Originally Posted by
Cholula
The best rental car insurance coverage, bar none IMO, is the relatively new one offered by AMEX.
You set it up as automatic and every time you rent a car they ding you $17.95 (for CA residents...elsewhere I think it's $21.95) as a one-time charge. That covers you if you rent the car for one day or thirty.
And the best part is that it is primary coverage. You don't have to file with your own insurance company in the event of an accident.
A lot of the so-called "free" credit card rental insurance plans are secondary which means you first have to file with your insurance company. Your insurance company will then, after maybe or maybe not paying the claim, either raise your rates or drop your sorry butt altogether.
There is no way in Hell that I want to file against my personal auto insurance for lame-o rental car damage.
If you do a bunch of one day rentals than this might not be the ideal insurance plan but it fits my travel pattern.
Oh, I know. I've actually been the recipient of a check from them twice: once when a rock chipped a windshield while driving to Talkeetna and once when a random two-foot-long scratch appeared on the side of a minivan I rented to haul some things around. You can be the best driver in the world, but you never know what'll happen to you in a parking lot.
It's $24.95 outside of California to cover $100,000. (There is a not-often-advertised $19.95 plan that covers $75,000 , which is probably fine for all but the most expensive rental SUVs/luxury cars.)
On one-day rentals or if I'm renting in a market with cheap LDW (LAX, NYC), I'll use a non-Amex and buy the rental company's LDW. Amex makes it relatively easy but you still have forms to fill out and have to sometimes fight a bit between the rental agency and Amex to get the claim rolling and paid. For short rentals, it's usually cheaper and DEFINITELY a LOT less hassle just to buy the LDW. Virtually eliminates the paperwork and hassle.
Originally Posted by
icurhere2
Not my rental car but my personal car. I bought a 2011 to promptly be rear-ended by someone who was getting an item off the floor of her SUV while driving. She was obviously cited by the police. Travelers (her company) is refusing to cover the rental replacement and even saying they aren't obligated to pay my medical bills
Her fault?! Oh, yes they are. Take 'em to court.