How does Amex rental car insurance work?

If you have an eligible card with Amex car rental insurance, you must charge the full cost of the rental to your eligible card. You'll also need to decline the full collision damage waiver and any other similar coverage offered by the rental company. After doing these things and signing your rental agreement, you're able to use your American Express rental car insurance benefits. This insurance is secondary to your personal auto insurance policy.

Does Amex rental car insurance cover all vehicles?

No. There are many vehicles that aren't covered by this insurance. Vehicles used for commercial purposes, moving trucks, car share vehicles, vans, certain trucks, off-road vehicles, recreational vehicles, and campers are just some of the vehicles not covered.

How do I submit a car rental claim with Amex?

You can file your claim at americanexpress.com/protectionbenefits or by calling 1-800-338-1670. You need to file a claim as soon as possible and within 30 days of the loss. If you're sent claim forms, be sure to fill them out. If you don't receive claim forms within 15 days of filing your claim, you can submit written communication explaining your claim. You must submit proof of loss within 60 days of filing. You may be asked to provide documentation such as: copies of your rental agreement, repair bill estimates, the rental charge slip, car insurance coverage, driver's license, or an applicable police report.

American Express Car Rental Insurance

Updated March 27, 2024

By: Natasha Etzel

Our Credit Cards Expert

Fact Checked Nathan Alderman

Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.

The best credit cards often have a lot of perks that make them worthwhile to use. One of the benefits of owning certain American Express cards is the protection and peace of mind that comes from having car rental insurance. Keep reading to learn more about American Express car rental insurance and what's included.

Amex car rental insurance

Also known as car rental loss and damage insurance, American Express car rental insurance comes with most Amex cards, including select business and travel credit cards. However, it's important to note that coverage will vary depending on your card. For example, a premium credit card with a higher annual fee may have more coverage than a non-premium rewards card.

Most Amex cards, with or without annual fees, have a max benefit of $50,000 in coverage*. A few premium Amex cards have a higher benefit limit of $75,000.

Here is a list of the cards that currently offer up to $75,000 in coverage benefits** (terms apply for all the cards on this list):

The Platinum Card® from American Express
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
American Express Platinum Card® for Schwab
The Platinum Card® from American Express for Goldman Sachs
Amex Platinum Card for Morgan Stanley
Centurion Card® from American Express
American Express Business Centurion Card

Read more: The Best Credit Cards

Our favorite American Express cards with rental insurance

If you don't yet have an American Express card but are looking for a new option, consider this coverage when comparing credit cards. Many cards are out there, but not all will have a perk like the Amex car rental insurance.

Here are three of our favorite American Express cards with rental insurance.

As of Apr. 16, 2024


The Platinum Card® from American Express	Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card	Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars. 4.50/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars. 4.50/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Rating image, 4.50 out of 5 stars. 4.50/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.
Apply Now for The Platinum Card® from American Express On American Express' Secure Website. Terms apply Rates & Fees	Apply Now for Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card On American Express' Secure Website. Terms apply Rates & Fees	Read Review
Read Full Review	Read Full Review
Credit Rating Requirement: Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850) Good/Excellent (670-850)	Credit Rating Requirement: Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850) Good/Excellent (670-850)	Credit Rating Requirement: Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850) Good/Excellent (670-850)

Welcome Offer: 80,000	Welcome Offer: 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points	Welcome Offer: 150,000 Hilton Honors points

Rewards Program: 1X-5X Membership Rewards® Points	Rewards Program: 2X-6X points	Rewards Program: 3X - 14x points

Intro APR: Purchases: n/a Balance Transfers: n/a	Intro APR: Purchases: n/a Balance Transfers: n/a	Intro APR: Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A

Regular APR: See Pay Over Time APR	Regular APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable	Regular APR: 20.99% to 29.99%, variable

Annual Fee: $695	Annual Fee: $650	Annual Fee: $550

Highlights: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay. $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required. $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card®. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded. $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card®. $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply. $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll. $189 CLEAR® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card®. Learn more. $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost. Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required. $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card®. An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required. Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile. $695 annual fee. Terms Apply.	Highlights: Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide. With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate. Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points on all other eligible purchases. Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees. Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options. $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card. Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck. Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply. Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location. No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases. With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. $650 Annual Fee. Terms Apply.	Highlights: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors points by spending $6,000 in the first six months of card opening. Earn 14 points per $1 spent at Hilton properties. Earn 7 points per $1 spent on flights booked directly with the airline, rental cars booked through certain agencies, and dining in eligible U.S. restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases. Earn up to $600 in statement credits. Complimentary airport lounge access Complimentary Diamond status
Apply Now for The Platinum Card® from American Express On American Express' Secure Website. Terms apply Rates & Fees	Apply Now for Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card On American Express' Secure Website. Terms apply Rates & Fees
Show More Show Less

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Trip delay and cancellation insurance and cell phone protection underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Extended warranty, purchase protection, car rental insurance, and baggage insurance underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

What is covered

Always check your individual credit card's terms to see the type of coverage you're getting. In general, you can expect the following to be paid for:

Repairs for damage and theft up to the covered amount ($50,000 to $75,000) or the actual cash value of the rental vehicle, whichever is less
Charges beyond repair, such as necessary towing costs or appraisal fees

Amex car rental insurance covers the cardmember, their spouse or domestic partner, and authorized drivers listed on the rental agreement. It provides secondary insurance that comes after any other primary insurance you carry. If you max out the benefits that your car insurance covers, your Amex car rental insurance could take over for additional costs.

American Express offers premium car insurance for an additional flat-fee rate per rental. It provides primary coverage up to $100,000 but doesn't cover vehicles rented in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Israel, Italy, or Jamaica.

Choosing a credit card

Don't you wish you could take a peek inside a credit card expert's wallet sometimes? Just to see the cards they carry? Well, you can't look in anybody's wallet, but you can check out our experts' favorite credit cards. Get started here:

Best American Express cards

What's not covered

There are limitations to your American Express car rental insurance. This includes the following:

Certain vehicle types are excluded, including most vans, commercial vehicles, trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more, off-road vehicles, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, or any vehicle that a rental company did not provide.
Vehicles at least 20 years old or not manufactured for 10 or more years are excluded
Vehicles rented from the following companies are also not covered: moving companies, auto dealerships, auto body repair shops, or vehicle sharing companies.
Your American Express car rental insurance won't cover losses if you participate in illegal activity or intentionally take drugs.
This insurance doesn't cover vehicles rented in New Zealand, Australia, Italy, or any country subject to comprehensive sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

It's a smart idea to carefully review the terms of your American Express car rental insurance, as there may be more exclusions. Additionally, Amex can update these terms at any time. Reviewing these terms will help ensure you're covered during your rental period.

How to get coverage

To activate coverage for your Amex car rental insurance, you must reserve and pay for the entire cost of a rental car with your eligible Amex card. You must also decline a full collision damage waiver and similar rental car coverage. Once you do the above and sign the rental agreement, you'll take the car into your possession and can utilize your Amex car rental insurance benefits.

How to file a claim

Filing a claim for your American Express car rental insurance is easy. Visit americanexpress.com/protectionbenefits or call 1-800-338-1670. If you're outside the United States, call collect at 1-303-273-6497. This should be done as soon as possible, but you have within 30 days of the loss.

If you're sent a claim form, complete it and answer all questions. If you don't receive one within 15 days of filing your claim, you can write to them, explaining your covered event and the details of your claim.

You must submit proof of loss within 60 days of filing your claim. You may be asked to provide documentation, such as a copy of your:

Repair bill
Rental agreement
Charge slip
Car insurance coverage
Driver's license
Applicable police report

Once the claim is deemed payable, you will receive your benefits, usually within 30 days.

Still have questions?

Here are some other questions we've answered:

FAQs

If you have an eligible card with Amex car rental insurance, you must charge the full cost of the rental to your eligible card. You'll also need to decline the full collision damage waiver and any other similar coverage offered by the rental company. After doing these things and signing your rental agreement, you're able to use your American Express rental car insurance benefits. This insurance is secondary to your personal auto insurance policy.
No. There are many vehicles that aren't covered by this insurance. Vehicles used for commercial purposes, moving trucks, car share vehicles, vans, certain trucks, off-road vehicles, recreational vehicles, and campers are just some of the vehicles not covered.
You can file your claim at americanexpress.com/protectionbenefits or by calling 1-800-338-1670. You need to file a claim as soon as possible and within 30 days of the loss. If you're sent claim forms, be sure to fill them out. If you don't receive claim forms within 15 days of filing your claim, you can submit written communication explaining your claim. You must submit proof of loss within 60 days of filing. You may be asked to provide documentation such as: copies of your rental agreement, repair bill estimates, the rental charge slip, car insurance coverage, driver's license, or an applicable police report.

Our Credit Cards Experts

By: Natasha Etzel

Writer

Natasha has been a freelance writer since 2015. She specializes in credit card and credit card rewards content. When not busy writing, she's either dreaming up her next credit card rewards redemption or traveling the globe. Her goal is to encourage more people to experience the world around them while making smart financial choices.

Fact Checked Nathan Alderman

Fact checker

Nathan Alderman has worked with The Motley Fool since 2005, making errors his arch-enemies in a variety of roles including a six-year stint as the dedicated fact-checker for The Motley Fool's premium newsletter services. As The Ascent's Compliance Lead, he makes sure that all the site's information is accurate and up to date, which ensures we always steer readers right and keeps various financial partners happy. A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan spends his spare time volunteering for civic causes, writing and podcasting for fun, adoring his wife, and wrangling his two very large young children.

This device is too small

A Complete Guide to American Express Car Rental Insurance