I used to be fat dumb and happy in my belief that my USAA Platinium Visa coupled with my USAA Auto policy would protect me when renting cars for personal use in the US. Now I am fat dumb and totally confused.

I find the check-in and check-out procedures at rental car agencies borders on harassment as they try and encourage you to get their insurance. I thought this was limited to the smaller, more economical agencies. However, after reading these forums, I understand that the bigger rental car agencies also play the same games.

I thought it was the card provider that provided the CDW benefit not the type of card. I was wrong. The coverage comes from the type of card.

I called USAA and got pdf files comparing the card benefits of the different cards they offer. I know have a lot more meaningless information.

If your wallet contained every possible type of credit card, and if you were going to use one to charge your card rental, and if you wanted the maximumn benefit from your card for rental insurance, what card would you pick?

Do you think certain credit card types have more leverage than others with specific rental car agencies? ie You will have better coverage with VISA and Hertz than VISA and Joe's Not At the Airport Car Rental?

Will someone also comment on whether rental car agencies can actually collect for loss of use without utilization logs? If when you sign for your rental they require you to agree to this as a condition of the rental, are you stuck if you damage the car and they take weeks/months to repair it? Why repair a car if you know some fool has to pay for it while it is being repaired?

Thanks