Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. American Express is not a partner of Greenspicks. This guide repeats Amex’s published terms and is not insurance advice.
American Express doesn’t sell one thing called rental car insurance. It offers a free benefit built into many cards and a paid plan you enroll in separately, and they work in opposite order. The free benefit pays after your own insurance. The paid plan pays first.
This guide reports what Amex’s own documents said on November 4, 2026, including differences that summaries tend to skip. To confirm your card, call the number on the back of it, as Amex itself advises.
The terms
What Does Amex Rental Car Insurance Cover?
Both products cover theft of and damage to the rental car itself. They differ in who pays first, how much and for how long.
| Term | Free benefit (Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance) | Paid plan (Premium Car Rental Protection) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included on eligible cards | $19.95 Basic or $24.95 Plus, per rental |
| Order of payment | Secondary | Primary for damage or theft |
| Damage or theft limit | $50,000, or $75,000 on Platinum-level cards | $75,000 Basic, $100,000 Plus |
| Rental length | 30 consecutive days per rental agreement | 42 consecutive days (30 for Washington State residents) |
| Liability | Not covered | Not covered |
Sources: Amex Benefit Guides at the $50,000 and $75,000 levels (revision dated 4/19/2024, via Amex’s policy page), the Premium Car Rental Protection page and summary of terms. Checked November 4, 2026.
“Secondary” is the word that matters most here. Amex’s guide says the free benefit pays only for amounts not covered by other insurance or by an agreement with the rental company: “it is secondary to any other coverage” available to you. If your personal auto policy includes collision coverage, expect it to be involved first. Amex says it will pay that policy’s deductible if that doesn’t overpay the claim.
The NAIC, the US association of state insurance regulators, says credit card rental benefits are secondary in most cases. If you have no other coverage, the wording leaves nothing ahead of the card benefit, but Amex’s list of possible claim documents includes a notarized letter stating that you have no insurance.
Cards
Which Amex Cards Get $50,000 and Which Get $75,000?
Amex’s policy page assigns each card to one of two benefit guides. The $75,000 guide is linked for the Platinum Card and its co-branded versions, Business Platinum, Centurion, Delta SkyMiles Reserve, Hilton Honors Aspire and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant.
The $50,000 guide is linked for most other listed cards, including Gold, Blue Cash Everyday, Blue Cash Preferred, Delta SkyMiles Gold and Platinum, and Business Gold. If your card isn’t listed, or you’re an Additional Card Member, Amex says to call the number on the back of the card.
- Cost
- Included
- Pays
- After other cover
- Limit
- $50,000
- Cost
- Included
- Pays
- After other cover
- Limit
- $75,000
- Cost
- $19.95 or $24.95
- Pays
- First
- Limit
- $75,000 or $100,000
The $75,000 guide adds benefits the $50,000 guide doesn’t have: accidental death or dismemberment coverage up to $200,000 for the card member, accidental injury up to $5,000 per person, and personal property up to $1,000 per person. It also adds a condition: you must decline the counter’s personal accident and personal property products as well as the CDW.
Exclusions
What Isn’t Covered?
Both guide levels share these exclusions for the car itself.
- Liability. Injury to anyone, damage to anything other than the rental car, and any coverage mandated by government are excluded.
- Off-road driving. Amex counts any unpaved surface, or any surface that isn’t a regularly maintained state or government road.
- Unlocked cars. Theft of or damage to a rental that was unlocked at the time is excluded.
- Tires and fees. Flats and blowouts are excluded unless caused by fire, vandalism or a covered accident. Gasoline and airport fees are excluded too.
- Breaking the rental agreement. That includes an unauthorized driver or leaving the authorized territory.
Vehicles and rentals that do not qualify
- Vans and trucks: cargo vans, custom vans, vans seating more than 8 passengers, box trucks and trucks rated at 10,000 lbs. or more.
- Specialty vehicles: limousines, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, RVs, golf carts, campers and trailers.
- Antique cars: at least 20 years old, or not manufactured for 10 or more years.
- Other rental sources: peer-to-peer car sharing, moving van companies, leases, and businesses that rent cars only incidentally, such as dealerships.
Unlike the terms in our Chase Sapphire Preferred car rental insurance guide, the Amex guides contain no list of exotic brands and no MSRP cap. Their 8-passenger van cap is tighter than Chase’s 12.
How-to
How Do You Activate the Free Coverage?
Carrying the card isn’t enough.
- Reserve and pay with the eligible card. The card must cover the entire rental. Membership Rewards points count. Other loyalty programs, such as airline miles, don’t, even for part of the cost.
- Decline the CDW and similar coverage. On $75,000-level cards, also decline the counter’s personal accident and personal property products.
- Sign as the renter. An eligible renter, such as the card member or a spouse, signs as the person renting. Other drivers must be authorized on the agreement.
- Stay within 30 days. Extending the agreement, starting a new one or switching cars doesn’t get around the limit.
A card payment at a car desk. Keep the charge slip, since Amex may ask for it on a claim.
What about comparison sites? The guide doesn’t name them, but it says rentals in a travel package can qualify, and its test is that the card pays the entire rental. So if part is prepaid online and the rest is charged at pickup, the wording points to using the same card for both. It is silent on protection plans sold by those sites, so ask at 1-800-338-1670 before adding one.
Paid plan
How Does Premium Car Rental Protection Work?
This is an insurance plan from AMEX Assurance Company for eligible US consumer and small business card members. Residents of New Hampshire and the US territories can’t get it.
You enroll a card once. From then on, each eligible rental paid with that card is billed one flat fee automatically until you cancel. Basic costs $19.95 per rental and Plus costs $24.95. California residents pay $15.95 or $17.95, and Florida residents pay $18.95 or $23.95.
Damage or theft coverage is primary, and Amex lists no deductible. Injury and personal property coverage are secondary. Amex’s summary of terms and sample policy don’t list declining the CDW as a condition, so confirm that at 1-800-228-6855.
The NAIC says a rental company’s CDW can cost an extra $10 to $20 a day. At $10 a day, two days of the waiver already cost more than the $19.95 Basic fee. At $20 a day, it comes to $60 for 3 days, $100 for 5 and $140 for 7. These are different products, so compare your own quote.
Our arithmetic from the NAIC’s auto insurance page ($20 a day) and Amex’s $24.95 Plus fee, checked November 4, 2026. Your quote may differ.
Video
Video: Why Secondary Coverage Brings In Your Own Insurer
In this podcast clip, you see Clark Howard and his co-host in the studio as he answers a listener who had a fender bender in a rental paid for with a Costco Visa. It isn’t about Amex, but it shows secondary coverage in practice: the card pays what your auto insurance doesn’t. His advice on primary-coverage cards is his own opinion.
Video: Clark Howard: Save More, Spend Less, “My Credit Card Offers Rental Car Coverage. Why Do I Still Need To Involve My Primary Insurance?,” via YouTube (August 2023). Not affiliated with Greenspicks.
Where
Where Doesn’t Amex Rental Car Insurance Apply?
The two products have different country lists. A rental in Ireland, for example, is excluded from the paid plan but isn’t on the free benefit’s exclusion list.
| Vehicles rented in | Free benefit | Paid plan |
|---|---|---|
| Australia, Italy, New Zealand | Excluded | Excluded |
| Ireland, Israel, Jamaica | Not on the exclusion list | Excluded |
| Countries under OFAC comprehensive sanctions | Excluded | Void if benefits would violate sanctions |
Heading to a country excluded from both? Budget for other coverage and see our guides to car rental at Rome Fiumicino or Melbourne car rental.
A roadside stop near Siena, Tuscany. Neither Amex product covers vehicles rented in Italy.
Mexico isn’t on either list, but neither product covers liability, and the US State Department’s Mexico travel advisory says Mexican car insurance is required for all vehicles. Check your destination’s rules before you decline anything at the desk.
Claims
How Do You File a Claim?
File at americanexpress.com/protectionbenefits or 1-800-338-1670. Chase’s Sapphire Preferred guide allows 100 days to report an incident, so don’t carry that number over to an Amex claim.
Expect to provide an itemized repair bill, the rental agreement, the charge slip, your auto insurance details or the notarized letter, your driver’s license and any police report.
For the paid plan, call 1-800-228-6855. The sample policy asks for written proof of loss within 60 days of the damage or theft. New York residents have a separate section in the free benefit’s guide: coverage is always secondary, and claims are paid within 90 days of proof of loss.
Save more
Ways to Keep the Whole Rental Cheaper
- Compare the total price. A low daily rate can hide airport fees, as our Phoenix car rental guide shows.
- Price the week. Our weekly car rental deals guide covers 7-day bookings.
- Check the age rules. See cheap rental cars under 25 for young renter fees.
- Check one-way fees. Our one-way car rental guide covers drop-off charges.
- Time the booking. See the best time to book car rentals.
- Look at the wider trip. Read our car hire deals guide and travel insurance page.
FAQ
FAQ: Amex Rental Car Insurance
Is Amex rental car insurance primary or secondary?
The free Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance is secondary to any other coverage available to you. The paid plan is primary for damage to or theft of the rental.
Does the Amex Platinum Card cover rental cars?
Yes. Amex’s policy page links the Platinum Card to the $75,000 guide, which is secondary and lasts up to 30 consecutive days. Pay with the card and decline the CDW, personal accident and personal property products.
Does Amex rental car insurance cover liability?
No, neither product does. The NAIC says supplemental liability at the counter can cost $7 to $14 a day.
How do I get primary coverage with Amex?
Enroll an eligible card in Premium Car Rental Protection online or at 1-800-228-6855. The flat fee is then billed for each eligible rental paid with that card.
Does Amex cover rental cars in Italy?
No. Both products exclude vehicles rented in Italy, along with Australia and New Zealand. The paid plan also excludes Ireland, Israel and Jamaica.
Terms and prices were checked on November 4, 2026, from American Express’s Benefit Guides (revision dated 4/19/2024), Premium Car Rental Protection page, summary of terms and sample of insurance, the NAIC and the US State Department. Benefits and prices can change, so check current terms with American Express before you book. How we check prices.
