess of other insurance; you must decline the agency’s CDW/LDW | Benefits page |
| Unlimited Cash Rewards | No auto rental benefit listed on the product page | Product page |
| Travel Rewards | Benefits depend on whether your card is a Visa Platinum or a Visa Signature; Bank of America tells cardholders to request the Guide to Benefits by phone. The product page lists no rental waiver | Travel benefits page and product page |
A card missing from the table is not automatically excluded. Open the Guide to Benefits that came with your account, search it for “Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver”, and if the term is absent, call the number on the back of the card. Benefits can be revised, which is why the edition date of the guide matters.
Official sources: Bank of America’s Premium Rewards Elite benefits page and Premium Rewards benefits page, plus the Premium Rewards Elite Guide to Benefits.
Primary vs. Secondary Coverage: What Is the Real Difference
Primary coverage responds first. The Premium Rewards Elite guide says the benefit acts as primary coverage and pays for theft, damage, valid loss-of-use charges imposed and substantiated by the rental company, administrative fees, and reasonable and customary towing to the nearest qualified repair facility.
Secondary (supplemental) coverage responds after your other insurance. Bank of America’s rental car guidance says card coverage is usually secondary, meaning your own auto insurer is billed first and your deductible may apply to the claim. For the Premium Rewards card, the benefits page uses the phrase “supplemental to and in excess of other insurance”.
| Primary (Premium Rewards Elite) | Secondary (Premium Rewards) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is billed first | The benefit, per the guide | Your other insurance, per the benefits page |
| Your personal auto deductible | The guide’s exclusion list mentions only the deductible on a personal auto policy as an assumed obligation; ask the administrator how it applies to your claim | May apply, per Bank of America’s guidance |
| Decline the rental company’s waiver? | Yes, accepting it cancels the benefit | Yes, you must decline it |
Even primary coverage has an exclusion for “expenses reimbursable by Your insurer, employer, or employer’s insurance”. If you rent for work or carry rental coverage through another policy, ask the Benefit Administrator how your claim would be handled before you travel.
What Is Covered and What Is Not
When the benefit applies, the Premium Rewards Elite guide lists these covered items:
- Theft of the rental vehicle or damage from a collision, up to its actual cash value
- Valid loss-of-use charges imposed and substantiated by the auto rental company
- Administrative fees charged by the rental company
- Reasonable and customary towing charges to the nearest qualified repair facility
The guide’s exclusions are long. The ones renters most often ask about:
- Injury to anyone, damage to anything inside or outside the rental vehicle, and personal liability
- Loss or theft of personal belongings
- Depreciation or “diminished value” caused by the incident
- Theft or damage due to intentional acts, driving under the influence of alcohol, intoxicants or drugs, or illegal activities
- Wear and tear, gradual deterioration, mechanical breakdown, and damage from off-road operation
- Damage from a lack of reasonable care, for example leaving the car running and unattended
- Losses caused by a cyber incident, and leases and mini leases
Vehicles the guide does not cover
| Vehicle type | Under the Premium Rewards Elite guide |
|---|---|
| Expensive cars | Not covered: original MSRP of more than $75,000 when new |
| Exotic and antique cars | Not covered; antique means over 20 years old or not manufactured for 10 years or more |
| Trucks, cargo vans, open cargo beds | Not covered |
| Vans | Not covered, except vans designed as small-group transportation seating up to nine people including the driver |
| Motorcycles, mopeds, motorbikes, limousines, recreational vehicles | Not covered |
Rental Length, Countries and Claim Deadlines
The day limits are where many readers get caught, and they are shorter at home than abroad. This table summarizes the Premium Rewards Elite guide (edition dated September 1, 2021). Another card’s guide may differ.
| Item | What the guide says |
|---|---|
| Rental length in your country of residence | Up to 15 consecutive days; longer rentals are not covered |
| Rental length outside your country of residence | Up to 31 consecutive days |
| Countries excluded | Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland |
| Report the incident | As soon as possible, no later than 45 days after the incident |
| Claim form postmark | Within 90 days of the theft or damage |
| All required documents | Within 365 days of the theft or damage |
| Typical decision time | About 15 days after the administrator has all documentation |
The 45-day, 90-day and 365-day deadlines are marked in the guide as not applicable to residents of certain states, so a state-specific rule may replace them. The exclusion also reaches rentals “intended to exceed” 15 days at home, so a long rental split into back-to-back contracts is a question for the administrator, not an assumption.
Outside the United States the guide tells you to check with the rental company and the Benefit Administrator before you travel, because local regulations vary and the benefit does not apply where law or the rental agreement’s territory terms preclude it. That applies to Europe, the Caribbean and anywhere else you pick up a car.
How to Activate and Use the Coverage
- Use the eligible card to initiate and complete the entire rental transaction, not a mix of payment methods.
- Read the rental agreement and decline the rental company’s CDW/LDW or any similar provision.
- If the rental company insists that you buy its waiver, call the Benefit Administrator listed in your guide for help.
- Before you leave the lot, check the car for prior damage and photograph every panel, the wheels and the windshield.
- Keep the signed agreement, the final receipt and your card statement; the claim will need them.
A pen-style light like the one in the box above helps in a dim garage or an early-morning pickup, but photos with a visible timestamp are what you will actually send. If you do find existing damage, have the agent note it on the agreement before you leave; our page on what to do about a scratch on a rental car covers the return-side of that.
Payment timing can trip people up, since some companies run an authorization hold before the final charge posts. If you book through National, see when National Car Rental charges your credit card so the eligible card is the one on file when the transaction settles.
How to File a Rental Car Insurance Claim
Per the Premium Rewards Elite guide, call the Benefit Administrator immediately after an accident or theft, whether or not your liability has been established. The administrator can deny a claim containing charges that would not have been included had you reported before the expenses were incurred, and reporting to anyone else does not satisfy the requirement.
Ask the rental company for these documents at the time of the loss or when you return the car:
- A copy of the accident report form
- Copies of the initial and final auto rental agreements, front and back
- A copy of the repair estimate and the itemized repair bill
- Two photographs of the damaged vehicle, if available
- A police report, if obtainable
- A copy of the demand letter showing what you owe and what has been paid
Send those with the completed, signed claim form and a copy of your monthly statement showing the last four digits of the account number and that the entire rental was charged to the eligible card. The guide points to the administrator’s claims website for faster filing. Once a claim is paid, your rights against any other party transfer to the administrator up to the amount paid, and you must help secure them.
Other Ways to Cover a Rental Car
A card benefit is one of several layers. Bank of America’s own rental car guidance says to check what your personal auto policy covers before you rent, and it lists typical rental counter prices: about $10 to $30 per day for collision or loss damage waiver, $7 to $15 per day for supplemental liability, and about $5 per day each for personal accident and personal effects coverage. At the CDW/LDW range, a 7-day rental is roughly $70 to $210 before taxes, which is the amount a card benefit can replace.
The waiver does not replace liability protection, so see our explainer on what a damage waiver on a rental car is and our look at whether you should pay for rental car insurance. If you have an accident in a rental, read whether it affects your own insurance before deciding which coverage to use first. For other issuers, compare Capital One and American Express, and for the general picture see how insurance works on rental cars.
What This Guide Does Not Cover
- Bank of America cards other than those in the table (co-brand, business and student cards use their own guides)
- The current edition of any guide other than the one dated September 1, 2021
- Personal financial advice: this is general information, not legal or financial advice
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Bank of America credit card cover rental car insurance?
It depends on the card. Bank of America’s Premium Rewards Elite benefits page lists primary coverage up to $75,000 for collision or theft, its Premium Rewards page lists coverage that is supplemental to and in excess of other insurance, and its Unlimited Cash Rewards product page does not list a rental benefit.
What is the difference between primary and secondary rental car insurance?
Primary coverage is the first to respond to a covered loss. Secondary or supplemental coverage applies after your other insurance, so your own auto insurer is billed first and your deductible may apply, as Bank of America’s rental car guidance explains.
How do I activate my Bank of America rental car insurance benefit?
Use the eligible card to initiate and complete the entire rental transaction, and decline the rental company’s collision damage waiver or loss damage waiver, because accepting it cancels the benefit under the Premium Rewards Elite guide.
What does Bank of America rental car insurance not cover?
The Premium Rewards Elite guide excludes injury to anyone, damage to other vehicles or property, personal liability, loss of personal belongings, wear and tear, off-road damage, and vehicles such as trucks, motorcycles, limousines, recreational vehicles and cars with a sticker price over $75,000.
How long does Bank of America rental car coverage last?
Under the Premium Rewards Elite guide dated September 1, 2021, rentals of up to 15 consecutive days in your country of residence and up to 31 consecutive days outside it are covered; longer rentals are not.
Does the Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards card include rental car insurance?
Bank of America’s Unlimited Cash Rewards product page does not list an auto rental collision damage waiver. Check the Guide to Benefits that came with your account or call the number on the back of your card to confirm.
Conclusion
Whether a Bank of America card protects a rental car comes down to the product in your wallet, the edition of its Guide to Benefits, and the length and location of the rental. Confirm your card’s wording, decline the counter’s waiver only if your card’s terms apply, and pay for the whole rental with that card.
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