AMEX Premium Car Rental Protection [Consolidated]
#256
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: Delta Skymiles
Posts: 55
This is a bad glitch with this program that I and others have discussed upstream. The advice I got -- which seems to have worked -- was to generate a small charge, in my case by bringing in the tank $8 low or so. That triggered the Amex insurance charge.
This said, all this has made me (a) stop chasing "free" days; and (b) book rentals with Chase Ritz-Carlton Visa, which seems to have primary coverage for free.
This said, all this has made me (a) stop chasing "free" days; and (b) book rentals with Chase Ritz-Carlton Visa, which seems to have primary coverage for free.
What asking about is the opposite--when I pay for 100% of the trip, I'd generally be fine with my personal insurance as primary and my AMEX as secondary.--essentially I'm going to rent ~25 times/year.
Or is the $500-$600 with AMEX as primary worth the peace of mind? I assume that if I go over the AMEX primary limits, that my personal insurance would kick in?
(I've had exactly two incidents over about ~300 rentals over the years. This one and one in Italy that I thankfully did purchase the rental agency coverage since I learned that Italy was noted for being ineligible for normal carrier and credit card insurance).
#258
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,374
This week wouldn't be a problem as its 1 day free out of 5.
What asking about is the opposite--when I pay for 100% of the trip, I'd generally be fine with my personal insurance as primary and my AMEX as secondary.--essentially I'm going to rent ~25 times/year.
Or is the $500-$600 with AMEX as primary worth the peace of mind? I assume that if I go over the AMEX primary limits, that my personal insurance would kick in?
(I've had exactly two incidents over about ~300 rentals over the years. This one and one in Italy that I thankfully did purchase the rental agency coverage since I learned that Italy was noted for being ineligible for normal carrier and credit card insurance).
What asking about is the opposite--when I pay for 100% of the trip, I'd generally be fine with my personal insurance as primary and my AMEX as secondary.--essentially I'm going to rent ~25 times/year.
Or is the $500-$600 with AMEX as primary worth the peace of mind? I assume that if I go over the AMEX primary limits, that my personal insurance would kick in?
(I've had exactly two incidents over about ~300 rentals over the years. This one and one in Italy that I thankfully did purchase the rental agency coverage since I learned that Italy was noted for being ineligible for normal carrier and credit card insurance).
#259
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 698
#260
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,374
It appears that the (free) Amex coverage terms changed just this month. The new coverage specifically allows use of car-rental company coupons and discounts; the old coverage used the unadorned charge-the-entire-rental language.
#261
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP, Hhonors Gold, National Executive, Identity Gold, MLife Gold
Posts: 2,687
At a minimum, that's shady as hell. I'd call it a deceptive business practice. NO notification when you get a new card that you are auto-enrolled in some service just because you happened to sign up for it on some other card you used to have.
#262
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 698
Just got bitten by this. Thx mia for pointing to the terms in this old post. Wish I would've read it sooner
At a minimum, that's shady as hell. I'd call it a deceptive business practice. NO notification when you get a new card that you are auto-enrolled in some service just because you happened to sign up for it on some other card you used to have.
At a minimum, that's shady as hell. I'd call it a deceptive business practice. NO notification when you get a new card that you are auto-enrolled in some service just because you happened to sign up for it on some other card you used to have.
#263
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVP, Hhonors Gold, National Executive, Identity Gold, MLife Gold
Posts: 2,687
I had a Plat card. I signed up for the service several years ago (3-4 maybe?). I got a new Gold card. I cancelled the Plat card. I rented a car* with the Gold card. That service remained active on this card even though I did not explicitly opt into it with this new card.
I had to go and select an airline for my travel benefit. Think I had to opt into other services as well.
Services like this (where there are extra fees) should not be enabled per user, and should instead be per-card like their other services.
(* Actually, it turns out that I had 2 rentals...one before the Plat was cancelled and one after. Only got billed for this service for the rental I made after cancelling the Plat card.)
I had to go and select an airline for my travel benefit. Think I had to opt into other services as well.
Services like this (where there are extra fees) should not be enabled per user, and should instead be per-card like their other services.
(* Actually, it turns out that I had 2 rentals...one before the Plat was cancelled and one after. Only got billed for this service for the rental I made after cancelling the Plat card.)
#264
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 1
There is a glitch in AmEx Premium Car Rental Protection computer system.
System will charge you $19.95 EVERY time there is a transaction on the card related to the SAME rental (i.e. changes, adjustments, additional fees, etc.). Check your statements for multiple $19.95 charges. AmEx will refund, but you have to ask. Other than that, it is a very good protection with excellent customer support.
System will charge you $19.95 EVERY time there is a transaction on the card related to the SAME rental (i.e. changes, adjustments, additional fees, etc.). Check your statements for multiple $19.95 charges. AmEx will refund, but you have to ask. Other than that, it is a very good protection with excellent customer support.
#265
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,620
There is a glitch in AmEx Premium Car Rental Protection computer system.
System will charge you $19.95 EVERY time there is a transaction on the card related to the SAME rental (i.e. changes, adjustments, additional fees, etc.). Check your statements for multiple $19.95 charges. AmEx will refund, but you have to ask. Other than that, it is a very good protection with excellent customer support.
System will charge you $19.95 EVERY time there is a transaction on the card related to the SAME rental (i.e. changes, adjustments, additional fees, etc.). Check your statements for multiple $19.95 charges. AmEx will refund, but you have to ask. Other than that, it is a very good protection with excellent customer support.
#266
Have a platinum card so 75k more than covers my rentals and no primary insurance so the free becomes primary anyways..
#267
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,374
I used to keep the premium insurance in part due to the murky language regarding entire rental, as the coupon more than offsets the one time charge. Due to this language change (as of 9.1), it clearly spells out that coupons dont void the coverage. Wise to drop the premium coverage?
Have a platinum card so 75k more than covers my rentals and no primary insurance so the free becomes primary anyways..
Have a platinum card so 75k more than covers my rentals and no primary insurance so the free becomes primary anyways..
#268
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 698
You use Your Account, American Express Membership Reward Points and/or American Express Pay with Points to hold or place a deposit at the time the rental is checked out and to pay for the Entire Rental from the Rental Company. Coverage will not be activated if You pay for any portion of the Rental Vehicle by some other means.
Entire Rental means the full rental cost for a Rental Vehicle, less any applicable Rental Company discount/coupon applied to the rental rate, charged to an eligible American Express Card and/or combined with American Express Membership Reward Points or American Express Pay with Points programs. Entire Rental does not include fees on a Rental Vehicle defrayed in full or in part with loyalty points from the Rental Companies or Common Carrier Frequent Flyer Miles.
Thank you FT
Last edited by mysterym; Dec 13, 2017 at 9:50 pm
#269
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 698
First time renting since the policies were changed. It says:
The definition of "entire rental" is
Its late here but anyone know how to decipher that? So is there coverage if one uses free rental days (i.e. apply their Hertz points)? Does some charge need to hit the card (i.e. taxes)? If the standard/included insurance will not work when using points, will the Premium insurance work?
Thank you FT
The definition of "entire rental" is
Its late here but anyone know how to decipher that? So is there coverage if one uses free rental days (i.e. apply their Hertz points)? Does some charge need to hit the card (i.e. taxes)? If the standard/included insurance will not work when using points, will the Premium insurance work?
Thank you FT
Last edited by mysterym; Dec 17, 2017 at 8:23 am
#270
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,374
If you use a third-weekend-day free coupon on a rental, and pay for the first two days, Amex should cover you. But if all days of your rental are paid with free-day coupons, then I would expect you to be out of luck. And if you use rental-car-company "points" rather than coupons, it sounds like you'd be out of luck too, unless the points somehow get converted to a coupon first.