Declining CDW w/Car Rental in France

I would never trust credit card insurance again, after a bad experience in the past. To me, it's worth the peace of mind to just pay for rental counter insurance and be done with it. Keep in mind, when you decline the coverage with the rental, you are out there on your own if the credit card insurance chooses not to pay for damages. EDIT: In response to George's post below, I did have my credit card's assurance in writing, and they still denied the claim.

I know our Visa covers foreign car rental so we never need CDW from the rental agency when renting in France. We also take photos of the rental car before accepting it and photos again when we return it, just in case Pierre backs it into a lamppost trying to park it and blames it on us. Not all CC's do cover foreign car rentals so be sure that yours does, even to the point of calling them and asking for their policy in writing (or email).

We have purchased the CDW in both England and France. We needed it in England as a part fell off of a large truck and destroyed one of our tires. You can't be sure that your CC will cover everything.

It all depends on the car rental agency and where you are. Once in England they wanted to put the value of the car on my cc... also, same thing in the Cayman Islands..only this was just a $2,000 hold. Several cc said they covered this, but try telling this to someone who speaks another language who's only job is to threaten you till you take the insurance. Typically you are even signing the contract in another language. I have gone without it many times, but it does get more difficult each trip. The extra amex insurance for $25 is good in most countries, but again, as you try and explain this to the agent it can be trying and they can give you such a hassel. I did use it the last trip to France in Nov. and just hoped for the best. Supposedly they will stand behind you. It's worth getting the card even if you have to pay a fee, because you will make up the savings by not buying the rip off insurance.

I used hertz this spring paris CDG to Normandy then up to Amsterdam. Most reasonable I found. Amex has a good CDW for $20 or $25 depending on the car value. Capital one is fairly prompt put does not cover the VAT portion of any claim, VAT run about 20%. Not sure of the VAT in France. I am renting a VW Polo a small diesel 59 mpg,this fall, I rented a Chevy Spark before but the Polo is 20 mpg better although $40 more then the spark(for my trip), at $9 per gal I will save that the first day. I try to get the smallest car possible. To many tight spots to end up with scrapes and sratches in these small towns and parking areas. get a GPS, buy it here, you can get one with unlimited map s US and Europe for about the cost of one rental from the agency. I have a Tom Tom and love it, I have heard good things about the Garmin also. I also buy the Michelin area maps when I get there, they are about 40% cheaper then on line, it is nice to know a little more about the general area you are driving in that is difficult to get from the GPS. The Hertz site is very easy to use, it was my first time using Hertz and was very satisfied. I am not a Hertz employee!! Happy travels

Has anyone had a good experience using their credit card's CDW when their rental car was damaged? Are there third party companies that sell insurance for one time car rental coverage? I guess I should also call my own insurance carrier.

Your own insurer will not cover a European rental car. There are third party companies from whom you can buy insurance, but if there is a problem you are responsible for the costs up front, and then you wait for reiimbursement from the company. Others who have used such companies can chime in here with names - I have not used them.

My capital one card covered me when someone sideswiped my peugot in Cortona. Never been hit in France, though, so I can't comment on that. As a general rule, I always decline the CDW, and in Italy, my visa covered it.

I have had 2 minor damage claims, $500 & $1200 using my capital One Card, since my first claim they changed their coverage they now, as I mentioned above , do not cover the VAT portion of a claim, thus they reimbursed me about $980 of the $1200 claim. They were fairly prompt. I have not had a claim yet ! with my AMEX.

Although I've used credit card coverage for rental cars in Europe in the past, I've found this tends to be somewhat complicated with lots of terms and exclusions. This is method I'm currently using for rental vehicle coverage.... If I'm renting a car in North America, I use my RoadSide Plus coverage with my home insurance company. If I'm renting in Europe, I just accept the "premium" CDW coverage from the rental firm, as I don't want any hassles. It's expensive but provides some "peace of mind". Cheers!

For many years we have used our CC for rental car insurance. However, we now feel there are too many loopholes. We do not want to take a chance anymore. So, we now buy a travel insurance policy from Travel Insured which also covers our rental car. We find their rates very reasonable. You could also look into Gemut for your rental car. By the way, AutoEurope will honor any other company's rental rate.

Can anyone please tell me the location of the Avis office in southwest Paris near the peripherique? Sounds like it provides a quick and easy exit from the city.