Claims

The way US rental companies react to collisions where their renter has an independent policy such as one from RentalCover.com differs between each rental company.

 

Who pays if you bring your RentalCover.com CDW?

ACE

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
CDW Insurer	ACE will liaise directly with AON	• ACE will contact your CDW Insurer immediately after an accident or upon return of vehicle. • If for some reason the insurer does not immediately accept responsibility for the forthcoming matter (ex. if they are closed), ACE won't charge you but will keep on trying contacting your CDW Insurer.

Alamo

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
CDW Insurer	Alamo will liaise directly with AON	• Alamo will contact your CDW Insurer immediately after an accident or upon return of vehicle. • If for some reason the insurer does not immediately accept responsibility for the forthcoming matter (ex. if they are closed), you will be charged for the damages and then you would seek expedited reimbursement from your CDW insurer.

Advantage

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
CDW Insurer	Advantage will liaise directly with AON	• You need to quickly engage your CDW Insurer. Your CDW Insurer would be responsible for the damages. • If for some reason the insurer does not immediately accept responsibility for the forthcoming matter (ex. if they are closed), you will need to keep contacting your CDW Insurer, but Advantage won't charge you for the damages.

Avis

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
CDW Insurer	Avis will liaise directly with AON	• Avis will contact your CDW Insurer immediately after an accident or upon return of vehicle. • If for some reason the insurer does not immediately accept responsibility for the forthcoming matter (ex. if they are closed), you will be charged for the damages and then you would seek expedited reimbursement from your CDW insurer.

Budget

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
Policy holder	Budget will charge an amount based on the "damage assessment" and may often charge your credit card. AON would reimburse you. You should attempt to get AON to pay instead.	• You need to quickly engage your CDW Insurer. They will facilitate your reimbursement for outgoing collision costs. • Budget will do a credit check on policy holder at time of pickup and will most likely check your credit limit.

Dollar

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
CDW Insurer	Dollar will hold the driver responsible for the liability until your insurer accepts the responsibility. They may charge your credit card. AON would reimburse you. You should attempt to get AON to pay instead.	• Dollar will contact your CDW Insurer immediately after an accident or upon return of vehicle. • If for some reason the insurer does not immediately accept responsibility for the forthcoming matter (ex. if they are closed), you will be charged for the damages and then you would seek expedited reimbursement from your CDW insurer.

Enterprise

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
Policy Holder	Enterprise will charge an amount based on the "damage assessment". They may often charge your credit card. AON would reimburse you. You should attempt to get AON to pay instead.	• Enterprise will charge a deductible directly to your credit card in the event of damages ($500 - $1000). • You will need to quickly engage your CDW Insurer. They will facilitate your reimbursement for outgoing collision costs.

Hertz

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
Policy Holder	Hertz will hold the driver responsible for the liability until the CDW Insurer accepts the responsibility. They may often charge your credit card. AON would reimburse you. You should attempt to get AON to pay instead.	• You need to quickly engage your CDW Insurer. They will facilitate your reimbursement for outgoing collision costs. • Hertz will do a credit check on policy holder at time of pickup and will most likely check your credit limit.

National

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
Policy Holder	National will hold the driver responsible for the liability until the CDW Insurer accepts the responsibility. may often charge your credit card. AON would reimburse you. You should attempt to get AON to pay instead.	• You need to quickly engage your CDW Insurer. They will facilitate your reimbursement for outgoing collision costs. • National will do a credit check on policy holder at time of pickup and will most likely check your credit limit.

Zipcar

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
Policy Holder	Zipcar will hold the driver responsible for the liability until the CDW Insurer accepts the responsibility. may often charge your credit card. AON would reimburse you. You should attempt to get AON to pay instead.	• You need to quickly engage your CDW Insurer. They will facilitate your reimbursement for outgoing collision costs. • Zipcar will do a credit check on policy holder at time of pickup and will most likely check your credit limit.

Unfortunately, transaction fees are everywhere when you travel internationally. 

When paying a claim out via money transfer, banks charge a minimum of $15 (or equivalent in your local currency). We do not pass those costs on to you if the bank charges us the fee. If the bank charges you the fee, however, we are unfortunately not able to cover the cost.

There are several considerations when comparing exchange rates, and several ways to calculate them. Let's use an example:

• Mark is from UK. He was charged €500 by his rental company for an accident in France. His €500 claim was approved today by RentalCover.com.
• Mark will be paid in GBP.

The RentalCover.com Claims Team converts charged currencies (for Mark this is Euros) to payment currencies (for Mark this is GBP) based on the transfer rates available from several money transfer platforms. They are 3-5% better than bank rates and 4-6% better than a bureau de change.  

All claims must be submitted online. Just enter your Reference Number (this ends with "INS" and can be found on your confirmation email).

1	2	3	4
Claim is started via the online claim form	Our Claims team will assess your claim	Once approved you will receive a payment link via email and text message	Payment is completed quickly by electronic transfer

We will keep you updated by email at every step of the claims journey. Our aim is to complete 95% of claims within 3 days.

All claims follows these four stress-free steps:

1	2	3	4
Claim is started via the online claim form	Our Claims team will assess your claim	Once approved you will receive a payment link via email and text message	Payment is completed quickly by electronic transfer (learn more)

We will keep you updated by email at every step of the claims journey. Our aim is to complete 95% of claims within 3 days.

If you have any questions about your claim, for example if you would like to submit additional documents to support your claim, please reply to our email and the team will be happy to help. 

In the event of breakdown or an accident the first thing you need to do is make sure everyone is safe. Where possible pull over, turn on your hazard lights and get everyone to safety. You can then:

1. Contact your rental company to report the incident. You can find their number on your signed rental agreement. Keep that rental agreement as you will need it for your claim. Some countries will ask you to report all accidents to the police. To make sure your claim doesn't get denied check your Rental Agreement to see if that requirement applies to you. 

2. We recommend taking photos to document damage to your vehicle and any other vehicles.

3. After following the rental company's instructions and your rental period is over and the final charges have been settled by the rental company, submit a claim with RentalCover.com.

​After we’ve received all required documents and information our Claims team can begin processing your claim and preparing your refund. Our aim is to complete 95% of claims within 3 days.

To help our team assess your claim as quickly as possible we ask all customers to provide the following documents using our online claims form:

1. A copy of the rental agreement

> What is this?
The signed contract provided by your rental company when you picked up your vehicle.

> Why is it needed?
To confirm eligibility for yourself and additional drivers. It also includes the rental dates, the rental terms and the maximum amount that can be charged by the rental company.

2. A photo of your driving licence

> What is this?
The licence that you used to rent the vehicle.

> Why is it needed?
To confirm your identity matches the details on your rental agreement, and that you held a valid licence at the time of the rental.

3. Card statement with the final rental company charges

> What is this?
A card statement that displays the amount you paid to the rental company, and any refund you may have received (refunds often occur if the full deductible excess was charged initially and the final damage cost was less than the amount that you paid).

> Why is it needed?
To verify that the payment has been made and to prevent fraudulent claims.

4. Written correspondence between the driver and the rental company

> What is this?
Any email or letters you have exchanged with the rental company following your accident.

> Why is it needed?
This information can save us time when assessing your claim request.

5. Your final invoice from the rental company

> What is this?
In the event of an accident or damage, some rental companies will charge you the full deductible excess applicable for the car, and later they will refund you. Alternatively they may just charge you an amount for damages that is less than the full deductible excess. Either way, we require you to provide the final invoice that clearly shows the final amount that you’ve been charged (learn more here).

> Why is it needed?
We need this document to pay your claim as it confirms the final amount you have been charged.

6. If relevant, upload a photo of a Police Report

> What is this?
This is the report created by the police and includes information about your accident, including any witness statements, summary of the damage and also driver and passenger details.

> Why is it needed?
This document confirms the circumstances of more serious accidents, and any charges that have been issued by the police to those involved. If your claim becomes a legal matter this report can be invaluable. You can obtain this document by contacting the local law enforcement agency.

95% of claims are approved within three business days. This is the standard refund window for RentalCover.com. It can take longer if documents are missing so please provide the documents at the outset. Once approved you will receive an email that includes a link to a payment form where you will enter your bank account details. Payment will be issued immediately however it can take several days to settle depending on your bank country.

If you are a US resident with our “Collision Damage Insurance” plan, your claim will follow these four stress-free steps:

1	2	3	4
Start the process via our online form and then we will advise the next steps.	Once you've submitted your claim with the insurance provider Aon, they will assess your claim	You’ll be notified by email from AON when your claim has been approved	Aon will post you a cheque for the refund amount in the name of the insured passenger

Please note that claims normally take between 4-5 weeks to be assessed, though this may take longer if any documents are missing.

You can always track your claim via Aon's claims portal but please contact us if you have any issues with your Aon claim.

This invoice displays the final amount that you will have paid your rental company in the event of an accident, once the final charges have been settled.

 

We need this document to pay your claim as it confirms the final amount you have been charged.

If you are having difficulty obtaining this document we recommend that you call your rental company for a speedier response.

How to make a claim

After your trip has ended and your vehicle has been returned you can submit your claim using our online form.

You can submit a claim anytime after the drop off date, except where the policy is from AON, in which case you have 20 days to make a claim and 90 days to provide evidence, however we recommend you start your claim without delay. 

You can find this information on your insurance documents, accessible from your My Account page. 
 

If you are involved in a multi vehicle accident, your rental company will charge you for the damages up to the full amount of your excess until the insurers decide who is at fault and close the case. 

If a third party is at fault, your rental company will refund you the full amount you have been charged for the damage costs. Please bear in mind that in such cases the refund can take a few months to be processed. 

If you had an accident you can start a claim here. To help speed up the process, please give us as much information as possible, including whether you have shared the other party's details with your rental company. 
 

Rental companies often deduct the full excess value of a vehicle and they later pay you a refund because the repair costs were lower than the excess that was deducted, or, if there was another car involved, the other driver was deemed to be at fault.

If this happens, you will need to send us the final invoice or any other form of evidence from the rental company, if no refund was issued.

Read more information on the process for multiple vehicle accidents here.