RENTAL CAR ~ 1) INSURANCE.. 2) Booking advice

Not Canadian, but why don't you call the CIBC VISA people and ask them how much/what coverage you get with their card?

Per the CIBC website: "11 Common carrier fares must be charged to the card prior to your departure to activate coverage. $500,000 Common Carrier Accident Insurance is available only to the Primary Cardholder and his/her spouse and dependent children; coverage is up to $500,000. Visa Auto Rental Collision/Loss Damage Insurance applies for rental periods up to 48 days, only; to activate coverage, the car rental agency's Collision Damage W (CDW) or Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) must be declined and the full cost of the rental must be charged to your card. Baggage Insurance is "excess insurance" (meaning it covers you only to the extent your claim exceeds any other collectible insurance that would apply without this insurance) All Insurances are underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada and are subject to limitations and exclusions outlined in the insurance certificates distributed with the Card Package." So, $500,000. Also, you get a discount with AVIS if you use your card to rent the car. Contact CIBC for the approriate number to use when booking online.
https://www.cibc.com/ca/visa/aerogold/aerogold-visa-ftrs.html

Not $500,000 - up TO $500,000. And that's only "available" to the primary cardholder and immediate family. Is available the same as automatic? You'll have to ask. And that's only airplane accident insurance. As for car insurance, it is secondary to any other insurance you may have that covers rentals abroad. And you still need to ask them what the "limitations and exclusions" are. You will want to make sure that you follow their rules and procedures exactly, or you will find yourself with no coverage (you have to decline the rental counter insurance to activate the card insurance). You need to call CIBC to get the specifics.

Thanks for your responses........... Unfortunately when I contact CIBC Visa, their staff seem to know less than me.. That's why I posted here... I note from previous response that coverage only applies to driver, spouse and immediate family. My hubby and I will be meeting up with another couple for part of our trip so the Visa insurance won't provide the coverage we need... :( Thanks

If you're able to obtain an American Express card, and if you sign up for their "Premium Car Rental Protection", coverage extends to "any Authorized Driver as indicated on the rental car agreement." The plan costs $24.95 per rental and is "first dollar" coverage - there is no deductible.

Beware that in most cases, should any damage occur, you'd have to fork the money before being reimbursed by your credit card. There is extensive paperwork to work with and sometimes car rental agencies in Europe don't talk well with North American credit car insurers. In some agencies/countries, you might be required to have a large hold on your credit card should you decline agency-offered insurance. A hold is a temporary limitation on your spending limit until you return the car undamaged. Some of these hold go as high as € 5.000 for uninsured renters. In my humble opinion, the hassle doesn't justify the benefits, considering you can, sometimes score good car deals with insurance included. For booking, try: - the European sites of major agencies (Hertz, Avis, Europcar). Booking via their American (.com) websites sometimes entail 30. 40% more expensive fares! Try looking for the British sites. - AutoEurope, a major, very reputable car rental third-part agency that rents pre-paid cars with major companies in Europe and often offers deals with insurance incldued.

"Beware that in most cases, should any damage occur, you'd have to fork the money before being reimbursed by your credit card." While true of Visa coverage, I do not think that applies to the American Express coverage cited by Tom, provided you pay with an AmEx card. In such cases, American Express is both the primary and the secondary insurer.

If you are going to have a car for that long you should look into a short-term lease rather than a rental. Full coverage insurance is included.
http://www.renaultusa.com/

Teresa, I would really encourage you to consider Jeff's suggestion about leasing a brand new car through the Renault leasing program. My wife and I used it in May and had a great experience. We leased a brand new Renault Clio Estate for 22 days for $1399 USD, which included zero-deductible insurance, roadside service, a TomTom GPS, etc. No CDW, no super CDW hassle, etc. You will have to add an extra charge if the car is picked up or returned outside of France, but you can simply add the fee to you lease charge and see how it compares to a long-term rental with added insurance. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Not sure what Jeff and Will consider a good deal. I would have guessed a car in Spain would cost about twenty bucks a day if you rented it for three weeks (cdw extra, but not that much). Checking kayak.com shows I was dead wrong: Hertz would cough up a Clio-sized something for three weeks at eighteen american dollars per day. The same source says I could do it out of Paris for nineteen bucks a day. Spain and Portugal are cheap. For the extra grand, two of us could have wormed out another five days, brought a gps (even if we'd had to buy a map chip) and settled for having to drive a year-old car with a few thousand miles on it. Life sucks when you're poor.