Which insurance?
Jul 15, 2016, 1:04 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
Which insurance?
Hello,
I am planning to rent a car (LDAR) in Europe (Munich -> AMS) for 20 days. Buying insurance would probably be nice for peace of mind. However there are different ones such as the Loss Damage Waiver, Roadside Protection, Personal Accident and Tire-Glass Coverage. Which of these are worth the money?
I will be using a credit card to rent it (HSBC/Std Chartered/Citibank), I wonder if they have insurance coverage? Does your credit card cover?
Just to be detailed, the countries I will be covering are Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands. Mostly worried about theft in Italy though I do not leave any valuables in plain sight.
I am planning to rent a car (LDAR) in Europe (Munich -> AMS) for 20 days. Buying insurance would probably be nice for peace of mind. However there are different ones such as the Loss Damage Waiver, Roadside Protection, Personal Accident and Tire-Glass Coverage. Which of these are worth the money?
I will be using a credit card to rent it (HSBC/Std Chartered/Citibank), I wonder if they have insurance coverage? Does your credit card cover?
Just to be detailed, the countries I will be covering are Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands. Mostly worried about theft in Italy though I do not leave any valuables in plain sight.
Jul 15, 2016, 3:32 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Montreal
Posts: 586
Credit coverage depends on your country. North Americans typically get coverage on most cards up to a certain amount. For example, my Canadian cards all cover $65,000 Canadian excluding taxes. With Amex cards, you can often get coverage for a vehicle up to US$100,000 for a fee of like $30. As such, you must read your credit card agreements to see if you have coverage and what amount it covers. From your banks, it seems that you reside in Hong Kong. For my HK-issued HSBC Business Mastercard World, I know that it does not cover car rentals at all.
You can usually ask the rental agent during the check-in process for the value of the vehicle if you are unsure if you have coverage. For example, I was told that the BMW 430d Gran Coupe in the LSMR class that I had booked was worth 53,000 Euros excluding taxes. For a car in the LDAR class, the retail price of the vehicle would probably be 55,000-60,000 Euros before taxes.
Since that is too much for my credit card, I usually purchase the full LDW package. If you book it online with $0 excess, it will also automatically include the tire and glass coverage. I don't think roadside protection is worth it as I've never had a problem with a rental car and personal accident is unnecessary or may already be covered by other personal insurance. You can elect not to take LDW or tire and glass if your credit card will cover the car rental. If not, you would probably want to take at least LDW with the highest deductible. One of the reasons I took $0 deductible was that it simplified the rental and return process. If you take out the full LDW, they will basically not inspect your car for damage when renting and returning. As well, I feel that I drive much more carefree and have little hesitation in parking anywhere when I take out full LDW. However, since you will be paying for 20 days, this might be an expensive convenience. One last thing, on Sixt Germany rental contracts, all pre-existing damage is described on the rental agreement when renting the car. Be sure to check if it matches up with the damage actually on the car (unless you took out full LDW)!
You can usually ask the rental agent during the check-in process for the value of the vehicle if you are unsure if you have coverage. For example, I was told that the BMW 430d Gran Coupe in the LSMR class that I had booked was worth 53,000 Euros excluding taxes. For a car in the LDAR class, the retail price of the vehicle would probably be 55,000-60,000 Euros before taxes.
Since that is too much for my credit card, I usually purchase the full LDW package. If you book it online with $0 excess, it will also automatically include the tire and glass coverage. I don't think roadside protection is worth it as I've never had a problem with a rental car and personal accident is unnecessary or may already be covered by other personal insurance. You can elect not to take LDW or tire and glass if your credit card will cover the car rental. If not, you would probably want to take at least LDW with the highest deductible. One of the reasons I took $0 deductible was that it simplified the rental and return process. If you take out the full LDW, they will basically not inspect your car for damage when renting and returning. As well, I feel that I drive much more carefree and have little hesitation in parking anywhere when I take out full LDW. However, since you will be paying for 20 days, this might be an expensive convenience. One last thing, on Sixt Germany rental contracts, all pre-existing damage is described on the rental agreement when renting the car. Be sure to check if it matches up with the damage actually on the car (unless you took out full LDW)!
Jul 25, 2016, 1:42 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
Credit coverage depends on your country. North Americans typically get coverage on most cards up to a certain amount. For example, my Canadian cards all cover $65,000 Canadian excluding taxes. With Amex cards, you can often get coverage for a vehicle up to US$100,000 for a fee of like $30. As such, you must read your credit card agreements to see if you have coverage and what amount it covers. From your banks, it seems that you reside in Hong Kong. For my HK-issued HSBC Business Mastercard World, I know that it does not cover car rentals at all.
You can usually ask the rental agent during the check-in process for the value of the vehicle if you are unsure if you have coverage. For example, I was told that the BMW 430d Gran Coupe in the LSMR class that I had booked was worth 53,000 Euros excluding taxes. For a car in the LDAR class, the retail price of the vehicle would probably be 55,000-60,000 Euros before taxes.
Since that is too much for my credit card, I usually purchase the full LDW package. If you book it online with $0 excess, it will also automatically include the tire and glass coverage. I don't think roadside protection is worth it as I've never had a problem with a rental car and personal accident is unnecessary or may already be covered by other personal insurance. You can elect not to take LDW or tire and glass if your credit card will cover the car rental. If not, you would probably want to take at least LDW with the highest deductible. One of the reasons I took $0 deductible was that it simplified the rental and return process. If you take out the full LDW, they will basically not inspect your car for damage when renting and returning. As well, I feel that I drive much more carefree and have little hesitation in parking anywhere when I take out full LDW. However, since you will be paying for 20 days, this might be an expensive convenience. One last thing, on Sixt Germany rental contracts, all pre-existing damage is described on the rental agreement when renting the car. Be sure to check if it matches up with the damage actually on the car (unless you took out full LDW)!
You can usually ask the rental agent during the check-in process for the value of the vehicle if you are unsure if you have coverage. For example, I was told that the BMW 430d Gran Coupe in the LSMR class that I had booked was worth 53,000 Euros excluding taxes. For a car in the LDAR class, the retail price of the vehicle would probably be 55,000-60,000 Euros before taxes.
Since that is too much for my credit card, I usually purchase the full LDW package. If you book it online with $0 excess, it will also automatically include the tire and glass coverage. I don't think roadside protection is worth it as I've never had a problem with a rental car and personal accident is unnecessary or may already be covered by other personal insurance. You can elect not to take LDW or tire and glass if your credit card will cover the car rental. If not, you would probably want to take at least LDW with the highest deductible. One of the reasons I took $0 deductible was that it simplified the rental and return process. If you take out the full LDW, they will basically not inspect your car for damage when renting and returning. As well, I feel that I drive much more carefree and have little hesitation in parking anywhere when I take out full LDW. However, since you will be paying for 20 days, this might be an expensive convenience. One last thing, on Sixt Germany rental contracts, all pre-existing damage is described on the rental agreement when renting the car. Be sure to check if it matches up with the damage actually on the car (unless you took out full LDW)!
When you said that if I took out full LDW 'online' they would include the tire and glass. What if I were to take out the full LDW upon picking the car up, different story? I was hoping maybe by taking out the full LDW, I would be able to have leverage on choosing which LDAR vehicle they had or perhaps a free upgrade.
Jul 26, 2016, 2:35 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Montreal
Posts: 586
I once did not include LDW in my reservation and later added it on at the time of rental. Looking at the receipt, the charge for "min. Selbstbehalt LDW" (min. excess LDW) was the same at 117.67 Euros for the week. However, the rental had a large extra charge of 138.18 Euros for "Vollkasko- und Diebstahlschutz" (full comprehensive and theft protection). All my other rentals where I added full LDW online did not have this charge. However, rates for that week were high so I'm not sure if I was overcharged as the difference couldn't have been more than 50 Euros. Perhaps the system just added this charge as the base rate indicates that it was a promo rate. In any case, I recommend getting full LDW online first so you get a better price estimate and as adding LDW later won't be cheaper.
In my experience, they usually let you pick whichever vehicle in the class is available. For example, I was offered a C220, 320d, or A4 on an FDAR reservation. However, non-airport locations probably only have 1 LDAR vehicle available so you might be stuck with an A6 or something.
In my experience, they usually let you pick whichever vehicle in the class is available. For example, I was offered a C220, 320d, or A4 on an FDAR reservation. However, non-airport locations probably only have 1 LDAR vehicle available so you might be stuck with an A6 or something.
Jul 27, 2016, 4:46 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 5
I once did not include LDW in my reservation and later added it on at the time of rental. Looking at the receipt, the charge for "min. Selbstbehalt LDW" (min. excess LDW) was the same at 117.67 Euros for the week. However, the rental had a large extra charge of 138.18 Euros for "Vollkasko- und Diebstahlschutz" (full comprehensive and theft protection). All my other rentals where I added full LDW online did not have this charge. However, rates for that week were high so I'm not sure if I was overcharged as the difference couldn't have been more than 50 Euros. Perhaps the system just added this charge as the base rate indicates that it was a promo rate. In any case, I recommend getting full LDW online first so you get a better price estimate and as adding LDW later won't be cheaper.
In my experience, they usually let you pick whichever vehicle in the class is available. For example, I was offered a C220, 320d, or A4 on an FDAR reservation. However, non-airport locations probably only have 1 LDAR vehicle available so you might be stuck with an A6 or something.
In my experience, they usually let you pick whichever vehicle in the class is available. For example, I was offered a C220, 320d, or A4 on an FDAR reservation. However, non-airport locations probably only have 1 LDAR vehicle available so you might be stuck with an A6 or something.
