itsme

If you don't own a car, and therefor have no "primary" insurance, where does the injury liability coverage come from? Don't most umbrella liability policies cover only "overage" and require you to have a certain amount of underlying injury coverage through home and car policies?

Any reason to think the risk of an accident higher when renting in Faro, PT? Curious, since my wife spent a few months there doing some research and rented a car during that time. Some rather narrow roads and not such careful drivers, but that seems to be the case in so many places. Our one loss was a property one in Lisbon, when someone knocked off our sideview window when we were parked on a very narrow street. I was slow in making the claim and didn't get reimbursed through the credit card coverage as a result.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8703e/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

If you don't own a car, you either accept the (usually paltry) third-party liability coverage that most states require rental companies to provide, or you purchase million-dollar, supplemental third-party liability coverage from the rental company (as I do) for about $12 or $13 per day.

I am told that Chubb Insurance will sell U.S. residents a homeowner's policy with an umbrella that provides third-party auto liability coverage even if you do not own a car. But the policy is not cost effective for me, given that I only rent cars 10-15 days a year.

BettyKat

I'm curious to get clarification on this, as we are embarking next week on a cross country (LA-NYC) drive. I am one of two drivers, and nobody in the car owns a car (therefore, obviously - but just to be clear - no one has any car insurance).

The rental car will be in my name. Here is what I do have--and was relying on until I read the previous few posts:

• An AAA membership, which I believe does provide some level of insurance
• AmEx Gold (business, don't know if that matters), which I will use for the rental (both to reserve and to pay at the end!)

So...am I going to be covered at a 'paltry' level in case of accident, or between those two memberships, can I expect to have some decent coverage? We are on a tight budget, so do not plan to buy extra insurance. In fact, I never have during a car rental...but also have never gotten into an accident (knock wood!) during a car rental...so never had to test the whole system.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8703e/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

I don't believe that any credit card provides third-party liability coverage. A credit card will, at best, provide for a loss damage waiver, in case the rental car is stolen or damaged. You should check to make sure that your Amex business card does so.

You might also check with AAA and/or the car rental company to find out whether your AAA membership provides you with any enhanced liability coverage for the rental (assuming that you are renting at the AAA rate). Otherwise, you may have no third-party liability coverage: I believe that California, where your rental is originating, does not require that car rental companies provide any such coverage to renters.

itsme

Since I own cars, and hence have liability insurance through our auto coverage that extends to rentals, I have never given any thought to the hugely important liability piece. I haven't had to, at least not within the US. Liability coverage is easy enough to overlook, because damage to the vehicle is a much more frequent occurence than injury to another party, but it is the possibility of injury to another party, including any family or non-family riding with you in the car, that threatens sky's-the-limit, bankrupting financial responsibility.

The only time I have given even minimum thought to insurance on car rentals has been when we've been outside the US, especially when not in Europe, since then things are a bit different for various reasons, including that some countries are specifically excluded by most policies written in the US (IIRC, Australian, NZ, Israel, etc.) We will be renting for a couple of weeks in France next month (any recommendations?), so perhaps will ask our insurance broker about this issue.

re Chubb...I would consider an umbrella liability policy and see whether coverage for liability when renting cars can be built into one of those, as well as seeing about adding it to a homeowner's policy. I would guess that it would be very expensive coverage, since if it weren't, people might rent cars frequently and to do quite a bit of driving, meaning a lot of exposure to loss for the insuror.

jacknyoc

I've read posts here and have talked with AMEX CSR re: this offer. I would use it on a simple rental through Europcar in France. I got a very good early-booked rate, but it doesn't include free days, which seemed to be an issue based on earlier posts.

The AMEX cost ($17.95, and even with the 2% ForEx fee for using my AMEX card) seems nominal given the cost of rental agency coverage (which always seem outrageous). The AMEX policy covers everything...including theft and personal accident...with the exception of personal liability. Europcar states they cover 3rd party liability as part of their rental cost.

So, can I presume that everything I would need in Europe is covered by one or the other...what am I missing?

thank you your assistance.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8703e/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)

How long is the rental for? Would your Amex card cover loss/damage to the rental vehicle even if you did not purchase the Premium protection? What exactly are you getting for your $17.95?

jacknyoc

the rental's for 10 days. it appears to me that this additional policy would add theft and personal accident coverage for the full rental period over and above the standard coverege provided by my AMEX card...that's based on my own review and a call with a CSR.

guv1976

The free coverage provided by many Amex, Visa, and MasterCards includes coverage for theft of the rented vehicle (usually up to $50,000), as well as damage to the rented vehicle. According to the Amex website, this is what the $17.95 would get you:

For California Residents
The $100,000 coverage level with a premium of $17.95 covers:
• Up to $100,000 of primary damage and theft coverage for the rental car.
• Up to $250,000 of Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage.
•Up to $15,000 per person of excess coverage for Medical Expenses
• Up to $5,000 per person of excess coverage for personal property, maximum of $10,000 for all.

So, if you are renting a car valued at less than $50,000, it looks like the main benefit for you would be the $250,000.00 accidental death and dismemberment coverage for you and your passengers, if any. The medical expense coverage and personal property coverage is excess coverage, meaning that it kicks in only after your own coverage (if any) for medical expenses and loss of personal property has been exhausted.

sdspieg

I have a (Dutch) Flying Blue (KLM/Air France) Amex card and have been trying to purchase the Premium Car Rental Protection plan online for a few days now, but I keep getting "Our system isn’t responding properly. They recommend calling a US phone-number (866-518-0259), which is of course non-toll free for us Europeans. They then ask for a 16-digit account number, but my card number has 15 digits.

Does this mean this plan is not available to non-US cardholders (because the website says no such thing)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Cheers,

-Stephan

mia

Enrollment is available to Consumer and Small Business Cardmembers residing in the 50 United States of America or the District of Columbia.This product may not be available in certain states.

While it does not explicitly state that these cards must be USA-issued I believe that is the case. Insurance is a regulated business and American Express is probably not authorized to sell the same coverage in other countries, although there could be a similar product available in the EU.

sdspieg

Thanks Mia, I must have read over that part. And I DID look for something similar in the EU, but couldn't find it. I guess I will have to pay those exorbitant daily rates... Another fine example of how far we still have to go with globalization with REAL competition AND intelligent regulation...

-Stephan

LAXRuss

I am surprised you mention that the EU cards do not offer a similar rental car insurance package for the Netherlands market. Maybe if you have the AF/KLM card and it does not offer sufficient benefits, you should check whether a normal AMEX card in your market will offer the rental car insurance you want. The rental insurance I have through London is superior to anything offered with my U.S. cards, so I always bill my rental cars to an EU card when I travel.

SusanDK

You may wish to consoider one of the AmEx International Currency Cards - either in Euro or USD, issued out of AmEx UK. The platinum card offers very good car rental insurance. IIRC, it covers both CDW and ALI.

While the fee is not cheap (I think ca. $550 for the Platinum IDC), if you rent a few times a year, it can quickly pay for itself by not having to purchase the exhorbitant rental company insurance. Plus you may find it has some other benefits you'd enjoy (several threads here cover some of them).

Susan

sdspieg

Thanks for those hints. I would switch, but right now my wife - who does not travel as much as I do - has (and keeps) the same status I have. Which is a nice perk. I also like the mileage accrual system they use. But maybe I'll have to do some shopping around... Thanks again!

-Stephan

P.S. 550 euros is quite steep indeed - especially since my company will not reimburse me for that, despite the fact that it might indeed save them money even JUST on the basis of the car rental insurance fees...