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Note that "loss of use" coverage is virtually impossible to get with American Express and Mastercard because both companies require you to obtain utilization logs from the rental companies proving that they actually had a "loss of use" but you will not get those logs because they are confidential and the rental companies don't release them. Visa is the only card that does not require a utilization log so always use Visa when renting.
Loss of Use expense can be considerable as they will charge you the non-discounted rate, say a Chevy Spark econobox at $50/day for 25 days in the shop for a fender bender, cost to you is over $1000 in loss of use and there is pretty much nothing you can say about it.
when I filed a claim with AmEx for an accident I had in an Enterprise rental car the amount for loss of use was on the bill they sent to AmEx. AmEx paid the entire claim without queston. If you were denied payment because of some 'confidential document' that they refuse to provide, I would suggest contacting your state's Dept. of Insurance or take them to small claims court.
Update: just got approved for an AE Card, which should arrive in a couple of days. Looking over the car rental insurance plan, which I'll almost certainly enroll in, the insurance is a great deal, especially if you're renting a car for more than a couple of days within the period that the coverage is good for. The only downside I can see about the AE deal--and I'm not sure if this was already discussed--is that it doesn't include liability coverage (but, hey, you can't have everything, I guess): https://www295.americanexpress.com/p...verage/home.do
I wonder if I can use it for Enterprise's Car Share program, which would make it even more worth while; this way, I wouldn't have to pay $8.99 extra for collision coverage.
I can't imagine any CC would offer liability coverage. This is where your personal car coverage would come into play for the liability coverage.
If you didn't own a car though I wonder if an umbrella policy would cover your liability?
Short answer for me is, it depends. I have coverage with my credit card and regular insurance, but I'll still take the LDW on certain occasions. A few years ago I rented a full size pickup truck from Enterprise. I was only going to have it for one day and I knew I would be putting on a good number of miles and it was supposed to snow, so I took the insurance. Well... it ended up being ice instead of snow and I slid off the side of I-94 into a deep ravine, nearly rolling over in the process. My guess is that there was $10k or more in damages (I don't know for sure, because I never saw the bill, but every panel on the driver's side of the truck would have needed to be repaired or replaced and there was suspension damage). My dealings with Enterprise on this consisted of me walking into the station the next morning, telling them my story, and giving them the information of the tow yard where they could pick it up (70 miles away). I never heard a thing from them afterwards and I've rented from them after all that as well. I still consider it probably the best $15 I ever spent. Now... if we're talking hundreds of dollars in insurance charges from them and I'm renting in a sunny climate, I'll take my chances. Just depends on the situation...
The american express coverage for $25 discussed here is primary.
I wouldn't bother with it if it wasn't.
How soon after you pay the $25/apply for the AMEX coverage are you covered? Does the coverage kick in immediately or is there a lengthy approval process? I'm still deciding whether to use the policy for my trip next week and want to know how soon before the trip I must apply to be covered (I want to apply as late as possible to be covered longer into the future in the event I rent a car within 30 or however many allowable days under the policy after the trip). Note, I'm still undecided as this is the only car rental on the horizon for a while, so it may just make sense for me to buy the collision coverage from Enterprise this go around; there is a car share I have access to, but I'm not sure how frequently I'll end up using that.
How soon after you pay the $25/apply for the AMEX coverage are you covered? Does the coverage kick in immediately or is there a lengthy approval process? I'm still deciding whether to use the policy for my trip next week and want to know how soon before the trip I must apply to be covered (I want to apply as late as possible to be covered longer into the future in the event I rent a car within 30 or however many allowable days under the policy after the trip). Note, I'm still undecided as this is the only car rental on the horizon for a while, so it may just make sense for me to buy the collision coverage from Enterprise this go around; there is a car share I have access to, but I'm not sure how frequently I'll end up using that.
As long as you pay with an enrolled / eligible the coverage starts. So to be safe reserve and then pay for the rental with the Amex.
it's a great deal. first time i used it i got into an accident and they paid out 8000 dollars like nothing.and the customer service was great.
i highly recommend amex for rentals. but even if you don't use their insurance never use a car rentals ripoff insurance.
I just signed up for the Amex coverage. Yes, its a good deal, but only if you're renting for more than one day. Otherwise, its a rip off as you'd be paying about double (cheapest plan for Amex has a premium of $19.95, while I see most rental car companies charge $9.99 for collision coverage per day . . . note, some charge less, in which case I'd say Amex is only worth it if you're renting for at least three days). Whereas I thought initially that the rental coverage (42 days for me) covered multiple rentals within that 42 day period, I just found out that it only covers one rental. Thus, if I rent a car on July 1 (return on July 2) and then rent another car on July 4 (return on July 5), Amex would have charged me $39.90 for 2 days of car rentals for collision coverage. Thus, when I rent a car for only one day, I'll use another credit card.
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