Watch for this when renting a car

[Larry H]

If you're thinking of refusing the car rental company's optional Loss Damage Waiver because the credit card you use for all transactions during the rental offers this protection (check with your credit card provider to make sure), be aware that typically only overseas rentals of 30 days or less are covered.

We're renting a car for 34 days in England. Most American Express cardholders can purchase for $24.95 per rental (not per day) no-deductible collision and theft, plus death/dismemberment and excess medical expense coverage for driver and passengers, for a rental of up to 42 consecutive days (rentals in 6 countries are excluded, and for those who live in Washington state the 30-day limit applies). This is a great deal compared to buying LDW at a per day rate.

Unfortunately we're not Amex cardholders and didn't find out about this until too late to get a card before our departure. We found the best price for a rental in England (including LDW) was from AutoEurope. Without LDW their price was equal to that of the cheapest competitor we found. If you click through from this site, Slow Europe gets a small commission (the price you pay is the same as booking direct on AE's site).

 

[artnbarb]

I'd just read about this Amex perk, but we're committed to our Capital One card because they charge no foreign transaction fees, and also because of their rewards program, so it's not an option for us. We do rent our cars thru AE, and always check their Canadian site as well as the US site for the best deal on no deductible rates. For those who have Amex this would be a great deal.

 

[Roz]

We have used that Amex insurance plan in the past for 30+ day stays in the US. It is a good deal when you don't have the currency issue. But one thing to remember, when you are renting in the US, is that with Amex you will always get that $24.95 fee added to your rental, no matter how short it is. So we use another card for shorter rental periods.

 

[Marta]

We are going to use the Amex insurance plan even for shorter rentals in the US since we have older cars and have reduced coverage on our main auto plan.