Why Clients Should Choose to Purchase CDW with their Car Rental and Not with their Credit Card Company:

For your information, the benefits of purchasing CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) in lieu of relying on credit card coverage when renting a car in Europe. Purchasing inclusive car rentals guarantees CDW coverage and allows travelers to avoid the costly and time-consuming hassles of relying on credit card coverage in the event of damage to a rental vehicle.

The following are the top 10 reasons to choose your next car rental to include CDW in the prepaid rate.

If you expect your credit card to take care of your CDW coverage you MUST follow these steps to the letter!

1. Travelers must be a Gold, Platinum or Titanium cardholder in order to obtain car rental coverage from their credit card. If travelers are not a cardholder of the above variety, then they are not entitled to car rental coverage.

2. Rental car coverage amounts vary depending on the type of credit card, brand of credit card, etc. Travelers must read the fine print before assuming coverage amount.

3. Every credit card company has its own terms and conditions. Travelers should be careful about reading all terms and conditions carefully beforehand. This is a very tedious process.

4. Travelers must initiate, pay and finalize their car rental transaction with the same credit card.

5. Travelers must decline CDW with the car rental company when electing to use insurance through their credit card company.

6. Most credit card companies cover up to 30 days of consecutive travel. However, Visa and MasterCard only cover rentals up to 15 days.

7. When purchasing CDW through your credit card company, travelers are limited to a maximum of $50,000 and insurance excludes third party liability. Anything over $50,000 is a cardholders liability. Inclusive rentals take these worries away.

8. If an accident occurs, there are policies to follow in the event of an accident. If a customer does not follow the step-by-step process set forth by their credit card company, the damage incurred to the rental vehicle will not be covered. The following is an example of the steps a driver would have to take while in Europe: (please note - these steps vary depending on policy of credit cardholder)

→ Call to get a claim within 30 days of the accident or your claim will not honored
→ Complete and sign a claim form and attach the following documents with it:
(1) your MasterCard slip,
(2) the rental agreement,
(3) a copy of declaration of your personal automobile insurance policy (if no insurance is available, a signed statement),
(4) the accident or police report,
(5) an itemized repair bill or estimate,
(6) MasterCard statement,
(7) copy of rental company promotion (if used),
(8) copy of the car rental company’s Fleet Utilization log if “Loss of Use” charges are being claimed, and
(9) any other documentation the MasterCard Assistance Center may request.

→ All required documentation is asked to be submitted to the MasterCard Assistance Center within 180 days of the incident or the claim will not be honored.

9. While in Europe, all damages are held against the driver’s credit card by the car rental company. This may deplete all available funds on the credit card. The hold on the credit card will remain until the credit card company clears the claim.

10. In some cases, the rental car company will charge the credit card for the amount of the damage and the credit card company will then reimburse the credit card at a later date.

 

Avoid this hassle and ask your agent to include CDW in your next car reservation!