Executive Summary -
American Express provides it's own car rental coverage and insurance for their own cards. In this part of the review, we will examine this perk in greater detail.
One of the many questions we get asked from readers is the car rental coverage provided by this card. This is understandable since this is a travel rewards card. Unlike a Visa or MasterCard, American Express actually provides their own insurance policies.
When you pay your car rental with this card, you will be covered for any damages to the car that you rent. The policy provides a secondary coverage. This means that for any damage or theft to your rental car, your auto insurance will act as the primary coverage. Any expense that is not covered will be taken care of by Amex. In most cases, that will most likely be the deductible that you have to pay. It does not cover damages to other vehicles and other liabilities. The coverage is good for 30 consecutive days out of a 45 day period. In the unlikely event that you need to rent a car for more than that period, you need to return the car for a day and "rebook" again to get the coverage from the card.
For overseas car rental, it appears that the coverage is also secondary. That means that you have to check that your auto insurance covers you when you rent a car abroad. The coverage will not be provided in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica and New Zealand.
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Some Fine Prints
- There are a few fine prints that you have to be aware of. The policy is valid only for vehicles that cost up to $50,000 at retail levels. It will also not cover full SUV, exotic vehicles, trucks. For compact size SUVs, you will be covered only if you drive on proper roads and not in dirt tracks.
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