American Express Premium Car Rental Protection is an optional, paid service for Amex cardholders that offers primary coverage for damage or theft on a rental car up to $100,000.
If you’re like most people, there is probably a credit card or two sitting in your wallet. Whether it’s a MasterCard, Visa, or American Express, your credit card does more than just allow you to buy now and pay later—it can also offer things like travel or rental car insurance, making it handy for more than just your next shopping spree.
If you have an American Express card and are curious about rental car insurance options, you’re in the right place. We’re covering everything you need to know about American Express Premium Car Rental Protection—what it is, what it covers and doesn’t, eligible cards, and whether it’s the right option for you.
What is American Express Premium Car Rental Protection?
American Express Premium Car Rental Protection is an optional, paid service for American Express cardholders that offers primary coverage for damage or theft on a rental car up to $100,000 for 42 consecutive days.
If you use your Amex to pay for your rental car and are involved in an accident, you can use this coverage to file a car insurance claim
and cover the damages—but only if you’ve purchased it. It serves as a handy backup if you aren’t keen on using your personal auto insurance policy or giving into the rental car agency speeches on buying rental insurance through them. Best of all, it can save you big bucks—even if you don’t get into an accident. If you purchase insurance through the car rental company, you’re looking at about $20 per day for coverage. With Amex Premium Car Rental Protection, you’re paying around $20 for your entire rental period, making it a much more cost-effective option with equal protection. Plus, there’s no deductible.
If you want to use this service and access all the great perks, eligible cardholders must first enroll and use that same Amex car to pay for their rental car.
MORE: 7 ways to save money on car rentals
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What Amex Premium car rental insurance covers
Rental car insurance isn’t equal across the board. Different companies cover different things, so reading the fine print and knowing your rental insurance contract is important. But if you want to Coles Notes version of what you can expect with Amex Premium car rental insurance covers, here’s a breakdown:
Rental vehicle damage or theft up to $100,000 (lower coverage option available)
Accidental death or dismemberment
Car rental personal property coverage
Loss-of-use charges as incurred by the agency
Reasonable towing charges
Secondary medical coverage and accidental death or dismemberment coverage for drivers and passengers
For a small fee, the Amex Premium rental insurance coverage is quite comprehensive, but remember that certain terms apply. Most other credit car insurance offers significantly less, making it a good bank for your buck.
To activate coverage for your rental vehicle, here’s what you need to do:
Pay for the entire rental using your eligible Amex card.
Decline the optional insurance coverages offered by the rental car agency—for premium cards, you’ll also need to decline insurance such as personal property coverage and personal accident insurance.
Take a look at the chart below for a better breakdown of what’s covered under the American Express Premium Car Rental insurance.
| Premium policy (higher coverage option) | Premium policy (lower coverage option) |
|---|
| $24.95 ($17.95 California residents, $15.25 Florida residents) | $19.95 ($15.95 California residents, $12.25 Florida residents) |
| | |
| 42 consecutive days (30 days for Washington State residents) | 42 consecutive days (30 days for Washington State residents) |
Maximum loss/damage of rental car benefit | | |
Maximum accidental injury benefit (per person in your car, secondary) | | |
Maximum accidental death or dismemberment benefit for cardmember | $100,000 ($250,000 for California residents) | $75,000 ($150,000 for California residents) |
Maximum accidental death or dismemberment benefit for each eligible passenger and/or authorized driver | $10,000 ($40,000 for Florida residents and $250,000 for California residents) | $7,500 ($150,000 for Calif. residents) |
Maximum loss/damage of personal property benefit per person in your car | $5,000, up to $10,000 total ($15,000, up to $25,000 total for Florida residents) | $2,500, up to $5,000 total |
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What Amex Premium car rental insurance doesn’t cover
Amex Premium rental car insurance offers good coverage for those who purchase it—but it doesn’t cover everything. If you’ve paid for your rental car on your eligible Amex card, here’s what’s not covered:
Rental vehicles in Australia, New Zealand, or Italy
Illegal activity or driving under the influence (DUI
)
Also be aware that if you carry an Amex card that’s eligible for car rental insurance, some types of vehicles aren’t included in coverage. These include:
Vans with a seating capacity of over eight passengers
Any truck that has a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more
You also won’t be covered for:
Costs attributed to the rental company's normal course of doing business and expenses assumed, waived or paid for by the rental company or its insurance company
Damage that has occurred before possession of the rental car
Tires, unless other damage occurs to the rental car from the same accident or theft of the entire rental car occurs
Defect in the manufacture of the rental car
Diminished value, unless required by law
Depreciation, unless reimbursement for depreciation is required by law
Any property other than the rental car and personal property
Animals, furniture, art, money, securities, tickets, or documents
Items left in the rental car after the cardmember or authorized driver has relinquished possession
Any injury, except coverage for a covered person described under the accidental injury expense benefit and accidental death or dismemberment benefit
Injuries or physical conditions of a covered person existing before an accident
What cards are eligible for Premium Car Rental Protection?
Not sure whether you have a car eligible for Premium Car Rental Protection? Here’s a list of some of the cards that might qualify for coverage:
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
The American Express Platinum Card® for Schwab
The Platinum Card® from American Express for Ameriprise Financial
The Platinum Card® from American Express for Goldman Sachs
The Platinum Card® from American Express for Morgan Stanley
Centurion Card® from American Express
Business Centurion Card® from American Express
Most American Express cards are eligible for the Premium Car Rental Protection program, except corporate cards (these are different than business cards) and cards accounts issued by a third-party bank partner of American Express. Eligibility may also vary by state.
For more details, log into your American Express account to see if your card is eligible for rental protection. You can also look at the policy details for all 65 American Express credit cards
on their website. Different cards offer different levels of coverage, so it’s important to check the policy for your card. MORE: How to get a car rental discount code
Who should get Amex Premium Car Rental Protection?
The American Express Premium Car Rental Protection policy is relatively inexpensive compared to the insurance you’ll get through a rental agency, but it’s also usually better than the insurance offered automatically through most other credit cards. If any of the following situations apply to you, you might want to consider Amex Premium protection enrollment:
You don’t have a credit card that offers primary car rental loss/damage insurance
You're renting a pick-up truck, cargo van, passenger van or SUV and none of your credit cards offer rental car coverage for this type of vehicle
You need to rent a vehicle for up to 42 days and none of your credit cards offer primary insurance for the length of your rental
Medical expenses and property loss benefits aren’t included in the benefits offered by your credit card
You’re interested in an Amex card (maybe for collecting points!) or the claims process is more straightforward than your current credit card
If you have a credit card offering primary car rental insurance like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the American Express Premium Car Rental Insurance might not be necessary. But if your current card doesn’t include primary rental coverage, Amex’s protection is a great choice at an affordable price—it’s also a good option for longer rentals or for vehicles that might be difficult to insure elsewhere.
MORE: How to avoid being unfairly charged for rental car damage
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