chemgirl

I read on a website that some credit card companies will report your driving snafus to your home insurance company if you use the coverage from your credit card and have to file an accident/damage claim. Has anyone heard of this? I don't know if it's legit or if it's just a way to get customers to pay for the rental co's CDW and forgo the credit card coverage. It said that this could effect the rates you pay for auto insurance at home and I didn't know how true this would be...

fishee

interesting question. anyone work for the DMV or a car insurance company?

i'm also trying to decide whether to use my Capital One Visa to cover car insurance in Spain. An old post from Patrick suggested it's much better to let our CC companies handle it.

Neopolitan

I'd think twice about paying the car agency more money to provide insurance that you already have included free with your credit card -- particularly if your credit card coverage is for a zero deductible and the agency's coverage isn't.

I do know that my insurance company was never notified about an accident we had in Europe that was our fault. In fact, I'm not sure how they would have known who to contact, since no one in that country or at the credit card offices had any record of who my insurance is with. How or why would they track that down?

chemgirl

Ooo-good point, Neopolitan! How would they know which ins. co to contact!! I don't plan on getting in any accidents but I just want to be prepared for the 'worst case' scenario! Besides, MC says if you pay for any additional insurance through the rental co. then you forfeit any insurance through MC. Good to know when they try to pressure you into getting the Super CDW!

Christina

What website did you read this on? Maybe someone will comment on it or know about it.

I work in the insurance industry (not auto, though), and there are national databases that insurers share access to that report all incidents, regardless of who the insurer is. I have no idea what CCs do, just saying this isn't impossible.

Jackie

I had an accident last summer in Ireland with a rental car for which I went with the MBNA credit card for insurance. In the claims process, they required my car insurance policy number and a statement about whether or not I was covered in Ireland. I was not, and the insurance paid the full amount of the claim. I did have to tell my insurance company about the accident to get the coverage statement from them. No one has ever reported to me that my rates would be effected by the accident.

icithecat

Your title confuses me. My home insurance is seperate from my auto insurance. If my credit card informs my home insurance company that my rental car was stolen in Scotland, would this affect my earthquake insurance rates?

tomboy

Nice concept. Devil's in the details.
How would my insurance company process the Slovakian police report? Can''t you picture the data entry clerk saying, "What's a opronikashova?"

LoveItaly

icithecat, I don't mean to speak for chemgirl but I sure she meant her automobile insurance carrier that she has at home, where she lives.

I owned an insurance agency for years. I have never heard of anyone that had an accident in Europe having it reported to their personal automobile carrier or their state DMV office.

But I would imagine now that there is a central database that if you are driving a rental car in the US and have an accident (or even get a driving citation) that yes that would go in the national database program and would consequently be discovered by your personal automobile insurance company. Most companies do an automatic check on your driving record once a year.

Now perhaps some credit card company has in their "auto rental insurance coverage" rules that your own personal automobile policy will be the primary coverage if you have an accident in a rental car and that they the credit card company will be the secondary coverage. None of my credit card companies work like that but suppose there could be a few that do. If that were the case than if you had an accident even in Europe (where I assume you will have the rental car chemgirl) they would no doubt require you to supply them with your personal automobile coverage information.

But rather than guessing I would get on the telephone and call your credit card company and talk to them and have them send you written documentation as to what coverage you will have with them and how any possible claim would be handled. That is the only way you will get accurate information. All we can do is guess and assume.