Car Rental & Insurance, American Express Coverage?

First question: Do you have the AmExp plan where they automatically hit you for the extra thirty-five bucks or so every time you rent a car -- the deal that picks up the CDW?

I guess Ed is referring to the AmEx Premium program. You would probably have all the coverage you need just by charging the rental on your American Express card and declining CDW, the rental company's very expensive, high-deductible insurance. A lot of people sign up for rental agency CDW (I think I am using the right terminology) in order to get "peace of mind." The premium plan from American Express is supposed to serve the same purpose, that is, provide peace of mind. In effect, with that plan, you are supposed to receive both the secondary coverage from the card provider and the primary coverage that your own insurer would provide on your car in the United States. You have to sign up in advance for the AmEx premium coverage, and then, when you rent the vehicle using your American Express card and declining CDW, AmEx charges you an additional $20 to $35 for primary insurance. It is a cheaper way to obtain "peace of mind" than the CDW offered by the rental car companies. EDIT: I don't mean to belittle "peace of mind." I signed up for the AmEx Premium plan for exactly that reason.

Thanks. I set it up with Amer Ex. A yearly fee of about $30, then for each rental period a "one time" fee of $17.95 for the entire rental period (in this case 2 weeks) This saves 100's.
Note: a few countries are not covered. Italy is NOT covered.

Will you be getting liability coverage from the car rental company as American Express doesn't cover this? Do you think you will need it? I am renting a car in Spain and am unsure of what to get for coverage.

Mary.....rental coverage in Spain should cover you for the basic CDW (Collision Damage Waiver.) But, like most other European rentals, you will still be left with what they call "excess value," meaning you'll be responsible for a "deductible" of anywhere from a couple of hundred to a thousand Euro, or so, of damage to the car. They will probably put a hold on that amount on your credit card until your rental is complete. You can purchase extra insurance to bring that financial exposure down to zero dollars. Remember, though, that things like glass breakage and tire blowouts still won't be covered...unless it happens during an accident. There's coverage for THAT as well. I use the broker at carjet.co.uk for most of my European rentals, including Spain. They are very good at listing what is covered and, more importantly, what is not....and how much it costs to cover that extra....usually a couple of extra Euro per day.
A tip for renting in Spain....if you can pick up and drop off your car at Malaga, Granada, or Sevilla airports ONLY, you can cut your weekly rental costs in half...and the price includes CDW coverage down to zero. So the only option left is to decide whether you want the extra glass-tires coverage.