heraclitus

I have been hesitant to rely on CC car rental coverage because of the numerous exceptions therein. However, I thought I might give it a try for an upcoming rental.

In reviewing the terms of the coverage, I see that in both my Amex and Visa cards, "trucks and pick-up trucks" are excluded from coverage, but the word "truck" is not defined. So what constitutes a "truck"? Obviously semi-trailers and dump trucks are out, and F250s and Rams are presumably out too.

But what about big SUVs? I would imagine a Tiguan or a Rav4 don't qualify as "trucks", but what about the big truck-frame SUVs like Tahoes or Navigators? Hell, what about a Ford Expedition or even an Expedition? Is it safe to assume that Edges and Escapes are safe?

My next rental is for a full-size car, but if the agent decides to upgrade me to a Durango I'd like to know what I could be getting myself into.

mediator

I know some cc insurance exclude those SUV with "convertible open", such as Escalade. OP if you are not sure, you can always call the cc insurance line and ask for clarification.

ac3000

I have always used cc coverage for rental. My understanding is that all regular cars and SUV are covered. Regardless of size. As long as what you are getting is not called a pickup truck or truck you are good. Also minivans are covered but larger vans are not.

But back to your question I have never seen a cc decline coverage on an SUV. Even the largest.

heraclitus

That's encouraging. I might take mediator's advice and call, but my concern is that when you aren't making a claim the answer is always "yes", but once you make a claim and lawyers get involved, things change in a hurry. I'm sure there's a reason that term is not defined!

lacuadra

Some of the fine line excludes 4WD or off terrain vehicle usage. One has to get very familiar with the coverage. And is not that the rental agency lets you pick it up, it is all about coverage once you get in trouble.

That is the reason I never use my Ink for rentals unless it is a business related expense (my consulting co. )

I prefer Chase United (primary) over Amex. But if you are in doubt, just pay the CDW.

c2d

I'd consider the Amex Premium Car rental protection. It is a flat rate of $24.95 per rental period up to 42 days (primary coverage) so if you are renting for more than 1 day, usually this is cheaper than the CDW from the rental agency. It covers SUVs and pickup trucks, up to $100k value vehicles.

Signing up enrolls all your Amex credit cards. But, it is activated only when you charge the rental to your Amex card, so if you don't get an upgrade from your standard car, then you can use a non-Amex card to pay and use its free CDW. If you do get the upgrade to SUV or truck, then pay with an Amex for peace of mind.

Here's a nice comprehensive post on this subject last week by Gary Leff at VFTW:
http://boardingarea.com/viewfromthew...time-rent-car/

heraclitus

Interesting thoughts in the last two posts.

What about this gameplan: accept upgrades to "regular" SUVs like an Escape or an Edge, but decline the monster vehicles like Expeditions, Tahoes and Hummers.

I guess where it gets complicated is with the bigger vehicles that are on the fine line like a 4x4 Jeep Grand Cherokee or a Ford Explorer... you wouldn't think those would be excluded, but when push comes to shove, who knows? Maybe the rule I need to adopt is "when in doubt, decline the upgrade"

(Now that I think about it, I wonder if there is any risk in the upgrade itself? What if it's a slow day at the agency and the agent gives you a Buick Enclave when you originally rented a Hyundai Elantra? Is the insurer going to tell you to pound sand if you wreck the Enclave, saying they will only cover the value of the compact car you bought?)

My usual practice has been to buy rental coverage from my car insurer which is $7/day + $15 policy surcharge, so $64 for a week. But I'm tempted to get some value from my credit cards which always hold out rental car insurance as a big perk...

TheChallenge

From previous experience "truck" has always been something along the lines of; UHaul box truck, flat bed pick-up trucks, and larger vans (such as fifteen passenger and cargo vans). At a place I used to work at, there was a six month period where we were frequently renting the above items for a move, and after a review of our insurance options decided CC coverage was excluded.

Personally, I always just rent with the $24.95 Amex coverage, and then often switch to a different payment card at the end of the rental as long as nothing has gone wrong. I usually always rent through the USAA site as well, so I'm covered on multiple fronts before my car insurance ever came into play.

c2d

The credit card coverage applies if you paid for rental with card And the car you end up driving is not excluded under their policy. They don't care if you got upgrades.

Worth considering Amex premium product for $24.95 per rental period (not per day). And this is primary coverage, not secondary. See link in my previous post.

guv1976

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

But if one's personal policy does not cover rental cars, then the free "secondary" coverage provided by many cars will cover the rental. "Secondary" coverage is only secondary to other, collectable insurance; if there is no such other insurance, "secondary" coverage automatically becomes primary.