AmEx car rental insurance

[Gregory1776]

I need to rent a car to travel across country in about a week, (solar eclipse! ☀️) should I use amex and deny insurance when they offer it? Should I get into an accident, or someone hits me how would they take care of the car? How much or what is covered and would this be a hassle dealing with amex and the CAR rental company? Thats what I'm worried about. Car getting totaled and having to litterally pay for it.  Please share what you know, and experiences, I'm reading the terms and conditions that came with my card...

Thanks!

[digitek]

Need to pay attention to whether it is primary or secondary in the US, so whether the cards insurance or your own personal auto insurance goes first if you were to be in an accident.

[Gregory1776]

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@digitek wrote:

Need to pay attention to whether it is primary or secondary in the US, so whether the cards insurance or your own personal auto insurance goes first if you were to be in an accident.

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How would you find that out...🤔

[Anonymous]

There are two tiers of rental car insurance with American Express cards. Below you will find a comparison between the two services. HTML is limited on this forum apparently, but for the "grid" below, Premium Car Rental Protection is on the left, and the standard Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance is on the right. You can learn more about and enroll in Premium Car Rental Protection at https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do

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Premium Car Rental Protection7 can offer you savings and value on your next car rental. Compare us to the insurance at the car rental counter or the Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance8 that may be included with your eligible American Express® Card Accounts to see how we stack up.

What you get with this product 7 Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance 8that may be included with your Card Accounts

PRICE	A rate of $12.25 - $24.95 per rental covers up to 42 consecutive days.9 Competitor rates may range from $11 to $45 per day.10		A benefit of eligible American Express® Card Accounts for no additional charge for up to 30 consecutive days.
TYPE OF COVERAGE	Primary for damage to or theft of the rental vehicle.11 If your rental vehicle is damaged, you can file that claim with us first as your primary provider.		Secondary; pays the deductible of your personal auto insurance.
AMOUNT OF COVERAGE	Up to $100,000 in coverage for damage or theft. For the higher priced option ($15.25 for FL residents, $17.95 for CA residents, $24.95 for all other states). Lower coverage option available.		Up to $50,000 in coverage for damage or theft; Select Card Accounts12 receive up to $75,000.
WHAT IT COVERS	Many types of vehicles, such as luxury vehicles, SUVs, and pickup trucks.		Standard vehicles only. For example, excludes luxury vehicles, SUVs, and pickup trucks.
WHO IT COVERS	Secondary medical coverage and accidental death or dismemberment coverage for drivers and passengers.		Not available on most Card Accounts. Select Card Accounts receive similar coverage.12

[Anonymous]

Do you have existing car insurance for your own car? Or not?

If you do NOT have other insurance it doesn't matter whether you get "primary" or "secondary" insurance as it will be your ONLY insurance in any case. 

If you DO have other insurance, why do you care? You're already covered by your existing policy, right? (Check). So decline the rental car insurance.

You CAN get "primary" insurance from Amex by paying extra, which will kick in ahead of your own car insurance. But really, why pay for that? Yeah your insurance will probably take a hit if you have a major accident--but so it would if you were drving your own car as well. What is it about a rental car that makes you want primary? 

That premium insurance might still be worth it IF you have no insurance of your own AND you plan to rent a vehicle not covered by basic insurance--like an SUV or a luxury car. You should check, but those more expensive vehicles are often excluded under the basic rental insurance, but included under the premium insurance. Check before you rent to make sure you're covered!

As for whether they will pay -- yes they will. They absolutely will. Amex is one of the better companies to deal with. My wife crushed the bumper on a rental car once (underground parking lots--not her thing) that was covered by credit card insurance from Amex, and they paid up no problem no hassle. I'm sure they would do the same if the car was totaled as well.

[fltireguy]

Amex premium is an awesome deal. You do have to enroll first though.

It is primary coverage, and I use it every time I rent. Living in Florida as I do, it only costs somewhere around $13 a day.. for a rental period of up to 45 days. For a total of $13 for the entire rental period!!!

[Anonymous]

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@fltireguy wrote:
Amex premium is an awesome deal. You do have to enroll first though.

It is primary coverage, and I use it every time I rent. Living in Florida as I do, it only costs somewhere around $13 a day.. for a rental period of up to 45 days. For a total of $13 for the entire rental period!!!

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I agree! I gladly pay $12.95 for a lil extra peace of mind.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

There are two tiers of rental car insurance with American Express cards. Below you will find a comparison between the two services. HTML is limited on this forum apparently, but for the "grid" below, Premium Car Rental Protection is on the left, and the standard Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance is on the right. You can learn more about and enroll in Premium Car Rental Protection at https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do

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Premium Car Rental Protection7 can offer you savings and value on your next car rental. Compare us to the insurance at the car rental counter or the Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance8 that may be included with your eligible American Express® Card Accounts to see how we stack up.

What you get with this product 7 Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance 8that may be included with your Card Accounts

PRICE	A rate of $12.25 - $24.95 per rental covers up to 42 consecutive days.9 Competitor rates may range from $11 to $45 per day.10		A benefit of eligible American Express® Card Accounts for no additional charge for up to 30 consecutive days.
TYPE OF COVERAGE	Primary for damage to or theft of the rental vehicle.11 If your rental vehicle is damaged, you can file that claim with us first as your primary provider.		Secondary; pays the deductible of your personal auto insurance.
AMOUNT OF COVERAGE	Up to $100,000 in coverage for damage or theft. For the higher priced option ($15.25 for FL residents, $17.95 for CA residents, $24.95 for all other states). Lower coverage option available.		Up to $50,000 in coverage for damage or theft; Select Card Accounts12 receive up to $75,000.
WHAT IT COVERS	Many types of vehicles, such as luxury vehicles, SUVs, and pickup trucks.		Standard vehicles only. For example, excludes luxury vehicles, SUVs, and pickup trucks.
WHO IT COVERS	Secondary medical coverage and accidental death or dismemberment coverage for drivers and passengers.		Not available on most Card Accounts. Select Card Accounts receive similar coverage.12

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Thanks pooka for the information.

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind that the credit card policies only protect you with respect to the rental company.  If you hit somebody else, the damage you cause the third party is not covered by those policies.  Usually your own insurance will cover you, but you need to check with your insurance company about your specific policy, especially when traveling in foreign countries.  You can also get a short term policy from the rental company sometimes.  

[Gregory1776]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Do you have existing car insurance for your own car? Or not?

If you do NOT have other insurance it doesn't matter whether you get "primary" or "secondary" insurance as it will be your ONLY insurance in any case. 

If you DO have other insurance, why do you care? You're already covered by your existing policy, right? (Check). So decline the rental car insurance.

You CAN get "primary" insurance from Amex by paying extra, which will kick in ahead of your own car insurance. But really, why pay for that? Yeah your insurance will probably take a hit if you have a major accident--but so it would if you were drving your own car as well. What is it about a rental car that makes you want primary? 

That premium insurance might still be worth it IF you have no insurance of your own AND you plan to rent a vehicle not covered by basic insurance--like an SUV or a luxury car. You should check, but those more expensive vehicles are often excluded under the basic rental insurance, but included under the premium insurance. Check before you rent to make sure you're covered!

As for whether they will pay -- yes they will. They absolutely will. Amex is one of the better companies to deal with. My wife crushed the bumper on a rental car once (underground parking lots--not her thing) that was covered by credit card insurance from Amex, and they paid up no problem no hassle. I'm sure they would do the same if the car was totaled as well.

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Yes, i own a car and have basic coverage protecting me, and other people's property, and other people.