While renting a car in Las Vegas I was told by an employee of Payless that the CDW provided by credit cards was not good in Las Vegas, NV. Is this true? Can I not use my credit card car rental insurance there?
My Response:
I've never heard of such a thing. The first thing I did was go to Payless's website to check on their car rental policies, specifically to find any information on Credit Card CDW Coverage in Las Vegas.
At PaylessCar.comn(opens in a new window) - Under the
FAQ section (click on the Customer Care Tab at the top and then select Frequently Asked Questions):
You can find information listed under:
Insurance Covered by my Credit Card
Paylesscar.com states:
Your credit card may cover your responsibility for damage to our vehicle. However, that coverage is almost always secondary or excess to any other coverage you might have, such as your own auto insurance policy. In the usual case, credit cards wind up covering only the deductible on the collision and comprehensive portion of your personal auto policy. To be certain, you must check the terms of your credit card agreement.
There are no restrictions listed by state, nor is their any indication that there may be limitations or exclusions by state.
If I were you I would contact Payless (1800PAYLESS) and ask to speak to a customer service manager about your situation; maybe there is something that I'm not aware of, but I could find no information for any credit card company or car rental company that listed state restrictions in using credit card CDW coverage.
Most card issuers do not provide coverages for more expensive rentals, or specailty vehicles. It is necessary to call them, or check your credit card benefits package, to see which rental vehicles they cover. Usually they provide coverage for cars and exclude more expensive rentals such as sport utility vehicles (SUV's), luxury cars, exotic cars and vans. Coverages may also not extend to long-term rentals (rentals of more than 30 days) or rentals in a country other than the one in which you live. This restriction is especially important to determine if you are renting while on vacation in another country.
Remember that before you rent a car, it is best that you call your issuing bank to get information on the specific details of your particular credit card's individual policy plan.
I hope this helps!
*Note: The above information was acquired at the time the question was asked(2010). Car rental companies can modify policy at any time; I make every attempt to maintain up-to-date info, but always check with an individual company to verify any policy. See: Disclaimer
