American Express card for car rental with AutoEurope or Kemwel?
 

HELP! My head is spinning from reading too many policies, options, waivers, and fine print....

We're planning on renting a car while in the south of France (our first time for a car rental) and have been looking at the AutoEurope and Kemwel web sites (Kemwel comes in just a bit cheaper). I remember reading somewhere on this forum that using an American Express card for the car rental gives you extra car rental insurance.

Is anyone familiar with the Premium Car Rental Protection (for $24.95) which is offered by American Express? If I use the AE insurance, does that mean I can choose a car option with limited or no insurance, as offered by AutoEurope or Kemwel? I would like a zero (-0-) deductible policy that covers any and ALL problems with the rental car.

Robyn :)>-

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.

((I))

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 :)>-

<i>"Maybe that's why their lots were empty."</i> 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.

((I))

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.

((I))

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.

((I))

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.