Originally Posted by
AutoSlash
Generally, if it's a blowout and you didn't damage the sidewall of the tire by slamming into a curb or something, the rental company will usually chalk that up to a tire defect and not ding you for it.
All of that said, it's hard to know how Sixt will handle it. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that they would take longer than two weeks to process the paperwork to charge you.
No idea if Chase would honor the claim if you closed the card. If you have the Sapphire Preferred card, it may by worth paying the $95 annual fee just as insurance (no pun intended). If you're closing the Sapphire Reserve to avoid the annual fee, that may be a bit of a tougher call.
It was actually a result of hitting a curb. (It was a narrow, sharp corner and I hit the start of the curb mid-corner). You can see some marking on the wheels at the same spot of the hole on the tire. If someone was paying attention, they could probably figure it out. However, I was never asked how it happened by anyone at Sixt.
I’m almost tempted just to call them. I realize it may result in them looking into it and as a result opening a claim, but it might just be better to know.