Originally Posted by
upgrader
OK, great discussion here and I've learned a lot. Let me get down to the nuts and bolts of a specific case and see if you have any suggestions. I willl be renting a car in Italy this summer. My AMEX won't cover it because Italy is one of their excluded countries. I have both MC and Visa cards which I could use to charge the rental from reservation through final payment. (See, I told you I learned something.) My regular insurance with Hartford/AAA does not apply in Italy. What would you do to ensure adequate (I know - varies in definition) coverage on a compact, not very expensive rental for 3 or 4 days? Is there a better rental car company to use in Italy (Rome and/or Naples) that provides good insurance at a more reasonable rate than other companies? Anyone with personal experience on a great deal combining reasonable rates on both car and insurance? Any relevant suggestions would be appreciated.
are you sure MC covers Italy? As far as I know, MC and AMEX have virtually identical exclusion. Visa Signature does cover Italy, and New Zealand + Australia as a secondary, but the wording is so vague and the New Zealand regulation is so ridiculous, I think most everyone would buy the insurance whick is called excess (deductible) waiver.
You want to call Visa to find out whether the coverage at Italy is primary or secondary though.
my approach would be to check rate on every major and see how much incl insurance would cost - you would be surprised to find there may be a wide range. you simply have to do your own legwork to find out.
Hint: check out the rental car forums to find discount codes and test them one by one.