Does my american express cover rental car insurance

American Express offers Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance with all of its available credit cards. This insurance is secondary, which means you must make a claim with other sources of insurance available before claiming with Amex.

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What does the The Platinum Card® from American Express car rental insurance cover?
Who is covered?
Are there any exclusions?
Damage to other property
Certain behaviors
Several vehicle types
Specific regions
How to file a claim for rental car damage
The Platinum Card® from American Express rental car insurance, recapped
How to maximize your rewards
Does Amex Platinum cover rental car insurance in Italy?
Does Amex Platinum cover rental car insurance in Greece?
Does Amex cover rental truck insurance?

Depending on the card, you’ll typically find $50,000 to $75,000 in maximum coverage toward the value of the rental vehicle. Premium cards such as The Platinum Card® from American Express and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card usually offer higher coverage.

Before renting a vehicle, read your American Express Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance plan.
Pay for your entire rental with a valid Amex payment method — this includes an Amex card, Membership Rewards points or Pay with Points — and decline the coverage from the car rental agency.
In the event of a theft, accident or act of vandalism, immediately notify law enforcement of the incident.
Within 30 days, call the Amex benefit administrator at 800-338-1670 — or 216-617-2500 if you’re overseas.
If necessary, fill out and return the claim form, along with the requested supporting information, within 60 days. Required details may include — but aren’t limited to — an itemized repair bill, photos of vehicle damage, proof of your personal insurance and proof you paid for your rental with an eligible Amex payment method.

How long will it take to receive payment?

If the Amex benefit administrator approves your claim, you’ll receive payment within 90 days after you submit the required information.

How long does Amex car rental insurance cover me for?

Amex car rental insurance covers you for 30 consecutive days after you enter into a rental agreement.

What does Amex car rental insurance not cover?

There are several instances in which Amex car rental insurance might not apply. These include, but aren’t limited to:

Using the rental car in violation of the rental agreement.
Engaging in illegal activity and driving while intoxicated.
Driving certain types of vehicles, such as cargo vans, leased vehicles and limousines.
Intentional damage to the car, manufacturing defects, theft or damage as a result of your failure to secure the vehicle and more.

Pro-tip

The Amex car rental insurance policy is quite uniform across the country, but it may vary depending on where you live. Check your Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance Plan to see how the policy might change based on your state or territory.

You’re eligible for American Express car rental insurance if you:

Are the primary cardholder or authorized user.
Signed the car rental agreement.
Have a permanent residence in the 50 United States of America, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands.
You’ve activated your Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance.

How to activate Amex Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance

Here’s how activated coverage is defined:

You decline the coverage from the rental car company or purchase a partial collision damage waiver.
You or an authorized driver is on the rental agreement, and the vehicle comes into your possession.
You pay for the entire rental with your Amex card, Membership Rewards points or Pay with Points. This includes any deposits you must make when you collect the vehicle.

Here are the credit cards from American Express that offer this feature.

Amex is an excellent choice for car rental insurance, as all of its currently available cards offer the benefit. Before renting a car and relying on Amex insurance, check the Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance policy for any state- or territory-specific exclusions.

Kevin Joey Chen was a credit cards, banking and investments writer for Finder. His work and analysis have appeared on CNN, U.S. News & World Report, Business.com, Lifehacker and CreditCards.com.

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Many travelers purchase rental car insurance to protect against damage or theft when renting a car. However, buying coverage can add up with the average rental car insurance cost at $20 to $30 per day.

So, does The Platinum Card® from American Express cover rental car insurance? In short: Yes, in certain situations, and provided you pay for your rental with the card.

If you pay for your rental with the The Platinum Card® from American Express, you can save money through its car rental insurance protections. Terms apply.

What does rental car insurance through The Platinum Card® from American Express cover? Who is covered? Are there any exclusions? Let's learn more about this coverage, its exclusions and how to file a claim.

What does the The Platinum Card® from American Express car rental insurance cover?

When you pay for your entire rental with The Platinum Card® from American Express and decline the collision damage waiver, your rental car is covered if it is damaged or stolen. The built-in car rental insurance on The Platinum Card® from American Express covers up to $75,000 per rental agreement when there is damage or theft of a rental car. This protection is secondary coverage to your personal car insurance policy.

Additionally, suppose you decline the personal accident insurance and personal effects coverage. In that case, you and your passengers are covered for accidental death or dismemberment, accidental injury, and theft of or damage to your personal property.

Coverage amounts vary. For example:

Accidental injury coverage limits are $5,000 per person.
Payouts for accidental death and dismemberment are limited to $200,000 per card member and $20,000 per passenger or authorized driver.
Personal property losses are limited to $1,000 per claimant and $2,000 total per accident.
There is a cap of $300,000 per car rental accident.

Terms apply.

Who is covered?

Paying for your rental car with The Platinum Card® from American Express means that the primary cardholder, any authorized users, their spouse or domestic partner, and authorized drivers are all covered for rental vehicle damage or theft through The Platinum Card® from American Express car rental insurance. Passengers in a covered rental vehicle are also covered for accidental death or dismemberment, accidental injury, and personal property damage or theft.

You'll receive coverage when paying for your car rental with The Platinum Card® from American Express, Membership Rewards points, or Pay with Points. This means you're covered, even if you redeem points to pay for your rental car.

Are there any exclusions?

Yes, there are several exclusions to the car rental insurance included with The Platinum Card® from American Express.

Damage to other property

This benefit covers the rental car if it is damaged or stolen. However, it does not cover damage to other vehicles and property. Additionally, this protection does not cover injuries to people outside your car. To protect against those claims, you'll need to purchase additional insurance from the rental car company. Or, you can rely on your personal car insurance policy.

Certain behaviors

These rental car protections do not cover intentional damage to the vehicle if you were under the influence of drugs or alcohol or if the vehicle was unlocked when it was stolen. The AmEx rental car insurance also does not cover wear and tear or damage to tires.

The accidental death or dismemberment and accidental injury coverages do not cover:

Pre-existing conditions.
Team sports or racing.
The voluntary ingestion of a substance.
Self-inflicted injury.

Several vehicle types

This protection is for the personal use of a rental vehicle. It does not cover:

Cargo vans
Commercial trucks.
Limousines.
Off-road vehicles.
Moving trucks.
Rideshare vehicles or vehicle sharing.

Specific regions

AmEx Platinum car rental insurance does not cover vehicles rented in Australia, Italy, New Zealand or any countries sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Terms apply.

How to file a claim for rental car damage

If you've experienced a loss and need to file a claim, here's how to do it.

Be timely. To receive coverage benefits, you must submit a Notice of Claim within 30 days of the loss or as soon as reasonably possible.
Complete and return claim forms (if necessary). After submitting your Notice of Claim, you may receive claim forms. These must be completed and submitted within 15 days of your Notice of Claim. If claim forms are not received, you can submit a letter that describes the incident and what your claim is for.
Submit proof of loss. Submit documentation that verifies your loss within 60 days. Examples of documents include an itemized repair bill, the rental agreement or a police report.

After providing satisfactory proof of loss, your claim will be reviewed. If your AmEx Platinum car rental insurance claim were approved, it would be paid within 30 days.

The Platinum Card® from American Express rental car insurance, recapped

Having rental car coverage protects you in case something bad happens to the vehicle, its passengers, or their personal items. Instead of paying a daily rate to the rental car company, use your credit card benefits to save money. Paying with The Platinum Card® from American Express provides AmEx Platinum car rental insurance. It protects the vehicle against damage or theft and passengers in case of an accident. Terms apply.

To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, see this page.

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Does Amex Platinum cover rental car insurance in Italy?

For example, car rental insurance on The Platinum Card® from American Express doesn't cover car rentals in Australia, Italy or New Zealand. Also, AmEx's car rental loss and damage insurance doesn't cover rentals of the following types of vehicles: Full-sized or cargo vans.

Does Amex Platinum cover rental car insurance in Greece?

Does my Amex Platinum card have car rental insurance? Yes, the Amex Platinum card comes with car rental loss and damage insurance.

Does Amex cover rental truck insurance?

The Amex Platinum rental truck insurance covers cardholders for up to $75,000 in collision damage and theft for vehicles rented with the Amex Platinum card or American Express rewards points. Box trucks, trucks that weigh 10k+ lbs., or modified vehicles (except for handicapped accessibility) are not covered.