Where do you obtain your car insurance when you travel to Europe?

We have used our American express to rent cars and get auto insurance for many (but not all) countries. Spain was covered. We have had to use the car rental protection twice, and had no trouble getting AmX to pay for the car damage. Both instances were just scrapes to the car itself, no personal injuries, but we did not end up paying one dime ourselves. I call them each time to confirm coverage before I go because they do not cover every country (ie Ireland and Italy). In those cases we purchased the insurance offered through the renting agency.

AmExp at the twenty-five bucks per rental period is the best deal going. Also, they'll cover something like forty days where the other cards stop at thirty or so. No American automobile insurance will cover much except the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Guam. All cards uniformly do not cover Ireland, Italy, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand. In those countries, get it directly from the rental agencies rather than stirring the pot by getting a third paw into gumming up the works. Use something like kayak.com to find the best deal and stick with the major agencies. Spain has has batch of little, local car rental places that you've never heard of. Unless you really understand the language and can read it with all the nuances, stay away from those.

We used our Costco AmEx last trip. $25 paid CDW for the entire rental. Caveats here: When we booked the car, we weren't automatically billed the $25. I called and they had to add the charge manually. Watch that, if you aren't charged, you aren't insured. As usual, I didn't have any accidents, dents, dings, scratches, etc. that might have created a claim. Since I didn't have a claim, I can't comment on the process or results associated with actually needing the insurance.

I buy a travel insurance policy from CSA travel insurance. It is their custom luxe policy and includes $50,000 in car rental insurance with a zero deductible. I have filed a claim and was reimbursed 100% quickly. If you buy from the rental company be very cautious about deductibles. When I looked into it, there was $1500 deductible that was in the small print. There is zero deductible available, but it will cost more. Also, whichever route you choose, READ THE POLICY and know what is expected of you in an accident. There are steps you have to follow in order to file a successful claim. They are not difficult, but you do have to do them. (for example, we had to call CSA immediately and get a claim started, we had to get information from the rental car company, we had to contact police and get a police report, etc. We actually were refused a police report because of how "minor" the damage was but we had pictures of the police being there and the damage, etc) It did not take us long to do any of these steps, but it laid the ground work for a successful claim. Many people who have claims rejected, have not followed the "rules" of the company. I carry the part of the policy that dictates how to handle the situation and put it in the glove compartment with the rental car companies "accident information" (they also have things you have to do) I had already paid for my car when I got my Costco American express, but their insurance sounds very interesting.

Many thanks to all you first responders who saved me hours of research time!

American Express. Cost in California is less, around $19.00 or so for the rental period. For domestic rentals, I used to have State Farm add coverage for "loss of use" for rental cars (already covered with everything else), but with AX, it acts as your primary insurance, so if something would happen, it won't affect your rates your car policies.

Does anyone know if the Costco AmEx covers Scotland/Uk? Rvflyer

kat, I've used insurance coverage provided by credit cards in the past, but these days I just buy a CDW package from the rental firm. In the research that I've done so far, I've found that the credit card insurance coverage tends to be somewhat complicated, with numerous terms, conditions and exclusions. Some terms on the rental contract have to be accepted, some declined and all of the rental costs have to be charged to the same credit card. The car rental coverage often seems to be provided by a third party, and not the credit card firm or Bank. Rather than try to figure out all the details and which conditions I'm covered for, deductible limits, etc., I find it much simpler and easier just to take the coverage from the rental firm. Of course, that's usually a more expensive option. You may find it very helpful to download this Car Rental Guide, as it addresses the topic of insurance (click the "Car Rental" tab). Happy travels!

Kat, I have mostly relied on my credit card (w/o additional charge) for coverage when renting in Europe. However, the last trip was to Italy and I wanted coverage for driving in that country. I picked up the car in Frankfurt and because of the pick up location I was able to get coverage through my AmEx card (24.95 per rental period) even though I was taking it into Italy. Yes, I clarified what I was doing with AmEx and they stated that my rental was covered even though I was taking it into Italy. You have to ask AmEx to put the coverage on your card before you go and before you use your card at the rental counter. Upon our return home I cancel the coverage because I do not need it stateside. We recently returned from New Zealand where I could not use the AmEx option so I paid the full coverage fee because of the driving on the "wrong" side of the road. I hope this adds some clarity to AmEx coverage.