ok, i have the Delta Gold Skymiles AmEx. I want to rent a car for one day in Caen and then again in Salzburg. (two different cars obviously)
What does the Amex get me that I wouldn't get with my Chase Visa, and how should I approach the insurance question when using either of those?
Never rented oversees before, it sounds much more complicated than it is here in the USA
Are you asking about the AE supplement insurance that is something around $20 per rental?
I don't know what I'm asking for, I guess a list of reasons that using an AmEx is a good idea? For example if having one gives me built in insurance, I'd like to know that
I personally would not rely on any credit card insurance that automatically comes with the card. First, there is often a lot of loopholes and special conditions. Second, there have been a number of horrid stories here when the ccc walked away from the insurance claim because an i wasn't dotted or two ts not crossed. Sometimes the cc insurance is secondary and not primary. (The AE supplement is primary). Some card require you to decline the extra insurance offered by the rental company. In Italy it is required so you gain almost nothing with the credit card insurance in Italy. You need to read the fine print from your credit card company concerning the insurance offered by the credit card company. You may want to talk with your ccc just to double check everything.
I do use the AE supplemental policy but it is a separate insurance policy that you pay for in addition to the rental. It has received good views from users.
I got screwed a few years ago by Amex's so-called "Premium" rental car insurance. I rented a car with the card and thought I was covered. I had some damage. They told me to file a claim. I did and provided everything they asked for. But the car company simply ignored their inquiry. So it was never paid. Cost me about $630 USD. I got the idea that Amex "Assurance" (the insurance company) did the absolute minimum to contact the car company - e.g. not email them but mail them something in the mail. Even I got a response from the car company by email. If you think about it, an insurance company doesn't exactly increase their profits by paying more claims - so why SHOULD they very hard?
My mistake probably was taking responsibility for the damage (signing a form when I returned the rental) - making me financially responsible for the damage. Once I did that, the car company lost all incentive to cooperate with an insurance company. Had I not signed, they would have held the deposit they had authorized on the Amex card; I would disputed the charge with Amex, and in response to an investigation, the car company would have had to provide pictures, invoices, etc. proving the damage. That's the info I would have needed to file a claim.
So...use a card for insurance coverage at your peril! You might be OK, especially if you use a big international company like Hertz or Avis (I used a Croatian rental car company, though they had offices all over Croatia so not a little company.)
Good info, thanks
Information like that is why I asked
That is always the problem when you use a third party insurance. If the rental company doesn't cooperate, then you are at the mercy of the car company. Doesn't make any difference if it is AE, Visa, or Mastercard. And you are always responsible even if you don't sign the form.
Frank, I didn't suggest one should try to evade responsibility for car damage one is responsible for - only that, as I explained above, once you sign the responsibility document at the car company, they lose any incentive to cooperate. They want to get paid for the damages by someone. They can use the credit card authorization, but if I dispute that charge, they'll have to back it up with evidence.
Since this is your first time renting in Europe, go to Travel Tips on this site, click on Transportation and there’s a very comprehensive section on Driving. I’ve used my Capital One Visa card for rentals and had the misfortune of damaging cars twice. On both occasions the cost of repairs was charged to the card and subsequently credited when the clam was settled. It took about 60-90 days to process the claims. They were paid in full except for any administrative charges by the auto rental company. If you rent from Hertz, Avis or Europcar, it’s as easy as renting a car in the US.
Any card associated with a specific airline will get you additional miles per rental. That's about it and that's about all your AmEx card gets you compared to any others out there.
Each card type (AmEx, MasterCard, or Visa) is pretty much the same in their basic offerings of rental car insurance. Some exclude specific countries and/or specific vehicle types. Most require you to decline all offered insurance from the rental company or they cover nothing. The local rental agency may require a letter from your credit card stating what they cover and how much before letting you drive off without their insurance. You will have to look at the coverage documentation provided with your card to know these details, or call them and ask to be sure.
AmEx offers a primary rental insurance as mentioned by others, but this is not included by just having the card. You must sign up for it separately and from the point you get it is it an approximately $20 charge for every car rental you put on that card. This does save money over the daily charge that many auto rental companies in the US have which can be that much or more per day.
I prefer not to rent outside the US and Canada simply because of the confusing traffic laws compared to home as well as the high price of gas, parking, and the ease at which many seem to get traffic tickets. I take trains or buses and have not yet found anywhere I wanted to go that I couldn't get to. It is also just more relaxing to me to not be burdened with keeping track of the car. But that's just me.
There are some places in Austria and around bayeux that are very hard to get around without either a private tour or a rental car.
I don't doubt that, I just have not had to get to any of those places ... yet. :-)
I think Andrew is confusing the insurance that automatically comes with the Amex card and their Premium Insurance which needs to be signed up for separately. I, by the way, have had claims on both, and have experienced no trouble whatsoever. (Your results may vary.)
All that being said, if your rentals are just for a day or two, I think I would simply take the rental company no-deductible insurance. Do read the fine print carefully. On one occasion, I was considering.that until I saw that tires and glass were excluded from the coverage. Since two of the claims we’ve made, in a long history of driving in Europe, were for broken windows, I passed on the rental company and used Amex.
The one advantage I can see for the Amex vs Chase is that the former puts the claim amount into the “disputed charge” category. With the latter, you front the payment,; and they reimburse you when the claim is settled.
