best card for car rental

[Anonymous]

My parents are thinking of renting a car to drive from northern to southern California. I'm trying to help organize everything, but I also have no idea what car renting companies are the best to do business with and what card to use. I'm not looking to get the most points from my credit card, but rather car insurance. I don't have an Amex Plat. Should the CSP be okay? They have AAA insurance.

And what's the process like? Do I just tell them I don't want their insurance, etc? Thanks.

[jsucool76]

csp has primary rental insurance, Amex Plat does not.

if the car is rented in one of your parents names, they need to be an authorized user on your card (pretty sure)

all you would then do is simply pay for the rental car with your csp and DECLINE the insurance offered to you by the rental company.

[takeshi74]

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@Anonymous wrote:

but I also have no idea what car renting companies are the best to do business with

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Best in what ways?  Always clarify what you specifically mean whenever you use the word best.  No one car rental company is universally best or else everyone would use that one and no one would use any of the others.  Provide a prioritized list of needs/wants.  Also read up on the different companies to see what sounds best suited to you.  Some of your question is really answered via first hand experience.

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@Anonymous wrote:

Should the CSP be okay?

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You'd have to tell us.  Read the terms of the car rental coverage and ensure that it meets your requirements.  There are times that we rent vehicles that would be excluded from the CSP's coverage and that's why we pay for AmEx's premium car rental coverage.

[youdontkillmoney]

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@jsucool76 wrote:
csp has primary rental insurance, Amex Plat does not.
.........

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^^^^

With my AMEX plat I purchase primary car rental insurance for a flat $17.95 in Calif, a one time charge, not per day of rental: https://www295.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do?intlink=premiumprot...

Here's a link for cc with primary car rental insruance:

http://thepointsguy.com/2015/07/credit-cards-that-offer-primary-car-rental-coverage/

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

My parents are thinking of renting a car to drive from northern to southern California. I'm trying to help organize everything, but I also have no idea what car renting companies are the best to do business with and what card to use. I'm not looking to get the most points from my credit card, but rather car insurance. I don't have an Amex Plat. Should the CSP be okay? They have AAA insurance.

And what's the process like? Do I just tell them I don't want their insurance, etc? Thanks.

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CSP is great for rentals because you get primary coverage at no charge. Just decline any damage waivers they offer and pay with CSP.

[blondy250]

CSP for the reasons stated, and rental cars fall into the travel category for 3x points.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

My parents are thinking of renting a car to drive from northern to southern California. I'm trying to help organize everything, but I also have no idea what car renting companies are the best to do business with and what card to use. I'm not looking to get the most points from my credit card, but rather car insurance. I don't have an Amex Plat. Should the CSP be okay? They have AAA insurance.

And what's the process like? Do I just tell them I don't want their insurance, etc? Thanks.

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CSP is great for rentals because you get primary coverage at no charge. Just decline any damage waivers they offer and pay with CSP.

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In the event that something happens to the car such as scratches, bumps, etc, how does the process work to file a claim and will my insurance company need to be notified? Sorry, it's my first time renting.

[red259]

In the same vein as this thread does anyone know if any of the credit cards will provide you CDW on an award rental where you are only using the card to pay taxes etc? I have all these care rental points but can't really use them because i'd have to go out of pocket on the cdw. 

[red259]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

My parents are thinking of renting a car to drive from northern to southern California. I'm trying to help organize everything, but I also have no idea what car renting companies are the best to do business with and what card to use. I'm not looking to get the most points from my credit card, but rather car insurance. I don't have an Amex Plat. Should the CSP be okay? They have AAA insurance.

And what's the process like? Do I just tell them I don't want their insurance, etc? Thanks.

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CSP is great for rentals because you get primary coverage at no charge. Just decline any damage waivers they offer and pay with CSP.

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In the event that something happens to the car such as scratches, bumps, etc, how does the process work to file a claim and will my insurance company need to be notified? Sorry, it's my first time renting.

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Many credit cards provide secondary coverage which means your insurance will need to pay first and then the credit card will pick up any leftover. If you have a credit card that has primary auto insurance then you do not need to use your auto insurance for damage to your rental vehicle. 

[yfan]

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@red259 wrote:

In the same vein as this thread does anyone know if any of the credit cards will provide you CDW on an award rental where you are only using the card to pay taxes etc? I have all these care rental points but can't really use them because i'd have to go out of pocket on the cdw. 

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My guess is you would, at least with the Amex premium coverage. I called them once to ask if it makes a difference if the rental is booked through an OTA, and they said no, as long as the rental company places a hold on your card for the rental, you're covered without the charge even posting. It stands to reason that your rental company would sill place a hold on your card, which would prompt Amex to charge you the one-time fee and extend coverage.