BAEC/AVIS Car Hire
 

Please move if this is better answered elsewhere.

We booked our flights from ABZ to JNB and rtn for April/May 2018 (2-4-1 in CW). :D
A few months later we booked car hire with Avis through BAEC. After finding out the cost of "Super waiver for collision and theft" with Avis £225 for 22 days, I looked at other options. I have seen Insurance4carhire mentioned on this forum and the cost would be £59.99. Huge difference.

What I'd like to know, has anyone used Insurance4carhire and if they had to make a claim, especially whilst hiring in RSA, how "easy" was the process and would anyone recommend them?
Many thanks for any help.

You'll have to pay the excess out of your own pocket then claim it back from the Insurance4carhire, from what I heard process is painless and pretty straightforward.

Consider getting the Amex Travel insurance, which covers the car hire - single trip is likely to cost you around £100-200 depending where you go, plus it includes a generous travel inconvenience and medical insurances. Other options include getting the Amex Platinum which has this travel insurance included in the yearly fee.

I vowed recently always to take out the rental company's own policy, specifically to NOT have to pay out then claim back. I know it's more expensive in most cases, but I hear a few dodgy stories depending on who else you use. In particular I heard that the add ons you can buy through rentalcars.com are a real pain to claim back from and they actively make it tough for you.

I was actually told this on the quiet at an airport counter earlier this year, by someone who wouldn't have benefitted directly from any sort of upsell or anything like that - just friendly advice. I was midway through picking up my car at the time so I phoned rentalcars, cancelled the excess I'd prepaid with them, and then paid pretty much the same amount direct to the car hire firm.

At the end of the day I am travelling for fun when I hire a car, probably with wife and young son in tow, and I just want the least hassle / most peace of mind.

I've also had a prang in LA (entirely other driver's fault) which could have been potentially nasty, and I was so glad I had full CDW.

Sometimes just pay the toll I say.

I will have to use my cover with Insurance4carhire soon as we had a smash and grab at an outlet mall in Livermore, CA on our Avis hire car. I can let you know how it goes once i hear back from Avis and then have to deal with claiming back the money if you wish?

I claimed £250 back from my Amex Platinum card in May after paying the same to Avis.

A wheelie bin viciously attacked my wing mirror in Montenegro.

The claim, paperwork and settlement time through Axa was excellent.

I've had good experiences with Questor for this sort of insurance. There are a few cashback/voucher code deals kicking around for it too. Around £50 for a year for two principle drivers (and up to 4 extra drivers).

That would be great if you could do that. Hope it all goes well.
Many thanks offshore_bob.

I have been using icarhireinsurance.com for years after I read positive articles in Which magazine and the Guardian. I don't think you have much to worry about, these insurance providers are highly regulated in the UK.

It's also simple maths - if I had purchased Avis's own policy then over the years that would be £1000's. So even if I had an accident without any extra insurance (Avis or 3rd party), I would still save £1000's (as the saving on not buying "Super waiver for collision" > maximum excess in case of an accident).

And with 3rd party insurance like icarhireinsurance.com, this is a no brainier. I would never ever buy insurance from a rental company.

I think you're nuts. But each to his own ...

I too have a policy with Questor, for 3 years now, fortunately never yet had to make a claim!

signol

Likewise. Paid £60 p.a. last December and will be renewing this December. Insurer is Allianz.

Sad to hear that about Livermore, what did you leave visible to temp the a.....e?

The hire car had Washington plates, suitcases were visible in the boot as we were driving up to Tahoe and hire car companies don't seem to provide the boot coverings anymore (why is that??). They took my backpack which was hidden under a coat and hoody on the back seat. So it was obvious there was possibly stuff to readily steal from the car.

We were told we were one of 5 cars broken into that day at that mall, all tourists, and the Oakland Avis crew knew exactly where were we'd come from with a smashed back window as they said they said they'd seen it a few times from that area. No one thought to tell us when picking up the car tho!

I completely disagree :D

The math is simple: at an average cost of £22 for each of my 50-odd rental days in 2017, Avis/Hertz excess reduction would have cost me over £1k. The excess chargeable on the mid-range vehicles I usually hire is £1k. So even by self-insuring, I am ahead. However, I have also hedged any residual risk by taking out an annual excess reduction policy for £37.99 with its own £75 excess...

Even if I do have a claim and they're a mare to deal with, I'm not really any worse off :)

Commiserations on the experience. Sorry it is a bit late to share the following.

I was really paranoid the first time I got an SUV and it came with no cover. I went and bought a piece of black fabric which covers the luggage area and makes it very difficult to see if there is anything in there through the windows. It is a pain to have to remember to take it with me and it takes up space.

My guess is the covers get damaged relatively easily and the hire cos just don't bother to replace them.