MilesBuzz! - Car Rental Insurance on Credit Card? (I don't have insurance)

Does anyone have any experience with the "normal" credit cards and their car rental insurance policies? I'm not referring to Diner's Club or some AMEX cards, which I understand provides primary insurance.

Living in NYC, I got rid of my car and insurance a long time ago. I also have a different job which no longer requires me to travel. However, every once in a while I need to rent a car for leisure travel.

I have a bunch of Platinum VS/MC cards which all seem to say the same thing: "Insurance is secondary (and is primary in some cases) as long as you charge the rental to this credit card".

So, since I have no primary rental insurance, does the credit card automatically act as my primary insurance?

Also, what if we're using free rental coupons, such as UA certificates.. Since only the taxes are actually charged to the card, does the insurance coverage apply here?

And what abbout Liability insurance? Is this something where I'll just have to go ahead and pay the $10/day to be covered for this?

I keep thinking "don't worry about it", but I know the first time I'm not covered will be the time I'll need it...

Thanks in advance for the advice!
Darq

Darq-
I can help you with part of your question because I was in the same situation two years ago. Yes, when you have no primary insurance, your seconday insurance from the credit card becomes your primary. You may also want to look into car rental insurance from whoever you have home insurance. Supposedly its not that expensive. Sorry but I can't help you with the rest of your questions, hope this helps. <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Darq:

Does anyone have any experience with the "normal" credit cards and their car rental insurance policies? I'm not referring to Diner's Club or some AMEX cards, which I understand provides primary insurance.

Living in NYC, I got rid of my car and insurance a long time ago. I also have a different job which no longer requires me to travel. However, every once in a while I need to rent a car for leisure travel.

I have a bunch of Platinum VS/MC cards which all seem to say the same thing: "Insurance is secondary (and is primary in some cases) as long as you charge the rental to this credit card".

So, since I have no primary rental insurance, does the credit card automatically act as my primary insurance?

Also, what if we're using free rental coupons, such as UA certificates.. Since only the taxes are actually charged to the card, does the insurance coverage apply here?

And what abbout Liability insurance? Is this something where I'll just have to go ahead and pay the $10/day to be covered for this?

I keep thinking "don't worry about it", but I know the first time I'm not covered will be the time I'll need it...

Thanks in advance for the advice!
Darq</font>

I think one of the advatages of the Diners Club card is that it pays out as the primary insurance???

Anyone have any experience here?

What is the best card to use for card rental insurance coverage?

Also, beware that most card coverages do not include SUVs and many luxury cars.

My bunch of non USA issued cards offer no such protection sadly. Does anyone know a safe way to beat the huge insurance Avis/Hertz screw out of me? On a week rental the various waivers and ins. equal the rental cost!

I have a related question, if anyone has an answer. I usually take the $10 a day insurance even when I use a platinum Visa on the assumption that neither my primary insurance nor the credit card insurance covers the fee the car rental company charges each day the rental car is out of commission. Does anyone's insurance cover this?

A couple of years ago, I smashed up an Avis rental car in England. I had rented it on my Diner's club card. Diners paid for every cent of every charge and fee imposed by Avis, and my primary insurance company was never even notified.

(Diners, you can pay me off later....)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Darq, I think that the biggest mistake that everone is missing here is that the credit cards only provide PHYSICAL DAMAGE insurance - coverage for damage to the rental car such as a dent, theft, etc.

You have NO protection under the credit card policies for LIABILTY - in other words cover to protect you if you are sued by the other driver or the pedestrian. I believe that most rental car companies do provide some limited coverage, but often not enough.

You may want to consider the purchase of an automobile insurance policy called a Named Non Owner policy - it is to provide liabilty coverage for people that don't onw a car, but still do drive on occasion.

Diners club is by far the best card for insurance with rental cars, had two minor damage claims all were handled by just filling out a claims form and mailing it in
believe the $80.00 annual fee is worth it just for the insurance.
Mike

Unless you have close to zero assets (and/or want to stay that way) you better spring for those outrageously costly rental insurance extras, ie collision, liability, uninsured driver etc. The chances of having a problem are quite low but you could face financial ruin or even being detained should you become involved in even a small accident.

And to make matters even worse, this is probable the wrong forum for this non-miles question.

MisterNice

I second (or third) the endorsement of Diners Club as being the best card for covering car rental insurance, because it's primary everywhere. Note that most "gold card" insurance is secondary in the U.S. (for U.S. residents) but primary elsewhere (except Italy, Ireland and Israel, where it's often invalid completely. Different rules also seem to apply to Australia and New Zealand.)

As noted above, the CDW/LDW coverages offered by car rental companies only cover damage and/or loss of use of the rental car itself. Your liability for injuries caused to other people or their property ordinarily is covered by your own auto policy, if you have one. The amount of coverage inherently carried by the car rental company is almost always the minimum allowed by state law, and in any event will be very low. You could buy the L.I.S. (Liability Insurance Supplement, names may vary), for ~$10/day (might be more now), but check the deductible, it might be so high as to make you think again. If you're going to rent a car more than a few days per year, the suggestion made above to take out a "non-owners policy" is the best one. The agent who handles your owners/condo/co-op/renters policy can probably handle this; anybody else may not be interested in the small amount of business represented.

Whoops... sorry about posting this in the wrong forum. Still not used to using other forums besides the FlyerTalk Miles one. (Can a moderator please move this to the FlyerTalk Travel -&gt; Airlines, Hotels, Car Rentals ... or should I just repost it there?)

Anyways, thanks for the info, everyone! I don't rent TOO often, but of course, I don't want all my assets blown away in an unforeseen accident. So, I'll probably just use the credit card insurance plans for the CDW/LDW (Physical Damage), and I'll either do the extra $10/day for Liability or talk to Allstate (my renters insurers) about the non-owners policy.

Thanks again.. and sorry for the mis-post!

Darq

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RichG:
You could buy the L.I.S. (Liability Insurance Supplement, names may vary), for ~$10/day (might be more now), but check the deductible, it might be so high as to make you think again.</font>

I'm covered under my auto policy, but for somebody who doesn't have one (not even a non-owner's policy), I'd encourage them to consider LIS even if it has a very high deductible. Suppose the deductible is $10,000. That sounds really painfully high, but it's not. You're paying the $10 a day not really to protect against the accident where you cause and get sued for $11,000 of damage (where you'll pay $10,000 out of pocket and the policy will cover a mere $1,000), you're protecting against the accident where you'll be sued for $1 million in damage, which would devastate your finances for the rest of your life.

That's not to say that the $10 is a great deal, because it probably isn't. (It would seem that car rental companies find these additional add-ons to be high profit margin; turn that around, and that tells you it's not a great deal for the consumer.) But don't dismiss LIS just for a high deductible. And if you're at the rental car counter and didn't already purchase a non-owner policy, then the rental car company's LIS may well be the only game in town to save your a**.

Has anyone else had the experience of a car rental agency refusing to sell the liability insurance if you waive the CDW? This happened to us in Europe. Our insurance agent in MA was unclear about whether our auto insurance policy would cover liability in Europe. We were using Visa Gold, so we didn't need CDW in the UK. However, the rental agent wouldn't let us purchase the liabilty insurance seperately.

I recently traveled to Africa and in researching travel insurance I noticed that several companies offer added insurance on rental cars for very favorable prices.

I did not take this insurance because my VISA and AMEX do provide coverage. One note about Credit Card coverage is it is limited to as few as 15 days and some countries are not covered. Last year on a trip to Ireland I was told that one company, I can not remember which one (Amex, Visa, or MasterCard) would not provide coverage there; but the other two would. It is good to check with credit card company before you leave.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Whoops... sorry about posting this in the wrong forum. Still not used to using other forums besides the FlyerTalk Miles one. (Can a moderator please move this to the FlyerTalk Travel -&gt; Airlines, Hotels, Car Rentals ... or should I just repost it there?)</font>

I find this a hoot Darq. Yes this is ABSOLUTELY in the wrong Forum for the New Reich FT, but I found it very interesting. And "The Dos Moderators", if they do EVER get past reading the title of the thread would surely have seen your request??? Madness.

Anyways, I am agin Moderation, and am glad you posted it here, until they come to their senses and bring BACK "General Travel Talk" in an area that is readily accesible, like the one board and not in some corner of Siberia that takes 5 minutes to locate. And I have always rented eschewing all those high gouging fees assuming my card and own policy will cover me fully - this thread is making me re-think that.
Thanks http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Ah, a subject that hits close to home for me...

Last week in Milwaukee, I rented a compact car from Budget. Since they did not have any compacts available, they offered me a Ford Ranger P/U instead which I accepted. I declined the CDW and was on my way.

Well, the long and the short of it is that I'm an Idiot (Check name above for proof) and I got into an accident (DOH).

Well, it turns out that credit cards do not cover:

1) Vans, trucks, or pick-up trucks

2) Limousines (What am I going to do, drive myself around in a limo? Reminds me of Dumb and Dumber)

3) Off-road Vehicles (Yeah, I always show up to meetings on an ATV, nothing like a little mud on the dress pants to impress prospective customers)

4) Motorcycles, Mopeds or Motor bikes (Isn't a motorcycle a motor bike?)

Etc. Etc. Etc.

Well, this turns out to be quite costly, I did over $2,000us to the vehicle and am liable for the loss of use by the rental agency.

Moral of the story, do not rent Pick-up trucks!!! A secondary moral is, don't be an IDIOT!!!

Oh, and for those that asked, my CIBC Dividend Platinum Visa offers the following on award rentals...

* You are covered if You receive a "Free Rental" as a result of a promotion where You have had to make previous vehicle rentals and if each such previous rental was entirely paid for with your CIBC Dividend Platinum card.

*You are covered if You recieve a "Free Rental" day(s) as a result of an airline point program (or similar program) for the number of days of a free rental. If the free rental day(s) are combined with rental days for which You pay the negtiated rate, this entire balance must be paid by your CIBC Dividend Platinum card.

Remember, every card has different insurance, just because mine offeres it, doesn't mean yours does too.

Remeber kids, renting Pick-ups and Driving like an Idiot are both bad, fun, but bad.

I used to be in the same situation (didn't own a car, so didn't have insurance, but did have a gold card); the right answer, as has been mentioned by others, is to decline the CDW (assuming you don't get upgraded out of the coverage of your credit card), but to take the liability coverage.

To my recollection, nobody ever had a problem selling me the liability without the CDW, but I do recall being told that wasn't allowed by a phone representative one time. I think it most likely depends on the rental company. So, when you're reserving the car, be sure to take that into account. (this might make priceline deals a little more tricky, too...)

Dan

If you are not impressed with the answers so far... I do not know if the following works with YOUR cc's, but...

Secondary coverage on your cc is secondary to your existing auto coverage (primary). You do not have primary coverage, therefore the cc coverage becomes your primary coverage!

That is my understanding. If you read the booklet that comes with your cc, and every so often a new one is sent, I believe this is what it says quite plainly. At least it does on mine.

Now I have not had an accident with a rental car. I do have auto insurance. I also have an unbrella policy for liability over and above my cc, auto policy, homeowners policy.

Note in some places rental insurance is mandatory to be purchased with the rental. Our friends down under do this. People injurise are "not a problem" as fixing people, even visitors, injured in an accident is the role of the state.

Hopefully this will lead you to some better data, or at least put someone on edge to answer you that is knowledgeable of your situation.

I also don't have primary collision and I was in a small accident in July with my rental car. My credit card company required me to file an Affidavit of No Primary Insurance as part my paperwork.

After all the post, I am more confused than ever. here is my question.

I am traveling to East Europe, am renting a car with my Diner's card. Since my auto insurance do not cover Eastern Europe (I think). and Diner's do not cover liability. What happens when I ran over a poor lad? Am I going to stay in jail, until my family can cough up million dollars or so.

I do travel to Europe and Asia often and do rent cars, so I would appreciate if someone can clear this up. Thanks.

sendoisan,

When renting in the U.S., I often buy a Hertz "rental voucher" here in France- this is a pre-paid, all inclusive price fixed in your local cuurency that covers everything (CDW/LDW and LIS) except gas.

I've found this to be cheaper than paying the CDW/LDW and LIS fees to Hertz in the U.S.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by flyboy1:
Anyways, I am agin [against?] Moderation, and am glad you posted it here, until they come to their senses and bring BACK "General Travel Talk" in an area that is readily accesible...</font>

Wrong thread for this dicussion no doubt, (ah, the irony!) but it seems useful to remind some (again) that the moderators are not FT staff or compensated for their efforts.

The design of the board, the rules for where posts should go, which posts are acceptable, which are not, what should be moved, etc... are made by Randy & Co. Calling the moderators names and hectoring them in countless threads for their efforts at enforcing someone else's rules is pretty harsh, to put it mildly.

I don't much care for the new FT format myself, but if I want to complain about it there are much better ways available than the "moderators suck" crowd has been using thus far.

RichG, The Diner's club insurance is NOT primary fro drivers from NYS. If you look up the rules from Diners, they state that they are secondary for drivers in NY State. If you don't have primary insurance , then it's not a problem, but if you do - you need to be aware.

Larry

Drivers from NYS driving elsewhere, or any drivers driving in NYS?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Village Idiot:
Well, it turns out that credit cards do not cover:

1) Vans, trucks, or pick-up trucks

2) Limousines (What am I going to do, drive myself around in a limo? Reminds me of Dumb and Dumber)

3) Off-road Vehicles (Yeah, I always show up to meetings on an ATV, nothing like a little mud on the dress pants to impress prospective customers)

4) Motorcycles, Mopeds or Motor bikes (Isn't a motorcycle a motor bike?)
</font>

Make sure you read the small print when renting an SUV. Some cards cover all, some none, some 2WD only (but most rental SUV's are 4WD), some based on size (Explorer but not suburban).

nologic - sorry for not being more clear - the diner's club coverage is not primary for driver's who live in NY state. New York insurance law has a quirk that does not allow this coverage to be primary.

That's what I thought you said...but I am surprised that the restriction doesn't also preclude non-NY residents renting in NY?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Village Idiot:
Well, it turns out that credit cards do not cover:

1) Vans, trucks, or pick-up trucks

</font>

Just got off the phone with Citicorp Insurance, the company that insures rentals made with a Diners card.

Mini-vans(Dodge Caravan, etc.) are covered. Vans with the capacity of 15 passengers and higher are NOT covered.

SUV's are covered, but only when driving on city streets and inter/inner-states, according to the rep.

Pick-up trucks are NOT covered. And all this time I thought $19.99 was a great deal for the Ranger....No more Rangers for me....

Thanks for the heads up Village Idiot.(I feel rude calling you that, but....)

Aloha

Well, if the shoe fits... In my case, the Dunce Cap fits like a glove

Personally, I either decline the CDW/LDW and pay for the liability coverage, or when renting from Hertz I use my AAA CDP. AAA gets you the following on Hertz rentals in most states:

$5,000 limit on liability to vehicle (so don't trash it to the tune of more than 5K).
Primary liability protection of 25/50/10 (in most states). That's $25,000 per person bodily injury, $50,000 total bodily injury, and $10,000 in property damage.

As has been mentioned, this will not help if you get sued for everything you have; however I find that adding the rental car coverage to my regular car insurance in the liability catagory gives me that added extra piece of mind (instead of having to contemplate liquidating my assests to ZRH should it ever happen http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif ).

Larrude: I think I do remember reading about what you're referring to about Diners and NY State Drivers. I believe the reason was that New York insurance law requires rental car coverage to be included in N.Y. issued policies. I'm not sure if this is still the case if you don't carry collision, but I will check both my policy and with Diners.

Also, I'm pretty sure that Diners (and the others) are still primary overseas.

I just read the following.. I saw the same information posted on many websites:

In New York and Illinois, insurance for collision damage is already included in the rental price and rental car companies are not permitted by law to charge extra for the CDW. New York and Illinois also restrict the liability of drivers to $100 and $200, respectively. Bear in mind, however, the CDW may be void if you cause an accident by speeding, driving on unpaved roads or driving while intoxicated.

Of course, this leaves two comments/questions for me:
1) What if I rent from LGA or JFK and drive into New Jersey?
2) I guess I'll have to buy the rental car company's liability insurance if I rent out of state.

I've been doing some searches online, and can't find ANY sites that mention non-owners policies for New Yorkers. Perhaps it's because it's SUPPOSED to be built into the car owner's policy (in this case the Rental company?).. or perhaps it's SUPPOSED to be built into your normal car insurance policy (again, what if I don't have any?).... Anyways, I'll assume the liability restriction above still covers non-car-owners... However, this still doesn't help me with my "I'm a NY citizen renting in California" scenario.

.. and doing a little extra research regarding FREE day coupons. I read my NEA terms closely, and it says that the coverage applies if you charge at least ONE day of the rental on the credit card.. (I think my other credit cards say you need to charge the {whole?} rental to the card).

Darq


[This message has been edited by Darq (edited 09-06-2001).]

Just found this link to the New York State Insurance Department:

http://www.ins.state.ny.us/autorent.htm

Some good Q&A's, answering my "What if I rent from LGA or JFK and drive into New Jersey?" question above..

RichG, I believe that the reason Diner's is secondary for NY residents is that by law, NY automobile insurance policies (including liability only policies), provide coverage for rental cars physical damage anywhere in the US and Canada with a maximum out of pocket expense of $100.

Darq, as far as non owned policies, they are available - just talk to an insurance agent. In fact, under the heading " What if I don’t have a personal automobile insurance policy? " on the web page that you referenced, they actually speak briefly about such a policy.

Personally, if I did not own a vehicle of my own, but occassionaly rented or borrowed a car, I would want a non-owner policy to protect my assets. It also is usually going to be a requirement if you want to purchase an umbrella liability policy and don't have any automobile insurance.

... I meant to say that I couldn't find any INSURANCE websites that mentioned non-owner policies for New Yorkers. I'm sure they exist, I just can't locate any NY insurance companies that offer it.

Allstate handles my Renters Insurance, and when I went in to inquire about it, they just kept shaking their head "no" when I mentioned "non-owners policy"... So, if anyone has any recommendations that I should look into, I'd be happy to hear them! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Darq

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Darq:

Allstate handles my Renters Insurance, and when I went in to inquire about it, they just kept shaking their head "no" when I mentioned "non-owners policy"... So, if anyone has any recommendations that I should look into, I'd be happy to hear them! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Darq</font>

My recollection is that when I also looked for a non-owners policy, they either shook their heads and said they didn't have such a thing, or returned with a premium that was expensive enough that it was cheaper just to buy the rental company's insurance all the times I was planning to rent each year. However, this was a few years ago, so YMMV.

Dan

clublounger, village [non-]idiot, and all diner card holders -

perhaps you should check the written pamphlet that came with your card. diners club DOES cover you when renting a pick-up truck and DOES NOT cover you when renting an SUV.

i read the above in my pamphlet and called to verify it with diners because the SUV i was going to rent is built on the same frame as the pick-up truck [so, if you cover one, why not the other?]. the rep told me because they "assume" [love that word] that you would be going off-road with a 4x4 SUV.

please check your card's program before renting.

This is a fairly common nightmare scenerio. "Sir would you like to upgrade to an SUV for free (or tiny charge)"

Sure!

Of course you were covered for a regular car but now you are driving an SUV. A person driving an SUV for the first time isn't the safest thing on the road... SLAM! Hopefully you didn't maim someone, but either way you have a massive bill since your credit card won't cover you.. A few do, but most don't. Better call to make sure before you rent.

Darq,

Try another Allstate agent. Most companies do offer this, but many agents are not familiar with it.

I'd suggest asking your agent to call his underwriter to inquire about this. This is somethinbg that most agents don't know a lot about and it may take a little prodding.

Larry

This is and has been a very valuable thread...I had become indifferent to using AMEX vs. Diners for car rentals.

I now know to try to remember to use Diners because it provides primary coverage, which is a big deal.

It was also helpful to get better info on what type of cars are and are not covered.

This kind of info could save any of us thousands of dollars and is a great example of FT in action!

PS: Not sure what the topic has to do with miles, but it's a good topic and I am happy that it has been allowed to get some "mileage" here!

I thing Amex gold cards provide the same coverage as Diners. Here is the small print for AMEX Gold:

Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance is excess or secondary coverage within the United States, its territories, and Canada, covering only those expenses not covered by personal auto insurance, business insurance, or any other collectible source of insurance. The Plan also provides coverage outside the United States, its territories, and Canada to certain eligible Cardmembers. This coverage is also excess or secondary to other policies or waivers that may provide similar coverage. However, no coverage is offered for vehicles rented in Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Australia, or New Zealand. Certain vehicles are not covered and other significant exclusions apply. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company, Administrative Office, Green Bay, WI. Coverage is subject to the terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions of Policy AX0925.

One other thought just came to mind. Many companies have negotiated rates with certain selected car rental companies, and some of these include CDW, liability, uninsured motorist coverage etc, whether you travel on company business or not.

The company code must be included when reserving the car and sometimes it is not the lowest possible rate because of these extras. Check with your HR dept.

MisterNice

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RichG:
Different rules also seem to apply to Australia and New Zealand</font>

Not surprising, since the whole insurance situation in Australia is different. 3rd party injury insurance in Australia is tied to registration. Nobody (including rental companies) can register a vehicle without paying for it. Unless you are driving an unregistered vehicle, you are automatically covered.

Also, all Australian car rental companies include insurance for smashes in their rates. (Unfortunately, it has a high excess at times, and doesn't cover certain things that it should, such as collisions with animals!) As a result, Australian private car insurance policies and credit cards don't bother to cover rentals in any way whatsoever, which makes it incredibly expensive to rent cars with insurance cover in the USA.

My company has a negotiated rate with Hertz, Avis, and National that includes LDW/CDW, liability, uninsured, and personal effects. And, the rates are often the lowest I can find!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by detjason:
I thing Amex gold cards provide the same coverage as Diners. Here is the small print for AMEX Gold:

Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance is excess or secondary coverage within the United States, its territories, and Canada, covering only those expenses not covered by personal auto insurance, business insurance, or any other collectible source of insurance. </font>

NO, that should be one of the key lessons of this thread....that Diner's coverage is PRIMARY. Diners will pay without your needing to report any damage to your own insurance company. It is key to remember, though, that they will only cover the rental vehicle, not any other vehicle that you may have caused damage to while driving the rental vehicle.

Of course, if an accident is not your fault, then the other driver's insurance should cover you.

quote by clublounger:

"NO, that should be one of the key lessons of this thread....that Diner's coverage is PRIMARY. Diners will pay without your needing to report any damage to your own insurance company. It is key to remember, though, that they will only cover the rental vehicle, not any other vehicle that you may have caused damage to while driving the rental vehicle.

Of course, if an accident is not your fault, then the other driver's insurance should cover you."

Now what happen If I hit another car? does my insurance covers me? how about liability?
who covers medical expense? who covers property damage?

what happens if I am traveling in Europe. My insurance company do not cover me when traveling out of the country, and Diner's do not cover liability, so must I buy rental car's insurance even if I am using Diner's?

thanks

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by bellwilliam:
Now what happen If I hit another car? does my insurance covers me? how about liability?
who covers medical expense? who covers property damage?

what happens if I am traveling in Europe. My insurance company do not cover me when traveling out of the country, and Diner's do not cover liability, so must I buy rental car's insurance even if I am using Diner's?

thanks

</font>

I am definitely not an expert on this. Mainly I know what little I have already said. What I do know is that the credit card will cover, at most, only the damage to the rented vehicle.

Best to consult both your credit card company and your auto insurance company.

ALoha

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by cti1wlm:
clublounger, village [non-]idiot, and all diner card holders -

perhaps you should check the written pamphlet that came with your card. diners club DOES cover you when renting a pick-up truck and DOES NOT cover you when renting an SUV.

i read the above in my pamphlet and called to verify it with diners because the SUV i was going to rent is built on the same frame as the pick-up truck [so, if you cover one, why not the other?]. the rep told me because they "assume" [love that word] that you would be going off-road with a 4x4 SUV.

please check your card's program before renting.</font>

Just got off the phone with Diners. They INSIST that they DO NOT cover trucks, pick-up or otherwise. THey DO cover SUV's.

I don't understand your comment about SUV's above. The discussion so far has stated that SUV's ARE covered, so why your comment on Diners "assuming" that you'll be "going off-road with a 4x4 SUV". If they were to assume THAT, then they WOULDN'T cover you, no? But they DO cover SUV's......

EVERY CARD IS DIFFERENT!!!!

I can't stress this enough people, I have 3 different Visa cards and every one has a different policy as to what they cover.

Some offer secondary coverage, some offer primary. Some cover SUV's and some don't. Some cover up to 8 passenger vans and some cover up to 15 passenger vans.

DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING, CALL YOUR CARD ISSUER

I got burned; I rented a Pick up and smashed it up and had no coverage. Always check first!!!!

This is a great thread!
I just came back from driving an SUV around Canada for a week, after happily declining the heavy Hertz policies because my VISA gold offered coverage.
Thankfully, I did not need the insurance.

Even though I read the rules that came with my card very thoroughly; I had never taken advantage of the offer of insurance coverage before, I missed the "off road vehicle" wording! The Hertz agent offered no caution when I signed the waiver, given all that I've read here, it might be in the rental companies best interest to push a little harder at the rental desk. If she had warned me about that I probably would have gone for the heavy Hertz insurance, because I wouldn't have wanted to bother clarifying it at that point. There's a chance my policy covers it, but now I'll check thanks to all of you and this thread I'll be more cautious next time.

Check this link for some good info on rental car insurance:

http://www.insure.com/auto/carrental.html

Follow the 'no car, no problem' link for non-owners insurance.

Cheers.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">DO NOT ASSUME ANYTHING, CALL YOUR CARD ISSUER </font>

More specifically, when calling the card issuer, ask for the details of the coverage IN WRITING. What you get mistakenly told over the phone, or how you mistakenly interpret what is said, isn't going to mean squat if you end up needing the insurance.