I've researched this extensively and respectfully disagree. There are at least four criteria required for successfully using a credit card auto policy on Bonaire:
1) Does your credit card cover pickup truck rentals on Bonaire? Visa and Mastercard do not cover trucks or SUVs in foreign countries. I've never heard or read an account of someone using either card successfully for this purpose on Bonaire. If you disagree, please provide evidence to the contrary. American Express's default coverage doesn't cover foreign truck rentals either, but their optional
Premium Car Rental Protection does. You have to opt in to this program and pay $24.95 per rental for coverage up to 42 days. I don't know about Discover card.
2) Does your credit card auto insurance offer primary or secondary coverage? Visa/Mastercard/Amex policies that cover rentals in the USA only offer secondary coverage beyond claims paid by your personal auto policy. USA-based personal auto insurance isn't valid for rentals in foreign countries, which is another reason the CC secondary coverage policies aren't accepted either. The optional Amex PCRP policy offers primary coverage, which means your personal policy doesn't come into play. This also makes it an attractive option for some USA-based rentals too, as any claims won't reflect negatively on your personal auto policy rates.
3) Does your Bonaire truck rental company accept your preferred credit card? From what I've seen in recent years, all rental companies on Bonaire accept Visa and Mastercard. To my knowledge only Telerin, Budget, Hertz and Avis accept American Express. IMPORTANT: If you opt to use the Amex PCRP policy the rental fee must be paid with the card to trigger coverage. If the rental fee is buried in a package payment, such as at Buddy Dive, the coverage may not be initiated.
4) Does the Bonaire truck rental company permit you to opt out of their CDW coverage? Currently Telerin and Avis permit this. Budget does not. I don't know about Hertz. Buddy Dive's rental agreement lists CDW or "Full Coverage" as optional.
It's also worth noting that if you waive the rental company's insurance coverage you're liable for
all damage, repair, and/or replacement cost of the vehicle. The rental company will expect you to pay them directly. That's why they require a damage deposit and/or credit card in advance of the rental. It'll be up to you to work out any reimbursement for your expense from your credit card company's insurance later.
Personally I rent from Telerin, pay with my Amex card, waive Telerin's CDW, and make sure my Amex PCRP insurance coverage is activated at the beginning of my rental period. This is easy to verify online as soon as Telerin bills my credit card on day 1 of the rental period. So far so good, but I haven't had to make a claim yet.
