# American Express Premium Auto Rental Insurance



## sfwilshire (May 22, 2007)

I just signed up for American Express' Premium Rental protection where you pay $24.95 for any rental. Any experiences to share regarding this coverage?

I don't rent cars very often for my personal use, but this seems like a bargain for a long rental (my next one is for 23 days).

Sheila


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## johnmfaeth (May 22, 2007)

I have it and it's a dirt cheap bargain considering that if you have a claim your home insurance company never finds out (only outside the USA - they still get a file of all nationwide police accident reports).


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## mtwingcpa (May 22, 2007)

I've got it, too. Never filed a claim, but it gives me some piece of mind without having to pay the rental company's seemingly high collision rates.


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## short (May 22, 2007)

*What does it pay?*

We had a scratch on a door of a rental car.  The claim came to about $950.  My AX credit card paid $750(my deductable is $1000) so my car insurance never was involved with it.  The remaining $200 was an admin fee and loss of use charges which I disputed.

What exactly would this pay for since the my credit card already will pay the diff up to my deductable?

If the rental car I was driving was totaled would they pay the full price of the car?

Short


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## Jennie (May 23, 2007)

Some states like New York require that coverage by credit card companies must be secondary to the insurance you have on your own personal car. For years I thought that I was fully covered whenever I rented a car in the U.s., declined all insurance offered by the rental car company, and used my American Express card to pay for it. Then 4 years ago someone side-swiped the right side of my rental car while it was parked overnight in the parking lot of the timeshare I was staying at in Pompano, Florida. The "creep" left no info, and no witnesses could be found. 

When I called Amex to report the problem, they informed me that since I am a NY resident, they are unable to provide any coverage until I file a claim with my own insurance company. After the claim is paid, Amex would cover the deductible. They said that they are required to follow this policy due to state law. I wound up having a friend of my cousin do the repair for me at a deep discount, as I did not want to risk having my insurance rates raised due to a claim. I had to leave the car at the shop for 3 days and schlep around on buses. It was an unpleasant end to an otherwise great vacation.

So it is important to check with your own insurance company, if you own a car, and see what their policy is. I was told that since I carry collision insurance on my personal vehicle, they would pay if I incurred damage to a rental car. But if I had only liability insurance, I would not be covered for collision damage but the credit card company would then cover it.

Be sure to check with the credit card company re: the length of rentals they cover. Some cover only 14 or 15 day max, while some cover up to 30 days. Some allow you to return the car, wait 24 hours, and then rent another car for additional time beyond the limit. Others will not cover more than the 14, or 15, or 30 days, even if you return the car and begin a second rental. One card enforces this restriction even if you do 2 rentals in different parts of the state e.g. 14 days in Orlando followed by 14 days in Ft. Lauderdale, even if there is a 24 hour gap between the rentals, and even if you use 2 different rental companies. So be careful. Ask questions before assuming you are fully covered.

For anyone age 50 and over who is a member of AARP, they provide good *free* coverage if you book through a link at their web site. The link brings you to the web sites of different car rental companies such as Avis, Alamo,Budget, Hertz, Enterprise, and National. The AARP discount code is already entered on the reservation form when you begin the search at each site, one by one. In addition, there are sometimes coupons on the AARP site that can be used in conjunction with these discounts, but not during the booking process. You must print them out and present them when you check in. I have even been able to use coupons from the Entertainment book along with the AARP discounts.  Your AARP number must appear on the reservation for the AARP insurance coverage to be effective. I have always found it on the paper work when I checked in at the rental counter. But check to make sure it is there, and if not, have the agent enter it on the contract. 

Here's the link to the AARP car rental insurance page:
http://www.aarp.org/aarp_benefits/offer_automobiles/


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## sfwilshire (May 23, 2007)

My neighbor (who's spends a lot more time reading up on these things than I do) always frets about "loss of use". I know most credit cards don't cover that, though I had one that did. 

My own personal car insurance would cover accidents in a domestic rental car, after my $500 deductible. I don't think they cover "loss of use". Nor have I looked into whether they would cover me in Great Britain. I had a funny conversation with them last year when I was trying to make sure we were covered in Hawaii. They kept insisting there had to be a car at home not being driven that had full coverage. We have seven vehicles (six of them with full coverage) and only four drivers. There's ALWAYS a car sitting at home with full coverage not being driven. Plus, all four drivers were going to be in Hawaii.

I haven't seen the Amex paperwork yet, but the advertising brochure makes it look great. Hope the rental car company accepts it with no problem and doesn't insist I take other insurance.

Sheila


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## Gracey (May 23, 2007)

Sheila,  when I first signed up with this coverage with AMEX a couple years ago it covered everything except loss of use.  A couple of months ago I received an updated coverage contract and was pleased to find that they NOW do include loss of use.  $24.95 is a small price to pay to not have my primary insurance company notified of any accidents or claims!

Laurie


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## bogey21 (May 23, 2007)

As most of my rentals are for somewhere between 6 - 14 days, I like the economics of it in addition to the other factors being discussed.

GEORGE


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## Judy (May 23, 2007)

I like the Amex premium rental car insurance because it covers rental cars outside of the US.  My insurance company does not.


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## Steamboat Bill (May 23, 2007)

I have been using it for about 2 years, but I think my rate was $19.99


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## mtwingcpa (May 23, 2007)

Steamboat Bill said:


> I have been using it for about 2 years, but I think my rate was $19.99



If I recall correctly, the AMEX plan has two different coverage levels. My rate is also $19.95.


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## sfwilshire (May 23, 2007)

mtwingcpa said:


> If I recall correctly, the AMEX plan has two different coverage levels. My rate is also $19.95.



Guess that explains why she ask me what rate I had on my advertisement when I called to sign up. 

Sheila


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## mshatty (May 23, 2007)

I think the difference in rates depends on the coverage you have.  My recollection is the $19.95 is for $75k and the $24.95 is for 100k coverage.


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## Steamboat Bill (May 23, 2007)

I would normally "pass" on an offer like this from AmX. But the rental car industry can be quite vicious if you are involved in any type of fender bender. I think the standard credit card coverage covers many, but not all fees in repairs. 

Additionally, I usually pay for my own repairs on my own cars if the damage is less than $5k. With a rental car, you might not have that same choice. For me, it becomes an issue of keeping my overall insurance rates low and ANY claim will cause a ripple effect in future rates.

I travel a lot and rent cars a lot. I have this insurance linked to my business credit card, thus it is a write off. Either way, it is a pretty cheap peice of mind insurance and that is coming from someone that HATES the insurance industry.


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## nightnurse613 (May 23, 2007)

I think it's a great deal versus the $12 per day LDW charged by the rental car company plus, of course, in most states it is PRIMARY and covers LOU, too!


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## travelguy (May 23, 2007)

I've used this Amex insurance for a while.  I like it because it's automatic when I rent with my Amex and I don't have to think about it.  I have seen extensive evaluations of this policy on FT over the last year and the conclusions have all been very positive.  (and who can argue with the conclusions of an Internet forum  )


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## nightnurse613 (May 23, 2007)

Hmm, I missed of missed the option about being automatic.  I thought you had to add it every time you wanted it. Guess I'll have to check that again. Thanks for your input.


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## sfwilshire (May 24, 2007)

nightnurse613 said:


> Hmm, I missed of missed the option about being automatic.  I thought you had to add it every time you wanted it. Guess I'll have to check that again. Thanks for your input.



Not only that, but the disclaimer the csr read me stated that when you sign up one Amex card, ALL your Amex cards are included. That might be a bad thing. 

I don't think it will be a problem for me, though. As I mentioned, I seldom rent for personal use. My business use is all on the company issued Visa. I just need to remember to use some other card if I'm doing a short rental in the US and don't want to take the insurance.

Sheila


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## riverdees05 (May 24, 2007)

What are the best deals on American Express Cards?  I had one when I was working - company card, but now that I am retired, I only have Master Card and Visa.


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## Steamboat Bill (May 24, 2007)

I like the service and consumer protection of AmX, I personally use the Delta Skymiles AmX and get tons of free trips from using it.

The automoble insurance plan is "automatic" whenever you rent a car from a major company.

For the record, I also like Hertz Gold for car rentals.


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