Originally Posted by
peterfluke
I'm curious about the collision damage waiver or loss damage waiver specifics. What exactly does it cover, and are there any exceptions? I'm planning to rent a car in Boston and want to understand these details
Welcome to FlyerTalk!
If you check on the website of various rental-car companies, you will see each company's version of CDW/LDW, the applicable exclusions, and the cost. Most companies offer a waiver of all loss or damage to the rented vehicle; some offer a choice of options, some of which might hold you responsible for some part of the loss or damage.
Many U.S.-issued credit cards offer free LDW for rentals charged to the card. In many cases, this coverage is "secondary" to any collectable other insurance you may, such as your personal auto-insurance policy, if it covers rental-car loss/damage. Some premium credit cards offer "primary" LDW coverage, so that you would not have to file a claim with your personal auto-insurance carrier in the event of rental-car loss/damage. In addition, if you hold any U.S.-issued American Express card, you can sign up for the Amex Premium car-rental insurance. For a modest flat fee, you get primary LDW coverage for a rental of up to 42 consecutive days. If you do not own a car and do not otherwise have insurance which covers you when driving rental cars, then even the free "secondary" LDW coverage provided by many credit cards would effectively be primary coverage for you, since you would not have any other collectable insurance.
CDW/LDW does NOT provide any third-party liability insurance, meaning that if you kill or injure someone else, or damage someone else's property (another car, a fence, a plate-glass window), you won't be covered for that by CDW/LDW. If you own a car, your personal insurance might cover you for third-party liability when driving a rental.
If you do not own a car and want third-party liability coverage, you can either buy it from the car-rental company at their daily rate, or purchase a personal, non-owner auto insurance policy from an insurance company. Mine is issued by Travelers Insurance.
I will alert a Moderator and request that this thread be moved to the "Rental Car Discussion" sub-forum; it really does not belong in the "Mileage Run Discussion" sub-forum.