The American Express® Gold Card comes complete with numerous benefits, many of which are geared toward users who spend on restaurants and groceries. One of these benefits includes rental car insurance.
How Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance Works on the Amex Gold
The Amex Gold offers secondary car rental insurance or collision damage waiver (CDW), which means it doesn’t include liability coverage.
What Is Secondary Car Rental Insurance?
Secondary car rental insurance covers damage from an accident or theft on the renter’s car after claiming your personal car insurance. This is different than primary car rental insurance (not offered on the Amex Gold), which covers damage from an accident or theft before claiming your personal car insurance.
If you damage another car in an accident (that’s not the one you’re renting) or injure other people, you may be liable. This is why it’s important to have liability insurance (not offered on the Amex Gold).
What Does the Car Rental Insurance Offered on the Amex Gold Cover?
If you use your Amex Gold to reserve and pay for the rental and decline the collision damage insurance (CDW) offered to you when picking up the car, you and any authorized driver will be covered for damage and theft of the vehicle, assuming you’re renting a car in a covered territory.
Additional/Other Insurance Coverage Options
If you’re looking to get primary CDW coverage instead of secondary CDW coverage, consider one of the below options:
- Pay for it at the rental counter. You can pay a daily fee to the car rental agency for primary coverage if you prefer. And don’t forget about liability insurance. The Amex Gold card doesn’t include liability insurance, but it’s important to have it to cover you in case of damage to the other party’s car or passengers in an accident.
- Use a credit card that offers primary car rental coverage. Cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® offer primary car insurance when you decline the rental company’s insurance and charge the entire cost to your card (exclusions and terms apply). Note that liability insurance is not included and may be a good idea to purchase separately through the car rental agency.
- Pay an additional fee to Amex for primary car insurance coverage. Amex offers premium rental car coverage for an additional fee when you rent with one of your enrolled card accounts. Choose from two different flat-rate options and claim with Amex first as your primary insurance provider. Note that liability insurance coverage is still not provided in this case.
Who and What Is Covered (and Not Covered) With Amex Gold’s Car Insurance
When using the car rental insurance benefit on the Amex Gold Card, it’s essential to understand a few key things.
Who’s Covered
The driver (the person using their Amex Gold card to book and pay), the domestic partner or spouse of the renter/main driver and any authorized drivers as per the rental agreement are covered with the Amex Gold secondary car rental insurance or collision damage waiver (assuming they decline the CDW offered at the rental counter).
What’s Covered
Up to $50,000 per rental agreement is covered for damage or theft of the covered vehicle in the covered territory.
What’s Not Covered: Exclusions
Remember to read the fine print when using Amex Gold car rental insurance. Some things are not included in the coverage, such as:
- Acts of war
- Rentals in Australia, Italy or New Zealand
- Certain vehicles such as vans, motorcycles and limousines
- Renters/drivers under the influence or taking illegal substances
- Intentional damage
- Tire damage
- Others
Keep in mind that rental insurance rules may be slightly different for those who reside in New York State.
Also, note that the Amex Gold does not offer liability coverage.
