Originally Posted by
peegeenyc
Thanks - interesting, so you can accept the CDW, decline everything else they push, and then the insurance is with the rental company.
w regular rental cars, i just decline it all, and use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, which covers things pretty well, (& up to 31 days, which is longer than typical - I sometimes rent for a month in summer)
Right--what the rental company offers is not actually insurance (at least not the CDW they offer). It's a
waiver of financial responsibility for any damage you do to the vehicle. It's better than insurance. No paperwork to file, no claims to chase after, not disputes for administrative fees, loss-of-use, diminished value, etc. You just walk away basically and it's the rental company's problem to deal with.
Purchasing the CDW from the rental company is a
far better option than a 3rd party policy like what Priceline offers, and also still better than what Chase offers with their cards. Now normally, it's much more expensive than what you can get elsewhere (or free when comparing with your credit card coverage), but in NY, because it's capped, it's a much better deal, at least than almost any 3rd party coverage.