Steerpike

do you have to 'sign up' each time you rent, or is this a one-time deal?

Does the coverage so provided equal that of the rental companies' full cover, and improve on what visa offers?

I do most of my car renting for business so just follow company rules, but I will be traveling to UK later this year (reluctantly, for a stupid wedding ...) and will need to rent a car.

Ash UK/US

Alamo is required by UK law to provide 3rd party coverage. We should be covered by travel insurance if we had an accident and needed to go to the hospital.

fsm

Quoting this from Amex.

Key Features
One flat price of $24.95 per rental period, not per day ($17.95 for California Residents).
Coverage is primary. You won't have to file a claim with your personal insurance company and risk having your premiums increase.
There are no deductibles.
There is no cost to enroll and you will only be billed a premium when you use your enrolled Card to rent a car until your enrollment is terminated.
Coverage (for you and your passengers)
Up to $100,000 of primary coverage for damage or theft of a Rental Car.
Up to $100,000 of Accidental Death or Dismemberment coverage.
Up to $15,000 for excess medical expenses.
Protection
Coverage is worldwide, except for vehicles rented in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, and New Zealand.
Coverage is for up to 42 consecutive days (up to 30 consecutive days for Washington State Cardmembers) and automatically extends to your other noncorporate American Express® Card accounts.
Covers most vehicles typically available from a Rental Company.

agentpeppermint

hey there, i work in the car rental industry... and as far as I know they dont take car rental insurance from credit cards, if you read the disclaimer with your card about the insurance, it's really not insurance... its basically a reimbursement from your credit card if you pay with that card and file for the reimbursement within 30 days... Alamo is REALLY exspensive...stick with Rent A Wreck or Enterprise...those two agencies are THE cheapest...oh and dont rent from the Airport car rental agencies, theyre normally twice the price of an offsite office ( all of which will come pick you up anyways!)


ps watch the tax ( some states require a tax on rental vehicles ) they also hit you with license and registration fees, charge you for ANY and all glass and tire damage... youre best off taking the CDW at the higher rate, JUST in case... our saying is you may be a fab driver, but there are too many uninsured animals on the road.

and please please make sure the car is clean when you return it otherwise theyll hit you with a dirt fee of upwards 100$

nettlebed

When you sign up for the program you are authorizing AmEx to make the charge each time you rent a car, until such time as you tell them to stop doing it.

Don't know what Visa offers, other than to say when I tried to make a claim from my supposed Visa coverage about 12 years ago they declined.

wordfool

I use Amex too... sign up for their extended rental car protection and only pay $17.95 per rental (I'm in CA) for some pretty beefy comprehensive insurance almost anywhere in the world. That one charge covers you for the entirity of the rental (up to a few months I think). The only problem I've encountered has been with a few officious-little-shit type people at car rental counters in the UK who didn't believe such a policy existed, so I always carry the multi-page agreement from Amex (and once with Alamo when they were having a temporary dispute with Amex and would not accept the card for a rental)

The only downside is that a few rather key countries in the world are not covered, including Australia for some reason

I trust Amex... it's the only card I ever made a car rental insurance claim on and they came through with few hassles (that one was a corporate card, however).

wordfool

That hasn't been my experience... Alamo is nearly always the cheapest of the on-airport companies, at least at Heathrow. But they do all vary week by week, so shop around and consider pre-paying to save a bunch (Europcar and Hertz often have some great pre-pay deals). Also be sure to check the price of a "standard" sized car. For some reason that group is often cheaper than compact, even though it's one group below full size (I've never understood why).

Off airport is definitely cheaper -- at Heathrow I often used Thrifty, which is at a hotel on the perimeter road. However there is NO pickup at the airport. You have to take a bus to the hotel, so that might be an issue for families and is not much fun after a long flight on a cold winter morning.

My biggest gripe with car rental in the UK is the lottery of what car you'll get. Last time I rented a standard size car with Hertz they tried to put me in a really crummy compact (a petrol Kia I think) so I held out for a half hour to get a decent-sized diesel. The guy next to me blew a fuse because he'd specifically requested an estate and they tried to put him in a fugly Kia, too

Deedee13

i often rent cars in europe and its a bloody frightening experience to say the least.

What the hell is this with the insurance. You pay a fee even if u were not at fault should the car be in an accident? Makes no bloody sense to me. The insurance is an added extra? what the F!!! I find rental cars are bloody expensive after u add the taxes and fees.

I would love to find a great site so if anyone has a good one let me know, i want to rent cars in frankfurt, dusseldorf and amsterdam if anyone knows anything out there.

In the last month, one car had a stone chip in the windshield - didnt notice till i drove out of the car park - bummer!! Took it back they didnt notice either. Second car - no window washer fluid, minus temps, snow, couldnt see a bloody thing - deadly. third car - headlight wasnt working - wasnt a problem leaving it was daylight. Driving tho back at 10pm in snow and rain on a trip that should have taken 3 hours took 7 was a little hairy with just one bloody light. Fourth car - summer tires - winter tires are an extra??? As u can see i get around a bit... But check that bloody car before u leave their lot or ur gonna get screwed one way or another!!!

Ash UK/US

I will be renting in the UK, I have searched lots of sites and so far the best deal is with Alamo, for a 9 day rental with an additional driver it is £171.

The 'add on insurance' that is offered through Alamo is:
Damage Liability Waiver (£8.50/Day) £0.00
Personal Accident Insurance 1 (£6.08/Day) £0.00
Theft Liability Waiver (£8.50/Day).

Third party is already covered (I confirmed this with an email too) if I am covered (reimburst) for damage and theft of the car, am covered for personal accident through my health insurance then I think I should be good.

Ash UK/US

If you rent a lot this kind of thing might be of benefit to you.
www.carhireexcess.com

fsm

When I rent in the UK nowadays I always take full coverage, but I either rent from a small operator or through a package company ususlayy costs 1/2 the price of the big boys and glad off the full coverage, when some numpty backed into the rental car and drove off.

Giantaxe

Currently paying $208 for a nine day rental of a four door economy car in the UK booked through AutoEurope. No second driver though and the charge for that is often silly if it's not your spouse. I always decline additional insurances and use the reimbursement coverage my credit card provides. I always get the hard sell scare tactics on the damage liability waiver, plus this time I was asked whether I was able to drive a non-automatic. lol.

Ginblossom

The reason being is that the rental car company will have administrative costs in settling the claim regardless of whether you were at fault. Hence the charge.

You are always paying for as much coverage as you can get, even if it costs.

Ginblossom

The reason being is that the rental car company will have administrative costs in settling the claim regardless of whether you were at fault. Hence the charge.

Its always worth paying for as much coverage as you can get, even if it costs.

Ash UK/US

The quote I got was $285 (this is for an automatic) and does not include additional driver.