koopa

Hello,
I came into an interresting comment on another forum: CC Insurance
"I think that people don’t know and need to be aware when you rent a car and you decline the insurance they offer, your credit card ONLY COVERS THE RENTAL CAR and if you have an accident it dose not cover any damage to the other vehicle"

I am no insurance specialist, but after looking at my CC Car Rental Insurance (Chubb N° FRDAFY00132109), nowhere is mentioned the other car in case of an accident.

Do I have to assume that the quote in bold is coorect i.e. if I am considered responsible in an accident, my CC will cover damages to my car but not to other cars ?

Thanks

IAHtraveler

While I'm no insurance expert, and all policies differ, I've never seen a CC cover 3rd party damage, no matter who is at fault. What card do you have and we can look specifically.

m907

Most credit cards only provide secondary insurance (they cover any damage to your rental car that your personal insurance doesn't, and/or your deductible). This is only an issue if you don't have personal insurance.

guv1976

Where will you be renting? In some countries, you are automatically covered for third-party liability.

If you are not a U.S. citizen but will be renting in the U.S., if you book the rental from the country- or continent-based website of your country of residence, you may be able to book all-inclusive rates that provide both LDW and third-party liability.

Although I am not aware of an U.S.-issued credit cards that provide third-party liability coverage, there are some high-end, European-issued Amex cards that do -- at least if you are on a trip away from home, and not renting locally.

If you reside in the U.S. and own a car and have a personal auto-insurance policy, your personal policy probably extends third-party liability coverage to cars you rent in the U.S. and Canada. Check with your insurance broker, or read the details of your policy.

If you reside in the U.S. but do not own a car, you can explore the cost of a personal, non-owner auto-liability insurance policy. Mine is issued by Travelers. But such a policy probably only makes sense if you rent cars for at least 10-20 days a year. Otherwise, you can purchase million-dollar liability coverage from most rental-car companies for about $13-15 per day.

Often1

This is an important thread because it highlights the importance of sitting down and actually reading the policy(ies) which one believes provide coverage. I can't tell you how many people blithely say that they have CC coverage but have never read the language and may not even have read the quick summary which came with the card.

In the US, a judgment is valid for 20 years and it does not take much to incur vast medical expenses. Those may dog someone for a good portion of their life.

30 minutes doing the boring task of assuring that one is covered and not supposing it is well worth the effort.

koopa

Could not agree more, for example when reading the fine prints of the insurance document of my Air France - KLM GOLD AMEX, I am not covered if the car I am renting is from one of the following makers (emphasis mine):
AC Cobra, Acura, ARO, Aston Martin, Audax, Bentley, Berkeley Cars, Briklin, Bugatti, Cadillac, Caterham, Chevrolet corvette, Dodge (Viper, Stealth), Coste, Daimler, De Lorean, De Tomaso, Donkervoort, Eagle, Excalibur, Ferrari, Geo, Gillet, Ginetta, GMC, Graham Paige, GTM, Holden, Hudson, Hummer, Imola, Infiniti, Intermecanica, International Harvester, Isdera, Jaguar, Jensen, Lamborghini, Lexus, Lincoln, Lotus, Maserati, Mac Laren, Mikrus, Mopar, Morgan,Mega, Packard, Pierce Arrow, Porsche, Riley motor car, Rolls Royce, Stallion, Studebaker, Tucker,TVR, Venturi, Wiesmann, Kit Cars.

Furthermore, on my French "Visa Premier" card: Jeep and Chevrolet Utility Vehicules (whatever that means) are not covered.

It is safe to assume that thousands of people have rent a GMC, Cadillac or Jeep with the same card I use...