Originally Posted by
RocketGoBoom
They were scamming you trying to upsell their insurance. You have primary coverage thru Chase and need to decline the rental company insurance.
Real auto insurance only costs about $4 or $5 per day. The car rental companies try to upsell it at $20 to $40 per day.
It is a total scam. It is coverage, but it is marked up 400% to 800% above their actual cost.
I don't have Chase Sapphire, but I do have the Amex premium upgraded rental car insurance that only costs $12 per rental (one time, not daily fee) and it covered my car rental for up to 42 days for the one time fee of $12. Secondary insurance is free. '
All car rentals in Europe come included with 3rd party liability insurance. The EU does not allow them to rent cars without that bare minimum protecting other people on the road. You are not covered for theft or damage to your rental car. Realistically the free secondary insurance most credit cards provide is enough. I get the extra Amex primary covered for $12 just so I never have any hassles or the car rental company trying to get me to pay up front. If there is an issue at the end of the rental, just give them the Amex primary insurance info, drop the keys off and leave.
For European rentals, what does the $12 Amex primary insurance give you that the free, secondary insurance offered on many Amex, Visa, and MasterCards does not? For Americans renting outside of the U.S. and Canada, "secondary" insurance typically becomes primary, as most American car-rental insurance provides no coverage outside the U.S./Canada.