mia

Start here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...tion-fees.html

dlf

Chase has offered a card (JP Morgan Select Visa Signature) for the past few months that is primary, has no forex fees, and is also a chip/sign card, easy to use in foreign systems.

ajnaro

Is there ANY credit card protection that covers third-party damage or either other cars or people, or even to oneself?

mia

I know of one, the American Express International Dollar (or Euro) Platinum card. This is a card issued by an American Express office which happens to be in the UK, but it is not a British card. Anyone can apply, and the card is billed in US Dollars or Euros, depending on the version you choose.

Start here: http://americanexpress.com/IDC

Here is a link to the specific document describing the coverage:

https://www.americanexpress.com/laci...e_Benefits.pdf


Here is a link to a thread in American Express section of Flyertalk discussing recent application requirements. Please post questions about the card there:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...hare-here.html

Edwardvan

I managed to have Amex pay for a scratch on a hertz rental recently. I do have personal auto insurance.

mia

This is likely because the cost of the repair was lower than the deductible amount of your personal auto insurance.

allanfan

Yea, I think that's the only possibility.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.601 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Or, the particular personal auto insurance policy did not cover rental cars at all.

ajnaro

I called them up and had a chat with an agent about rental car insurance. He did confirm that the AMEX IDC (international dollar card) insurance covers third-party losses but he was very insistent that AMEX IDC will cover NOTHING AT ALL in the case where the car rental company imposes their own insurance as a pre-condition to renting, even if that insurance is only partial or has a large deductible. This also applies, for example, if CDW is waived or included in the rate. So, it seems to me that this AMEX IDC car rental insurance is actually worthless, given that the vast majority of rentals outside of the US do obligatorily require some form of insurance.

mia

This is the opposite of the written material which explicitly distinguishes between mandatory and optional insurance, and explicitly states that it will pay the deductible (excess) amount:

The Insurer will only pay in excess of any insurance which is included in the rental agreement

1) These benefits only apply where the rental company allows You to decline the purchase of additional or optional insurances from the rental company

3) If Your rental vehicle is stolen or damaged, the Insurer will pay any amounts You are responsible for under the rental agreement, including the excess

ajnaro

The above posting was in reply to my last posting, which said:

"I called them up and had a chat with an agent about rental car insurance. He did confirm that the AMEX IDC (international dollar card) insurance covers third-party losses but he was very insistent that AMEX IDC will cover NOTHING AT ALL in the case where the car rental company imposes their own insurance as a pre-condition to renting, even if that insurance is only partial or has a large deductible. This also applies, for example, if CDW is waived or included in the rate. So, it seems to me that this AMEX IDC car rental insurance is actually worthless, given that the vast majority of rentals outside of the US do obligatorily require some form of insurance".

In view of the fact that there is some disagreement on this point I called up American Express IDC in the UK again and the agent to whom I spoke again affirmed that in the case where the rental company or law imposes insurance AMEX IDC WILL COVER NOTHING AT ALL, not even the deductible (excess) it may stipulate. She directed me to the following in the t&c, the very first clause:

These benefits only apply where the rental company allows You to decline the purchase of additional or optional insurances from the rental company.

Curiously, this is exactly the same clause quoted by mia above. AMEX apparently interprets this clause to mean that none of its benefits apply if the renter can't decline insurance. Of course, if the renter can't decline it, it couldn't be 'optional', but I suppose AMEX interprets it as 'additional' even if it's obligatory. In any case, if anyone else would like to try, please call +44 1273 868 900 and ask to speak to an insurance specialist. I would be curious to know if somebody else can get a different answer.

ajnaro

Since it seems that nobody else has tried, I decided to call the number myself and try again. I was again connected to a specialist in the AMEX insurance department, as occurred on the last two attempts. I again posed the same question: in case the car rental company requires purchase of cdw, or other insurance, as a condition of renting the car, or if cdw or other insurance is included in the applicable car rental rate, or if there is a law that requires purchase of cdw or other insurance, but there is still a deductible or excess, will that deductible or excess be covered by the AMEX Platinum card insurance? This time the answer I got was a firm ‘yes’ and furthermore all the other AMEX insurance not covered by the mandatory purchased insurance would also be valid. So it’s anyone’s guess as to what the AMEX coverage really is.

On a completely separate front, I also asked if there would be a conversion fee for non-dollar charges and the answer was ‘yes, it is 2.99%’. That for me is enough to rule out the card, without even thinking about the insurance confusion, since virtually all of my use of the card would be for non-dollar denominated charges. The representative also told me that the US dollar card would come with Priority Pass because all AMEX Platinum cards, no matter where they are issued, have that benefit. I know this isn’t true because the Brazilian issued AMEX Platinum does not have it, although the card itself is accepted by American Airlines, and perhaps others airlines, for lounge access.

mbflyflyaway

Don't think I saw this mentioned here, but it appears the new Explorer Card from Chase (the new United card) also provides primary coverage, though I haven't seen the details of the coverage yet.

-Mike

APeverell

The best solution, if you can, is the IDC Centurion card. The travel insurance benefits, including the car rental benefit, does not require use of the card for rental charges. The only requirement is that your name is on the rental agreement, and of course, your card account is open and in good standing.

Therefore, you can use any Chase no forex card with Primary coverage to pay for the rental, and in the event of needing to file a claim, you have the options (don't know if you can do both). For Chase, they only covers damage or loss of the vehicle.

toddreg

AMEX has primary coverage available in addition to the coverage they already provide. You have two choices either 19.95 or 24.95 as I recall. The difference is in the amount of coverage. You simply sign up for this benefit and they automatically bill you this amount each time a car rental hits your account, the coverage is automatic in other words. Granted for a day or two it is expensive but for a week I don't mind. You can also activate and deactivate this coverage by simply calling them.