Apr 3, 2024, 10:08 am
Last edit by: mia
This thread discusses American Express PREMIUM Car Rental Protection. This is an extra cost service that is offered only to cardholders residing in the USA. This is not the same as the Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) that is a standard benefit of many American Express cards.
Premium Car Rental Protection website: https://feeservices.americanexpress....erage/home.do A chart comparing Premium to the standard CDW benefit is at the bottom of that page.
Premium Car Rental Protection offers Primary coverage. Primary means only that the insurer pays first when there is a covered claim. It does not imply that the coverage is superior. The standard CDW provided with USA issued American Express cards provides Secondary coverage if the cardholder has other collectible automobile insurance. If you do not have an automobile insurance policy, or if your policy does not cover rental cars in the area where you are traveling, the standard CDW Waiver becomes Primary.
Premium Car Rental Protection website: https://feeservices.americanexpress....erage/home.do A chart comparing Premium to the standard CDW benefit is at the bottom of that page.
Premium Car Rental Protection offers Primary coverage. Primary means only that the insurer pays first when there is a covered claim. It does not imply that the coverage is superior. The standard CDW provided with USA issued American Express cards provides Secondary coverage if the cardholder has other collectible automobile insurance. If you do not have an automobile insurance policy, or if your policy does not cover rental cars in the area where you are traveling, the standard CDW Waiver becomes Primary.
AMEX (USA) Premium Car Rental Protection
Feb 15, 2016, 9:33 am
#181
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 698
I've been up and down this thread, including posts 76-82, and I still can't figure out what to do with an upcoming "free" rental with National. There are a few excise fees and such that ensure that the rental is taking my Amex Plat card, at least on booking.
But no one seems to be sure whether this triggers coverage.
So what are the alternatives here? Disable coverage and buy directly from National? Disable coverage and use other primary card coverage for the pennies and hope that works (Chase Ritz-Carlton, in my case)?
But no one seems to be sure whether this triggers coverage.
So what are the alternatives here? Disable coverage and buy directly from National? Disable coverage and use other primary card coverage for the pennies and hope that works (Chase Ritz-Carlton, in my case)?
Feb 15, 2016, 9:55 am
#182
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,603
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)
Pay CDW. If you have a car insurance policy that should cover LDW.
Are you saying there's a difference between CDW and LDW?
Originally Posted by hytekjosh
I've been up and down this thread, including posts 76-82, and I still can't figure out what to do with an upcoming "free" rental with National. There are a few excise fees and such that ensure that the rental is taking my Amex Plat card, at least on booking.
But no one seems to be sure whether this triggers coverage.
So what are the alternatives here? Disable coverage and buy directly from National? Disable coverage and use other primary card coverage for the pennies and hope that works (Chase Ritz-Carlton, in my case)?
But no one seems to be sure whether this triggers coverage.
So what are the alternatives here? Disable coverage and buy directly from National? Disable coverage and use other primary card coverage for the pennies and hope that works (Chase Ritz-Carlton, in my case)?
Are you saying there's a difference between CDW and LDW?
Apr 24, 2016, 7:32 pm
#183
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 79
Did anyone get a letter stating that the fee for the 100k rental protection has been reduced to $15.25 per rental?
Is this decrease representative of that exact same coverage, just a change in pricing?
I was under the assumption(I could be wrong) that the $24.95 was for a 30 day period of rental protection. This letter seems to state that it will now be $15.25 per rental
Costs usually don't go down in favor of the consumer, so i'm a bit suspicious.
Any ideas?
Is this decrease representative of that exact same coverage, just a change in pricing?
I was under the assumption(I could be wrong) that the $24.95 was for a 30 day period of rental protection. This letter seems to state that it will now be $15.25 per rental
Costs usually don't go down in favor of the consumer, so i'm a bit suspicious.
Any ideas?
Apr 26, 2016, 8:35 pm
#184
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Miami, FL
Programs: UA 1MM, AA Plat, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Glob, IHG ♢ Amb, Hilton ♢, Hertz Pres
Posts: 6,018
Did anyone get a letter stating that the fee for the 100k rental protection has been reduced to $15.25 per rental?
Is this decrease representative of that exact same coverage, just a change in pricing?
I was under the assumption(I could be wrong) that the $24.95 was for a 30 day period of rental protection. This letter seems to state that it will now be $15.25 per rental
Costs usually don't go down in favor of the consumer, so i'm a bit suspicious.
Any ideas?
Is this decrease representative of that exact same coverage, just a change in pricing?
I was under the assumption(I could be wrong) that the $24.95 was for a 30 day period of rental protection. This letter seems to state that it will now be $15.25 per rental
Costs usually don't go down in favor of the consumer, so i'm a bit suspicious.
Any ideas?
In California it is $17.95 for $100k in coverage and $15.95 for $75k.
Apr 28, 2016, 3:22 pm
#186
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 587
Apr 29, 2016, 2:29 pm
#187
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 384
Info is on their site so don't overlook it as a resource.
https://www295.americanexpress.com/p...verage/home.do
https://www295.americanexpress.com/p...verage/home.do
You may cancel enrollment at any time by calling us.
May 16, 2016, 6:32 pm
#188
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA ExPl, DL PM, UA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, probably some others
Posts: 4,105
Question about procedure. I'm a driver in NYC with no car and such, no insurance. I use the AMEX premium car rental protection whenever I rent with National, which invokes the $25 fee.
I had a rental last week where an incident that clearly wasn't my fault occurred - a rock dinged the windshield as I was driving on the highway and left a tiny crack in the windshield. I was dropping the car off later that day and did it as expected, reporting the crack at that time. I received a letter today asking for a report with scary language that I would be responsible for all costs with seven days. It included requesting my insurance information.
How do I handle this? Do I report the incident to AMEX first? Or do I fill out the form, wait to hear back from National, and then report to AMEX if there's any payment due?
I had a rental last week where an incident that clearly wasn't my fault occurred - a rock dinged the windshield as I was driving on the highway and left a tiny crack in the windshield. I was dropping the car off later that day and did it as expected, reporting the crack at that time. I received a letter today asking for a report with scary language that I would be responsible for all costs with seven days. It included requesting my insurance information.
How do I handle this? Do I report the incident to AMEX first? Or do I fill out the form, wait to hear back from National, and then report to AMEX if there's any payment due?
May 16, 2016, 9:28 pm
#189
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 698
Question about procedure. I'm a driver in NYC with no car and such, no insurance. I use the AMEX premium car rental protection whenever I rent with National, which invokes the $25 fee.
I had a rental last week where an incident that clearly wasn't my fault occurred - a rock dinged the windshield as I was driving on the highway and left a tiny crack in the windshield. I was dropping the car off later that day and did it as expected, reporting the crack at that time. I received a letter today asking for a report with scary language that I would be responsible for all costs with seven days. It included requesting my insurance information.
How do I handle this? Do I report the incident to AMEX first? Or do I fill out the form, wait to hear back from National, and then report to AMEX if there's any payment due?
I had a rental last week where an incident that clearly wasn't my fault occurred - a rock dinged the windshield as I was driving on the highway and left a tiny crack in the windshield. I was dropping the car off later that day and did it as expected, reporting the crack at that time. I received a letter today asking for a report with scary language that I would be responsible for all costs with seven days. It included requesting my insurance information.
How do I handle this? Do I report the incident to AMEX first? Or do I fill out the form, wait to hear back from National, and then report to AMEX if there's any payment due?
May 16, 2016, 10:32 pm
#190
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,603
Question about procedure. I'm a driver in NYC with no car and such, no insurance. I use the AMEX premium car rental protection whenever I rent with National, which invokes the $25 fee.
I had a rental last week where an incident that clearly wasn't my fault occurred - a rock dinged the windshield as I was driving on the highway and left a tiny crack in the windshield. I was dropping the car off later that day and did it as expected, reporting the crack at that time. I received a letter today asking for a report with scary language that I would be responsible for all costs with seven days. It included requesting my insurance information.
How do I handle this? Do I report the incident to AMEX first? Or do I fill out the form, wait to hear back from National, and then report to AMEX if there's any payment due?
I had a rental last week where an incident that clearly wasn't my fault occurred - a rock dinged the windshield as I was driving on the highway and left a tiny crack in the windshield. I was dropping the car off later that day and did it as expected, reporting the crack at that time. I received a letter today asking for a report with scary language that I would be responsible for all costs with seven days. It included requesting my insurance information.
How do I handle this? Do I report the incident to AMEX first? Or do I fill out the form, wait to hear back from National, and then report to AMEX if there's any payment due?
May 17, 2016, 7:38 am
#191
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 698
That is a good reminder to folks...I used to pay for the rental agency's liability policy which is usually called CDL and different from CDW. Their limits kinda stink. Non-owned auto is the way to go.
May 17, 2016, 8:52 am
#192
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,774
I don't own a car in the U.S. and my Danish car insurance would not cover rental cars so I usually take the rental agency insurance. Is there a better option (edited to add: for rentals in the U.S.)?
May 17, 2016, 9:40 am
#193
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 698
I usually take the rental agency (Avis or Hertz in my case) ALI which is generally $1 million liability. Is this what you consider limits that stink? What do you recommend for "non-owned auto?"
I don't own a car in the U.S. and my Danish car insurance would not cover rental cars so I usually take the rental agency insurance. Is there a better option (edited to add: for rentals in the U.S.)?
I don't own a car in the U.S. and my Danish car insurance would not cover rental cars so I usually take the rental agency insurance. Is there a better option (edited to add: for rentals in the U.S.)?
May 17, 2016, 11:12 am
#194
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,603
I usually take the rental agency (Avis or Hertz in my case) ALI which is generally $1 million liability. Is this what you consider limits that stink? What do you recommend for "non-owned auto?"
I don't own a car in the U.S. and my Danish car insurance would not cover rental cars so I usually take the rental agency insurance. Is there a better option (edited to add: for rentals in the U.S.)?
I don't own a car in the U.S. and my Danish car insurance would not cover rental cars so I usually take the rental agency insurance. Is there a better option (edited to add: for rentals in the U.S.)?
Take a look at www.insurance4carhire.com to see if it would be beneficial for you.
May 17, 2016, 3:02 pm
#195
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA ExPl, DL PM, UA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, probably some others
Posts: 4,105
I don't think you need to use the premium insurance if you don't have underlying insurance unless you want the higher limits - Amex becomes default with the normal level. Pretty standard for car rental companies to charge for broken windows and flat tires IIRC. Submit the claim to Amex.