I will be going on a holiday with wife to Australia in mid January for a week. I am going to rent a car while I am there. I have paid for our airfare tickets in full via my ANZ platinum credit card which provides travel insurance cover for up to 3 months. I was reading the ANZ insurance policy fine print for rental car excess and it provides Rental Vehicle Excess up to NZ$3000. I then read their full policy wording and it states the below which makes their insurance cover for rental vehicle overseas useless.
As part of the hiring arrangement you must take up all comprehensive motor insurance or waivers offered by the rental organisation, whether discretionary or mandatory, against loss or damage to the rental vehicle during the rental period
I looked at the AU rental car companies excess charges and they all seem to $180 or over + car rental fees on top. Southern Cross can provide complete travel insurance for me and wife to AU for a week for NZ$66 and this includes $NZ5000 rental car excess cover. Read their full policy wording and no bs about getting any minimum or maximum cover at all from rental car company. All car rental companies in AU (Australia) provide collision damage waiver anyway (I believe it is a law in AU to provide so).
My question is, if there is an accident with the rental car in Australia due to my fault or another car hitting me etc, I see the rental car company charging my credit card AU$3000 in excess fees (most AU companies charge AU$3000 as per their website) and then I can claim that excess fees back from Southern Cross? Does that sound right? It's saving well over $100 going via SC and I get a overall better medical, theft coverage etc anyway with them over the ANZ platinum cc coverage so overall a win win.
ps - feel free to recommend a good car rental company in Gold Coast and things to visit there!