I emailed UFAC, the company that operates the AMEX PCRP, at the email address published at
https://yourcarrentalclaim.com/amexc...ContactUs.aspx.
I waited two days with no response and re-sent the email. I waited two further days and re-sent the email. Finally, I got sick of sending emails (I had planned on bombarding them every day but grew weary of that idea) and forgot about it.
Then, ten days after I sent the first email, I got a response. A day later, I got a response to my second email. And then, at the end of that day, I got a third response.
So, their email-based customer service needs some improvement in turnaround time, but the quality of the response was just what I was looking for. And I got it in writing! So here, for your convenience and enjoyment, are my initial email and the three responses I received, which all concur.
BTW, the only link I've found to the full PCRP T&C online is here, in case you find it useful:
http://www.rushrentacar.com/download...e-AMERICAN.pdf
Hello:
I would like to confirm that the American Express Premium Car Rental Protection Plan WILL indeed cover a vehicle reserved and prepaid for through Priceline and/or Hotwire (or other opaque third-party booking engine), as long as that charge is placed on an enrolled American Express Card and the enrolled Card is used to guarantee the rental when the vehicle is picked up.
The Program Terms and Conditions do not specifically exclude such bookings and only say that "Coverage is activated when the Cardmember uses an Enrolled Card to pay
the rental fee for the Rental Car and the Cardmember signs the rental agreement for that Rental Car."
Please confirm this as soon as possible.
Thank you,
Jackal
Dear Mr. Jackal,
Without having an actual claim and reviewing documents, Mr. Jackal, it is impossible to tell you unequivocally, that something is or is not covered because there are so many variables. I can tell you, however, that reserving the rental vehicle through Priceline or Hotwire, or some other online booking entity, is acceptable as long as the person who books the vehicle is using an eligible American Express Card and pays for the rental with the American Express Card. Also, make sure the person who books the rental is the same person who pays for the rental with their American Express card and is listed as the primary renter.
I can also tell you if the vehicle is booked with the American Express card but not paid with an American Express card, the benefit does not apply.
In addition, there are other stipulations, such as vehicle type and length of rental which also affect whether or not the benefit will apply.
If you have additional questions, please contact us. Our office is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to serve you. We can be reached by fax at 440-914-2321, by email at
[email protected], by calling us at 1-800-338-1670. To check the status of your claim, log on
www.yourcarrentalclaim.com.
Sincerely,
Mary Martinez
American Express Claims Examiner
Mr. Jackal,
You can rent a vehicle from Priceline if you use your American Express card enrolled in the Premium Car Rental Protection. You will have to call American Express Customer Service to have them manually charge you the fee for the premium, since the charge is usually automatically applied when you rent directly from a rental agency. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Mic Starick
American Express Car Rental Loss and Damage
www.yourcarrentalclaim.com
Phone. 800-338-1670
Fax. 440-914-2321
Dear Jackal
Thank you for your email. Using a 3rd party service like Priceline or Hotwire is fine you just need to call us to be manually billed for the PCRP coverage as when you go through a 3rd party service like that it can cause issues with billing as they do not have the merchant code of a rental agency so the computer does not know to charge your for the PCRP coverage. Hopefully this clarifies things. Thank you for your patience & understanding in this matter. We appreciate your business!
Chris Antonelli
American Express Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance
www.yourcarrentalclaim.com
Phone. 800-338-1670
Fax. 440-914-2321