We have a rental car booked for our Italy vacation, company is Europcar, booking agency is Auto Europe. We worked through Gemut and they made the booking for us. I know that purchase of basic insurance coverage is mandatory in Italy and can't be waived. As an option, you can buy extra coverage, to make the insurance zero-deductible. I was told by Gemut, at time of booking, that purchase of the extra coverage would be a waste of money if we pay for the rental with a credit card that has car insurance coverage, but we should be sure to verify with our CC that Italy is not excluded. So I called VISA and a customer service rep. verified that if we are in an accident and have a deductible to pay, they'll cover that. They know the country is Italy and said Italy is not excluded. They said to be sure to expressly waive any optional extra coverage offered by the rental car company. If we take it, it will void the CC coverage. All of that was about 3 months ago. I just called Auto Europe with a question about our booking (a question unrelated to the topic of this post) and in the course of my conversation with an agent, I learned that Italy "no longer accepts" credit card coverage for rental car damage. She said Italy gives you the option to stick with the mandatory basic insurance, or upgrade it to zero deductible. If you decline the latter, you have no coverage for your deductible. Even if your CC company says they're going to pay it, Italy won't accept it. She said this is "new" and makes Italy like Ireland. Has anyone had experience with these alleged new rules who can verify that all this is true? Should we take the zero deductible ins. offered by Europcar? Previously we were going to decline, as I didn't want to pay for coverage that I've already got for free, but it appears there are new rules.
Posted by
Portland
3665 posts
This seems very peculiar, as the cc coverage has nothing to do with being accepted by Italy, whatever that means. The way cc coverage works is that you front the money for damage. For example, we once broke a side mirror. After filing a claim with the cc company, you get reimbursed. In our case it took about 6 weeks. So where does the nation of Italy come into it? It is true that some cards exclude Italy, most notably AMEX, but that a different kettle of fish.
A couple of alerts: If there is another car involved, it's important to get a police report. Note that there are many different Visa cards, and many different companies issuing them. It's important to know what the "fine print" says for your specific card.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3371 posts
I have rented in Italy and France and have, unfortunately, used the accident insurance provided by Visa and had no problem being reimbursed for charges related to vehicle damage. Even though it is covered by the Visa card, last year and again this year I rented vehicles from Europecar through AutoEurope and I opted for the €0 deductible since it was only about €40 more than basic collision and had total coverage including undercarriage, glass, tires and theft of car. With credit card coverage you are not reimbursed for some of those expenses as well as administrative charges.
Visa coverage does not depend o issuing bank or various types of cards. The coverage is universal for all Visa cards. In regard to Italy, here's what their policy is:
If you happen to be renting a vehicle in Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, or Italy, please note: often the purchase of a minimum level of collision damage coverage is mandated in these countries. In that case, your benefit is supplemental to that required coverage.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12544 posts
I would make sure to have a copy of the most recent version of the 'term & conditions' for your credit card, and confirm it covers you in Italy.
A few years ago when I rented in Italy, NONE of my credit cards ( Visa, MC, or Amex) provided CDW/LDW in Italy. Italy was one of about a half dozen countries where the coverage did NOT apply.
As I recall the deductible varied by rental car company, varying between 1000-3000 euro. I ended up buying a "cover" policy from LLoyds. The cost for the week was less than the rental car company's daily charge.
If you elect to go with your Visa card coverage, be sure you have it in writing from Visa.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12544 posts
Here is something I just found that you may find of interest
http://www.gemut.com/bestors-blog/38-car-rental-in-europe/4091-car-rental-insurance-in-italy.html
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32473 posts
Vickie,
Aside from the insurance question, be sure that each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Also be careful to avoid the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas and speed cameras (hefty fines)!
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
488 posts
Joe: that link contains inaccurate information about my AmEx, at the very least. My Blue Cash card will cover up to the replacement cost of the car with or without rental car company insurance. Each AmEx cardline has its own set of insurance rules.
The best advice I can give on this is to read the cardholder agreement section dealing with rental car benefits and then, if you have any questions, call customer service before you purchase the rental.