Hi Bob,

If you are using your CC as your insurer, you should bring with you a copy of their policy.

You can get one by asking for it.

Your CC doesn't actually put the $20,000 on your accout. It is held off to the side until settled.

>Will the rental car company allow you freely to leave the country ...<

Short of kidnapping you, there is nothing they can do. This is a civil, not a criminal matter.

It's also why they want a CC, not cash.

((I))

We are going to be renting a car in Munich and driving to Italy over the course of 10 days and dropping the car off at Linate airport. We have never rented a car to be driven between countries before. We would like to be given some advice as to the more reliable and cost effective companies or Auto Europe and how to deal with the insurance question. We would probably pay the rental with Amex, but is the insurance in effect in Italy?

Jo, if you can rearrange your itinerary to pick up and drop off in Germany, you'll probably save hundreds of dollars because picking up in one country and dropping off in another is costly. I don't know your itinerary, but could you return your car to Munich (or another German city) and take the train to Milan?

AutoEurope is the best, IMHO. They'll have the answer to your insurance question. Go to www.gemut.com to find the telephone number for their rental service. You will be talking to Andrew Bestor, who uses AutoEurope and specializes in German rentals. Be sure to ask about additional taxes for picking up/dropping off at airports and train stations.

Hi jo,

As noted, dropping off in another country entails high charges.

Amex doesn't provide insurance for cars rented in Italy because of mandatory CDW and Theft Protection.

However, you will have to call them to see if you are covered in Italy for a car rented in Germany.

Betsy,
Are you sure that Gemut uses AutoEurope? I think that they are both brokers.

((I))

Ira, here's the answer to your question in the form of an email sent to me...

Dear Mr. Harvey,

We are partners with Auto Europe and since, because of our volume, they give us special rates not always offered the general public, we can always match or beat whatever rates you get at their website.

Please phone Andy at 800-521-6722 to make the booking.

Regards,
Bob Bestor

Yep, Ira. Gemut definitely uses AE. I would guess that due to volume Gemut can offer lower prices through AE than AE offers to the individual customer.

Uh-oh, guess I should'a read Bob Bestor's post above mine before replying :-)

We've always rented in either Germany or Switzerland, and then sometimes driven the car into Italy. Avis would not let us take a Mercedes into Italy. We had to accept a lesser car, since we were commited to a trip into Northern Italy that time.

Since having a few minor problems, we now always take the insurance from the rental company in Europe. We usually go with Avis, but have also done AutoEurope.

Carol

Thanks for the responses re Gemut.

Gad, wish I would have read this before renting! I organize painting tours in France and had (am still having) fallout from the summers rentals. In the first case I rented through Europe by Car, which I've used for years. I paid with my gold mastercard and lo and behold the minivan was broken into and the seats stolen in Normandy. Speaking French really helped filing the report at the police station. I was talking to the cops in person and talking to mastercard rep in France from my cell phone to make sure I knew what the hell was going on.
As has already been mentioned in this thread you MUST decline the CDW when you pick up your car in order for the credit card insurance to be valid. There is also something called Super CDW and that I suspect has to do with no deductible. But if you're using your mastercard or other card, then there should be no deductible. Back to Super CDW later. OK, so when I got home a few weeks later I was less than happy seeing a $3700 charge on my mastercard. Now I'm in the process of filing my claim and feel that I did everything I needed to do in order to have an airtight claim. We'll see.

Next nightmare. I rented a station wagon in Brittany a week later. Actually I had a client rent it and I was going to reimburse him. This time it was through Europecar. When we picked up the car we checked off on the PAI (personal accident and injury) CDW (collision damage waiver, and some other insurance I had no idea about. Well, the guy had an accident with the car, but not involving another vehicle. Well, we made sure we had taken out a deductible. Now its important to know that the word dedictible is called "Excess" in England (and it was through an agent in England that we arranged the rental - even though it was done from the US for a car to be used in France). In France, the word is "franchise".. They all mean the same thing, which of course is confusing. Anyway, when we got home from that trip this guy who was the driver found his visa debitr card debited for a total of around $2300, and that's after the rental rate was only $500!! So I have no idea what's going on but I'm gettin' mighty mad at them for 1) not explaining even one of the charges and 2) for just debiting this guys checking account with no warning or explanation. I'm currently on their case, but one thing I've learned from all this: I will now call the rental agency in France DIRECTLY, where the rates will be cheaper and ALL the insurances will be included. Back to Super CDW and Super PAI. I think - and again, am not sure, that this means no deductible for either type of insurance.

Hi nya,

>I will now call the rental agency in France DIRECTLY, where the rates will be cheaper and ALL the insurances will be included. Back to Super CDW and Super PAI. I think - and again, am not sure, that this means no deductible for either type of insurance. <

Not recommended.

I suggest booking through AutoEurope where you will get lower rates, a full disclosure of what is and is not included in the insurance, an optional Zero deductible and lower rates.

If you use your CC for insurance, you must decline all insurance offered by the rental agency.

If you have an accident, your CC will be billed for damages.

After filling out all of the paperwork, your CC copany will eventually credit your CC. I the meantime, your accout will not be affected.

I'm surprised that your friend used a debit card to rent a car. I am also surprised that the rental agency accepted it.

((I))

Regarding ira's mention that the credit card will bill you for the damages but will "eventually" credit them back. But in our case -- while it took them 6 months to give us the credit, it took them 5 months to actually bill us the amount (it took them almost as long to get the final price to bill as it did to figure out how to credit us). So while the amount was only on the credit card for one month, we called and contested it since they were "responsible" for the charge and believe it or not they "temporarily" credited the charge until the actual credit came through. So in actuality, we never paid the damages at all.