best car rental agency

[wwguy]

I believe those are the exclusions applicable to the loss/damage waiver (LDW) coverage that is an inherent benefit of the card. In other words, you don't have to sign up for any special program to get the LDW coverage when you use the card to rent a vehicle. In addition to the inherent LDW coverage that comes with your card, AMEX offers an optional program they call Premium Car Rental Protection that you can sign up for, which provides primary theft and damage insurance coverage each time you use the card to rent a vehicle. Signing up for the Premium Car Rental Protection program is free, and AMEX automatically charges your card an extra $19.95 or $24.95 per rental period when you charge the rental fee with the rental agency: https://www295.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do.

It sounds like you indeed signed up for the Premium Car Rental Protection program. So you need to look at the Terms & Conditions for that program, not for the inherent LDW coverage that your card would have given you even if you hadn't signed up for Premium Car Rental Protection.

This is my opinion also. I've researched this topic repeatedly and exhaustively, including discussions with Amex, my longtime insurance agent, and several rental companies on Bonaire.

If you want credit card damage coverage for Bonaire dive truck rentals you need to meet the following criteria:
1) Have an Amex card that qualifies for their Premium Car Rental Protection program. (Visa and MC cards don't cover pickups on Bonaire or offer incremental buy-up insurance.)
2) Opt in to the Amex PCRP program, which will automatically bill you for coverage when you rent a vehicle using that Amex card.
3) Rent from a company that accepts Amex and permits you to waive the rental company's CDW policy. There is at least one company (Budget maybe?) that accepts Amex but still mandates that you purchase their CDW coverage to simplify claims etc.
4) Be willing to pay the rental company directly for any damages and seek reimbursement from Amex PCRP later. You will not be able to just tell the rental company to settle up with Amex (or anyone else.) This is why so many rental companies mandate you purchase their CDW... Because there's no hassle on their end for settling claims.

 

[scuba127]

Amex truck rental doesn't protect you if you damage the other person/vehicle does it?

 

[Lorenzoid]

Amex truck rental doesn't protect you if you damage the other person/vehicle does it?

It is my understanding that the AMEX Premium Car Rental Protection doesn't protect you against another party's claim for damages to their property or person.

---------- Post added November 19th, 2015 at 02:59 PM ----------

This is my opinion also. I've researched this topic repeatedly and exhaustively, including discussions with Amex, my longtime insurance agent, and several rental companies on Bonaire.

I'm pretty sure I have read your posts on it before, and that's part of what prompted me to sign up a year or so ago.

If you want credit card damage coverage for Bonaire dive truck rentals you need to meet the following criteria:
. . .
4) Be willing to pay the rental company directly for any damages and seek reimbursement from Amex PCRP later. You will not be able to just tell the rental company to settle up with Amex (or anyone else.) This is why so many rental companies mandate you purchase their CDW... Because there's no hassle on their end for settling claims.

This is the part that interests me most. What reputable rental company would, despite you having proven you have insurance and declined their CDW, shake you down for money damages on the spot, before the claim is settled with the insurance company? How would they even go about doing it? Could they, without your authorization, charge your AMEX card for whatever amount they in their discretion deem the amount of the damages? I have to believe AMEX would not pay such a charge if you were to alert them.

I realize that in some places in the world, if you are accused of hurting someone else or their property, the police might prevent you from leaving the country until some condition is met. But we're talking here only about theft/damage to the rented vehicle.

 

[oldschoolto]

I solved my rental car problems on Bonaire... I am buying a pick-up when I get there in February... Done...

Jim....

 

[wwguy]

Amex truck rental doesn't protect you if you damage the other person/vehicle does it?

The Amex policy provides primary coverage for damage or theft of the insured vehicle up to $100,000, and secondary coverage for medical and AD&D for the vehicle's driver and passengers. More Amex coverage details are available here.

Rental companies on Bonaire are required by law to provide liability insurance on their vehicles to cover damage or injury to 3rd parties. There's no incremental fee to renters for this.

This is the part that interests me most. What reputable rental company would, despite you having proven you have insurance and declined their CDW, shake you down for money damages on the spot, before the claim is settled with the insurance company? How would they even go about doing it? Could they, without your authorization, charge your AMEX card for whatever amount they in their discretion deem the amount of the damages? I have to believe AMEX would not pay such a charge if you were to alert them.

I realize that in some places in the world, if you are accused of hurting someone else or their property, the police might prevent you from leaving the country until some condition is met. But we're talking here only about theft/damage to the rented vehicle.

Shake down?? If you damage someone else's vehicle you are responsible for reparation and/or replacement. What small business, especially an asset-intensive rental business catering to tourists from around the world, would trust renters to pay up for damages later after they go home to their home countries? The Amex policy is a contract between renters and Amex's contracted insurance company, not a contract between Amex and the rental company. This is precisely the reason that most rental companies require renters to purchase their CDW policy. It's a contract between rental company and insurance company, with premiums paid in advance by the renter. Thus there's no arguing or haggling to repair the vehicle and return it to service ASAP.

Telerin is clear on their rental form: "Renter is responsible for all loss and/or damage to the rented vehicle. This liability may be reduced to $500 by purchasing the CDW for an additional daily charge..." They have no interest in haggling with any 3rd party insurance companies, including Amex.

---------- Post added November 19th, 2015 at 06:25 PM ----------

I solved my rental car problems on Bonaire... I am buying a pick-up when I get there in February... Done...

Jim....

Just curious about the math you worked out to justify this strategy? Not just initial cost... but maintenance, repair, insurance, and secure storage too.

 

[oldschoolto]

free storage... I'm a fix anything guy... tags and insurance about the same as 2 weeks rental... plan on 8 to 12 weeks a year for now... In 2 years plan on splitting my retirement time 50/50 Bonaire and maine... It's a no brainer....

Jim...

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .
Shake down?? If you damage someone else's vehicle you are responsible for reparation and/or replacement. What small business, especially an asset-intensive rental business catering to tourists from around the world, would trust renters to pay up for damages later after they go home to their home countries? The Amex policy is a contract between renters and Amex's contracted insurance company, not a contract between Amex and the rental company. This is precisely the reason that most rental companies require renters to purchase their CDW policy. It's a contract between rental company and insurance company, with premiums paid in advance by the renter. Thus there's no arguing or haggling to repair the vehicle and return it to service ASAP.

All true. But that is no different on Bonaire than if you were to rent a car here in the US. Again, I agree with everything you said above. What I don't understand is how you reached this conclusion:

. . .
4) Be willing to pay the rental company directly for any damages and seek reimbursement from Amex PCRP later. You will not be able to just tell the rental company to settle up with Amex (or anyone else.)

On what basis do you say that one must pay the rental company directly for "any" damages (who determines what the damages are, by the way?) and seek reimbursement from AMEX PCRP later? It does not work that way with a car rental in the US. In the US, if you damage a rental car and have not purchased the rental company's CDW, you will be liable for whatever damages the claim is ultimately resolved for, but the rental company has no legal authority to unilaterally take money from you up front ("directly" as you put it) as far as I know. That you presently are liable for money damages (of some as yet unsettled amount) does not mean you "must pay now." They can't hold you prisoner until you come up with the cash or something like that. You may very well be legally liable for the damages, but as far as I know, there is no law that forces you to pay now. I believe that if you refuse to pay anything now beyond what the contract says, the rental company has little option but to wait until the claim is settled. You the renter may have to deal with AMEX's insurance company yourself, since you are the party that contracted with them, but that's not the same thing as the car rental company legally having Guido (or the police or whomever) force you to disgorge money on the spot.

 

[wwguy]

I don't know the specifics of Bonairean (or USA) laws regarding this topic in general. I.e. I don't know if you could be detained on the island if refusing to pay for disputed damage etc. I was just trying to point out the the difference in obligation of renter to the rental company when choosing between rental company CDW and the Amex rental insurance.

I do know that Bonairean rental companies have had problems with renters disputing and/or refusing to pay claims after returning to their home countries. This is the main reason behind mandatory CDW coverage for most rental companies. If you purchase their full CDW and wreck the truck you just pay your $500 (or whatever $) deductible and move on with your life.

If you have the Amex coverage, arranged and paid independently by you, you'll have to pay the rental company for damages and seek reimbursement from Amex afterward. The Amex policy explicitly states "If Damage to or Theft of the Rental Car occurs,the Plan will reimburse the Cardmember up to a maximum of [$75,000, $100,000] for the following payments the Cardmember is required to make..." and then goes on to describe the various coverage details. Amex is not going to negotiate with or pay the rental company on your behalf. I don't know if this is the same or different here in the USA in comparison to other credit card or personal auto insurance coverage for rental cars.

Thanks for the civil discussion. This is an incredibly confusing topic and I'm not claiming 100% grasp on it. Just sharing my interpretation of what what I've learned so far.

 

[Lorenzoid]

wwguy, could you point me to the page with the "If Damage to or Theft of the Rental Car occurs,the Plan will reimburse the Cardmember up to a maximum of [$75,000, $100,000] for the following payments the Cardmember is required to make..."

I am very interested in reading that for myself. I thought I had read the Terms and Conditions, but I don't recall having seen that. Since what I read is titled "Summary Terms & Conditions," perhaps that tidbit is buried in some "Full" Terms & Conditions that I have not seen.

 

[wwguy]

See the Benefits section on page 3 of the PDF document at View Sample Description of Coverage, which is also linked at the bottom of the Amex insurance page I shared previously. (The link is right next to the View Summary Terms and Conditions link.) When I enrolled in the program several years ago I received an 8 page paper hard copy with similar wording.