Replace IDC Centurion with what card?
 

A friend is considering dumping her IDC Cent because the concierge service isn't really that great and the fee is astronomical, but she likes a couple things in particular:

- Worldwide travel insurance for her and supplementary card-holders
- Car rental insurance
- Priority Pass lounge access

I suggested to downgrade to IDC Plat (which I have), but she is wondering whether there is any other card (non AX, could be US-bank issued) out there which compares well with some of these features.

Any ideas?

Priority Pass is easy. See, for example, Citi Chairman American Express Card, which uniquely includes the ability to bring two guests into Priority Pass lounges without a fee.

https://www.citicards.com/cards/wv/c...o?screenID=945

Insurance is harder because of the legal and cultural differences between the US and the UK with regard to travel insurance and litigation. I think she needs to identify which provisions of travel and auto rental insurance are important, and which are window dressing.

For example, virtually all USA-issued credit cards include some type of auto insurance, but most personal cards provide only secondary coverage, which means a claim must first be filed against the driver's personal auto insurance, if any. An exception is Diners Club Mastercard which provides primary coverage. Most "business" credit cards also include primary coverage provided the trip is for business purposes. However, none of the cards include liability or medical payment coverage because that's where the claims become very large in the USA.

Information about Diners Club Mastercard is here...

http://dinersclubus.com/dce_content/...gecardpersonal


To understand insurance American Express offers on USA issued cards I would start here...

https://www124.americanexpress.com/c..._IABprotection

...and be sure to explore the links to the various extra-cost options.

See a variety of American Express (USA) travel insurance products here...

https://www.globaltravelshield.com/?entry=N

mia - Thanks so much! This is really helpful.

With respect to medical travel insurance, I am surprised that no US cards offer it. After all, it could be limited to coverage outside of the US - to limit the claim amounts, etc.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that no card offers such a benefit, only that the coverage may be very limited compared to that bundled with cards issued in other countries. I think one reason is that insurance is largely a state regulated business in the USA, and a specific insurer may not be licensed to offer coverage nationwide, but the card issuer wants to offer cards everywhere.

Here is another American Express link. Look in lower left for "Travel Insurance Options". Some of these are "per trip" products, but Travel Medical Protection is annual coverage.

http://www134.americanexpress.com/tr...ype=localcolor

Yes, downgrading to the IDC Platinum will provide those excellent benefits. No other card comes close (except the other IDC/UK Amex cards that also come with it). The insurance that I had on my UK Platinum (same as IDC Platinum) paid for the annual fee several times over in just 2 months. The claims for flight delays were painless.

I've found the IDC Centurion concierge to be the best out there. I used to have the Citi Chairman card just for the Priority Pass. I rather have two PP since sometimes my gf travels by herself.

Here's another American Express link. I think the material overlaps with the previous one, but organized differently...

https://www152.americanexpress.com/fsea/travel/hub.do