Alamo rejecting Chase CC as primary insurance

[echino]

Which makes chase cc insurance a good supplemental

CC coverage is for collision only, I believe.

 

[Synergy]

Never had this problem with Alamo, but I've had to 'prove' that I have rental car coverage through my own car insurance before with dodgier brands. If I'd ever had an incident, I'd have (of course) used the Chase as primary.

My only complaint with the Chase coverage is that it doesn't cover pickup trucks. Not a huge deal, but I don't really understand the limitation.

 

[DRIless]

My mexican car rental cost over 300.00 when the base price of the weekly rental was almost nothing. I couldn't find anything about what insurance you HAVE to have in mexico on the internet. Do any of you rent cars in mexico frequently? Do you have any car rental advice??

That base price that is almost nothing, is sufficient by law. It includes the minimum mandatory third party liability. The problem is that Mexican car rental companies will refuse to rent you a car unless you purchase additional expensive coverage. That additional coverage is optional, but they will make you buy it or they will not let you rent a car. Companies differ on what kind of additional coverage they require. It can be just extra liability, or collision as well.

Puerto Vallarta Car Rentals

At beautiful Ocho Casacadas resort. Experience with international brand car rentals has been VERY cheap base rates with VERY expensive mandatory insurance packages. What's the most economical option? Anyone have experience with mexrentacar.com ?

tugbbs.com

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

If you haven't done so, be sure to check your credit terms and conditions.

My BofA credit cards are clear that inside the USA their rental coverage is secondary.

 

[controller1]

I would think if you don't have your own liability insurance, you would have to buy the liability coverage through the car rental agency. Otherwise you are driving without insurance. CWD on a credit card isn't insurance and of course doesn't cover liability. Is a car rental agency culpable if they let you take a vehicle off the lot without ensuring you have liability coverage?

That's an interesting question and I would assume they would be culpable. However, in 30+ years of renting cars I've never been asked the name of my auto insurance company or asked to provide proof I have auto liability insurance.

Which makes chase cc insurance a good supplemental

CC coverage is for collision only, I believe.

Correct. This is the benefit from the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

What’s Covered

• Physical damage and/or theft of covered rental vehicle
• Reasonable and customary towing charges related to a covered loss to take the vehicle to the nearest qualified repair facility
• Valid loss-of-use charges incurred by the rental car agency

 

[dioxide45]

I am pretty sure that any liability insurance car rentals sell, is supplemental insurance. Basic liability that is required by law is always included.

I think you are correct. However they would only carry the state minimum liability insurance. So having your own or getting the supplemental would always be a good idea.

 

[VacationForever]

Which makes chase cc insurance a good supplemental

Chase markets their cc to cover auto insurance as primary but in reality it really is not since it only covers collision and not liability.

 

[CPNY]

Chase markets their cc to cover auto insurance as primary but in reality it really is not since it only covers collision and not liability.

Does it need to cover liability? The car rental company has at least liability insurance.

 

[dioxide45]

Chase markets their cc to cover auto insurance as primary but in reality it really is not since it only covers collision and not liability.

Only certain Chase credit cards offer Primary CDW coverage. Others are secondary. Best to check which you have with the card you are using to pay for the rental. With Primary CDW, not having liability coverage doesn't change the fact that it is primary CDW. For car damage, there would be no need to file a claim through your personal insurance or pay a deductible with primary CDW.

 

[VacationForever]

Only certain Chase credit cards offer Primary CDW coverage. Others are secondary. Best to check which you have with the card you are using to pay for the rental. With Primary CDW, not having liability coverage doesn't change the fact that it is primary CDW. For car damage, there would be no need to file a claim through your personal insurance or pay a deductible with primary CDW.

But they only take one insurance info, so do you provide your own auto insurance card or the Chase CC? I think I know the answer... you still provide your own auto ins card but make sure to put the whole rental car charge on Chase Visa.

 

[CPNY]

But they only take one insurance info, so do you provide your own auto insurance card or the Chase CC? I think I know the answer... you still provide your own auto ins card but make sure to put the whole rental car charge on Chase Visa.

I don’t show any insurance. I drive a company car, don’t have my own auto insurance, I rent a car using my chase card that has CDW primary. I’ve never been asked to show any proof of insurance when I rent a car.

 

[dioxide45]

But they only take one insurance info, so do you provide your own auto insurance card or the Chase CC? I think I know the answer... you still provide your own auto ins card but make sure to put the whole rental car charge on Chase Visa.

We have only been asked one time for insurance information and it was for a short rental where we didn't pay with credit card. Actually used some kind of points for the rental. We told them the name of our insurance carrier and they were happy. Any other time we always try to rent through Alamo and check in online or at the kiosk. So no one asks us anything.

 

[VacationForever]

We have only been asked one time for insurance information and it was for a short rental where we didn't pay with credit card. Actually used some kind of points for the rental. We told them the name of our insurance carrier and they were happy. Any other time we always try to rent through Alamo and check in online or at the kiosk. So no one asks us anything.

I get asked every time and we did most of our rentals in Nevada and Hawaii.

 

[Jodyv]

My American Express has an 18 page policy regarding car rental insurance. For my particular card, the whole rental has to be on the card. Full collision damage waiver or similar insurance has to be declined. It seems like the last time I traveled, I printed out the complete policy and kept it in my suitcase. Same for my Mastercard policy which is 21 pages long. I imagine that, if you whipped out your insurance booklet and offered it to them, they would back away!! Finding the information was a bit of a treasure hunt. I had to study a little to make sure I understood. (Insurance is always a little confusing to me....) I think the savings, though, is worth the work!!

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Some basic, and simplified, insurance information.

The rental agreement is a contract. You are the "first party". The entity with whom you contract - the car rental company in this case - is the "second party". Everyone else is third party.

If you have an accident, you will have second party liability to the car rental. That will primarily involve damage to the car. If someone is injured in the accident (other than you or your family), that will be third party liability.

This is important because all the rental agency cares about is second party coverage - to make sure they are protected. IMHO - when renting it's worthwhile to know what entities are providing second and third party coverage, what is included in those coverages (e.g., does the second party liability cover loss of use, and what are the deductibles and limits), and which insurers are primary and which are secondary. You might think that you are obtaining coverage via the cc, only to find out that cc is only providing second party liability, and you are on the hook for third party liabilities.

It's also good to know the coverage and exclusion triggers and deductibles and coverage limits. For example, with many credit cards if you purchase any coverage from the rental agency, that will void any coverage under the credit card policy. There may be specific times within which notification of potential liability must be made. Most cards will also limit coverage to use of the vehicle in accordance with terms of the rental agreement. In many cases the rental agreement might prohibit operation of the vehicle on unpaved roads. Almost all rental agreements will require operation of the vehicle in accordance with traffic laws, so if you are speeding or reckless, you might find that the credit card company will decline coverage.

 

[Mroze]

That base price that is almost nothing, is sufficient by law. It includes the minimum mandatory third party liability. The problem is that Mexican car rental companies will refuse to rent you a car unless you purchase additional expensive coverage. That additional coverage is optional, but they will make you buy it or they will not let you rent a car. Companies differ on what kind of additional coverage they require. It can be just extra liability, or collision as well.

We have rented cars numerous times in multiple cities in Mexico [Cancun, Cabo, PDC] and every time were forced to purchase additional TPL [Third Party Liability] without which we could not rent the car. They try and push other insurance [Full-Coverage] which is optional which we always turn down. They DO NOT accept any CC insurance although we still pay with our Amex-CC.

We have adjusted to accepting the TPL as the cost of renting a car in Mexico as the Rental-Cost is almost nothing. E.g. 1-Week Mid-Size 75/Week + TPL: $18/Day = $126 works out to ~$200/Week.
Have seen big companies like Avis, Budget, Alamo, Fox advertise weekly rates as low as $9/Week [YES WEEK] so we figure the insurance is fungible in the cost of the car rental.
What bugs me in Mexico is that they do the rental in Mexican Pesos and always use an unfavorable rate when we close the contract which easily adds another 10% to the bottom line when converted to USD.

 

[easyrider]

We have rented cars numerous times in multiple cities in Mexico [Cancun, Cabo, PDC] and every time were forced to purchase additional TPL [Third Party Liability] without which we could not rent the car. They try and push other insurance [Full-Coverage] which is optional which we always turn down. They DO NOT accept any CC insurance although we still pay with our Amex-CC.

We have adjusted to accepting the TPL as the cost of renting a car in Mexico as the Rental-Cost is almost nothing. E.g. 1-Week Mid-Size 75/Week + TPL: $18/Day = $126 works out to ~$200/Week.
Have seen big companies like Avis, Budget, Alamo, Fox advertise weekly rates as low as $9/Week [YES WEEK] so we figure the insurance is fungible in the cost of the car rental.
What bugs me in Mexico is that they do the rental in Mexican Pesos and always use an unfavorable rate when we close the contract which easily adds another 10% to the bottom line when converted to USD.

If you rent from the outside vendors websites like autoslash the terms and conditions change regarding renting cars in Mexico. I use the specific rental car websites like Avis, Budget , Hertz or other large rental car company where they have to abide by the terms and conditions of their website. I also call before I go to be sure the terms and conditions haven't changed. Avis, Hertz and Budget all have the mandatory 3rd party liability insurance included in their rate. Avis changed this one year and when I called the Avis franchise in PV I was told that we would have to purchase the 3rd party liability insurance so we went with Alamo where the liability is never included in the rate but is sometimes a better deal than others companies regarding cost of rental and liability insurance.

This next Mexico trip I'm renting from Avis so far.

Bill

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

We have rented cars numerous times in multiple cities in Mexico [Cancun, Cabo, PDC] and every time were forced to purchase additional TPL [Third Party Liability] without which we could not rent the car. They try and push other insurance [Full-Coverage] which is optional which we always turn down. They DO NOT accept any CC insurance although we still pay with our Amex-CC.

We have adjusted to accepting the TPL as the cost of renting a car in Mexico as the Rental-Cost is almost nothing. E.g. 1-Week Mid-Size 75/Week + TPL: $18/Day = $126 works out to ~$200/Week.
Have seen big companies like Avis, Budget, Alamo, Fox advertise weekly rates as low as $9/Week [YES WEEK] so we figure the insurance is fungible in the cost of the car rental.
What bugs me in Mexico is that they do the rental in Mexican Pesos and always use an unfavorable rate when we close the contract which easily adds another 10% to the bottom line when converted to USD.

My understanding of the third-party liability auto insurance in Mexico,

• Third party liability is mandatory when operating an automobile.
• Third party liability must be underwritten by a company registered or licensed in Mexico to provide that insurance. That's why the TPL that comes with your credit card or your personal auto policy in the US or Canada is not acceptable unless you have some thing from your insurer documenting that you have TPL issued in accordance with MX law.
• If you are in accident, or other situation where you are required to provide proof of TPL, failure to provide documentation is sufficient grounds presume that you are operating the vehicle illegally. That can mean a trip to jail. Where you will stay until you can provide proof of insurance or bond or you devise some other means of being released. Of course at the accident scene there may be be an option to pay some money to resolve the situation on site in .
• Of course many local people operate vehicles without having the required insurance. That is irrelevant to your situation.

 

[easyrider]

If you are in accident, or other situation where you are required to provide proof of TPL, failure to provide documentation is sufficient grounds for the police to conclude that you are operating the vehicle illegally. That can mean a trip to jail, and a suggestion that with the payment of some money the infraction can be settled on-site.

All of the main auto rental companies like Avis, Hertz, Alamo, Budget and others are required to have the TPL on their rental cars in Mexico. If you are driving a rental car from an International franchise the police know that the car has the TPL. I have only paid bribes four times in all of my driving in Mexico. None of the bribes were over $20 and I really don't know why I was pulled over regarding three of the encounters.

I don't know anyone that went to a Mexican jail for driving offenses but I have heard of it. I think it is like it is anywhere. If you are driving intoxicated or negligently you could end up in jail anywhere.

Bill

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

All of the main auto rental companies like Avis, Hertz, Alamo, Budget and others are required to have the TPL on their rental cars in Mexico. If you are driving a rental car from an International franchise the police know that the car has the TPL.

I agree . The couple of times we rented we rented from a local Avis location and took their TPL, as it was reasonably priced. But that was after shopping around Hertiz, for example, wanted about 5x as much for TPL one time where we were renting.

I haven't driven in Mexico for quite a few years. Generally we've been able to do everything we've been interested while leaving the driving to others. Though if we ever returned to Cabo, I think I would rent a car for a couple of days to for excursions to La Paz and Todos Santos.

 

[controller1]

What bugs me in Mexico is that they do the rental in Mexican Pesos and always use an unfavorable rate when we close the contract which easily adds another 10% to the bottom line when converted to USD.

If they do the rental in Mexican Pesos why do you have them convert to USD when closing the contract? If they closed the contract in Mexican Pesos then the conversion to USD would be performed by the credit card company at much more favorable rates.

 

[Mroze]

If they do the rental in Mexican Pesos why do you have them convert to USD when closing the contract? If they closed the contract in Mexican Pesos then the conversion to USD would be performed by the credit card company at much more favorable rates.

We book the car online so the contract is in USD.
This is also when we select TPL [Alamo is $18/Day] to avoid hassles at the counter.

When we pick up the car they print out the contract in PESOS.
Example Contract for USD $500

• Instead of using the bank-rate of 21-PESOS/USD [10500-PESOS] they print out the contract at 24-PESOS/USD [12000-PESOS].
• When we close the contract they run 12000-PESOS [CC uses Bank-Rate of 21-PESOS/USD] on our CC which results in a charge of USD $571.

BEWARE: The amazing PREMIUM PESO-Rate is not in your favor. The only person benefitting from an inflated PESO-Rate is the Rental-Car company.

 

[echino]

All rentals in Mexico include at least the minimum mandatary TPL, even the very cheap ones, like $5 per week. However, rental companies will not rent you a car unless you purchase at least a supplementary TPL from them. This supplementary TPL is optional and provides increased coverage over and above the minimum required by law. Even though supplementary TPL is optional and not required by law, you will still not be able to rent a car without purchasing it, because it's the main source of profit for Mexican rental car companies, along with collision coverage.

The most practical way to get the best deal on rental cars in Mexico is to compare the rates with optional supplementary TPL included. Such comparison is not easy because the supplementary TPL rates are usually hidden and not readily displayed when you shop online.

 

[echino]

Here's an example. Ace rent a car in Cancun airport for a week.

STANDARD SUV

Hyundai Tucson or similar

​ ​ 7 days @ $27.03/day​ $189.21​ 16.0% VAT​ $30.27​ ​ ​ ESTIMATED TOTAL​ $219.48​

If you go into small print and read T&Cs, you will find this:

Renter Liability Protection (RLP)This protection plan is included in the rate.
All renters are required to have proof of liability insurance at the minimum legal level. This product meets the minimum liability requirement. RLP-Rental liability protection: Protects you against claims for injury/damage you cause to third persons/their property. It does not cover injury to you or damage to the rented vehicle. Property damage/public liability is included in accordance with law and covers up to MXN/750,000.00 in third party liability protection. An additional credit card approval of USD/2,500.00 will be required in addition to the estimated total for the rental. However, this basic coverage may not cover the full extent of your potential liability for personal or property injuries under the laws of the various states of Mexico in which the injury or damage may occur. For personal injury claims, a driver in many Mexican states may be liable for between MXN/2,000,000 to MXN/3,000,000 MXN pesos in liability, per occurrence. If you desire additional liability insurance protection to better protect you against the liability exposure for a particular state, Mex Rent A Car offers additional protection.
Deductible: $0.00

So it sounds like TPL is included and you total price will be USD $219.48, plus foreign exchange rate games, plus $2,500 hold on your credit card. Right? Wrong! They will not let you rent at this rate. They will make you purchase at least supplemental liability:

Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) Excess automobile liability insurance that protects you and all authorized drivers against third-party bodily injury and property-damage claims for which you’re legally liable Supplemental liability insurance:Optional supplemental liability insurance is available to extend the coverage of legal liability up to a maximum of MXN/5,000,000.00 The liability insurance limits the responsibility of the customer over damages it may cause to third parties or properties. An additional credit card approval of USD/800.00 will be required in addition to the estimated total for the rental. Deductible: $0.00

$18.99/day

So the real minimum total will be USD $352.41, if you are lucky. Plus exchange rate games. If you are not so lucky, they will also make you purchase collision/loss damage waiver or refuse to rent you a car.

 

[easyrider]

Here's an example. Ace rent a car in Cancun airport for a week.

STANDARD SUV

Hyundai Tucson or similar

​ ​ 7 days @ $27.03/day​ $189.21​ 16.0% VAT​ $30.27​ ​ ​ ESTIMATED TOTAL​ $219.48​

If you go into small print and read T&Cs, you will find this:

Renter Liability Protection (RLP)This protection plan is included in the rate.
All renters are required to have proof of liability insurance at the minimum legal level. This product meets the minimum liability requirement. RLP-Rental liability protection: Protects you against claims for injury/damage you cause to third persons/their property. It does not cover injury to you or damage to the rented vehicle. Property damage/public liability is included in accordance with law and covers up to MXN/750,000.00 in third party liability protection. An additional credit card approval of USD/2,500.00 will be required in addition to the estimated total for the rental. However, this basic coverage may not cover the full extent of your potential liability for personal or property injuries under the laws of the various states of Mexico in which the injury or damage may occur. For personal injury claims, a driver in many Mexican states may be liable for between MXN/2,000,000 to MXN/3,000,000 MXN pesos in liability, per occurrence. If you desire additional liability insurance protection to better protect you against the liability exposure for a particular state, Mex Rent A Car offers additional protection.
Deductible: $0.00

So it sounds like TPL is included and you total price will be USD $219.48, plus foreign exchange rate games, plus $2,500 hold on your credit card. Right? Wrong! They will not let you rent at this rate. They will make you purchase at least supplemental liability:

Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) Excess automobile liability insurance that protects you and all authorized drivers against third-party bodily injury and property-damage claims for which you’re legally liable Supplemental liability insurance:Optional supplemental liability insurance is available to extend the coverage of legal liability up to a maximum of MXN/5,000,000.00 The liability insurance limits the responsibility of the customer over damages it may cause to third parties or properties. An additional credit card approval of USD/800.00 will be required in addition to the estimated total for the rental. Deductible: $0.00

$18.99/day

So the real minimum total will be USD $352.41, if you are lucky. Plus exchange rate games. If you are not so lucky, they will also make you purchase collision/loss damage waiver or refuse to rent you a car.

I have a car reserved for a winter Mexico trip through Avis. The cost for this compact car is $452 for 4 weeks. The terms and conditions state that the liability insurance is included in the rate. I use an American Express with the Amex enhanced auto insurance which covers the car and some other things. The total comes out to about $16 a day.

Bill