ard

Hi,

I am looking for wisdom on personal (not business) car rentals.

What is the RL consenus on / what are the alternatives to buying the insurance offered through the rental companies?

I know that if I do not purchase the insurance offered by the rental company, then for a domestic rental my own insurance is "primary".

I don't like that idea, but the idea of paying ~$40 / day (that > $14,000! per year) to the rental company seems like the proverbial highway robbery. (yes I know, a rental car is rarely rented out 365 days a year, but you get my point).

I have heard anecdotal evidence of there being credit card companies that offer "primary" insurance when paying with that credit card, but I have never actually run across such a card. Does anyone know of such a card? Even if such a card exists my, again anecdotal, recollection is that it covers only damage to the rented vehicle not other vehicles, or liability.

I am planning a trip by car from New York (pickup at Kennedy airport), to Philadelphia and back to Boston and up into Maine in the summer. Quite a bit of driving, so "per mile driven" which seems a reasonable proxy for the likelihood of having an accident, buying the offered insurance may not be such a bad deal.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Terry Adams

I never have bought it.

Never had an accident either, but Avis once tried to charge me for a 1 mm door ding. I took a pic, told them it was going on my CC card insurance anyway, and I would never rent another Avis car. The guy backed off.

grwoolf

My personal auto policy covers me in the US and Canada, but not international. I buy the insurance from the rental company on international rentals when on business, but then realized during our last vaction that my credit card company does cover primary insurance on international rentals. I'm pretty sure it was my Citibank dividend card that I used, but might have been another. I think it's pretty common coverage for international.

TRINITONY

I rent often - as recent as last Friday. I always decline, but if I were to ever get into an accident they would initially hold my deductible. A few years back, I rented a mini van for a week trip to SC; for some reason I took their (budget) insurance, and guess what - I ended up in a fender bender. It felt good returning the car, handing the keys over and not have to worry about paying a dime. Oh, as I type, I now remember why I took the insurance. The sales guy had earlier explain to me that someone the prior week had rented a moving truck, decide to pull the truck into their home garage, and in doing so rip the top of the cab back to the tune of over 10k in damage. Needless to say they had declined the insurance when offered to them...

JM993

The problem with relying only on your auto coverage is that you'll still be on the hook for the deductable. So if you crack the windshield or get a flat, generally, it's on your dime. When I rent trucks to go dirt biking (my cc doesn't cover rental trucks), I get insurance if I rent for the day. However, if I rent for a longer period, the daily insurance rate adds up so I live dangerously and go without.

95 C4 993

Sears Mastercard covers me anywhere in the world as long as I book and pay with it.

American Express--100 miles inside of Mexico or something that nature---thats why I use Sears Mastercard.

I know all the secret discount codes to get great rates when booking online.

serval

For personal rentals, I always rely on my credit card for insurance. Got a windshield busted in Europe and they covered it. Had to wait 3 months, but they covered it. I have a life time coverage of 150K

cdmdriver

Never have gotten the extra coverage except when a Hurricane was on the way.

cy7878

I do it just because then I don't worry about ding and dents that happens to be below my deductible. These days, I can't seem to count on credit card companies to step up and provide me the service I think I deserve, or know I received even just a few years ago let alone counting on them in case of an accident. For example, when I was getting ripped off by OnlineCarStereo.com I couldn't even get Discover Card to issue me a credit till 15 days after my inital complaint to the crooks ripping me off, which was more than 2 weeks after I realized they weren't going to ship me my stuff.

Fahrer

Are you referring to actual insurance or collision damage waiver? Damage waiver is not really insurance but limits you liabilty to something like $1000 to $5000, depending on the policy, rather than the entire value of the car. So, in this case, if you get the "insurance" and then get into a "fender bender" you will still need to pay for most of the damage.

Kein_Ersatz

My mantra, insure for what you can't afford to lose. Insurance should be for catastrophic events.

If you make lots of "deductible" claims, you pay for it in your rates eventually. If you don't make lots of deductible claims, then high deductibles over time are better for you wallet. If you can afford $1K plus for tires, you should be able to afford out of pocket deductibles if they ever do happen. Only for catastrophic events is insurance ever a good deal for you, otherwise the insurers are making a killing off of you.

They push the FUD, but if you will worry about it so much (thanks to their FUD), then what is your enjoyment worth to you? Pay the rental coverage and enjoy your vacation. Or switch to a credit card company that offers this, even if it is a pain in the rear to get them to pay out.

And in the US many Insurance companies will cover your car rental on your policy (deductibles apply).

TMc993

Check with your insurance company first and determine the conditions under which you have coverage, what your deductable will be, and how much, if any, your premium will rise if you file a claim. Armed with that info, you can determine what you can afford as cited by Kein_Ersatz.

DryFly

Discount codes??? Do tell! It'll be our secret!

H.H.Chinn

Waive...Corporate insurance, Personal insurance, Credit card, seem to have several layers of coverage

twinreds

Means you pay for the time the car is off duty. You need to check with your carrier.