Originally Posted by
milksheikh
Why do credit cards require you to decline CDW for their car rental insurance to kick in?
I would think they would be better off if your rental is covered, even in part, by the car rental firm?
Any ideas (I haven't found a discussion of this following a good bit of searching)?
The credit card car insurance is INSTEAD of the CDW offered by the car companies. If you accept the CDW, you are no longer covered by your CC insurance.
It is up to you which you choose. The CDW offered by the rental company is expensive and a big profit center for them. The car insurance from your CC is free and included in the benefits is most platinum (and even many Gold) cards. Best to check what is covered by your CC though. Some CC won't cover in certain countries, e.g., Italy, Ireland, and most will not cover exotic cars or long term (> 30 days) rentals.