Hi Robyn; In France you 'refuse' the insurance option the company offers and the American Express policy covers you with zero deductible. When receiving your car , you must check the 'box' that states that you are refusing the insurance option. Otherwise the American Express policy will not take effect. They also have a policy for $19.95 that gives you the same auto insurance coverage, but less 'life' insurance protection. Perhaps others can fill in more details. Dick

Hi art,

Iris is correct. Refuse the CDW. Amex will be your insurer. It is a zero-deductible policy that covers almost everything on the car. Read the fine print.

The Premium policies cover medical expenses for you and your passengers.

The rental agency provides insurance for third parties.

Enjoy your visit.

Yup, what iris and ira said.

Call AMEX, I am not sure every level card offers the same limits and deductibles. Additionally, while I am sure France would be offered, I think under no circumstance will they cover a rental in Ireland, for example.

Also call your insurance agent to see if your auto or umbrealla policy will cover any of the liabilities.

Thank you for your answers. The information about refusing the CDW was very helpful.

My husband called AMEX. The $24.95 Premium Car Rental Protection is good for up to 42 days of car rental in all countries except Ireland, Israel, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Jamaica. It offers Collision & Theft, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Personal Property and Medical Expense coverage, so we signed up for it. I guess now we're ready to make our car rental reservations. Only 77 more days until we leave.

Thanks,
Robyn

We just came back from France, and used the AMex premium car rental policy ( It was only $17.95 for residents of California). We rented from Kemwel/AutoEurope and picked up our car in Nice. Everything went fine with the car rental, our car was brand new, but there are a couple of things you may want to consider. Evidently AutoEurope ( which is actually the agency you will pick up your car from, Kemwell is just a consolidator working out of the US) rates are the cheapest right now in Europe. When we went to pick up the car at the airport ( xtra fee for airport pick-up) the line was horrendous. We waited at least 45 min. to an hour in the heat to pick up the car. There was no one renting a car from Hertz or Avis- I could see the lots. Turning the car back in was no problem. Also, GET A GPS or bring your own ( with Europe maps!)It is a godsend. We ended up buying one over the internet that had ll of Western Europe, Italy, Greece, Turkey etc. maps, with built in Blue Tooth and bringing it with us. Another great feature is a built in radar detector that warns you when you are entering a speed-trap so you don't get ticketed. They have a system on the roads in Europe where they can ticket you without your even being pulled over, just by radar and photographing your license plate. The ticket just arrive in the mail!! Something to watch out for. Have fun.

Our Capitol 1 platinum master card offers the same coverage as AM EX without an extra fee- at least this is my understanding.

On one trip a friend scraped the side of our car. We had not declined the CDW and to pay about 300 dollars because we had to pay the deductible.

Buying extra insurance is expensive, but lots of people buy it because they don't know about these credit cards.

I think Bubba may have made a slight error... it would have been EUROPCAR from whom he actually picked up the rental as AutoEurope is a broker who also operates under the Kemwel banner.

Bubba - During my research I checked out Avis & Hertz, but they came in more expensive. Maybe that's why their lots were empty.

Our travelling companion has a GPS and has already purchased the upgrade with the European maps. I know he's excited to finally get to use the maps on our trip. I've also been checking out some of our driving itineraries on viamichelin.com and I noticed that the directions indicate where there are "speed cameras". Since our travelling companion has a lead foot, this information will come in very handy.

Robyn

"Maybe that's why their lots were empty." I meant empty of people... not cars. Oops!

Robyn

yup, it was Europcar, I plead jet-lag. I may have rented with Auto Europe on our last trip to France.

Hi Artstuff,

Check your Amex bill carefully when you return. We had the same $24.95 AMEX coverage when we went to the UK recently. This program charges $24.95 EACH time you have a car rental charge of any kind.

So, we rented the car online and AE charged us. Great.

THEN, a few weeks later when we picked up the car, the local agency also charged us for some local licensing fees & airport pick up, about $60 dollars US (all disclosed in the original contract so we expected it) and Amex charged us $24.95 AGAIN because it was a charge from a car rental company. If you have any secondary charges for the same rental (say for gas or whatever) they will charge you $24.95 each time.

By the way, shortly after we returned, I purchased airplane tickets to Grand Cayman for next Feb. AMEX had set us up on some sort of airfare/flyer insurance program at the same time we set up the premium auto rental coverage. Not sure that I ever approved that as I had no memory of ever seeing it or discussing it, but they did remove it from the ticket charges immediately and with zero hassle, along with the extra $24.95 car rental premium.

Go for the $19.95 option. Just make sure you sign up for it before you rent. I actually had to use this coverage on a recent trip to Peru (got our Toyota wedged against a building on a dead-end "street" in a small, remote village....very funny, looking back).

Amex was so extremely courteous and helpful. Their first concern was for our health and told us not to let this ruin our vacation. I felt so relieved within the first minute! They said that if the rental company insisted that we pay up-front (which isn't always the case), I should put it on my Amex card, and they would cover the bill (no out-of-pocket for me). Very straightforward and painless process.

As it turned out, Hertz opted not to move forward with the claim since they didn't think it was serious enough damage.
But it was a great test run!

> ambage on Jul 22, 09 at 09:44 PM <

In the incident that you described, your Amex card would have covered the damage without the Premiium insurance.

The Premium plan covers the occupants of the car.

Hi; Keep in mind that the Premium plan also covers 'collision and theft' and reduces the deductable to zero. Ira, I could be wrong, but most credit cards including American Express have a deductable for collision and that's were the Premium plan 'takes over'. Dick

I too talked to an AMEX representative about both the basic (automatic) car rental coverage and the premium ($19.95 and $24.95) coverage plans. He said the "basic" coverage is secondary insurance, meaning AMEX will go after your primary automobile policy coverage before agreeing to pay out any claims. The "premium" coverage, on the other hand, is primary insurance.

I'm not an insurance expert, but I would assume secondary coverage will involve a lot of additional paperwork and red tape before any claims get settled.

Rumseydog, you're right. This is exactly what the Amex agent told me when I had my accident in Peru. That's the advantage over the basic coverage. (By the way, your personal auto insurance usually covers rental cars if you're the driver - at least mine does).

I prefer paying the $19.95 for the Amex primary coverage rather than involve my own insurance. It's worth it not only to avoid a deductible and the add'l paperword as you point out, but also to avoid possible increases in premiums, impact on driving record, etc.

Hi iris1745 on Jul 23, 09 at 03:37 PM

According to the info that Amex sent me, they cover everything on the car except the tires, window glass and undercarriage if the accident happens on a public road. If the car is stolen, you have to provide the key(s).

The Premium policy covers the occupants of the car as well as the above. I'm not sure about the tires, undercarriage and glass.

The rental agency has 3rd party insurance.
...................................................................
Hi Rum,
>He said the "basic" coverage is secondary insurance, meaning AMEX will go after your primary automobile policy coverage before agreeing to pay out any claims.<

My ins co does not cover me outside the US and Canada. Thus, Amex is primary.

UPDATE - Car rental reservation has been made with Kemwel, using the American Express Premium package.

Thanks, HappyCheese, for the heads up about the possibility of a double billing.

72 days and counting....

Robyn

Hello... It's me again, with another update.

I just got my American Express statement in the mail and the charge for the car rental from Kemwel was on there as contracted. However, missing was the $24.95 charge for the AE Premium Insurance package, which was supposed to automatically appear every time a car rental was made.

When my husband called AE, they said they didn't recognize the transaction as a car rental because it was listed as Kemwel Travel Agency. They're supposed to charge our next statement for the automatic insurance package.

I'm just glad we caught this error before we left on our journey. It would have been a bummer to be driving the rental car without the additional insurance that we thought we had purchased. Just a warning for anyone renting from Kemwel and using the AE insurance plan.

Down to 47 days!

Robyn

Hi; I agree with 'Robyn'. We have the $19.95 plan and used www.carrentals.com . AX did not charge us for the Premium Insurance. However, when I talked to AX, they said I would have been covered. It is a good plan for us, as it makes AX the primary insurer. Dick

Hi Robyn,

How interesting! Kemwel is, of course, the sister agency of AutoEurope so it is wild that they are not recognized the same way. Glad you got it straight before anything happened.

Hi; On our 25th driving trip to Europe, I had a minor accident. Happened in Germany [September] We had purchased the American Express Premium Protection plan for $19.95. This plan makes AX the primary insurer. Filed the claim on September 20th for almost 2000 euros and it was finally settled for $2657 US with Sixt on November 23rd. The 'zero' deductable worked. Richard

Sorry to be dense, but do you mean that YOU had to pay the $2657 or that Amex paid it?

There is much discussion about Kemwell and AE being "sister" companies, but when I asked a Kemwell phone rep, he denied that this was the case. They each have their own pricing and regs, and these vary from country to country even on their own sites.

Sorry; American Express, Premium Protection Plan, paid the 'total' bill as the primary insurer. Happy Thanksgiving to ALL. Richard

Hello,

Does the American Express premium coverage pays if the other car gets damaged? I noticed that Kemwell includes the liability for that but didn't see it when I looked at Avis website.
I wanted to book with Avis because they have a car rental office at the train station in Arles, France.

Twee

Kemwell and AutoEurope are related closely enough that when I sent an email to Kemwell with a question about the car we had booked I got an autoresponse from AutoEurope!

Hi thuy,

>Does the American Express premium coverage pays if the other car gets damaged?<

That is third party insurance. It is covered by the rental company.

Amex and other CC card insurance will be your primary insurer (almost always) and give you zero deductible on almost everything - read the fine print.

The premium plan covers the driver and occupants of the rental car.

Hi,

On Avis website, the following insurance is offered as an optional selection. So does that mean Avis does not include the liability insurance that would pay for damages to other cars or property like what AutoEurope and Kemwell include in their basic charges quote?

on AVIS WEBSITE:
Optional insurances are subject to tax in certain locations. This tax is not reflected in the Estimated Total.

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)12.23 USD Per Day
Personal Accident Insurance (PAI)6.25 USD Per Day
***Liability Insurance9.20 USD Per Day
Theft Protection4.72 USD Per Day

Also, at the bottom of the webpage, I noticed that Kemwell and AutoEurope list additional 32 Euros for picking up the car at a train station? It wasn't included in the rates that were quoted. Is this true for all cities? We are renting from either Arles or Nimes.

Thanks for any clarification.

Thuy (Twee)

I can't help you on the insurance, but many cities have city taxes on car rental places in airports or train stations. They do that a lot in the US, also, for example. It's a tax and since I have rented from Autoeurope, I seem to recall the quote was the rental fee, it didn't include a few small items like a local tax.

I was told by a Kemwel and Ace Rental rep, that you are not allowed to decline CDW in Australia. If I got an AE Blue Sky card, would I be able to add this to their insurance to get 0$ deductable?

So just to verify when reserving ahead...

1) Activate AMEX Insurance
2) Reserve your car rental.

Sorry... Didn't mean to 'submit' above post.

But I just wanted to clarify the process when booking ahead using the AMEX insurance option:

1) Activate the AMEX Insurance
2) Reserve your rental car. -> As a result of the purchase, the name of the rental insurance on the statement will activate the AMEX Insurance policy, thus charging $24.95 to the AMEX statement.
3). *This is the part I am confused about*. AMEX Insurance policy says it will cover the auto rental for up to 30 days. Does this mean that the 30 days will be triggered at the time of the reservation? or what triggers the coverage when you plan on renting the car months after reserving the rental?

I am trying to reserve a car in Aix-en-Provence for July of 2012, but am worried that the 30 days of coverage will be activated at the time of the reservation (Jan 2012) and not at the time of pick-up(if this is incorrect, what triggers AMEX to apply the coverage at pick-up, if no additional charges appear on the CC at the time of pick up?).

The coverage will be triggered when you arrive at the rental car agency and the staff ask for your credit card.

OK, thanks StCirq.

If that is the case, is it necessary for me to activate the AMEX Insurance option before I book ahead to reserve, or do I only need to apply for the option sometime between the reservation (Jan) and the pick-up (July)?

Also, it is it normal for AutoEurope to charge the rental amount at the time of the reservation booking? I don't have any experience renting cars, but I was always under the impression that you aren't actually charged until rental car pick-up or rental car-return, but never at the time of the reservation.

Different companies have different practices, and some do charge in advance and some give you a different rate if you prepay. There is no law about when a car rental company charges you. This is true in the US, also, BTW.

As SrCirq points out, the 30 day coverage starts when you pickup the rental car. If you are using Autoeurope or Kemwell or some other broker, AE may not recognize the payment you make to them as payment for a car rental. You might clarify with a call to AE to be sure your coverage begins when you need it.

The AE insurance is primary coverage meaning you never pay anything in the event of a claim. Other policies only reimburse the expenses you are responsible to pay. I consider the AE rental insurance to be one of the best plans available and one which no one should be without.

I am guessing that you don't need to activate the AMEX insurance ahead of time, but I'd call AMEX to confirm that. I got the insurance right after they started offering it quite a few years ago, and I didn't activate it until just before leaving on a trip. But the rules may be different now.

AutoEurope always charged me a third or maybe half of the rental at the time of making the reservation, then the rest upon return of the car. I'm guessing they might charge you the whole thing these days, though, because exchange rates are fluctuating a lot these days.

I signed up for the AMEX insurance some time ago. I rented a car thru Kemwel early last year but didn't see a charge on the card for the insurance. I called Amex and they added the charge. Good thing as on the last day of the rental someone backed into the fender while it was parked. Amex covered the entire amount so was glad I had the insurance. Just be sure every charge for the car at pickup goes on the Amex card or it won't be covered. The insurance goes into effect when you pick the car up not when you pay the rental if you pay in advance.

I was asking about the AMEX premium coverage of $24.95 yesterday and was told the residents of the following states are no longer eligible for the preium plan. Those states are:

GA,IA, ID, OK,PA and NH.

According to the Amex rep, NH has been on the list but the other 5 states were added on the 25th of January 2012. Apparently something to do with licensing approval. No one that I talked with as yet has specific knowledge as to why those states' residents are not eligible for the premium coverage. They are still eligible for the basic free cdw coverage however.

The coverage is activated when the charge on the CC is paid. Being in NH, I have been told that I am grandfathered in, but I get all answers by e-mail. They did covered us in September, 2009 for 2000 euros.

When using a broker such as Autoeurope or Kemwel, the car rental charge is not readily identified as such and the AE insurance coverage is not automatically triggered. It would be prudent to call AE to confirm that you indeed want the coverage for the rental.

Am I correct in understanding that this benefit is not part of the regular cdw offered by AMEX, but that you must "buy" the coverage? Thanks.

I just checked and my AMEX doesn't offer any kind of rental insurance, it is a low end Delta Skymiles Option Card. I do have Cap one Visa Signature card and that looks like it offers rental insurance.

You also need to check that the car rental firm accept AMEX as it's not always accepted in Europe.

I used to use the $24.95 option with my Delta Amerxo card till I found out that ANY Visa card offers the same insurance coverage for nothing. It's provided by Visa whatever the brand of card. As someone mentioned, Mastercard may provide the same.

I just read this old post and have my own questions. I am renting a car from AutoEurope to drive from Provence, France to Florence, Italy. I was advised by American Express that they do not insure car rentals in Italy (and a few other countries). Will I be able to use the American Express insurance for the portion of the trip in France then purchase the insurance from AutoEurope for the portion of the trip in Italy?

Lillian: Not really. But do you even want to do that? One way rentals have very large drop off fees. It might be better to rent one car for France and a different car in Italy. It would be cheaper and solve the insurance 'problem'.

(You might want to start a new thread w/your own specific questions)

How do you specifically anticipate that AmEx and AutoEurope split the coverage of one rental with two destinations; France and Italy? I do not see any solution for dividing insurance coverage between two carriers. You need to ask AE.

Bedar (I know this is two months later) - AmEx coverages is full Primary insurance coverage. Visa and Mastercard offer secondary coverage on collision. There is no comparison between the two coverages and they are emphatically not the same.

FWIW- after realizing that for $24.95 [per use] I can have the AMEX car rental coverage. I made my reservation almost 2 months ago with kemwel. I called today and they will refund my original payment and recharge on AMEX card - at the SAME rate. The current rate is significantly higher, so I am very pleased at their willingness to do this for me.

Again, got to love the info you get here. Thanks~

AmEx coverages is full Primary insurance coverage. Visa and Mastercard offer secondary coverage on collision. There is no comparison between the two coverages and they are emphatically not the same.

But does it make a difference in the final analysis since liability is included in any European rental?

But does it make a difference

The difference between primary coverage and secondary coverage is huge in and of itself. It´s the difference between walking away from an accident and paying for all damage then waiting to be reimbursed by the credit card insurer. If you have ever made a claim with a credit card insurer, you will not necessarily want to do it a second time.

There are also differences in maximum duration of coverage, dollar amount of coverage, what type of cars are covered, medical coverage, and loss of personal property.

_____

Separately, after reviewing the AmEx policy coverage, they state that vehicles rented in Italy are not covered. However, this does not mean that a car rented from outside of Italy is not covered when it is driven into Italy which is what Lillian_Laszlo is asking about. AmEx coverage should extend into Italy if the rental was picked up in France.

The good thing about EX

About AX'S insurance coverage, is it makes them the primary insurer. You don't have to go throught your own car insurance at home and then your credit card coverage. Lots of paperwork. I know by an experence in Germany, when AX covered the whole 2000 euros. While they cover from dollar one, they do not cover 'loss of use'. But they did get Sixt to accept whatever AX offered and I didn't pay a CENT. The insurance with AX cost me $19.95. Having just rented a car in Florida and then New Mexico, the AX coverage kicks in when you refuse all insurance coverage and the rental company charges your credit card. I like AX being the primery insurer.

Re coverage by AmEx:

We had a minor accident in Switzerland.

Filled out all the forms. Provided all the necessary information.

Filed the police report that said I was stopped and the other car drove into me.

3 mos later I got a bill for $1000 from the rental agency.

I sent the bill off to AmEx.

They handled absolutely everything. The only thing I did was read their updates.

ok - so now my next question is - reading back on all these posts, it seems that the AMEX charge [$24.95 or 19.95] doesn't appear automatically with kemwel payment since it doesn't see it as a car rental. I paid in full for the rental but still need to pay local charges when we pick the car up. From what has been said up thread, this amount since it comes from an actual car [Europcar] rental triggers a second charge. I am guessing that BOTH amounts need to be paid with AMEX to get AMEX coverage. And that the second charge is removed after calling AMEX to indicate that it was the SAME rental.

Am I getting this right??

You should pay for the "basic" rate, and I doubt that it will be lowered because AMEX would normally carry the full cost. Airport and RR fees are a separate issue as is the road tax and the pollution tax for an automatic.

I meant that AMEX will carry the full cost of the insurance, not the rental.

To be sure of getting complete AmEx insurance, pay both the rental (from Autoeurope or Kemwel) and the road tax, location surcharge, additional driver fees, environmental fees, and any other charge imposed by the rental company typically paid at drop off, all of these things on the AmEx card just to be sure of insurance coverage.

A rental from Autoeurope or Kemwel or some other broker will probably not trigger the AmEx insurance at $24.95 or $19.95. It would be prudent to call AmEx explain the situation which is what AmEx suggested that I do when I asked them this very question. It will also clarify any possible second charge when paying the required fees at drop off.

I am also faced with this dilemma as I am planning to rent a Fiat 500 in Barcelona Spain, drive along the coast to Pompei, Italy then to Venice, Italy then back to Barcelona Spain, hitting every town along the way in two weeks. The CDW (Collision damage waiver) can be prohibitably high in some countries from $11.00 day Germany to $33.00 day Spain the best deal is to get the 24.95 premium car insurance from American Express.
1. 24.95 one time charge covers 42 days (Washington state 30 days) $19.95 for California residents (Dont know why they get a break)
2. The coverage kicks in when you charge the car rental on the Amex card. You do not have to pay the credit card bill first.
3. Coverage is primary, covers all theft/damage to rental vehicle.
4. There in zero deductible (CDW in europe you have to pay $500 ded first)
5. All European vehicle rentals come with free 3rd party liability insurance which covers damage to other vehicles & injuries if YOU are at fault
6. Coverage is worldwide except for vehicles RENTED in australia, ireland,israel,italy,jamaica & new zealand. As long as you RENT from another country you are covered driving in these countries
7. Covers most vehicles including SUV's, pick ups, luxury
8. $100K theft/damage to vehicle, $100K death/dismemberment to you or your passengers ($250K for california residents) 15K excess medical coverage for you or your passengers
9. You must DECLINE the CDW for this to kick in, rental clerk may try to scare you as they make commission off CDW (but most are nice, i only had one in costa rica pressure me)
10. Your own auto insurance does NOT cover you outside the USA except for Canada & Mexico & Mexico ONLY up to 50 miles from the border
11. Amex is supposed to charge you but ive noticed at times they did not but you would still be covered. I would call them before your trip to make sure they charge you
12. Obtain an International drivers permit from AAA before your trip you will be fined on the spot if not. You need to fill out the application, 2 passport photos, front/back of drivers license & $15.00 fee

BTW I'm an Insurance Claims Adjuster and former Rental car clerk so have knowledge of this, if you think your regular credit card is gonna cover all this you are in for a nightmare of calls & paperwork especially if the rental car companies repair estimate is excessive...

I think you have one error - "2. The coverage kicks in when you charge the car rental on the Amex card. You do not have to pay the credit card bill first."

The coverage starts when you pick up the car, not when you charge the car rental. This per Am Exp. I paid upfront in April for a trip in September. Therefore, my coverage starts in Sept. And also, as a followup to my post on Apr 25- I did talk to the rep and they made a note in my account that the although it might not show up as a car rental, that it was indeed a rental. No need to worry, the charge came through from Kemwel and from Am Exp for the $24.95. Now I will just have to see if a second charge comes through in Sept when I pay direct fees to Europcar.

<The coverage starts when you pick up the car> Exactally. We have had this coverage from AX for a number of years and it's as DeebitNM explained. Actually, I don't think NH residents can currently get this coverage from AX. We are 'grandfathered in'.

Also note that not all Amex cards qualify for the coverage. For example, one of my Amex is a Macy's card and I almost blew it booking a car w/ that card instead of my 'regular' Amex.

On hunch, I phoned them to make sure, w/ the Macy's Amex you cannot purchase that coverage.

I have a Delta Skymiles Amex and I don't think you can purchase it on that, either. I like my card okay for the miles, but there are some Amex benefits you don't get with it, like the deal about buying some theater seats in NY.

Mine is a plain old basic Delta Skymiles card and I was able to buy it.

I have a Costco American Express and it is covered and I also have a Delta Platinum American Express card and it is covered AS LONG AS YOU CALL AMERICAN EXPRESS AND ENROLL THE CARD.

I just enrolled my Delta card and I recieved a confirmation from American Express in writing. I have the original information from some years ago but it never hurts to have something updated

The letter says in the first paragraph and I quote:
Thank you for enrolling in Premium Car Rental Protection. Simply by using your enrolled American Expres Card to reserve and pay for a Rental Car, you have the security of knowing that you are automatically protected.

I will also say that as previously stated if you rent a car through a third party like Orbitz, you must tell them the charge is specifically for a car as American Express does not assume that the charge from a third party is for a car.

Christina - We have the Gold Delta Skymiles Amex cards and have enrolled my husband's card in the $24.95 plan.

Interesting, though, I booked a car last year with Kemwel, used the card to prepay, and called Amex Assurance to inform them. The $24.95 insurance charge did not appear on the next statement. I called Amex Assurance again and reported that no charge had yet appeared. They assured me it would be taken care of. I called again just before departing for our trip and was told that the charge would be put through right away. It wasn't. I also used the card to pay Europcar for their additional charges. Still no charge from Amex. Thankfully, we had no issues where insurance coverage would have been needed, but just in case, I had documented every call as to date/time/person I spoke with. They seem to be in need of a better system for dealing with these types of prepaid rentals.

WELL. I had enrolled in the plan and while traveling in Portugal we returned to our car in a garage and discovered that someone dinged it.
Avis charged our card E225. It was a very small scrape but noticeable. Now we will see what happens.

Less than a month after filing the report with the American Express Premium Car Rental Protection they settled the claim we had with Avis for damage on the car.
Very easy and I am very well satisfied.

You just discovered the difference between AE's $25 primary coverage vs. Visa/MC's free, secondary coverage. Had you made a claim with Visa/MC, you would still be exchanging emails and forwarding forms and other paperwork. AE covers the expense, Visa/MC reimburses you.

I am curious about liability. What if you damage another vehicle, or injure someone in another vehicle. Amex does not cover this, so what happens if the unfortunate occurs? (I just had a phone conversation about rental insurance with an Amex rep and she stressed that none of their policies cover liability).