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If you've ever rented a car before, you're probably familiar with the hardcore upselling agents will use to get you to purchase their insurance. Whether they insist that it's mandatory or speculate about improbable car accidents, these high-pressure tactics are unpleasant — and often unnecessary. This is especially true if you hold a variety of travel credit cards, many of which offer complimentary rental car insurance. But when that's not enough, American Express Premium Car Rental Protection comes to the rescue.
Available to eligible Amex cardholders, this rental car insurance allows you to decline those pesky salesmen with confidence. Let's take a look at American Express Premium Rental Car Protection, what it covers, how much it costs, and whether it's worth the fee.
Page Contents
- What is Amex Premium Rental Car Protection?
- Which Cards Offer Amex Premium Car Rental Protection?
- What Isn't Included With Amex Premium Rental Car Protection?
- How to Enroll in Amex Premium Car Rental Protection
- How to File an Amex Premium Car Rental Protection Claim
- Is it Worth Getting Amex Premium Rental Car Protection?
- The Bottom Line
What is Amex Premium Rental Car Protection?
American Express' cards offer rental car loss and damage protection, but there are times where that isn't enough. In addition to limits on coverage, the car rental loss and damage insurance provided by your American Express card is secondary. This means it pay out after other options. If you have personal car insurance, for example, you're likely covered for rental cars; this would be your primary insurance. Amex wouldn't pay out until you'd exhausted your personal insurance.
In contrast, Amex's Premium Car Rental Protection is primary — at least for damage or theft of the vehicle and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) protection. Plus, coverage limits are higher than you'll find via the complimentary car rental loss and damage insurance on your card.
It's important to note that American Express Premium Car Rental Protection is not a free perk for holding your Amex card; it comes at an extra cost. The price is a flat rate and the amount you'll pay will depend on the plan you pick and where you live.
Here's what it looks like for most U.S. residents.
As you can see, you'll pay slightly more for higher coverage limits though no matter the plan you choose you'll have no deductible.
You're also eligible for up to 42 days of coverage in every state but Washington, which is limited to 30 days.
Once you've been enrolled in Premium Car Rental Protection, every time you rent a car and pay with your card you'll automatically be charged your flat-rate fee. You'll then be covered with this protection.
Which Cards Offer Amex Premium Car Rental Protection?
Most American Express cards can be enrolled in Amex Premium Car Rental Protection. These include:
- American Express Platinum Card®
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Gold Card
- American Express® Business Gold Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
What Isn't Included With Amex Premium Rental Car Protection?
Although Amex's Premium Car Rental Protection is pretty comprehensive, there are certain situations in which your rental is excluded from coverage, including:
- Renting custom or modified vehicles
- Vehicles more than 20 years old
- Rental originating in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, and New Zealand
- Loss incurred during a violation of the rental agreement
- The rental being left unattended and unlocked or a window not being completely closed
As far as personal property goes, these items are excluded:
- Animals
- Furniture
- Art
- Tires
- Money
- Any items left in the car after it's been returned
How to Enroll in Amex Premium Car Rental Protection
Enrolling in American Express Premium Rental Car Protection is simple, though you'll need to log in to your account to do so. You'll then want to navigate to the Premium Car Rental Protection page or simply click here.
After you've enrolled, you simply need to pay for your rental with your American Express card. The fee will be automatically charged and coverage will commence.
How to File an Amex Premium Car Rental Protection Claim
If the worst ends up happening and you have damage to your rental car, you'll want to file a claim. To do so, visit the American Express Claims Center. Claims typically take about five to ten minutes to file if you've already got the necessary information on hand. This includes:
- Personal information
- Details of the incident
- A police report (if you have one)
- Photos of the damage
- An itemized bill for repair
- Copy of the rental agreement
Other supporting documentation may be required depending on what occurred.
Once you've filed your claim, you can check on its status by revising the claims center. It takes an average 45 days to reach a decision, though this can extend up to 60-90 days for international rentals.
Related: Skip the CDW: How to Use Credit Card Rental Insurance and Get Proof When Needed
Is it Worth Getting Amex Premium Rental Car Protection?
American Express Premium Rental Car Protection is an affordable option for American Express cardholders to get primary insurance on their rental vehicles. This is especially true when compared to the insurance that actual rental car companies try to sell you. But is it worth it?
If you already own a car and have personal insurance within the United States, odds are good that you're covered for rental vehicles. You'll want to double-check your policy to be certain, but this is the standard.
However, if you don't want to rely on your personal insurance or you're renting a car abroad, you may need to get supplementary insurance. In this case, Amex Premium Rental Car Protection fits the bill. Paying its fee increases your coverage limits and jumps your insurance from secondary to primary.
That being said, there are better options available if you're willing to apply for other credit cards. For example, the auto rental coverage included on the Chase Sapphire Preferred has a limit of $60,000, is primary, and is complimentary as long as you use your card to pay for your rental.
Related: Best Credit Cards for Rental Car Insurance
The Bottom Line
American Express Premium Car Rental Protection can be the right fit if you're looking for primary coverage on a rental car. It's fairly inexpensive and offers insurance against damage, injury, death and loss of personal property. But if you're looking to save money while still enjoying insurance, consider using a travel credit card that offers primary insurance for free.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
AI tools (LLM) I checked say all AMEX cards are eligible for the Premium Rental Car Insurance add on, But in fact the Blue Cash back AMEX card is not, as maybe others are not.. Your site is the only one which actually listed the correct cards which are eligible. And noting the Chase Sapphire Preferred has a better option was great. This is why the AI stock market run up is a bubble. Studies find the info from LLM is perhaps 30% of the time wrong. Sell high, buy low. But this is from a guy who did not buy Google at $90. as I was sure a new technology would supersed the Google search function.
Here’s a cautionary tale for anyone relying on Credit Card Premium Car Rental Insurance.
After a total loss involving a Hertz rental in December 2024, American Express covered part, but not all, of the damage under their Premium Car Rental Protection plan. We are currently on the hook for over $6,000.
There was no deductible. No excluded charges.
The issue? AMEX and Hertz used different valuation methods to determine the car’s worth, AMEX based its payment on trade-in value, while Hertz calculated the loss using fair market value.
Both approaches are industry-accepted. But there’s no shared standard to reconcile the difference, so the financial burden falls to us ,the insured, who had no role in the valuation and have no way to challenge it.
That’s the hidden catch: even when you follow all the rules, a disagreement between companies—outside your control—can leave you financially exposed.
There’s nothing in AMEX’s terms or website that clearly explains this risk. The coverage appears comprehensive, but in reality, it’s conditional and not transparent about where those conditions leave you exposed.
Eight months later, we’re still caught in the middle. Neither company has resolved the dispute.
I believe this is a real consumer protection issue worth further attention. I’m happy to share documentation or details if you’re interested in looking into it.
Every winter I rent a car for a month in Europe, traveling mostly to and from metropolitan areas. Every visit I incur some sort of damage, flying stones, fender dents from parking, vandalism etc. When using credit card insurance it is a hassle to file a police report necessary for reimbursement for damage to car and it is not always possible, like the high country of Greece for instance. And many police departments there do not want to be bothered to take a report. And one is astonished when driving in cities like Florence and encountering older women who think they are in the LeMans auto race. So I just buy the expensive auto insurance from the rental company with no deductible and relax. It always amazes me what damage the car rental companies can find on my car. With no deductible they don’t even look for dings in the paint or bumpers. What do you do now after this bad experience?