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Amex Platinum Card: Maximizing Car Rental Insurance & Benefits

Katie Seemann

Senior Content Contributor and News Editor

344 Published Articles 53 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 28 U.S. States Visited: 29

Keri Stooksbury

Editor-in-Chief

35 Published Articles 3202 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 47 U.S. States Visited: 28

Table of Contents

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The Platinum Card® from American Express is one of the premier credit cards on the market today. It’s known for its amazing perks, but it also carries a steep annual fee.

While the dollar figure may seem daunting, this card comes with a lot of benefits to offset the cost. In this post, we’ll focus on the perks related to renting a car.

The Amex Platinum card offers some very enticing benefits that you might want to take advantage of when renting a car, including car rental privileges with Avis, Hertz, and National and rental car insurance.

This post will dig into these benefits to explore what they cover, what they don’t, and how you can benefit from them.

Benefits of the Amex Platinum Card

First, let’s take a quick look at the American Express Platinum credit card as a whole. This premium credit card comes with an equally premium price tag.

Make no mistake, it’s a pricey card — but if you can take advantage of all the perks the Amex Platinum card offers, it might earn a spot in your wallet.

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

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When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

American Express Membership Rewards

Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of up to 125k (or 150k) points with the Amex Platinum. The current public offer is 80,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)

Other Key Benefits of the Amex Platinum Card

Amex Platinum Card Car Rental Privileges

As part of the benefits of holding the Amex Platinum card, you will receive complimentary elite-level memberships with Avis, Hertz, and National.

Once you enroll in any of these programs, you will enjoy special benefits and perks.

Avis

Avis offers discounts and upgrades to Amex Platinum cardmembers. These perks only apply to U.S. and Canadian residents who are renting at a participating Avis location in the U.S or Canada.

These perks are subject to blackout dates and can change at any time. Specialty cars (group X) are not eligible for these discounts.

Enroll in Avis Preferred Plus online or call 800-331-1212 to enroll.

Hertz

As an Amex Platinum cardmember, you will receive free enrollment in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards with complimentary President’s Circle status. You are also eligible to receive a 1-car class upgrade when you rent an intermediate through full-sized car (subject to availability) and pay with your Amex Platinum card.

Plus, you will receive a 4-hour grace period when returning your rental car, which often costs as much as an extra full day.

Use code CDP#211762 when enrolling in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards to ensure you receive your benefits (you can also call 800-525-3355 to enroll).

National

Amex Platinum cardholders also receive complimentary Emerald Club Executive membership from National.

Benefits include:

Enroll in National’s Emerald Club online or call 800-525-3355 to enroll.

Amex Platinum Card Rental Car Loss and Damage Insurance

The first thing you should know about the car rental loss and damage insurance offered by the Amex Platinum card is how to remain eligible.

To be eligible for the coverage provided by American Express, you must:

Even then, there are exclusions. The coverage provided by the Amex Platinum card does not include any of the following:

This coverage only applies to the first 30 days of a rental.

Bottom Line: To be eligible for car rental loss and damage insurance from the Amex Platinum card, you need to pay for the entire rental cost with your card and decline the collision damage waiver (CDW) offered by the rental company.

What Does the Plan Cover?

First, if the cardmember, authorized driver, or passenger is injured as a result of an accident that occurs in the rental car, the plan pays up to $5,000 for medically necessary treatment.

Additionally, if the cardmember, authorized driver, or passenger suffers accidental death or dismemberment as a direct result of an accident that occurs in the rental car, the plan pays up to $200,000 for the cardmember and $20,000 for an authorized driver or passenger with a per accident max of $300,000. The following exceptions apply:

Any personal property that is damaged or stolen while secured in a rental vehicle is covered up to $1,000 per person and a total of $2,000 per accident.

For theft or damage to the rental vehicle, the Amex Platinum card covers up to $75,000.

Contact Information

If you have a question regarding your insurance policy or filing a claim, use the following contact information.

Phone:

Customer Service and Claims Department Toll-free: 800-338-1670 International Collect: 216-617-2500

Email: AMEXCRLDP@UFAC-CLAIMS.COM

Mail:

Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance P.O. Box 94729 Cleveland, OH 44101-4729

Car rental loss and damage insurance policies are underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

Bottom Line: The Amex Platinum card will cover you if your rental car is damaged or stolen. It does NOT cover liability, damage to other vehicles, or injuries to people in other vehicles. 

Primary vs. Secondary Coverage

The Amex Platinum card offers secondary coverage. This means that you need to file a claim with any other applicable insurance first before this coverage kicks in.

If you prefer primary coverage (meaning you don’t have to file a claim with your other insurance first), you could add Premium Car Rental Protection to your card for an additional $19.95 to $24.95 per rental period.

Alternatively, you could book your rental with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. It is one of the best credit cards for car rental insurance and only a $95 annual fee.

Bottom Line: The Amex Platinum card offers secondary coverage, which means you need to submit a claim with your other insurance first before you can submit a claim through American Express unless you have added the Premium Car Rental Protection.

How To File a Claim

If you believe you have a valid claim, you will need to submit supporting documents online via the American Express Claims Center.

Before you submit your claim, you will need the following documents and information:

Filing your claim should take about 15 to 20 minutes, but you can stop and come back to it by clicking the Save and Finish Later button. If you do this, you must finish your claim within 72 hours or all of your information will be deleted and you’ll have to start over.

It will take about 45 days to receive a final decision regarding your claim, however, it could be up to 90 days for international rentals.

If you have any questions about your claim, call 800-338-1670.

Final Thoughts

The Amex Platinum card offers many benefits, including car rental insurance and car rental privileges with Avis, Hertz, and National.

Rental car loss and damage insurance that comes with the Amex Platinum card is secondary, meaning it only covers what your primary insurance won’t cover unless you add Premium Car Rental Protection.

These perks are all included with the Amex Platinum card annual fee. For a comprehensive guide to all of the value you can get out of this card, check out these benefits of the Amex Platinum card.

For the car rental collision damage coverage benefit of The Platinum Card® from American Express, car rental loss and damage insurance can provide coverage up to $75,000 for theft of or damage to most rental vehicles when you use your eligible card to reserve and pay for the entire eligible vehicle rental and decline the collision damage waiver or similar option offered by the Commercial Car Rental Company. This product provides secondary coverage and does not include liability coverage. Not all vehicle types or rentals are covered. Geographic restrictions apply. Eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss or damage coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. For the baggage insurance plan benefit of The Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. For the extended warranty and purchase protection benefit of The Platinum Card® from American Express, eligibility and benefit level varies by card. Terms, conditions and limitations apply. Visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my Amex Platinum card have car rental insurance?

Yes, the Amex Platinum card comes with car rental loss and damage insurance. To be eligible you need to pay for the entire rental with your Amex Platinum card and decline the CDW offered by the car rental agency. This coverage is secondary, which means you will have to file a claim with any other applicable insurance first.

What is secondary car rental insurance?

Secondary car rental insurance means you need to file a claim with any other applicable insurance first. The secondary insurance can cover expenses that the primary insurance didn’t cover.

What is Premium Car Rental Protection from Amex?

Premium Car Rental Protection is a $25 per rental add-on that lets you file your claim 100% with American Express so you don’t need to have or use personal car insurance for a claim.

Do I get Hertz President's Circle with the Amex Platinum card?

Yes, as an Amex Platinum cardmember, you will receive free enrollment in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards with complimentary President’s Circle status.

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About Katie Seemann

Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure, Forbes Advisor, and Fortune Recommends.

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