Visa vs. Mastercard

You need at least the minimum amount of liability insurance required by the state where you're renting a car. Rental car companies in most states are required to provide the minimum amount of liability coverage, so you don't need to purchase extra rental car insurance to legally drive a rental car in most cases. Plus, coverage you have from a personal car insurance policy should extend to your rental, though it's a good idea to check your policy to make sure.

You may want to consider extra rental car insurance, though, as the minimum liability insurance required by a state will not cover damage to the rental car and may not be enough to cover other people's injuries and property damage you cause in an accident. For example, you may be at fault for an accident that causes $25,000 in property damage, but if the state where you rented the car only requires the rental company to provide $15,000 in property damage liability coverage, you would be responsible for the remaining $10,000. The table below lists the minimum amount of liability insurance provided on rental cars in the largest states.

Minimum Liability Insurance Required for Rental Cars

Note: Rental car companies will automatically provide the minimum liability coverage when you rent a car in most states. California and Texas are the exceptions.

Personal Insurance That May Apply to Rentals

Your personal collision and comprehensive insurance will most likely cover you for rental car damage or theft, while your liability policy will protect you if you're at fault for an accident with your rental car.

MedPay, PIP, and your regular health insurance can cover your medical expenses from a rental accident. In addition, renters or homeowners insurance can cover your property inside the rental car, and travel insurance may cover medical bills and stolen property while you travel.

Reasons to Get Supplemental Coverage From Your Rental Car Company

Purchasing extra coverage from your rental car company is the right move in some situations. In particular, you should consider buying rental car insurance if:

• You need more coverage than your personal insurance policy provides.
• Your personal insurance policy has a high deductible.
• You do not want to use your personal insurance.
• You're traveling internationally, which most car insurance policies don't cover (except for Canada).
• You're paying with a debit card or cash and therefore can't take advantage of a credit card's rental car coverage, and you don't have your own personal insurance.
• You're renting the vehicle long-term. Some insurance companies place a limit on the number of days – up to 30 days, for example – that they'll cover your rental car. It's worth checking your insurance policy to see if this applies to you.  
• You don't have coverage for collision damage, comprehensive damage, or medical bills due to an injury.
• Your renters or homeowners insurance doesn't cover your possessions inside the car.
• You don't have travel insurance to help cover possible expenses if something happens to your rental car. Travel insurance may also cover your belongings inside the car or medical bills if you're injured in a rental car accident, depending on your policy.
• You're driving in a no-fault state and don't have PIP, MedPay, or enough health insurance to cover your medical bills if you're in an accident. In these states, liability coverage doesn't apply to medical expenses, so you'll need to be prepared in case you're injured while driving your rental car.

Main Types of Coverage Available From Rental Car Companies

Rental Insurance From Other Sources 

If you need to supplement your personal policy or don't have one at all, you can purchase a stand-alone rental car coverage package from a third-party provider such as Allianz. This can be a good idea if it's cheaper than the supplemental coverage offered by your rental car company.

You may also be able to take advantage of supplemental rental car insurance from your credit card company. To use it, you have to reserve and pay for the rental car with that credit card. These policies require you to decline the damage waiver from your rental car company. Certain types of vehicles, such as luxury cars, motorhomes, trucks, and motorcycles, may be excluded from this coverage.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's guide to rental car insurance.

Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted credit cards, as both types can be used at 100+ million locations in 200+ countries and territories. Mastercard is accepted in more countries than Visa, yet roughly 20 million more merchants worldwide take Visa. Both have a claim to the title of most widely accepted credit card as a result. Visa is also the most widely used type of credit card.

There isn't a single credit...

The main difference between Visa and Mastercard is that Mastercard is more widely accepted internationally, while Visa offers more credit card benefits. However, most people won't notice any substantial difference between Visa and Mastercard because their services are largely on par.

Visa and Mastercard are two of the largest payment networks in the world, but neither Visa nor Mastercard issues any cards. Banks and credit unions issue the cards, which are then used on...

Mastercard is not accepted at certain stores and merchants that only take cash, such as vendors at a local fair. Mastercard is also not accepted at retail chains that have an exclusive agreement with another card network. For example, Costco accepts Mastercard only for online purchases. There are also some websites that only take electronic currency though outlets like PayPal, Venmo, or Bitcoin. Additionally, Mastercard credit cards can't be used to pay a credit card...

There isn't much of a difference between Mastercard and Visa when it comes to acceptance. Both card networks are accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, and almost every merchant that takes credit cards accepts both Visa and Mastercard.

Mastercard does have a slight advantage over Visa in terms of worldwide acceptance. Mastercard works in 210+ counties and territories, compared to 200+ for Visa.

You can find out more in our guide comparing Visa...

American Express isn't a Visa or a Mastercard. American Express, Visa and Mastercard are three of the four major card networks, but American Express also extends credit and issue cards directly to consumers.

A credit card never has two networks, so you'll never see an American Express Visa card or an American Express Mastercard. Furthermore, lots of the cards on the Amex network are actually issued by American Express itself. Visa and Mastercard, on the other hand,...

Discover is not a Visa or a Mastercard. Discover is a completely separate company that operates its own card network, and it also differs from Visa and Mastercard by actually issuing many of the credit cards on its network. Visa and Mastercard aren't card issuers, so the cards on their networks come from lots of different banks and credit unions.

However, Discover is similar to Visa, Mastercard and American Express in the sense that all four are...

Citibank issues both Mastercard and Visa credit cards. Most Citibank credit cards are on the Mastercard network, including the Citi Simplicity® Card and the Citi Double Cash® Card, but Citi also has some Visa cards, such as the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi    

Popular Citibank Credit Cards by Network

There are a few relatively small differences between Visa and Mastercard credit cards, such as the network-level benefits they offer. But the two card networks have a lot in common, including...

Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card (see details, rates & fees) is a Mastercard. That means you can use your Capital One Quicksilver (see details, rates & fees) card at millions of merchant locations in more than 210 countries and territories, wherever payments through Mastercard are accepted.

Things to Know About the Capital One Quicksilver (see details, rates & fees) Card

• Card acceptance: The Capital One Quicksilver (see details, rates & fees) is accepted by millions of retailers in over 210 countries and territories. Almost every merchant that takes credit cards accepts Mastercard.
• No foreign transaction fees: On top of the Capital One Quicksilver (see details, rates & fees)'s...

The best credit card for study abroad is the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card (see details, rates & fees) because it has a $0 foreign transaction fee, a $0 annual fee, and good rewards. You'll earn 1 - 8% cash back spent normally, plus an initial bonus of $50 for spending $100 in the first 3 months. You may be able to get approved with limited credit, too.

If you're going to spend most of your time in a foreign country in the near future, you definitely want a card that won't charge you extra on international purchases. But there are actually several options that may work well, depending on your individual needs and wants.

Best Credit Cards for Study Abroad in 2025

All of these cards are strong contenders to be the best credit card for study abroad. That's especially true considering they offer a lot more than rewards and low fees. You'll also receive perks like travel insurance to give you even more peace...