Which Australian Credit Cards have Car Rental Insurance included?

Credit Cards & Credit Card Programs
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1

Is the ANZ Platinum range in Australia still really the only card that has rental car insurance reduction included for a 'reasonable' price at a reasonable rate? Say, annual card fees from 99$ to 250$?

Are there any other cards that have followed suit?

2

According to Credit Card Finder, there's Bankwest Zero Gold and Platinum ($0 annual fee), their Breeze Gold ($89) and Platinum ($99), HSBC Platinum ($0 offer at the moment), and BankSA/Bank of Melbourne Amplify ($99). I don't think it's a comprehensive list though, as from a quick look the Commonwealth Gold Awards ($144), St George Vertigo Platinum ($99) and NAB Premium ($90) include it, plus the Westpac Altitude Black isn't listed (albeit it's above your reasonable rate at $395).

See also the AusBT article on credit card travel insurance which lists some gotchas in some policies, eg sedan or station wagon only, not 4WD or hatchbacks.

3

I tend to find language like this in the Bankwest Rental agreements:

Coverage for the excess on rental vehicle insurance

If you become legally liable to pay an insurance excess or deductible as the result of the loss or damage of a rental vehicle, the insurance company will cover the cost as long as:

  • The rental vehicle was obtained from a licensed agency
  • You have taken out comprehensive car insurance against loss or damage to the vehicle as part of the rental contract
  • You are in full compliance with all the stipulations of the rental company and the rental car insurer as per the provisions of the rental contract.

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If I had taken out comprehensive car insurance against the loss with the rental company in the first instance I wouldn't need the Bankwest insurance ... I don't understand how these credit cards are helping me in the Car Rental insurance arena?

 

 

4

Hey all, this is an older question but it seems to still get a lot of attention on PointHacks. I’ve written a comprehensive car rental insurance guide over on RideHacks that deals with all the options of the rental insurance policies.

You can visit the article here

With respect to this question, the best option by far is the Amex Platinum Charge card. It’s benefits are outstanding, generous and with less conditions than many of the other cards.

However the high-end cards from each of these banks also have a policy (mostly all the same one except for ANZ):

  • ANZ
  • St George
  • Westpac
  • Bank of South Australia
  • Bank of Melbourne
Note that any card with international insurance generally has a rental excess cover included for overseas travel. Those cards above are specific to domestic rentals. There is also a product by CBA on their high-end cards but it really wasn't competitive when I did the analysis.

Once again, the full review is here

Otherwise, happy to answer any follow up questions here.

5