Leveraging Thai Travel Insurance for Car Rental Excess in Norway

October 30, 2025 Not Your Typical Tourist

Renting a motorhome in Norway requires careful planning, especially when it comes to insurance. The high costs and potential liabilities can be daunting. After a lot of research, I discovered a clever way to use my travel insurance from Thailand to save thousands of baht on my motorhome rental.

Here is the story of how I cracked the code on rental car excess and a step-by-step guide to help you do the same.

The Problem: High Motorhome Insurance Costs

When we booked our motorhome with Arctic Campers, their basic insurance came with a high liability of 30,000 NOK per incident. This amount—equivalent to nearly 100,000 baht—would be held as a deposit on our card, locking up a significant amount of credit. Reviewing our previous campervan rental in Iceland, the high self-risk for CDW was similar, but a key difference was the clarity of the rental agency’s website. Cozy Campers’ website made the insurance options easy to understand, while Arctic Campers’ packages left us confused about what was exactly included. My question about what “each incident” meant went unanswered by Arctic Campers, but Cozy Campers’ website clearly explained that the deductible only applies to one incident and in the case of multiple damages, the deductible will be charged for each. This was a detail that Cozy Campers answered even a year after our rental, highlighting the stark contrast in communication.

For our Norway trip, we wanted a more cost-effective solution, especially since a zero self-risk option for RV rental was not available and Arctic Campers’ packages had less granular detail. This lack of a zero-liability option led me to a new question: could I find other ways to cover this cost? I started looking into what was said on the internet about credit card coverage and international auto memberships, but quickly found that those options did not apply to our region. For example, some forums mentioned that “Car-company CDW surcharges can seem like a racket when you consider that most American credit cards already include collision coverage in most countries… as long as you pay for the rental with that card.” This advice, while potentially useful for others, didn’t apply to my situation in Thailand.

The “Aha!” Moment: Discovering the Rental Car Excess Benefit

My husband had already purchased his travel insurance from MSIG Easy 3 as part of his Schengen visa requirements. While reviewing his plan, I spotted a “Rental Car Excess” benefit of 15,000 baht. This was the a-ha moment! Could we use this benefit to reduce our liability and save money?

The information available online from worldwide forums was often confusing and seemed tailored to other regions. With scarce information from our home country, some advice even warned against buying the rental agency’s policy at all if you planned to use travel insurance, which seemed contradictory. I needed a definitive answer from a reliable source.

The Research and The Solution

I decided to directly contact Arctic Campers, MSIG, and another major insurer, AXA, to clarify the terms.

My Key Findings:

Confirmation from AXA: I received written confirmation from AXA that their travel insurance would indeed cover the excess and includes motorhome rental. The key is to first buy a policy from the rental agency. If a deposit is forfeited due to damage, you can then claim up to the maximum amount insured on your travel policy. This completely cleared up my confusion.
Insuring Agreement from MSIG: MSIG provided detailed information on their “Rental Car Excess” benefit, including coverage, conditions, claim identification, and exclusions. This gave us a clear understanding of the policy and how to make a claim if necessary.
Finding the Best Plan: I compared different insurance companies in Thailand and found that both AXA and AIG offered the highest “Rental Car Excess” benefit, up to 50,000 baht. I chose the AXA plan as it had the lowest premium.
The Savings: With this confirmation, we opted for Arctic Campers’ Silver package, which has a liability of 15,000 NOK (approximately 50,000 baht). The premium for this package was 175 NOK per day, which totaled 6,000 baht for our rental period.
- This decision saved us a lot of money. The most expensive Platinum package, which reduces liability to 5,000 NOK (16,000 baht), would have cost approximately 15,000 baht more in premiums for our trip.

Important Considerations and Pro Tips

Credit Card Coverage: I read many recommendations about using a credit card’s built-in coverage, but I am not aware of any such benefits from credit cards in my region. Always check your specific card’s terms and conditions. I also learned from Cozy Campers in Iceland that many credit card and third-party insurance policies may not cover campervans and motorhomes, as their focus is on standard passenger cars. It is crucial to verify that your rental vehicle is explicitly covered.
Key T&Cs: My insurers confirmed that the claim is valid as long as you follow the terms and conditions of both your travel insurance and the rental agreement. This includes renting from a licensed agency, not driving off-road, and not driving under the influence.
Policies Can Change: Always verify the latest insurance packages and terms directly with the rental company and your travel insurer, as policies, liability amounts, and premiums are subject to change.
Future Update: I will update this post if we are hit with any liability charges after our trip and are able to successfully claim from our travel insurance.

In the end, while Iceland’s unpredictable weather and our first time driving a campervan convinced us to go with the most expensive plan, our research for Norway showed us a smarter, more affordable path. Arctic Campers’ website cautioned against wind-damaged camper doors, which is something that I encountered in Iceland myself. Opening my campervan door in a strong wind, it slammed against the car parked next to me. My fault, really—I was cold and hurrying, and I neglected to exercise caution. The group in the other car were in their twenties and pretty cool; since both cars had zero-risk insurance, we took photos and exchanged contacts, and I promised to be responsible if their insurance didn’t cover the damage. They didn’t contact me, so I believe both sides were off the hook. This time, I’ll be sure to exercise caution on our Norway trip. By leveraging the “Rental Car Excess” benefit in our Thai travel insurance, we’re heading on our trip with peace of mind and a significantly lower cost.