Originally Posted by
james89
I've had to use both the $24.95 Amex insurance and CSP insurance for little issues. Both were able to get the job done, but Chase was more work on my end.
Amex - caught a pretty large rock that immediately cracked the windshield of a rental car in Germany. The rental return immediately noticed it, and I was charged 700 or so EUR for repair and loss of use, on the spot. Amex mentioned this would happen and recommended I dispute the charge while going through the claim process. The claim process was easy - I sent Amex copies of all of the paperwork, a photo of the vehicle and damage, and a month later the issue was resolved.
Chase - ran over a raccoon or something running across the highway and destroyed the front bumper of a Camry. While Chase did eventually cover, I had to pay National's initial estimate of repair+loss of use (refunded later) and chase National around for a few weeks for paperwork.
If I'm renting internationally (especially if I'm not good at the language) I'll use Amex, otherwise Chase will get the job done.
In what way does it *ever* make sense to pay $24.95 for rental insurance? Yes, if something happens, it makes it easier, but I've rented a lot of cars and the probability that something will actually happen to the car is low (only one of my rentals has ever been damaged during the rental period). If I had paid $24.95 for every rental, I'd probably be out well over $2k-3k by now (the damage to the one rental that did take damage was about $350 and covered by the credit card, and if if had gone past the deductible, the remainder would have been covered by my personal insurance).