Credit Card rent a car Insurance??

Many/most credit cards EXCLUDE Italy, from their coverage area.

Check with them, and if they say 'yes', be sure you have written proof.

I personally would not reply on my cc insurance. It is generally secondary insurance and there has been too many postings here of people who had difficulty getting the insurance to pay off. You are dealing with a third party will not interest in paying. A lot of times it is just technical issues related how the paper work was completed or not, or notification, etc. Not worth the potential hassle. We now use the supplemental insurance offered by American Express.

If in Italy you may not be able to turn down their insurance. You may have required insurance in Italy.

When in Italy I book my cars with a broker, such as AutoEurope. They work with the major companies operating in Italy (Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Sixt, SicilyByCar, etc.) Insurance is included, but I select also the "No Deductible" (aka "refundable excess") coverage option as well, since the deductible is 1000€ or higher.

Insurance through the rental company is mandatory in Italy and you cannot turn it down, and that may be a reason why credit card companies do not cover Italy. I think some credit card companies may cover you as secondary for the deductible portion, but as I said I get it when I book with AutoEurope so I don't have to deal with the hassle of filing a claim with the credit card company.

Auto Europe has multiple websites. Check them all as deals vary from site to site:
www.autoeurope.com
www.kemwel.com
www.autoeurope.eu

Thank you so much!!!!

A few credit card companies do cover Italy. We have Sapphire preferred and they do. I got a letter from the credit card company. You don't have to eliminate the mandatory insurance (which you obviously can't) for your insurance to use it. You just can't take any additional insurance.

However, I messed up and reserved the car using my credit card when my husband was going to be the driver. So the insurance from the credit card would not apply. It was close to the date we were going and the cars were far more expensive so it didn't make sense to cancel and rebook. In the end, I bought insurance through AutoEurope. But I will tell you it is not any different than credit card insurance--you would have to pay and then get reimbursed. Fortunately, we have no idea how well this would work as we had no problems.

I have to respectfully take issue with some of what’s written above. I know the writers are well-meaning, but be careful with generalizations.

I've rented vehicles in foreign lands many dozens of times, and with only a few exceptions, I have always* used the insurance provided by my credit card. I have never had any trouble from this, and I bet I have saved many thousands of dollars on insurance over the years.

I rent cars overseas often (in Europe and elsewhere). I never* pay for additional insurance, the insurance I get that's included from my credit card works perfectly. Yes, even in Italy (several times) and in Ireland (another place people often say insurance is tricky), and pretty much everywhere* I've rented. My coverage is always primary (which means: your own personal insurance policy from home is not used first).

Of course, you have to follow the rules. There's a lot at stake so it is in your best interested to first find out the rules, understand them, then follow them. That's not hard, but it does add to your task list. If that's too much trouble, then sure, wave a credit card, sign here, here and here, initial there, there and there, and off you go. But that can be some serious money, and personally I’d rather spend that money on pasta, wine and gelato (note: I will drive after gelato if absolutely necessary, but not after wine).

One rule that seems to always be in force (at least it's listed up front for every credit card I have that provides complimentary insurance - I have several) is that you must decline all insurance offered by the rental agency. This apparently presents a conundrum for some folks, though it's not really. Renting in Italy (or other paces where some insurance is automatically rolled into your rental agreement), and you're getting some insurance that can not be declined? No problem, you just decline all the OPTIONAL insurance that you CAN decline. The credit card company and their insurance provider partners have done this a bazillion times before, they know about mandated Italian insurance. Not their first rodeo, not an issue for you. Yes, in Italy (and some other countries) some liability insurance is required by law, and is always included with your rental, it’s just rolled into your price. Nobody can "decline" this. That's OK. Just decline what you can decline, problem solved, move on.

If you remember nothing else about this subject, here is what you should always remember: Make sure you understand what coverage you have/do not have (no matter who you are getting it from), and what you want, then follow the rules.

Yes, there are important details. As mentioned above, know who will be the driver (and who won't), know if (or when) coverage is Primary, and when it's not. For example, I have a card whose coverage may be Primary or Secondary, depending on where you rent (domestic versus international), AND the purpose of your trip (business versus pleasure). Such details are readily available on your card company’s website, or if you just ask them.

If we use my card to pay for the rental (we always do), then I'm the driver, my spouse gets to be copilot/navigator (she doesn't want to drive, and ssshhhh I'm a better driver anyway, so we're all happy). Plan these things in advance.

IME the insurance services provided by credit card companies (at least mine) are as good or better than that which you might purchase. Think about it: I have a longstanding business/customer relationship with my credit card companies. With the insurance agency that would be offered at the rental counter? Not so much. I would not expect much from them in the way of customer service or help afterwards. My credit card company likes having me as a customer, those guys in Lithuania will never see or hear from me again.

Continued...

Continued from above…

Do Your Homework. It's not difficult - especially if you do that IN ADVANCE, in the comfort of your home, where you have all the time in the world to figure stuff out, and the vast resources we all enjoy.

Don’t wait until you are standing at the rental counter to figure out what your coverage is/should be and how you’re going to manage that!

Jetlagged, sleepy, cranky, with whining kids and/or unhappy spouses waiting on you, with a long line of impatient strangers behind you who have just flown halfway around the world, all giving you the evil eye, everyone wanting to just get this over with and jump in the car…while the rental agent yammers away at you in a language you really don’t speak, waving a pen at you and pointing to where to sign, sign, sign…that is really NO time to be making financial decisions that are potentially consequential.

Have all your car rental ducks in a row before you start packing your bags, have a plan and stick to it. Frankly, you are going to need all your presence of mind just to drive the darn car safely in a foreign country where everything’s at least a little bit unfamiliar, there’s no sense forcing yourself to take the LSAT, MCAT and Bar Exam right before you jump in and roar off.

I think most folks would consider me a careful (and skilled!) driver, and I have only had a couple very minor car scratches over my decades of car rentals; all have been easily resolved with no nightmares or headaches. I am obsessively focused on carefully observing and documenting the car's condition at pickup AND dropoff (and I try to make that evident to the rental staff checking me out…maybe they notice and don't try to scam me?). Again, I've never had an an issue with "surprise" damage charges after the fact.

I know, I know, lots of people have bad experiences renting cars overseas, many come home with horror stories (and some post them here). The car rental experience is far from perfect, but it’s also not something that only superhuman geniuses can pull off. Keep it simple!

My most recent rentals have been in Colombia, Malta, Turkey, all places where driving can be challenging. Before that, I’ve rented cars in the Azores, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Lithuania, Italy, and Mexico* (several times), and more. In 32 days, I’ll be renting a car in Japan (for the second time). I’ve had no trouble with cars in any of these places, and in all of them (except Mexico*) I used the insurance from a credit card. Saved a bundle, too.

You can save a bundle too, if you choose to. Some may be more comfortable making a different choice, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t be spooked by worries that the insurance provided at no additional cost by your credit card is just a worthless headache, or a scam you will regret.

Do the homework, understand the details. If you are unsure of something, ask the insurance folks from your credit card company. IME they are helpful, approachable, and worth contacting with questions. Mine seem happy to send me confirmation letters answering questions or providing “proof” that my coverage is valid. They’ve provided such documents to me (in just a few minutes via email, middle of the night) even translated into Spanish and Italian. Ask for what you need from them. Then have your documentation ready to show the guy at the counter if you get pushback.

A road trip overseas can be a blast. Often it’s the best (or only) way to get to places you want to see. Drive carefully, treat the rented car with some respect, and don’t be afraid to use that insurance you can get for free/almost free. Or, pay for it and stop worrying, whatever works best for you. Hope this helps.

*Ah, yes - Mexico. I’ve rented cars in Mexico more than a few times. There, I happily pay for supplemental insurance (which can function as a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card) and I stop worrying about it.

I messed up and reserved the car using my credit card when my husband was going to be the driver. So the insurance from the credit card would not apply.

This may not be true. If you only reserved it, no problem, switch cards at the time of rental and the terms of the credit card insurance used at the counter is valid. If you pre-paid, then yes, you are locked into the terms of that card's insurance.

Great information from David!!! I NEVER buy insurance from the car rental company. Explore coverage through your credit card company before you leave home. I see far too many people paying for expensive and unnecessary insurance at the rental counter because they are unsure or bullied into it. Like David said, that money is far better spent on wine and gelato.

I too heartily agree with David!

"... don’t be spooked by worries that the insurance provided at no additional cost by your credit card is just a worthless headache, or a scam you will regret...Do the homework, understand the details."

I did a deep dive into this subject last year in preparation for an overseas trip. It does require homework and understanding the details, but it's completely worth it. As David said, you can save thousands! And more importantly, you can drive the rental car without worrying that you made the wrong choice in declining the coverage.

No one has ever suggested accepting the insurance coverage offered by the rental car company which indeed is spectacularly overpriced.
I have a card that covers Italy too but I'll never use it - the reason being that I researched the settlement process should the need arise and didn't want to have to deal with the convoluted process involved.
First off, if I have an accident in Italy it's not my CC company that has to settle up with the local rental car company - it's me. I have to cover everything out of pocket and then go thru the process of requesting reimbursement from the CC company after the fact. In order to have a fighting chance at reimbursement I need to ensure that I check all of their boxes re supplying all of their required information so I'm not trying to do it after I leave Italy and am thus having to sort things out way after the fact (and in Italian to boot). Add the fact that the rental car company will be placing a hold on my card to cover those up-front costs (last time in Ireland it was 5,000 Euro) and I've always thought it was too much of a PIA just to save a few Euros, especially when I know I can get "walk-away" (zero deductible) insurance at a reasonable price from AutoEurope, USAA, Costco or AAA ... all of whom offer better deals on both the basic cost of the rental and the insurance cover than does a direct booking with any of the individual rental car companies.
In the last few years we've done extended driving vacations in Ireland, Italy and the UK. In each case I opted for the zero deductible cover from AutoEurope and was happy in the knowledge that if anything happened all I had to do was toss the keys to the rep and walk away. No muss, no fuss, no hassle.
To each their own.