Should I get it| Car Rental Insurance when I rent a car?

 

The age old question “if I rent a car using my credit card am I insured by my credit card company and thus do not need to by the insurance offered by the car rental agency?”

As with all things in life it depends.

The quick answer is YES for the most part. See below for specific caveats.

Which credit card network provides rental car insurance coverage?

All four major card networks provide some form of rental car insurance coverage. MasterCard is the only network that does not provide coverage on all of its cards.

Which of the four major credit card networks has the best rental car insurance policy?

American Express and Visa have the best rental car insurance policy, followed closely by Discover. Note all of the main credit card networks require cardholders to charge their entire rental car purchase on their credit card and decline supplemental insurance/Collision Damage Waivers offered by their rental company in order to be eligible for coverage.

Are all vehicle rentals covered by the major credit card companies?

Currently none of the major credit card networks provide rental coverage if the vehicle is “exotic, expensive, antique, has an open bed, or if it is an off-road vehicle.” Be careful always check with your credit card company for what they consider “expensive” is a $40,000 car expensive or is a $30,000 ford expensive? See below for contact numbers to the different credit card companies… don’t confuse credit card issuers with the credit card companies (e.g. chase visa card issued by “Chase bank” with that of VISA “the credit card company”)

Are dirt roads covered by the major credit cards for car insurance?

VISA and MasterCard coverage mainly applies to the “regular roads” (e.g. highway & paved streets). What about credit card insurance coverage for driving on dirt and gravel roads? Well that depends Visa and MasterCard provide coverage if the dirt/gravel roads are “regularly maintained.” 

How many days can I rent a car for and still be covered by a credit card company?

The four major credit card companies exclude coverage for vehicle rentals longer than 31 days and most international car rentals.

What are the contact information for the four major credit card companies to inquiry about free credit card insurance on rentals or to file an insurance claim?

 

VISA 1-800-847-2911 (file an online claim with visa)

DISCOVER 1-800-347-2683

MASTERCARD 1-800-622-7747

AMERICAN EXPRESS 1-800-338-1670

Review of the coverage provided by the different credit card companies when renting a vehicle

	VISA	MASTERCARD	DISCOVER	AMERICAN EXPRESS
Card Type Covered	All cards	Only World cards	All cards	All cards
Vehicle Exclusions	Exotic/luxury vehicles, vans, trucks, pickups, motorcycles, recreational or off road vehicles, and antiques	Exotic/luxury vehicles, vans, trucks, pickups, motorcycles, recreational or off road vehicles, and antiques	Exotic/luxury vehicles, vans, trucks, pickups, motorcycles, recreational or off road vehicles, and antiques	some popular SUVs, Exotic/luxury vehicles, vans, trucks, pickups, motorcycles, recreational or off road vehicles, and antiques
		Automobiles with a price that exceeds $50,000 USD will not be covered	Automobiles with a price that exceeds $50,000 USD will not be covered	Automobiles with a price that exceeds $50,000 USD will not be covered
Coverage Duration	Up to 15 days for rentals in your country of residence and up to 31 days outside country of residence	Up to 15 days for World cards and up to 31 days for World Elite cards	Up to 31 days	Up to 30 days
Road Exclusions	Accidents occurring on dirt and gravel roads frequently maintained by municipality are covered	Accidents occurring on dirt and gravel roads frequently maintained by municipality are covered	Accidents occurring on dirt and gravel roads are covered	Accidents occurring on dirt and gravel roads are covered

 

A word of caution the information provide was what I was able to find. Always contact your specific credit card company to find out if these policies are still in place or not. Today it is cars worth $50,000 that aren’t covered tomorrow it could be $40,000.  Bottom line always check… the numbers are provided above… take two seconds and make the call.

 

 

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