Chart that Compares Credit Card Rental Car Insurance Coverage

The chart is wrong WRT CC coverage for rentals in Mexico.

Confirmed, Chase MasterCard Platinum business will be the primary insurance on a car up to $50,000. The only hook I believe is that it only covers the car, but you should have medical insurance because according to the president elect it is a right, not a responsibility of the person who wants the insurance...

I have State Farm Insurance and when I called my agent to double check coverage to rental cars, I was advised that they offered Loss of Use Insurance to cover the possiblity that they might not be able to get the vehicle rental logs. I was told that for approx. $30 (for six months) I would be covered. I could cancel at anytime and I could add it on again should I need it. Since I am renting in December and my personal policy expires in February, I had my agent add it to my insurance policy begining in December. If I am able to cancel upon my return it should only cost $5. If I cannot cancel until the end of my policy, it would only cost $15. Good deal to be safe.

I called AMEX as they are the credit card I chose to use. American Express also offers Premium Car Rental Protection which, if you sign up for it, costs between $18 to $25 per rental period (up to 30 days at a time coverage) depending on the amount of coverage you want. I chose the $25 policy. This policy covers the rental car as the primary insurance (no need to dip into your on personal insurance). The policy is activated only when you rent a car and the price ($25) is per rental period, not per day. Check their site for information
https://www152.americanexpress.com/fsea/travel/car_rental/produc...

While nothing is fool proof, I do feel much better with the coverages I have and I know that they cost a lot less than if I used the rental car company insurances.

anyone have any suggestions for someone who does not own a car thus does not have any primary insurance but wants to rent for a week- mid-size suv- I am looking at renting with my am ex hhonors plat card.....

Beware, just because Chase will often give you the wrong information on what each cc's coverage is. For instance I was told that cc UA gld milage plus rewards has no limit on the number of days for the rental but when I talked to VISA who administers the program they told me the limit was 15 days and that Chase should not be answering those call or questions. When I called Chase back I got the wrong information again! Beware!

Also, AMEX can be very sneaky and try to get out of paying for tires/wheel damage etc...

FYI, I was told the Mastercard World does cover in Israel...

JrcWy said: If you want good coverage for free, enroll in the $25 program that Kcitsme mentioned above. Every time you rent, make and secure your reservation with your AMEX. If your rental is incident free, pay your reservation with a non-AMEX when you return the car and you will not be charged the $25 insurance fee. Of course, if you had an incident you will pay with the AMEX. If you do this, be aware that the AMEX program is for all your AMEX cards; you cannot apply the program to a specific AMEX.
OMG, it's positively diabolical! Brilliant! Can this really work?

BTW, lets say you only have liability on your auto insurance.
So if you get into an accident, since your insurance won't be doing anything, do you just go straight to your CC ???

ctrain said: [I have this plan for $20.
I thought about it many times but I haven't tried it.
Most of the time when I return the car, I'm always in a hurry to leave and I don't have the time to return to the counter and give them a different CC.
Most of the rentals these days, when you return, they look over the car real quick and give you a slip and you're on your way.
I think once you get that slip, the charges are going through so I have no idea if you can even change your CC information.
Yes, it can work but I didn't intend to abuse it. I forgot to change my credit card to my mastercard (most of my rentals are company and the insurance is covered) before renting. When you return the car (I had Avis but same for Herz or others) tell the person that walks to your car that you need to change the credit card. They give you a little slip and you walk to the counter and ask them to finish the check out process after updating your credit card. Avis (Herz is the same) usually has a little booth even in the area you return the car.
It did happen twice to me already (had my Avis account changed to AMEX for a private rental and forgot to change it back).

If you have an accident what should you do to get affected less in future:
1. I am enrolled in American Express premium plan. So should I call credit card and report incident?
2. Geico covers a rental car, but I guess if I call geico that will affect my insurance premium.

What is best to get less affected in future. Please throw light on pros and cons.

Thanks

SpaceBoy said: Here's my take - and I may be wrong. The CC company provides a secondary insurance. They will only cover what is not already covered by your primary car insurance (and neither typically covers the exotic cars that people occasionally rent in Vegas or Hawaii). That's why it's more relevant for international travel since most primary insurance companies don't cover anything in foreign countries, but the CC company still will cover those rentals.Some credit cards are primary.

I detailed these differences in an archived thread in the finance forum at FW

schmello87 said: Also when renting a car, your personal insurance is the primary and the credit card you use is the secondary- whatever your insuarance will not pay for-then the credit card kicks in, keep in mind that your personal insurance will go up though. This is not just with American Express, this is with all credit cards. Visa, mastercard, capitol one, etc. read the fine print people Hmmm, spoken like a Car Rental Company Shill. You are wrong, Primary Insurance is offered, here are the features of AMEX Premium Rental Insurance program:

- Get up to $100,000 of primary coverage for damage or theft of a Rental Car
- Get up to $100,000 for Accidental Death or Dismemberment coverage (up to $250,000 for California Residents)
- Receive coverage for medical expenses and personal property for you and your passenger
- Covers most vehicles typically available from a Rental Company, from smaller economy sizes to large luxury sedans

Here's the full details

jaimelobo said: schmello87 said: Also when renting a car, your personal insurance is the primary and the credit card you use is the secondary- whatever your insuarance will not pay for-then the credit card kicks in, keep in mind that your personal insurance will go up though. This is not just with American Express, this is with all credit cards. Visa, mastercard, capitol one, etc. read the fine print people Hmmm, spoken like a Car Rental Company Shill. You are wrong, Primary Insurance is offered, here are the features of AMEX Premium Rental Insurance program:

- Get up to $100,000 of primary coverage for damage or theft of a Rental Car
- Get up to $100,000 for Accidental Death or Dismemberment coverage (up to $250,000 for California Residents)
- Receive coverage for medical expenses and personal property for you and your passenger
- Covers most vehicles typically available from a Rental Company, from smaller economy sizes to large luxury sedans

Here's the full details

I interpreted that schmello was talking about simply charging the car rental to a normal AMEX, not participating in AMEX's premium plan...

jaimelobo said: schmello87 said: Also when renting a car, your personal insurance is the primary and the credit card you use is the secondary- whatever your insuarance will not pay for-then the credit card kicks in, keep in mind that your personal insurance will go up though. This is not just with American Express, this is with all credit cards. Visa, mastercard, capitol one, etc. read the fine print people Hmmm, spoken like a Car Rental Company Shill. You are wrong, Primary Insurance is offered, here are the features of AMEX Premium Rental Insurance program:

- Get up to $100,000 of primary coverage for damage or theft of a Rental Car
- Get up to $100,000 for Accidental Death or Dismemberment coverage (up to $250,000 for California Residents)
- Receive coverage for medical expenses and personal property for you and your passenger
- Covers most vehicles typically available from a Rental Company, from smaller economy sizes to large luxury sedans

Here's the full detailsIt has the same loss use problem that schmello87 pointed out. Still I take my chances with AMEX (at least it says it will pay loss use, so there's a chance). Also, VISA and MC cover for basically two weeks, whereas AMEX covers for one month. So to not forget this, I just go with AMEX all the time.

Also to be on the safe side, I use personal AMEX cards instead of business for leisure trips just in case
AMEX has a problem with the charge not being kosher, and therefore coverage denied.