I need to rent a car this week, but I no longer have collision on my auto insurance policy with Geico--used to be covered fully for car rentals via Geico, but I'm driving an older car undeserving of collision (that gave me rental coverage).
Anyone know if the any of the cards below that I have will cover CDW/LDW if I use the card to pay for the rental?
SPG AMEX
Delta SkyMiles Amex
US Airways Premier World MC
United Mileage Plus Visa
Citi AAdvantage CitiBusiness Visa
mia
Mar 20, 10, 1:40 pm
To see the benefit provided by your Starwood Preferred Guest or Delta Skymiles credit card I would go to americanexpress.com, LOGIN, Click: Explore Rewards & Benefits > Card Rewards & Benefits > See All Benefits > Travel > Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance > Learn More .
You should be here, but it's better to login and navigate as above because the details can vary based on the state in which you reside:
None of the Master / Visa cards provides Primary coverage, unless you DONT have car insurance yourself.
In your case, yes, the card's coverage becomes your primary coverage. For MC the items not covered are Administration fee, and Loss of Revenue (well the latter is supposedly covered, but good luck in getting that paid.) Damage Repair is covered. For Visa, these items are covered. From what I read, Visa seems to be more reasonable in dealing with the Loss of Revenue claim.
moretimeoffguy
Mar 20, 10, 3:35 pm
Thanks Happy and Mia.
moretimeoffguy
Mar 20, 10, 5:27 pm
To see the benefit provided by your Starwood Preferred Guest or Delta Skymiles credit card I would go to americanexpress.com, LOGIN, Click: Explore Rewards & Benefits > Card Rewards & Benefits > See All Benefits > Travel > Car Rental Loss & Damage Insurance > Learn More .
You should be here, but it's better to login and navigate as above because the details can vary based on the state in which you reside:
Thanks Mia. I logged in and navigated to where you suggested. It says I'm covered, potentially, for CDW--there is legalese about referring to my membership agreement and/or any updates I may have received--and I don't have those.
There's also confusing verbiage about purchasing "premium" insurance, as if their own insurance isn't good enough:
"UPGRADE to Premium Car Rental Protection
Need primary car rental insurance and confused by options at the counter? For additional coverage, enroll in Premium Car Rental Protection, all for a no fuss, low flat rate!"
So would it be safest to decline CDW and accept some other option at the counter? I believe there's also LDW--although I don't know if I'm covered with that via Geico. Confusing. All I know is that, at the car rental counter, the agents seem to be trained to put the "fear of Jesus" into one and scare you into purchasing additional insurance products at the counter--must be near pure-profit.
moretimeoffguy
Mar 20, 10, 5:37 pm
None of the Master / Visa cards provides Primary coverage, unless you DONT have car insurance yourself.
In your case, yes, the card's coverage becomes your primary coverage. For MC the items not covered are Administration fee, and Loss of Revenue (well the latter is supposedly covered, but good luck in getting that paid.) Damage Repair is covered. For Visa, these items are covered. From what I read, Visa seems to be more reasonable in dealing with the Loss of Revenue claim.
Browsing around, logged in, to my Chase account (I have the BA Visa well), I see nothing about the car rental benefit. Is it a generic benefit for all MCs/Visas? Don't even see a search button in the Chase Online Customer Center.
Anyway, the Amex has me a bit concerned considering they're hawking "premium" car insurance above and beyond what you get for free--wonder if it's the same unnecessary "crap"--if crap it be--the car rental agencies market at the counter.
SharonLPK
Mar 20, 10, 6:04 pm
I believe the AMEX 'premium' coverage may be the separate rental car insurance plan you can enroll for. No charge except when you pay for a rental with the AMEX card, at which case $24.95 is charged to your AMEX 'per rental' not per day. As far as ins and outs of this coverage, I hesitate to state here because I haven't reviewed the coverage in the past 9 months or so.
I did have Enterprise state upfront last year that they wouldn't work with AMEX, only my actual insurance company, which scared me into getting their coverage. I made sure to not charge that rental to my AMEX...
mia
Mar 20, 10, 6:49 pm
...generic benefit for all MCs/Visas?
Not exactly, but if you have a personal VISA Signature card see here:
Also, be aware that if you plan to use a free-day or dollars-off coupon in connection with the rental, that will invalidate the free LDW offered by some credit cards. The coverage description of my Chase-issued World MasterCard specifically extends the LDW coverage to rentals in which such coupons are used, as long as at least one day's rental cost is charged to the card.
If one's own auto insurance policy will not cover damage to rented autos, I see little value in springing for the Amex Premium coverage, as the free LDW coverage becomes primary.
Some Chase-issued BA Visa cards are Visa Signature cards, which come with free LDW, but which probably do not cover rentals that use coupons. If the OP's card is a Visa Signature card, it will say so on the face of the card.
Happy
Mar 22, 10, 12:27 am
Browsing around, logged in, to my Chase account (I have the BA Visa well), I see nothing about the car rental benefit. Is it a generic benefit for all MCs/Visas? Don't even see a search button in the Chase Online Customer Center.
Anyway, the Amex has me a bit concerned considering they're hawking "premium" car insurance above and beyond what you get for free--wonder if it's the same unnecessary "crap"--if crap it be--the car rental agencies market at the counter.
Visa Signature card provides secondary cover after your own policy, and primary when you dont have own policy.
AMEX is a totally different plan. Given it to me, if I have an AMEX card that offers such plan, I would enroll the plan and use the AMEX for all my car rentals, let the 24xx premium per rental to take care of the insurance. To me it is a very small premium to pay for the full rental period to make the whole thing worry-free.
Even the CC provides coverage, when you actually need to file a claim, it is not a painless process. If you are unlucky like us, the rental car location is a franchisee whose financial backing is from yet another company which leases the cars to the franchisee, the claim process can be a nightmare. Also, it does not mean you dont have to pay anything at the end. The reality is you will still need to pay and is far more than the rental car company's "crap" being hawked to you.
Oh, when you file your claim, you would get a claim reference number. MAKE SURE to give this to the rental car company or its own insurance adjuster. Without that, MC would flat out LIE to the rental car company's insurance adjuster that they have received your claim. In our case we naively thought once we did our paperwork, the rest would be between MC and Thrifty. WONG! The claim was filed in Sept, immediately followed the hail storm damage in Yellowstone. Paperwork was submitted in October with small delay due to our town were hit by hurricane Wilma and the whole county was out of power for 10 days, but it was still within the 30 days window when we mailed in the paperwork. It was not until late December we found out MC never contacted Thrifty. Even worse, when Thrifty's adjuster called, each time MC told her they did not have any record we filed the claim.
Imagine how shocked we were, when we got a phone call from Thrifty insurance adjuster on X'mas eve, said they were ready to turn our case to collector because MC said we never filed claim but they were not able to contact us for further information. We were on a 12 day cruise and just got back that morning. The adjuster said she decided to give us one more call just in case she could get in touch with us...
Long story short, I spent a considerable amount of time in January to resolve this. Eventually MC paid 2280 repair bill, denied the loss of revenue claim despite the rental car company faxed in the usage logs, and not covered the admin fee. From the dealing with MC adjuster, I got the feeling that they would shoot down the loss of revenue no matter what. He was eager to settle the claim on the repair bill, not a single question about that and pressed me to just take it. My efforts of having Thrifty sending in the usage log were in vain - MC used all sorts of excuse to deny it. All told, we still had to pay Thrifty about 350. I would gladly pay the 16 x 4 coverage at the counter had we realized that weather could be a factor.
That is why I say the AMEX coverage plan is a small price to pay for a worry-free rental that lasts several days and in location that any of such factors, traffic, weather, road condition, can potentially cause trouble.
skofarrell
Mar 22, 10, 5:15 am
None of the Master / Visa cards provides Primary coverage, unless you DONT have car insurance yourself.
In your case, yes, the card's coverage becomes your primary coverage. For MC the items not covered are Administration fee, and Loss of Revenue (well the latter is supposedly covered, but good luck in getting that paid.) Damage Repair is covered. For Visa, these items are covered. From what I read, Visa seems to be more reasonable in dealing with the Loss of Revenue claim.
Delta Community Credit Union's Visa offers Primary Car Rental coverage for free, up to $25K in claims.
Browsing around, logged in, to my Chase account (I have the BA Visa well), I see nothing about the car rental benefit. Is it a generic benefit for all MCs/Visas? Don't even see a search button in the Chase Online Customer Center.
Anyway, the Amex has me a bit concerned considering they're hawking "premium" car insurance above and beyond what you get for free--wonder if it's the same unnecessary "crap"--if crap it be--the car rental agencies market at the counter.
Amex's personal card standard car rental insurance is secondary. They cover any dollars that your primary car insurance does not.
If you have a claim, you turn it into your home car insurance first, then anything that is not paid for you can submit to Amex. Typically your home policy deductible.
The "premium" car insurance that Amex sells makes Amex "primary", you don't have to involve your home car insurance provider at all if you have a claim.
The $20/25 policy Amex sells is a lot less than paying for similar coverage from the Car Rental providers.
But, by selling the policy, Amex is betting you won't have a claim.