Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Car Rental Insurance in NZ (and Aus)

I've read in a couple of other threads about most U.S. Credit Cards that have the Rental Car insurance not covering rentals in NZ, so I decided to check mine. Sure enough, buried in the fine print:
You may be unable to use this service in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica or New Zealand


Off to avis.com to check and see how much they'll charge me for insurance and I find that the LDW (Loss Damage Waiver) is included and you have no way to not include it.

Does NZ (or Aus) require the LDW be included in the cost of the rental? Does this mean I don't need to worry about basic insurance when I rent a car in NZ?

Thanks,
markoh

I've read in a couple of other threads about most U.S. Credit Cards that have the Rental Car insurance not covering rentals in NZ, so I decided to check mine. Sure enough, buried in the fine print:
You may be unable to use this service in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica or New Zealand


Off to avis.com to check and see how much they'll charge me for insurance and I find that the LDW (Loss Damage Waiver) is included and you have no way to not include it.

Does NZ (or Aus) require the LDW be included in the cost of the rental? Does this mean I don't need to worry about basic insurance when I rent a car in NZ?

Thanks,
markoh

What card do you have ?? I have the sane question for an upcoming trip to NZ, but I am able to use my MC each time I go to Ireland

I've got a platinum MasterCard and I found that clause in the MC T&Cs, so I don't think it is specific to each bank.

I've read in a couple of other threads about most U.S. Credit Cards that have the Rental Car insurance not covering rentals in NZ, so I decided to check mine. Sure enough, buried in the fine print:
You may be unable to use this service in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica or New Zealand


Off to avis.com to check and see how much they'll charge me for insurance and I find that the LDW (Loss Damage Waiver) is included and you have no way to not include it.

Does NZ (or Aus) require the LDW be included in the cost of the rental? Does this mean I don't need to worry about basic insurance when I rent a car in NZ?

Thanks,
markoh

AUS and NZ you have to pay LDW with your rental and if you want to reduce your liability from 2750 then you have to pay extra per day.
I don't think any card will cover these.

Does NZ require the LDW be included in the cost of the rental? Does this mean I don't need to worry about basic insurance when I rent a car in NZ?


Some info for NZ:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7008153&postcount=27

US visitors to AUS and NZ should use Visa and decline the excess reduction. Visa covers when CDW (or the local equivalent) is declined. In AUS and NZ, the equivalent is the excess.

Having returned a damaged car to Avis ZQN, I can assure you that Visa will cover the declined excess, although it may take months to see any money.

Not sure about Amex, but I seem to remember a post a while back complaining that many countries were not covered, including NZ. Why Mastercard says "may" not be able to use in its terms is beyond me!

You can decline the CDW but you probably want to purchase PAI as your credit card won't cover liability to other individuals and their vehicles. Note also that most personal US auto insurance policies end at the southern border, so the insurance that covers you and your car won't pay a dime if you are driving outside the USA and Canada.

MC is not so quick to pay either. After months of delay, I finally had to threaten a lawsuit (with copies to the card issuer) before I received a check for the $500 deductible.

So I checked the Ts&Cs on my United MP Visa and the list of countries they exclude for the CDW coverage does not include NZ or Australia, so it looks like I'm using that card for the rental car in NZ (even if those jokers charge the 3% currency conversion fee, while my MC does not)

Perfect! Use the United Visa to reserve the car, and have them bill to the mastercard when you return the car.

I'm bumping this thread as it is relevant for many of us going to New Zealand over the upcoming holidays.

My takeaway:


insurance is included in rental rate, with a base not covered that varies by company
Mastercard will not cover uncovered damage
Visa will cover uncovered damage
It is unknown whether AMEX will cover it
Visa can be used when renting the car; a different card can be used when the card is turned in


Have I gotten the key points?

Have I gotten the key points?

Yes, with one exception: Amex excludes New Zealand from its rental car coverage (I think Australia, too, but it's been a few years). To me, that makes Visa your best bet for car rentals in that part of the world.

thanks for the post, SanDiego1K!

it's a few days too late for me, :p but will surely be very helpful for someone else. ^

(i did search for this a few weeks ago, but missed this thread. :td:)