plagwate

Currently on a one-way rental and my car was backed into by a hit and run driver. I'm paying for the rental with my Delta Platinum AmEx so I have some sort of accident coverage though I'm not exactly sure how it works. Police came and filed a report. I also took the car back to the airport for National to take a look and note the record. What should I expect when I return the car at my destination? I did not take out LDW so will AmEx simply pick up the repair bill? Does my personal vehicle insurance get involved? The National rep mentioned me having to pay my deductible up front. That doesn't sound right if AmEx is paying. Thanks in advance for those who share related experiences either on this post or via PM.

seawolf

If everything involved is in the U.S....

The rental insurance that comes complimentary with AMEX is secondary if your personal insurance covers this damage. What that translates to is AMEX will only cover the amounts that your personal insurance does not cover. In any case you should report the incident to both your personal and AMEX insurance ASAP and wait for National to bill you for the damage which you will then use to complete the claim to both your personal and AMEX insurance.

sna430

I too was hit while parking on the street and the driver left without leaving any information. I called National in the morning and they placed a note in the reservation. They told me no police report was needed. My insurance company also said I did not need a police report. When I returned the car, they asked the amount of my insurance deductible and charged my card for that amount. I then called both my insurance company and MC and filed a claim with both. Several few weeks went by before I received a bill from National. I thought the charges were very reasonable and in fact less than my $500 deductible. They did charge me several days of "down time" because of the damage and not being able to rent the car.

At the end, I canceled my claim with my insurance company and MC just took care of the whole charge. National credited my CC the difference between the damage and the $500 hold. A month or so later, MC issued a check for charge from National.

cubbynole

I was in an accident with a National Rental in Nashville a couple of years ago and I was amazed at how easily everything was handled. Accident occurred on a Friday afternoon on the interstate, my brand new (less than 100 miles on the odometer) Optima was rear ended, but it was only a glancing blow leaving a small dent and some decent sized scrapes and scuffs. I immediately called National letting them know of the accident, that the car was drivable, but there were cosmetic damage and that I would keep the car for the duration of my weekend rental. The following day (Saturday) I received a call from the insurance company of the person who hit me. I answered a few questions about what happened in the accident and let him be aware that the car was a rental and anything beyond what happened in the accident that should be handled with National. On Sunday morning, I received another call from the insurance company admitting fault on their driver's part and that they would handle the repairs (again, I told them to contact National as it was their car). Anticipating some paperwork at the local office, I returned my car to BNA about an hour before I normally would have - but when I returned my car, I was simply given my receipt as usual and sent on my way.

Often1

1. Many major city police departments no longer take reports on non personal injury accidents. They view it as a purely civil matter.

2. Notifying all carriers immediately is critical. This stuff happens thousands of times per day around the US and the carriers and rental companies have it all down to a science. The problems occur when you don't report immediately and the damage turns out to be a lot higher than you had thought or when you rented under a discount or other program to which you were not entitled.

plagwate

As a point of clarification: I notified National (in person at the airport location I picked up from), my car insurance carrier and AmEx the same day as the incident. AmEx directed me to notify law enforcement for a police report (which I did). The National rep seemed unsure of the process, thus giving me less confidence in his direction (he noted my rental record and asked me my insurance deductible). Besides, every one one of the parties listed above ultimately wants to pay out as little as possible (including me). Thus the reason I consulted my FT colleagues to get a better understanding of how it's supposed to work.

seawolf

Process should be:

1. Attempt to get police report
2. Take photos - keep copy of rental agreement and receipt. You may also need to obtain the complete terms and conditions of the rental from National.
3. Inform personal and AMEX insurance and make sure you are aware what the due dates/filing requirements are for each insurer. You may have to file a claim to start a case file even if you are not in possession of all required documentation.
4. Wait for National to request payment and to provide other required documentation. Chase them down if they are not responsive and you are approaching the due dates set by your insurer. Don't assume just because National has not demanded payment, you are off the hook unless you get that in writing.
5. Determine if AMEX coverage is primary or secondary (most likely secondary if you are US card holder and accident occur in US unless you are using Premium Car Rental insurance). If secondary, your claim with AMEX will will not go very far until you get a determination from your personal insurance.
6. Submit all claim documentation with primary insurer.
7. If you still owe National after primary pays out, submit claim documentation with secondary insurer.

averind

You probably didn't take Amex's primary coverage benefit per rental for $20 as you didn't mention it. As a result the coverage from Amex won't kick in as it is secondary and you have an auto insurance yourself which will be used in this case. If you didn't have any insurance Amex would have covered it for you.