England rental cars

I almost always use Allianz but have never had to make a claim, so no idea how they are to work with on a claim.

I don't know of any rewards credit card that will not give specifics of its benefits online. You don't need to call them (and it's much easier and faster to just search).

But here are a few that I know of that offer CDW benefits. FWIW, I used my Chase Sapphire Preferred card for the car rental I recently purchased in Scotland.

Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Bank of America (Air France)
Citi (Costco) card
AMEX Gold and Platinum (and maybe others)
USAA

thank you Katiecem.
Yes, Mardee, I'm able to see the basics online but not the specific answers to questions Rick recommends asking: what parts of car are excluded, max reimbursement allowed, worst case scenario, and if they could supply a letter of coverage. They can't answer those questions over the phone either.

I’m rather bemused by the concept of wanting in Saran e for your rental car without taking out a proper travel insurance package. That’s an absolute essential for me travelling anywhere.

Another credit card you might consider, and the one that we use for car rental (CDW coverage is included), is the Chase British Airways Visa card. Added benefits are, if you spend a certain amount with the card, you earn tons of Avios frequent flyer points, plus you earn points on everyday spending. There’s no foreign transaction fee using the card. Any chance you’ll be flying British Airways (or a partner) now, or in the future? Any chance you’re a member of the BA Executive Club? If not, you’ll automatically be enrolled when you apply for the card. The card does carry a $95 annual fee, although there have occasionally been offers of no fee for the first year, and then you don’t exactly have to renew the card after one year, if you’re just in it for the CDW or the Avios (wink, wink).

Thank you Cyn. So if CDW is included on the card, is that the same CDW that they offer at the counter and thus they won't bother us about it if we book with this card? We are flying British Airways on this trip. This seems like a very complex topic to me or maybe I'm overcomplicating it. I'll look into this card, thanks.

Hmm, on their website, British Airways Chase card says nothing about CDW under the travel benefits, only baggage delay, lost luggage, purchase protection, and extended warranty protection.

I think you have a somewhat unfounded view of rental agency provided CDW . I'll keep this short - I hd a reservation with Avis for a month this coming Autumn . I always take agency offered CDW , with the excess ( deductible ) buydown . I don't want to fool around with third party providers , like credit cards , but I realize that is a personal choice . Having encountered numerous reccomendations over the last several years for Celtic Legend ( Arnold Clark , a Scottish company ) I recently switched my reservation to them . Avis' charge , with insurance was upwards of $2800.00 for a month's rental . The price from Celtic Legend , all CDW and Excess elimination included is $1800.00 . I'm picking the car up in Manchester and dropping in Edinburgh , Give them a look - https://www.celticlegend.co.uk/ numerous pickup locations in England and Scotland .

Please read the requirements for filing a claim with credit card CDW before you commit - they can be draconian. It's my understanding that with the rental company's zero-deductible coverage, you can just hand over the keys and walk away - although you may have to cooperate with filing a police report if involved in an accident.

Thank you for the info @Steven. I've looked at Celtic Legend but they have no pickup/dropoff anywhere near Bath and I don't want to completely change around my trip to get to a location they do cover. I'll keep them in mind for future trips though.
@Markcw - yes, that's why I want to avoid credit card companies and I'm looking at rental car travel insurance. It doesn't look like many people have gone with this option though, only @katiecem has replied that she's used one. Perhaps not the best option? The rental car CDW thing just looks so expensive per Rick...

I use the Amex rental car insurance whenever I rent. The way it works is that you sign up for it. ( Of, course you need to have one of their cards.). No charge until you actually use your card for a rental. Then it’s very nominal, less than $50. I have had occasion to make a claim, and it was handled with dispatch. As I recall, there are no deductibles and no surprise exclusions.
I once was about to opt for the rental company’s insurance when it caught my eye that tires and windows were excluded. No thank you!

thanks @Rosalyn. I don't have AmEx but it's another option to consider. It doesn't look like many people go with the travel car rental insurance option. That's seeming the least expensive/least complicated to me unless there's something I'm missing.

I once was about to opt for the rental company’s insurance when it caught my eye that tires and windows were excluded. No thank you!

Actually , that is fairly common . There is very often a choice for an additional rider ( endorsement ) to cover that , at a fairly inexpensive cost

If you rent a car here there will be an excess of around £1500 with all other costs included in the rental price. So the most you will be liable for is the £1500. This is the only part you need insurance for. You can either buy this through the rental company, or take out separate insurance.

If you don’t take out the rental company insurance they will put a hold for the excess amount on your credit card. You will have to pay any amount owing when the car is returned and claim back the costs from your separate insurer.

The Chase British Airways Visa definitely includes collision coverage when using the card to rent overseas. That’s the third most important benefit of the card, after earning Avios points and having no foreign transaction fees. Fortunately, we’ve never needed to file a claim, but the coverage is there (I have repeatedly confirmed this), and it’s saved a bunch on car rental costs over many rentals in Europe on many trips. I understand that there would be a fair amount of paperwork and documentation involved, if there was an accident with substantial damage, but that can be managed, if an incident were to happen.

I agree, among the majority of people who post on the Rick Steves Travel Forum, most don’t use credit card insurance coverage, but there are some who do, including me. By the same token, it seems that a most people want an automatic transmission, especially for countries where they drive on the left, but we always go with a manual transmission, which I drive at home. It’s considerably cheaper when renting, but it’s not for everyone. So be it. Additionally, I get the impression that many, many people here also buy travel insurance - in case their trip gets cancelled at the last minute and they want to be reimbursed for prepaid costs, or if they need to be evacuated home due to a medical emergency while on vacation. Not an expense I’ve ever undertaken (or needed, thankfully), but it’s an expense that some people choose to buy.

If this helps, the 1-800 number on the back of my BA Visa card is 800-577-0633. They may not be able to speak to you if you don’t already have a card, or perhaps they can get you to a department that can verify the car insurance coverage they provide for rentals overseas.

For what it’s worth, while many Visa cards no longer cover insurance for rentals in Ireland, the Chase BA Visa does. I confirmed this before our trip in May, and they mailed me a letter to show to the clerk at the Avis desk in Ireland, so that he wouldn’t charge me for unwanted insurance. Saved a lot of Euros so I could spend them on gasoline!

Thank you @Cyn, that's very thorough and helpful. I will give them a call.
I also don't buy travel insurance. I don't like insurance in general, probably because of the nightmare that is medical coverage in the US. But if paying less than a hundred bucks for a week's car rental makes it so I don't have to pay 40% more for the rental or get a new credit card with a yearly fee that's more than that amount, it seems like a better deal to me. I was just hoping someone on here would have experience with one of those four companies and could give some advice, but so far just @katiecem has used any of them. I'm surprised. Allianz gives $75,000 coverage with 0 deductible for $77 for the week that we want a car. That would cover the entire car in most cases. They say it covers collision, loss, and damage. It covers to repair or replace the car and loss of use fees to the rental company.