My Amex card pays for worldwide car insurance, and I want to rent a van for 10 days in South Africa.

Trouble is, all my Avis codes include insurance. Is there a way to get the insurance removed?

thanks ^

If your AWD includes insurance, you won't be able to remove the insurance (and if you did, it would notlower the rate).

The included insurance is likely to be better than the amex insurance anyway, as if you insure through Avis (for LDW) and there is damage to the car, you have no hassle except filling out a form. if you dependon Amex, you need to pay avis for the damageand then file a claim with amex (who will likely want your primary insurance to cover it if possible before they pay).

No, it depends on where you are based, and I suspect you are referring to the US experience.

The OP is in the UK renting in South Africa. The notion of 'primary' does not apply, and Avis 'insurance' still has a fairly high minimum which is not covered. You can pay more to reduce this minimum, but there is still a minimum which is not covered!

With the AmEx platinum charge card, you are covered 100%. Yes, Avis will charge for damage and you need to claim from AmEx. The AmEx insurer refunds to your bank account promptly. In my case, with National in Canada, the refund was credited before the next AmEx billing cycle.

So how do we get rates without insurance? Masquerading as an American or whatever is not something we should be recommending as it could be regarded as fraud.

Hi, I would really appreciate some advice. I am a female, coming to the states from England and renting an Avis car booked through E bookers. What I want to know is, will I be persuaded to take out hundreds of dollars of insurance on top of what I have already paid? Last year, I rented from Hertz and by the time I had paid all the extras, the whole thing was double the price I had prepaid. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks. Karen

In what state(s) will you be renting? Will you pay for the rental with a credit card that provides free loss/damage waiver? Are you renting under a rate code that provides either enhanced liability coverage (for injury to third parties or damage to their property) or limited renter liability for loss or damage to the rented vehicle?

Hi, Karen. Welcome to FlyerTalk!

I suspect your e-bookers rate already includes most insurance. Is that the case? If so, you can reject the voluntary top ups you will be invited to take out when you pick up the car. They will probably be persuasive, as they make more from the insurance than the rental, but you don't need to take out the extra insurance if you don't need to.

If your rate doesn't include insurance (which would be rare for a UK renter), then most people would advise you to take out good insurance.

I think you need to check what coverage you already have and, if you can before you go, what might be offered.

It might be interesting to check this site - http://www.insurance4carhire.com/ - especially if you will be renting more than once.

Thankyou for your help, however, I am still scratching my head on this. I am looking at the prepaid voucher and included in the cost is local tax, additional liabilty ins, location service charge, airport service chargeand fuel. Right, then it says that an excess amount may be applicable in the event of damage and I could purchase an optional insurance locally called CDW and/or super TP. Would you recommend I take this or not? I think this is what doubled my costs last year.

I would check the T&C on your Amex insurance, I read my policy yestereday and recall seeing a clause that vans (and other large vehicles) werent covered!!! You may want to make sure yours doesnt have the same clause.

Yikes...I'd better check

Thanks to all for their help ^

Most credit card insurance does NOT cover specialty/luxury vehicles. A van would be considered a specialty vehicle. (Although one might want to clarify the status of a minivan.)

What's the difference between a minivan and a normal van?

It sound to me like you currently have liability insurance. i.e. Your damage to the person you hit is covered by the voucher you have now. CDW is a collision damage waiver, this covers damage to the car you are driving. As others have said, check the T&C for the card you are renting with and check with your own auto insurance company. One or the other of these may cover damage to your rental. If that is the case, do not let them persuade you to by the CDW insurance.

scassett is right. looks like everything is included but the damage to the rental car itself.

with avis theres two options, some states have a 7.99 per day partial damage waiver and a full damage waiver at significantly more. Price on that one depends on the state. The partial covers first 3k damage.

However, most full vouchers like this include LDW. When you get there, ask the following questions...

"is the damage coverage to the rental car included"
"is the damage to other peoples cars and property included."

if the answer to both those questions is "yes" then you need not buy any more insurance.

if they say "no" to the first question, then ask "is there any liability limitations to the rental car?"

you ask this question because some AWD's cap the "damage liability to 3k or 5k"

Thankyou all so much for your advice. I will certainly ask those questions ezmonee. Normally, when I rent in Europe, the insurance is fully inclusive, it seems it's only the US who try it on a bit. Karen

If you are squemish about putting down the wrong country on the web booking form then you can look up and phone the Avis phone number in America (or whereever) and book the car that way - they presume you are an American. Alternatively, you can ask an American friend to book the car for you.