heffa

I've rented a car over the weekend. Today my wife [not a registered driver] took the car to buy some groceries and bumped a car in the back. I didn't buy any Hertz rental car insurance, but have an insurance on my home car and paid with a regular AMEX card.

I haven't called our insurance company yet, but what will happen to the Hertz car since she wasn't a registered driver? Over at AVIS, spouses and colleagues are allowed to drive the car, but I don't think Hertz has this rule, or?

heffa

Is this still true that a spouse is automatically authorized for #1 Club members?

nyisles16

Haven't worked for them in about a year.. but the rule is still in affect there as well.. Spouses are considered additional drivers without the need to be added on..


From the site as well..

https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/custo...qsRightNow.jsp

ernestb

As long as the person had your permission, your insurance rather its personal or credit card should be fine.. as I say.. "should be""

cordelli

my reading of the terms and conditions seems to show it depends on your status with them, if you rented through AAA or not, or what state you rented it in. Their terms for normal rentals are:

Authorized Operators

Acceptable Authorized Operators age 25 and older are automatically covered on the Rental Agreement.
Authorized Operators are:
- The employer, employee or fellow employee of renter on company business, (when booking includes company Corporate Discount Number).
- The renter's spouse for rentals that originate in California, Iowa, or New York.
- Authorized Operators do not have to be present at time of rental.
- There are no fees for Authorized Operators.

Which seems to indicate that spouses are only automatic in three states.

For status (assume this is for Gold and above):

How would I add an additional driver if I am a Gold Member?

Answer
If the person to be added on is your spouse, domestic partner or coworker, they are considered authorized operators and can operate the Hertz car without being added

I'm not so sure it's a slam dunk that she is considered an authorized driver, you may want to find that out.

richmo904

What if the spouse is less than 25 (and I'm gold?)

spades097

AAA members can add their spouse for free but a spouse is not an authorized operator. They are additional authorized operators and the difference is that additional drivers are added and authorized drivers are automatically included. So, in this case, if the OP is an AAA member but not a Gold member, then his wife was not authorized for this rental since he did not add her onto the rental at the counter.

----

If you're Gold and your spouse is under 25 then I believe they are covered as long as they are 21. Again, I believe so if this applies to you then call Hertz.

----

How bad was the damage?

heffa

Thanks for asking. The damage was minor and no one was hurt. However, even a minor damage can easily run into $500-1,000 per car. We'll see...

heffa

I cannot find this online. Is there a link available?

I can only find this link which states No additional driver charge for spouse or domestic partner. However, that doesn't mention if one needs to add the spouse beforehand, or not.

nyisles16

No, they do not need to be added to an account like other drivers need to be..

heffa

Any chance you have a link or similar on that?

littlevoices

You should;
1 - Find out (probably by calling the branch for a definative answer) if your spouse is classed as registered based on your status/rental etc
2 - Depending on this you may have to very seriously consider your story, and whether you should pay the guy you bumped outside of your insurance.

The damage may be negligible but;
1 - Hertz can charge you for 'loss of use' on the damaged car, which could add money to the amount, plus their fees can be high, as can the cost of the other injured party (especially if they discover whiplash!).

If your wife isn't an authorised driver....
2 - By letting someone drive a car when they may not be insured both you and your wife could theoretically have committed the criminal (I believe its criminal in the US, may be wrong) offence of driving without insurance. From your perspective you may have invalidated all insurance by letting someone else drive the car and so even your credit card insurance may be invalid.

I'd recommend this recent discussion;
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz...ental-car.html

Sorry to be so negative, but sometimes you need to be careful with a hire car and who you allow to drive... Though by the sounds if it being a spouse and a #1 member you should be ok.

3Cforme

This is sensationalism. The OP already noted he has insurance on his personal car. His wife will be covered from that policy.

spades097

Not necessarily. Technically, the terms of the rental were violated and some insurance companies may use that against you when filing a claim.

--

To the OP: It is hard to determine what kind of damage you have based on just a monetary amount. Is the damage only to the bumper? Is the bumper cracked?

cordelli

https://hertz.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/h...i=&p_topview=1

Which may or may not work. Click on reservations, then policies and when the search window comes up type in spouse (upper right of the screen) and it's one of the suggested questions.