Germany - New Guy renting a car in Germany

Hi everyone, thanks for taking the time to look this over. I've been lurking a while and earning/spending miles but this is my first post.

I'm flying into Frankfurt with 3 friends in August and we are renting a car. I want to make sure I get the best value for our money and also maximize my miles earning opportunities.

I have miles upwards of 30k miles with United, Southwest, Delta and Chase Rewards. Is it generally a good value to rent a car with rewards point? If not what are the best affiliate sites to go through?

My insurance agent says my auto carrier (Safeco) won't cover anything overseas but my understanding is that my United Explorer card has primary coverage so I should be OK if I book with that card. Is that a better option than purchasing with Amex and upgrading to their additional coverage?

Sorry for all of the questions and thanks in advance for your help.

Welcome to Flyertalk, TimTheSloth. I am going to move your thread to our Germany Forum. I am sure that you will find well-informed answers there.
Good luck and have a good trip.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Thanks obscure, I appreciate it.

Most airline points are usually best spent on flights. The payout for other things (merchandise, hotels, car rentals) is usually much lower.

I'd also work at consolidating your miles in one place. United and Chase (if UR), seem to be the best out of the ones you listed.

Hi,

first a small disclaimer fro me a one of the moderators of this forum :

we are currently researching a better place for this thread, than the Germany forum. The questions are not related to anyhing special in Germany but about earning / burning miles for a rental and about credit card coverage of a US card for a rental in Germany. In the meantime the thred remains in the Germany forum.

The coverage of your credit card for a rental in Germany is best answered with the credit card company. A written statement is prefereable, therefore I would send them at least an e-mail and ask, if the credit card covers a rental in Germany and what they cover. Basic insurance is mandatory, unlike in the US, an like in many other countries covered by a general insurance of the car rental company. The question remain - but this is not regarded to Germany alone - if your friends are covered if it comes to an accident by your credit card, assuming you have no relationship or members of your family.

Using miles for a car rental is never a good idea - worldwide - but if you miles are about the expire it might be another point of view.

The following may apply if you have a Gold Mastercard:

http://www.mastercard.com/tt/personal/en/findacard/credit_cards/gold/gold_mc_master_rental.html

You must decline the LDW in order for it to take effect. It may be worth looking into.

Thanks for you help guys. I've been on the phone with Visa and Amex. Looks like Visa should have me covered and rental cars have some basic insurance built in by law in Europe. Still sorting out all the details on what exactly is covered but I feel like I have a better grasp on things now. I'll save my points for a better value too. Thanks a lot for your help.

Most airline points are usually best spent on flights. The payout for other things (merchandise, hotels, car rentals) is usually much lower.

I'd also work at consolidating your miles in one place. United and Chase (if UR), seem to be the best out of the ones you listed.

Do you have any suggestions on how to merge the points to one account? I agree with you it seems that United and Chase are most valuable to me.

Do you have any suggestions on how to merge the points to one account? I agree with you it seems that United and Chase are most valuable to me.

Often times you can't. It used to be easier to find another program where you could transfer through, but now not much left. I'd avoid points.com, as their ratio is usually horrid.

Burn the miles in the less desirable ones, and build up in the better ones. Keep in mind that programs change. What is good today may be crap next year.

Thanks for you help guys. I've been on the phone with Visa and Amex. Looks like Visa should have me covered and rental cars have some basic insurance built in by law in Europe. Still sorting out all the details on what exactly is covered but I feel like I have a better grasp on things now. I'll save my points for a better value too. Thanks a lot for your help.

Rental cars in Germany have built in all the third party liability insurance you need. We are not a third world country but law requires all cars to carry a 10 mio Euro insurance. CDW is normally not factored in into the rent but needs to be bought or obtained seperately.

Hi Flying lawyer thanks for you help. What do you mean by CDW? I'm not familiar with the acronym.

Hi Flying lawyer thanks for you help. What do you mean by CDW? I'm not familiar with the acronym.

Collision Damage Waiver.

i think about the only way to burn orphan miles is to burn them. if you accumulate mileage on starwood through stays and starwood amex, they can be moved to a large number of airlines.

Ah thanks.

That's what I was thinking regarding the orphan miles. Shouldn't be too hard to find something to use them on.

Thanks for all of your help guys, I really appreciate it.

Quick note on the CDW: last week I saw some fellow humans from the land of the free go hopping mad for being charged on the spot by avis for scratches they made on the car. Rental returns in the US are far more relaxed and forgiving than european locations, so make sure you are covered for damages on your vehicle, be it via a good rate or thru your credit card. Mine for example has a 230€ deductible, which is easily exhausted by a 2-3 inch scratch on any part of the car!

I agree with Oliver, I actually paid EUR 7 per day to buy the extra coverage which brought the excess down to 0. Too many horror stories about car rentals in Europe. I rented once in France with Avis, the car I got was tanked half full (they supposed to give me a full tank), with plenty of scratches on the car.
The picture on the car contract was full of marks. I probably wouldn't have bought the insurance if I had seen the car, but there is no way to know when you buy the insurance.

After this incident we are not so willing to rent a car in Europe.

In the US I saw a scratch on my rental, I asked the Avis employee and she said it has to be about length of a ball point pen before they really blame you for it.

I only can advise everybody renting a car in every country to do a full check of a rental car if you have not a full cover of the car with the rental agency, i.e. not involving credit car or other companies. It make things easier afterwards and I make no difference if I rent in the US, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Germany etc.

My experience as someone with a lot of rentals (I do not have a car) is that all companies became more strict in the last couple of years, also in the US.

I calculate 30 minutes for checking the car, getting the representative to the car if it is not done at the exit like in US airport stations and adding even minor scratches. Check the interior of the car as well, stains in seats or scratches on the dasborad, door lining, center console could be found quite often as well.Have a look at the windscreen and the boonet and front part (including fog- and headlights) for damage of highway stones.

Check especially the area at the boot (quite often a lot of not reported scratches) and the exterior mirrors as well as aluminium rims.

If the car is not cleaned properly and had some dirt outside (dead insects etc) call them as well if you are not sure if it is dirt or a scratch.