Car Rental Insurance

[SunshneNC]

I need some help with car rental insurance! Of course we all try to save a buck wherever we can, especially these days. I figured out it's just as cheap to get a weekly car rental and leave the rental at the hotel all week. Saves less time and hassle with scheduling shuttles to and from the car rental agency. My question is this....is it necessary to purchase all those extra options for insurance, damage, etc? PLEASE give me some advice on your past experiences with car rentals. Thank you!!

[bills blasters]

We never get any of the extra insurance they sell. We have that coverage with our regular car insurance. Check with you insurance and see if you are covered with them for a rental. Also, lots of credit cards give you insurance for car rentals if you use their card to pay for the car. Check with the credit card company and find one that has that type of coverage.

[psblin99]

Bills is exactly right. I use American Express to rent and I am fully covered. Most CC offer the same with some small deductables and between them and your own insurance you are 100% covered. Even your homeowners could get involved if you had a break in.

 

The extra insurance is a huge profit center for the company and even the agent.

[psblin99]

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[psblin99]

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[psblin99]

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[CaribeDiver]

The above posts are correct to an extent. Depending on how long you are going to need the car you should at least get the damage waiver coverage if it's only a day or two. If anything happens to the car i.e. rock chip, flat tire, even if you total the car, etc. you just drop off the car and walk away. If you depend on your credit card to cover you keep this in mind, you typically have to take care of the cost and then get reimbursed by the cc after they have done their investigation into the damage which can take a while. Also, your insurance covers the vehicle through your liability part of your policy (since you are driving a car that is not owned by you) so, if you rent a $30k car and hit a $50k car and both cars are totalled but, you only have $50k worth of liability coverage then you are on the hook for $30k. I used to work in the business and even I take it out when on vacation in another state/country. If you are going to have it for longer you may want to just take the risk. If it's not more than $10-$12 per day get it for the peace of mind. And if you rent from Enterprise they have a location near the port that you can drop off and they will give you a ride to the port.

[eandj]

The above posts are correct to an extent. Depending on how long you are going to need the car you should at least get the damage waiver coverage if it's only a day or two. If anything happens to the car i.e. rock chip, flat tire, even if you total the car, etc. you just drop off the car and walk away. If you depend on your credit card to cover you keep this in mind, you typically have to take care of the cost and then get reimbursed by the cc after they have done their investigation into the damage which can take a while. Also, your insurance covers the vehicle through your liability part of your policy (since you are driving a car that is not owned by you) so, if you rent a $30k car and hit a $50k car and both cars are totalled but, you only have $50k worth of liability coverage then you are on the hook for $30k. I used to work in the business and even I take it out when on vacation in another state/country. If you are going to have it for longer you may want to just take the risk. If it's not more than $10-$12 per day get it for the peace of mind. And if you rent from Enterprise they have a location near the port that you can drop off and they will give you a ride to the port.

 

 

I'm thinking too that everyone's personal policies might be a little different and they should always check with their own company for the details. Our concern is personal liability...and if we were to be sued for injury to another driver. We have friends who had a year of pretty rough negotiations and atty bills due to an accident they were involved in out of the country. The other driver claimed neck injury. Hmmmm Won't get into details, but had thier umbrella policy covered, it would have been a much easier year for them. Could have turned out a lot worse than it did.

[awinner]

The above posts are correct to an extent. Depending on how long you are going to need the car you should at least get the damage waiver coverage if it's only a day or two. If anything happens to the car i.e. rock chip, flat tire, even if you total the car, etc. you just drop off the car and walk away. If you depend on your credit card to cover you keep this in mind, you typically have to take care of the cost and then get reimbursed by the cc after they have done their investigation into the damage which can take a while. Also, your insurance covers the vehicle through your liability part of your policy (since you are driving a car that is not owned by you) so, if you rent a $30k car and hit a $50k car and both cars are totalled but, you only have $50k worth of liability coverage then you are on the hook for $30k. I used to work in the business and even I take it out when on vacation in another state/country. If you are going to have it for longer you may want to just take the risk. If it's not more than $10-$12 per day get it for the peace of mind. And if you rent from Enterprise they have a location near the port that you can drop off and they will give you a ride to the port.

Which port does ERAC have a location near?