Claims

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

If you have a RentalCover.com plan and a US claim, depending on the rental company, the extent of damage and other factors, one of these two scenarios will take place (if the claim is approved). We will keep you informed after you submit your claim:
1. You will pay for the damages upfront and seek reimbursement from RentalCover.com, or
2. The rental company will work with RentalCover.com so you do not need to make any payment.

Want more information? Our Rental Guides explain how everything works.

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Who pays if you bring your RentalCover.com Collision Damage Coverage Plan?

ACE

Who pays the damage bill?	How is the bill paid?	What else you need to know
CDW Insurer	ACE will liaise directly with RentalCover.com	• 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 RentalCover.com	• 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 RentalCover.com	• 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 RentalCover.com	• 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
Plan holder	Budget will hold the driver responsible for the liability until your insurer accepts the responsibility, and your insurer may reimburse you. If you have any queries with your claim, please reach out to RentalCover.com.	• You need to quickly engage your CDW Insurer. They will facilitate your reimbursement for outgoing collision costs. • Budget will do a credit check on the plan 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, and your insurer may reimburse you. If you have any queries with your claim, please reach out to RentalCover.com.	• 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
Plan Holder	Enterprise will hold the driver responsible for the liability until your insurer accepts the responsibility, and your insurer may reimburse you. If you have any queries with your claim, please reach out to RentalCover.com.	• 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
Plan Holder	Hertz will hold the driver responsible for the liability until your insurer accepts the responsibility, and your insurer may reimburse you. If you have any queries with your claim, please reach out to RentalCover.com.	• You need to quickly engage your CDW Insurer. They will facilitate your reimbursement for outgoing collision costs. • Hertz will do a credit check on the plan 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
Plan Holder	National will hold the driver responsible for the liability until your insurer accepts the responsibility, and your insurer may reimburse you. If you have any queries with your claim, please reach out to RentalCover.com.	• You need to quickly engage your CDW Insurer. They will facilitate your reimbursement for outgoing collision costs. • National will do a credit check on the plan 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
Plan Holder	Zipcar will hold the driver responsible for the liability until your insurer accepts the responsibility, and your insurer may reimburse you. If you have any queries with your claim, please reach out to RentalCover.com.	• You need to quickly engage your CDW Insurer. They will facilitate your reimbursement for outgoing collision costs. • Zipcar will do a credit check on the plan holder at time of pickup and will most likely check your credit limit.

Want more information? Our Rental Guides explain how everything works.

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 we calculate our foreign exchange (FX) rate. Let's use an example:

1. Mark is from the US. He was charged 500€ by his rental company for an accident in France.
2. Mark's "currency of loss" is €, and his "approved claim amount" is 500€. 
3. When Mark paid his rental company for the damages, he paid using a US$ credit card. His credit card company added "international card fees" to the transaction and gave him a poor foreign exchange (FX) rate. 
4. Mark's claim is approved so he receives a text message and email with a link to the RentalCover.com payment form. Mark has a US$ bank account and prefers to receive US$ because his bank charges excessive fees for non-US$ transfers and the process can take several weeks.
5. Mark receives his US$ payment from RentalCover.com immediately (it can take a bit longer for other countries).

As an international traveler, Mark's credit card statement might show a higher amount than the successful claim. That's because of #3 above. We do not cover currency conversion costs and other credit card charges, however we recommend that all international travelers take some of these precautions so they can save money on their next trip. 

All claims must be submitted online - we recommend that you use a computer instead of a mobile phone for easier document uploading. Just enter your Reference Number (this ends with "INS" and can be found on your confirmation email).

After the policy is completed and the damage charge has been settled with the rental company, please submit your online claim and attach any supporting documents. You can click on the button below to get started. 

Make a Claim

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 will be issued via electronic payment

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 will be issued via electronic payment (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 a breakdown or an accident, it’s important to ensure everyone is safe. Where possible pull over, turn on your hazard lights and get everyone to safety. You can then:

1. Collect the other parties details including their:

• Full name
• Address
• License number 
• Vehicle registration number 
• Phone number
• Name of their insurance 

2. Contact your rental company to report the incident. You can find their number on your signed rental agreement. They will instruct you on the processes such as vehicle recovery or replacement, roadside assistance and, depending on your country of travel, the charges that you may incur.

3. Contact the police to report the incident and gather evidence for your claim. Our Claims team may ask you to provide evidence such as written statements or police reports.

4. 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.
 
When you complete your rental
Typically if you are traveling outside of the US, you will be charged an excess/deductible for the damages. It’s important to speak to the rental company to see if they intend to refund those charges if you are found to be “not at fault”. Check your plan wording in My Account for more information on how we handle "not at fault" accidents.

Preferably the rental company can provide you with a document explaining the process and those rules. We will also seek this information during our investigation.

​After we’ve received all required documents and information our Claims team can begin processing your claim and preparing your refund when the claim is approved. 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 license

> What is this?
The license 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 license 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 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 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. 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 usually 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 via electronic payment.

If you are a US resident with our “Collision Damage Protection” plan, your claim will follow these four 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 RentalCover.com, they will assess your claim	You’ll be notified by email from RentalCover.com when your claim has been approved	RentalCover.com will send you a payment authorization link via email for a quick and secure payment transfer.

Please contact us if you have any issues with your 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 plan contains insurance from US Fire, 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 plan documents, accessible from your My Account page. 

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Rental companies often deduct the full deductible value of a vehicle and they later pay you a refund because the repair costs were lower than the deductible 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, whether or not a refund was issued.

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

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If you have been involved in a multi vehicle accident, please ensure you collect the other parties details including their: 
​

• Full name
• Address
• License number 
• Vehicle registration number 
• Phone number
• Name of their insurance

You will need to share these details with both us and your rental car company when you begin a claim.

The claims process is different for single and multiple vehicle accidents, and it can also differ by country.

For accidents where more than one vehicle is involved, an investigation usually takes place between ourselves and the rental company. To help the process move quickly, it helps to notify the police if an accident occurs. However, in the US and some other countries, the investigation is between us and the other driver's insurer.

Please remember for a successful claim you must ensure you have not or breached your rental agreement. 

For more information on the claims process, please read your plan wording in My Account. 

In case of a medical emergency, please contact our emergency medical assistance provider, On Call International via the phone numbers below so you can get help as soon as possible.

A medical emergency is an event that poses an immediate risk to a person’s life and requires immediate assistance as a result of a serious injury, death or any other acute illness.

For customers: 
In the United States, please call 1-855-892-6490
Outside of the United States and Canada, please call 1-603-328-1378