car rental-uisng credit card and autoeurope site

I hate paying for auto insurance but when in Italy, and particularly when renting through AutoEurope, I always opt for €0 deductible insurance. If you rent from them or Kemwel, their sister company, periodically check the current rental rate on your car. They will match a new lower price from either company. I’ve saved quite a bit by doing so.

You can't waive CDW in Italy, therefore I don't know how that will affect your card coverage. I generally buy the no deductible through AutoEurope and don't bother with the credit card coverage.

Regarding renting through www.autoeurope.it (the Italian version of the AutoEurope) I indeed noticed that the rental company choices are many more in the Italian site and at prices that are different compared the US website for the exact same car and rental company.

I've never noticed it before, but I think it's worth to try, if one could save something.

I simulated a rental for a week (March 8 to March 15, 2023), in Rome and the Sicily-By-Car offer is €114 for the week for an Economy car (no deductible), while the US website quotes $190 (approximately $65 more than the Italian site). The Europcar deal, for the same type of car is $326/week, while in the Italian site of AutoEurope is €388, therefore in this case it would be more on the Italian site. Hertz is also more in the Italian website, whereas Avis is less in the Italian site.

The Italian site also offer more company choices, some names are totally unknown to me (maybe they are new franchises). I would stick with the major companies operating in Europe/Italy (Avis-Budget, Hertz, Europcar, Sicily by Car, Thrifty, Alamo, Sixt)

We rented in SIcily in April of 2022. We picked up in Siracusa and returned in Trapani. I worked thru Autoeurope and the car was thru Avis. I was given the same information. You must buy the insurance. They said it was Italian law.

I believe any time you buy the insurance thru a rental car company, it does indeed invalidate your credit card insurance.

I have rented thru Autoeurope many times. Just recently, I encountered an issue, and turned to Gemut for assistance. While I do like Autoeurope and Gemut confirmed that it is a good company, I felt the personal service through Gemut was excellent. If you have any questions about your rental, I would suggest checking with Gemut.

We have the chase sapphire reserved credit card and rented a car in Italy in July. I would encourage you to call Chase and make sure the information is still correct. When we called we were told where basic insurance is mandatory (as in Italy) it does not invalidate the credit card coverage. The Reserved card is different from preferred so I would call chase.
Prior to getting the reserved card we always bought all the insurance outside of the US.

I've been using that same credit card for decades, always using it for car rentals, and have saved thousands of dollars by doing so.

You will be fine, as long as you decline the optional insurance you are offered. I have rented cars all over Italy several times (including in Sicily). I also have the same credit card as you, and always use it to pay for the car rental (Note: you must use the card to pay for the entire rental, including any extras, or else coverage is not valid).

The rule boils down to this: Yes, you have to decline any additional CDW insurance that is offered/optional. In some places (including Italy) there's mandatory insurance that's always included - so you can't decline that. That's OK, just decline any extra (optional) insurance that they do offer you.

Before your trip, call Chase, have them transfer you to their insurance partners. Inform them of your plans, verify that nothing I've written above has changed, make sure you understand what you need to do, and ask them to email you a letter you can show to the rental agent at the counter in case you get any pushback when you decline the extra insurance (that's rare, but it can happen, having the letter naming you as already insured for the rental should put an end to any argument about that). Print out that letter and have it with you when you pick up the car.

For rentals, I always use gemut.com. I just used them 2 days ago to book a rental for a fall trip to Malta, and their rates were much lower than I had expected. I've been a happy customer for decades. They're easy, cheap, no surprises, great service, what's not to like?

Have fun in Sicily.

Thank you for all the good information. I had not thought of asking Chase to transfer me to insurance partner for clarification. I did get the card specifically for travel so would like to take advantage of it if I can.

I actually have tried Gemut and their rates were higher than Auto Europe. Auto Europe global seems to be the best price I can find and I have checked the car providers individual sites as well. I am, however, sticking with well known international brands which undoubtedly is more expensive.

Gemut always says, if you can find a better price, show them, and they will match it (assuming it's equivalent). I've never found better prices elsewhere, so have not tested that promise.

Last year we travelled to France. We rented through AutoEurope.eu because it was quite a bit cheaper. Initially I was nervous but everything worked out great. This year for our trip to Sicily I checked out prices on AutoEurope.eu and they were higher. So this year it will be AutoEuope.com.

I have not rented through autoeurope.eu, but have used autoeurope.ie for Ireland and autoeurope.co.uk for England. These were both month long rentals and the savings was several hundred dollars over the .com site. Both rental experiences were excellent.

Thanks for more ideas to check out.

This forum is such a resource!

In 2018 we used AutoEurope for the first time, and it was one of the global sites (.eu I believe). On a different forum I was sharing my experience with the car rental and someone posted that I was breaking rules, that the eu website was only for eu citizens. I contacted AutoEurope and was told it's absolutely fine to use any of the sites, there are no restrictions based on citizenship or residency. I've been using them ever since and have been very happy with them. I compare the sites and book the best deal. I've cancelled and modified reservations several times and never had a problem with refunds or credits. Last year we rented through them and picked europcar for Catania city office pick up because it was the best price. I do always take all insurance, no deductible even though I have credit cards that offer free coverage. I just decided that it's not worth the hassle of arguing with the person at the counter that I don't need the extra coverage or the hassle of having to put the cost for any damage on my credit card first, then ask for reimbursement. I'm probably paying for more than I need but it's just easier.