Car rental need for credit company cover letter

No, I think they are asking for “proof” that you have insurance for the car from your credit card. You can get that by calling your credit card company, assuming you do have coverage.

Do be aware that the driver of the car has to be the name on the card. I made this mistake last year and by the time I realized it, it was too expensive to rebook the car. We ended up buying insurance through auto Europe, the broker we had used to reserve the car.

I was able to generate such a letter about credit card insurance coverage for car rental on line from my credit card company website (the same website I use to pay the bill each month).

What they are asking for is a letter from the bank that issued your credit card that you will have the minimum insurance coverages they require for you to rent the car from them. This is normal protocol and generally includes a written confirmation in a letter verifying you have adequate coverage for Collision ( and Collision Damage Waiver or “CDW”) Property Damage, Theft of the vehicle, Fire Damage, and Bodily Injury to non-passengers of your vehicle.
Your bank will be familiar with this type of request when you call them for the letter of confirmation.
In some countries, the auto rental agency is required to include property damage, collision and fire coverage, leaving you responsible for the other categories.
For your own protection, you might also want to be sure your own car insurance or travel insurance will cover you for Personal Injury/Medical coverage of the passengers in your rental car. Most policies the car rental agencies offer at the counter do not include coverage for injury to the rental car’s driver or the driver’s passengers.
Be sure you obtain an “ International Drivers Permit” (IDP) before your trip as it is a legal requirement in Slovenia. An IDP can be issued only through the American Automobile Association (AAA) for about $30.
Have a great trip!

Note that rental car insurance through a credit card is primarily a US credit card perk, so not something rental agencies abroad are used to seeing from their European customers or assuming it is going to cover you.

I always, always buy my car rental insurance abroad from the rental company. Your credit card coverage will save you a lot of money here in the US. Abroad I want the comfort of knowing if things go sideways with my rental car it’s their insurance picking up the tab and I can walk away. I’d like to hear from folks who used their credit card coverage abroad and had a serious claim.

Thank you so much for your quick and thorough responses. I will work through all the suggestions.

If you can’t supply this proof, the counter staff will insist that you buy the cover at the counter.

Note that the letter is only necessary if you elect to decline the coverage offered by the rental firm and use the coverage offered by the card. Be sure you understand the limitations and requirements of the card coverage if you decide to go that route.

Many here suggest taking the $0 deductible coverage offered by the rental firm, which allows you to just walk away if there is any damage to the car.

If you have a Chase Visa credit card and plan on using their car rental insurance, rather than calling the phone number on the card and "Push 2 if you want a lobotomy, Push 3 if you ......", They have a web site that instantly sent me the letter:

letter of eligibility

Also be aware, if you take ANY other insurance of any type from the rental company, it voids your credit card coverage. Either use the CC coverage exclusively, or use only the coverage sold by the rental company. You cannot have both.

We do this all the time when we rent a car in Europe. We decline all coverage from the rental company, and bring along a letter of proof stating that our credit card company covers us for that country and/or countries. I just call the number on the back of the credit card and tell them I need a letter of proof, and they email it to me while I am still on the phone with them. Make sure you have the driver’s name on the letter if you are calling for your spouse who will be driving. Usually the letter has to be dated two weeks from the date you plan on picking up the car. This may vary with rental companies.