Hertz - Rental car, your ins, loss of use?

If you rent a car, used your insurance and damaged it, do you need to pay "Loss of use"?

Will say Geico covers "Loss of use"?

I am planning to rent it from Hertz.

I might be using an Amex Platinum card.

I was once hit with a Loss of Use. While ti was not a personal card what the corporate person responsible did was send a registered letter requesting rental records to PROVE that they had fully rented the car class damaged resulting in "loss of use" to them. They were unable to prove that all midsize cars at ATL were rented for the period the car was out of service and shut up and went away!

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If you rent a car, used your insurance and damaged it, do you need to pay "Loss of use"?


Will say Geico covers "Loss of use"?


I am planning to rent it from Hertz.


I might be using an Amex Platinum card.

You need to ask Geico if Geico will cover you for loss-of-use charges imposed by a car-rental company. If possible, use a credit card, such as a World MasterCard, that covers documented loss-of-use charges. That way, if Geico won't pay for loss of use, the credit card company will.

I don't know if your Amex Platinum does, but my Hilton HHonors Amex card does not cover loss of use.

Diners, which is a primary insurance (i.e. you don't get dinged for the accident) as opposed to a secondary like most other cards-AmEx included, covers "reasonable loss of use charges imposed by the vehicle rental agency for the period of time the rental vehicle is out of service. Loss of use charges must be substantiated by a location and class specific fleet utilization log."

The same exact language is in my Citi World Mastercard T&Cs ("MasterRental Insurance"), albeit it is secondary coverage and does not apply to rentals over 15 days. Similar language is also on my Citi Platinum Select VISA ("Visa auto rental CDW program") and on a Capital One VISA card. My AmEx does indeed specifically exclude coverages for any loss of use.

It pays to read the fine print. You need to read YOURS.

Also, whether you file a claim against your insurance or not, if the rental company is trying to force you to pay "loss of use" charges, you have a right to the same information as your insurance company does in terms of ensuring the vehicle would have been rented had it not been out of service.

I am the claims manager for a major car rental company. Loss of use is charged anytime a car is off our lot and cannot be used to rent, to display, to sell, employee use, non-revenue or promotional use or to perform routine maintenance.

Fleet utilization has no relevance to loss of use, but it has long been the argument insurance companies and credit card services use to avoid paying lou. If they don't pay lou, you will have to.

VISA is the only credit card company that pays LOU. AMEX and MC require a fleet utilization log to pay out for the benefit. Most major rental car companies will not release that document, as they have no obligation.

If you damage a rental car, be sure you give the agency your current address, and forward any documents your receive from them to your carrier immediately. Even if your company paid for the rental, YOU are the signer of the contract and the one ultimately responsible for repayment.

I am the claims manager for a major car rental company. Loss of use is charged anytime a car is off our lot and cannot be used to rent, to display, to sell, employee use, non-revenue or promotional use or to perform routine maintenance.

Fleet utilization has no relevance to loss of use, but it has long been the argument insurance companies and credit card services use to avoid paying lou. If they don't pay lou, you will have to.

Keep telling yourself that, and all will be alright.

Coming from the insurance side of the world, I can tell you that time and time again payment has not been made to rental car companies for their exhorborant loss of use charges.

Once settlement is reached rental company for the damages to the car, review of the loss of use charges, and there have been VERY few instances where payment is made (think mostly around holidays). As part of the settlement, the rental company cannot go after the renter for LOU.

If you rent a car, used your insurance and damaged it, do you need to pay "Loss of use"?

Will say Geico covers "Loss of use"?

I am planning to rent it from Hertz.

I might be using an Amex Platinum card.

I realize this is a somewhat old thread, but here's a slightly different take: check with GEICO to see if they have any type of discount program negotiated with Hertz or any of the other rental car agencies. I insure my car with USAA; they have a negotiated deal with Budget, Avis, and Hertz whereby LOU is completely waived in case of an accident -- only when you use the USAA CDP though. GECIO might have a similar program.

-z