Has anyone had an accident or damage to a rental car in France? If so, what kind of insurance did you have - thru rental co or your credit card - and how did it work out. I always get the local CDW but wonder about the "no insurance excess". I've never used just the credit card insurance - can that be a huge hassle? Help!
Posted by
Grapevine, TX, USA
875 posts
American Express now offers pretty comprehensive car rental insurance for $24.95. You might want to check that out if you have an Amex card.
Posted by
NYC area
2912 posts
Hi Barb, We recently used our AmEx card plus we paid for the $24.99 "Premium Car Rental Protection" which covers CDW and a lot more. The $24.99 is per rental period, not per day. Paul
Posted by
Auburn, Alabama
1064 posts
I also use and recommend AmEx Premium instead of straight cc coverage or the rental company's CDW. It provides full coverage and is a lot cheaper than full CDW through the rental company. But that is an option only if you have an American Express card. Although I have driven in France, I have only rented in Germany and have not had an accident or a claim filed against me, so I cannot be much help there. However my daughter insured a rental in Italy last year through AutoEurope and ended up having to pay a 300 euro ($400) deductible when the rental company claimed the car had a scratch on it when she returned it. By coincidence, the claim was for exactly the amount of the deductible, so the rental firm did not have to risk dealing with the insurer's attorneys. Lesson: Regardless of how you insure the vehicle, be sure you get complete coverage, even if you have to pay more.
Posted by
Seattle, Washington
105 posts
We used my Visa when we booked a car in Cahors. We had a small dent, baked into a post. It was a 400 euro charge which went on my Visa. There was a bit of paperwork but Visa paid the cost in full. I printed out everything they had on their web site and read every word. It looked good to me, no deductable.
Hope you don't need it.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23319 posts
Personally think credit card insurance is pretty "iffy." A couple of years someone posted a horrific and expensive story about a serious accident in Germany that the credit card company walked away from. There have been other postings of problems with cc insurance. A major issue is that it is a three way discussion with two parties in the US and one in Europe. If you are using a cc as back up insurance, be sure you have read the fine print and understand it completely.