Rental Insurance: Myth or Fact?
Apr 25, 2012, 7:28 am
#31
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: RDU
Posts: 389
[QUOTE=ryandelmundo;18452671] or someone mentioned a $25 per rental from AMEX. QUOTE]
The AmEx per-rental coverage is good ($75k collision, $75k AD&D, $2k per person property, $7.5k per person excess medical) for $19.95. The failing is that it only covers the car and those in it, so it doesn't cover damage to other parties, eg: damage to another car in an at-fault accident, or medical payments to a pedestrian if you hit them.
The AmEx per-rental coverage is good ($75k collision, $75k AD&D, $2k per person property, $7.5k per person excess medical) for $19.95. The failing is that it only covers the car and those in it, so it doesn't cover damage to other parties, eg: damage to another car in an at-fault accident, or medical payments to a pedestrian if you hit them.
Apr 25, 2012, 8:08 am
#32
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 4,396
[QUOTE=HookemHorns;18457846]
Correct, so you'd still need to get non-owner's liability insurance from a provider like Traveler's or Geico.
or someone mentioned a $25 per rental from AMEX. QUOTE]
The AmEx per-rental coverage is good ($75k collision, $75k AD&D, $2k per person property, $7.5k per person excess medical) for $19.95. The failing is that it only covers the car and those in it, so it doesn't cover damage to other parties, eg: damage to another car in an at-fault accident, or medical payments to a pedestrian if you hit them.
The AmEx per-rental coverage is good ($75k collision, $75k AD&D, $2k per person property, $7.5k per person excess medical) for $19.95. The failing is that it only covers the car and those in it, so it doesn't cover damage to other parties, eg: damage to another car in an at-fault accident, or medical payments to a pedestrian if you hit them.
Apr 25, 2012, 11:32 pm
#33
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Bali, Indonesia
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[QUOTE=drzoidberg;18458073]
Good to know. Seems impossible to use just a credit card for rentals if you have no insurance at all. I wonder how many folks understand that? We all tend to believe what we want, and the CC's like to say, "Use our card get covered on your rental."
There have to be some stories out there of bad things happening...anyone heard any? Or does just about everyone have car insurance anyway?
There have to be some stories out there of bad things happening...anyone heard any? Or does just about everyone have car insurance anyway?
Apr 26, 2012, 3:01 pm
#34
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Seems impossible to use just a credit card for rentals if you have no insurance at all. I wonder how many folks understand that? We all tend to believe what we want, and the CC's like to say, "Use our card get covered on your rental."
There have to be some stories out there of bad things happening...anyone heard any? Or does just about everyone have car insurance anyway?
There have to be some stories out there of bad things happening...anyone heard any? Or does just about everyone have car insurance anyway?
Whether you use the credit card for collision and/or theft only (which is all they cover) is completely independent of how you solve or dont' solve the other types of coverage.
See, there is no difference between using a credit card for collison and/or theft coverage only, and paying the rental car company for collsion and/or theft coverage only. Either way, you are either covered for liability (because liability is always included in that country), or you are not covered for liability. But whether you used your card for collision/theft doesn't affect whether you're covered for liability.
When I rent in other countries (than my home country of USA), liability is often shown as "not available", which presumably means it's included by law or something like that. If you're based in Indonesia, I don't know, however, if it works the same for you went you rent in the USA. (As someone based in the USA, when I rent in the USA, liability is something I've declined, because it's covered my auto insurance company. If, based in the USA, I didn't have car insurance, say because I lived and worked in a city with real public transportation and astronomical parking rates, then I couldn't decline liability on rentals in the USA.
It may, further, depend on which Avis site you book at. It's been explained in other threads that booking a rental in Ireland on avis.com (the USA site) doesn't include most insurance, booking the same rental in Ireland on avis.ie (the Irish site) often includes all insurance and yet may even cost less.
Finally, in case you're not aware, many people who do have insurance, still don't have coverage outside their own country or region! My car insurance covers me in USA/Canada and I think maybe Mexico too, but it does not cover me on any other contienents. I suspect a lot of people have insurance with such limitations. (At my insurance company, I'd have to add homeowner or renter insurance, and then once I had two types of insurance with the same company, I could add a "global rider" which would extend my car insurance overseas. But I can't do that without buying two types of insurance from my insurance company!)
Apr 26, 2012, 7:26 pm
#35
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"If, based in the USA, I didn't have car insurance, say because I lived and worked in a city with real public transportation and astronomical parking rates, then I couldn't decline liability on rentals in the USA."
Sure you could, as long as you were renting in a state other than California. It might not be prudent to do so, especially if you had substantial assets, because the minimum state liability coverage that the car-rental companies provide in every state other than California is paltry. (In California, it's zero.) But I'm sure that plenty of people without insurance decline the SLI coverage everyday.
"If, based in the USA, I didn't have car insurance, say because I lived and worked in a city with real public transportation and astronomical parking rates, then I couldn't decline liability on rentals in the USA."
Sure you could, as long as you were renting in a state other than California. It might not be prudent to do so, especially if you had substantial assets, because the minimum state liability coverage that the car-rental companies provide in every state other than California is paltry. (In California, it's zero.) But I'm sure that plenty of people without insurance decline the SLI coverage everyday.
Apr 28, 2012, 10:34 am
#36
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[SIZE=1]"If, based in the USA, I didn't have car insurance, say because I lived and worked in a city with real public transportation and astronomical parking rates, then I couldn't decline liability on rentals in the USA."
Sure you could, as long as you were renting in a state other than California. It might not be prudent to do so, especially if you had substantial assets, because the minimum state liability coverage that the car-rental companies provide in every state other than California is paltry. (In California, it's zero.) But I'm sure that plenty of people without insurance decline the SLI coverage everyday.
Sure you could, as long as you were renting in a state other than California. It might not be prudent to do so, especially if you had substantial assets, because the minimum state liability coverage that the car-rental companies provide in every state other than California is paltry. (In California, it's zero.) But I'm sure that plenty of people without insurance decline the SLI coverage everyday.