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Hi everyone, I could really use your advice on this!
I’m traveling to the U.S. next month and renting a car from Enterprise. I was planning to use the Amex Platinum car insurance, as I have in the past, but when I called today to confirm the details, they told me that in the event of an accident or damage, I’d have to pay out of pocket first and then get reimbursed.
Since I don’t have $20K sitting in my account to cover potential damages, I’m feeling a bit uneasy about relying solely on Amex.
So I wanted to ask—has anyone been in a situation where they had an accident or something more serious than just a scratch? How was the claims process with Amex? Did they cover it smoothly, or did you have to pay upfront?
Thanks in advance for any insights!
@peter_london9 – the Amex Plat and most other car hire excess policy are on a pay now claim later basis which is the big difference with taking the hirer’s own insurance. The excess sum you mention does seem very high?
I use Avis in the US and as part of the Platinum Insurance / Platinum President’s Club benefits, and have registered my card with them. For whatever reason, when I book directly, using my Avis account, my excess always shows as zero and my Amex is associated with the account.
Not sure if that’s just luck or just how Avis/Amex does it. You also get enhanced Roadside with President’s Club too – which could be useful. I can’t help with any actual experience but I’d rather not play the game in the first place. The only incident I had was a chipped windscreen but as I said, I returned the car and heard nothing hence.
You need to pay the charges at the time of the damage/rental and then claim back. Albeit small, we had a puncture a while back – changed the tyre to the spare ourselves, drove the car back to the rental location and was charged about £50. Paid it and then claimed from Amex, where we got that amount back in full.
I have claimed twice on the Amex car hire insurance. I had no problem getting the money back but, yes, your card is charged first and Amex repays you.
Thanks, everyone—this has been really helpful!
I’d love to hear from someone who has dealt with a more serious issue, like an accident or car theft, and how the claims process went with Amex. I don’t mind covering a small amount and getting reimbursed later, but what happens if the damages run into the thousands?
When I called Amex, they confirmed that I’d still have to pay upfront, which is concerning. Another thing they couldn’t clarify was the third party damages claim process, which has a $1 million limit in the U.S. I’ve seen posts suggesting that it’s best to take the Supplemental Liability Protection (SLP) from the rental company while declining everything else (CDW, roadside assistance).
Is that the best approach, or can I decline all coverage and rely solely on Amex?
Would appreciate any insights—thanks again!
@Rob, do you mind sharing what exactly you claimed for? Was it a significant amount, and how easy was the process?
@peter_london9 – your question re SLI/ALI is tricky one as it depends on the hirer and even the state. The level of cover offered by Plat on this section is certainly very low by US standards.
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