conklaven

I know.. That was in response to a previous poster saying that they swore that some cards made it so you didnt have to pay anything extra.

joshwex90

Of course there has been. Renting from Eldan, Avis, Hertz, and Budget, I have never paid the CDW or any extra fees. (All in Israel using an American credit card that covers CDW including in Israel - such as the Capital One Venture (MasterCard) or Citi AAdvantage World MasterCard.)

I haven't rented recently, but for every time I rented, I paid the basic rate including VAT (as I have Israeli citizenship) and that was it. There is a compulsory insurance that you must buy (similar to standard Compulsory Insurance/Bituach Chova for car ownership that Israeli law mandates which covers injury to other people). However, I have always seen the price decrease as they lop off the extra part of insurance when I tell them about the credit card.

And my father has gotten the same deal minus the VAT because he's not a citizen.

NYTA

What we're talking about is avoiding the compulsory insurance. If it's compulsory it should be included in the advertised rate, which it never is. This is the scam.

joshwex90

I agree it should be included in the price, but I'd hardly call that part a scam. While it's ridiculous that this is the case, the cost of mandatory insurance is rarely included in car rental prices elsewhere.

joshwex90

Eldan, Hertz, and Sixt all show on their English site that you can waive the CDW if your credit card covers it, though Hertz says you must and Sixt recommends you bring a letter from your credit card company, showing coverage. Eldan doesn't mention it, but indicates this is still possible, with no extra cost.

Interestingly, can no longer find Avis's English site

conklaven

There no issue with them waiving CDW... but what they then do is say "if you use your CC insurance then you have to buy this other coverage"

Yes it is slightly cheaper but like has been mentioned before they should include all mandatory charges in the listed price. Some people who are not familar with the situation get blindsided at the airport.

joshwex90

What I was saying was these companies say nothing about charging a different fee, and I just asked through a number of people who rent often and they all were surprised about being "forced a different fee."

Again, I haven't rented in Israel in awhile, but I'll see in January when my dad comes.

TWA884

The cost of liability insurance is included in the price of car rentals everywhere where I have rented in Europe.

conklaven

Either I am being taken for a ride or things have changed... I have rented now 3 times in the last 3 months and every time I am being charged a $14 a day extra charge for compulsory insurance... My other option I was given was $17 a day if I didn't used the insurance on my card.

I would love to not have to pay. I have a Citi World Elite Card which is supposed to cover you fully in Israel. But I have tried it at Avis, Suncar and Budget with no luck... Please let me know how you are able to do it cause I have another rental at the end of December for $300 and after the insurance gets added on it will be $600

yosithezet

Perhaps you can give us the specific name on the invoice for this fee?

docbert

From everything I've read, and having spoken to Hertz in Tel Aviv, this is government-mandated Liability insurance. If you pay for the full CDW, then it is included in that. If you use something like credit card insurance (and keep in mind that most credit card insurance explicitly excludes coverage for Israel!), then you have to pay it separately, at a rate which is normally very close to the full CDW as you've discovered.

By the time you cover this insurance and the airport fees, I've always just given up on renting a car and instead use taxis (or more recently, the train which turns out the be by far the fastest way to get between the airport and Herzliya if you're arriving/departing around rush hour!)

Ditto

What does a taxi to Herzliya cost these days? I recall vaguely paying about 160NIS to Tel Aviv several years ago, and something around 270 to Netanya (with the meter turned on), both outside rush hours.

A cost of a rental day (after insurance and airport tax etc.) is normally around 30$ for 1 week, or around 35-40$ per day for shorter rentals.

joshwex90

Officially, it's 158 shekel for 1 person with no bags, in the middle of the day.

See more here: http://www.iaa.gov.il/en-us/airports...alculator.aspx

Ditto

Ahh, interesting, my rides were during the night so this is why they were more expensive.
The calculator seems to have a bug though, it first quoted me 3.90NIS to Netanya, and only if I really insisted it gave me 295.90

So a r/t to Herzliya is about the same as 2-3 days of car rental, might make sense if you do not need a car for your stay.

joshwex90

Posted this on Avis Israel's Facebook wall and got the following response:

Translation: When renting a car in Israel, even if I have a credit card that covers the CDW, is it true that it's NOT possible to waive it?

Translation: Hi joshwex90, if you have a card which covers the CDW, you can choose to not pay the CDW (for rentals up to 14 days), but if something happens, it's your responsibility to deal with your credit card company. Avis Israel

Translation: Is there another fee I need to pay if I choose to waive the CDW?

Translation: There isn't a single fee that we get paid for waiving (CDW). We recommend checking from your credit card company what they charge

https://www.facebook.com/Avis.Israel...54955705132214