Rental Car options - do you purchase?

[mdurette]

I secured my parents a week with an AC. My brother used points for their flights. So far...nice cost effective vacation for them.

They told me today that they rented a compact for about $750 for the week. WHAT? I previously told them Budget was the cheapest for a small SUV, just under $400 for the week.

1. They didn't want the small SUV because mom is use to driving a sedan. Ok, but you drive dad's truck?
2. They purchased $25 per day insurance.
3. They purchased $10 per day for extra driver, just in case.

I'm curious about the insurance. I never purchased in the past and no my Chase card offers, so I have never looked into. Mom states she called her insurance agent that said damage is covered, but if the car is in the shop for the damage the rental agency will charge them per day the car is in the shop because they can't rent. She said my brother once got stuck with over $600 for a fender bender with a car for this reason.

Do those of you without coverage via a credit card purchase the insurance??????

 

[Luanne]

We don't get ANY extras. We have a portable GPS we bring, or we just use our phones. We rent through Costco or AutoSlash and the second driver is free. We don't pay for insurance as it's covered by our credit card. And even if it's not covered through a credit card you might be covered under your own auto insurance. Yes, it some, or most instances, you may have to pay up front for the damage, but you should be reimbursed. That was our experience when renting in Canada and having a minor scrape.

 

[Rolltydr]

I secured my parents a week with an AC. My brother used points for their flights. So far...nice cost effective vacation for them.

They told me today that they rented a compact for about $750 for the week. WHAT? I previously told them Budget was the cheapest for a small SUV, just under $400 for the week.

1. They didn't want the small SUV because mom is use to driving a sedan. Ok, but you drive dad's truck?
2. They purchased $25 per day insurance.
3. They purchased $10 per day for extra driver, just in case.

I'm curious about the insurance. I never purchased in the past and no my Chase card offers, so I have never looked into. Mom states she called her insurance agent that said damage is covered, but if the car is in the shop for the damage the rental agency will charge them per day the car is in the shop because they can't rent. She said my brother once got stuck with over $600 for a fender bender with a car for this reason.

Do those of you without coverage via a credit card purchase the insurance??????

No, it is covered in my policy. If I want a more expensive option, I pay the difference.

 

[Synergy]

We have primary coverage through our chase card, so it shouldn't even go to our auto insurance unless there is liability involved. Back before that, we had our auto insurance plus the secondary coverage that comes with most travel credit cards. Before we knew much about credit cards, we used USAA which at the time had insurance included rates for about $5 extra per day, and also included an extra driver for free. I believe Priceline offers their coverage at less than $10 extra per day, which is almost always going to be cheaper than through the agency. You can get a third party rental insurance for a lot less than $175, I'm sure.

Costco usually has very good rates plus the extra driver is free.

If their rate is cancelable - many/most are - feel free to message me and I'll take a look. I'm pretty good at this stuff and kind of enjoy sticking it to companies that take advantage of folks' fears.

 

[SteelerGal]

I have and will depending on the car I am renting. I worked for Enterprise early in my career. You buy their damage insurance, you walk away. No claiming w/ your insurance, etc. Check w/ your insurance and confirm what will they cover, is it just the deductible but what if the accident was your fault? And what if someone is injured? Just questions you should ask when deciding to take or not.

 

[dioxide45]

Years ago my wife helped her aunt book a car rental in Florida, through Costco. She told her not to add anything extra at the counter, decline all insurance and use her credit card to pay for it. Well, sure enough the aunts son was with her and talked her into upgrading and then they added the insurance. So they paid over twice what the original booking was for. He wasn't paying, so he didn't care. You can't help some people.

 

[sjsharkie]

I used to rent cars a lot -- so I can tell you that loss of use (annoyingly) is sometimes not covered.

1. However, sometimes your insurance will negotiate with the car rental company if your own insurance is covering. YMMV if they are able to get this waived or negotiated down if an accident occurs -- at the time, mine did not cover it.
2. Some credit cards will cover loss of use. My visa saved the day in the hit and run accident while car was parked in my driveway 10 years ago. It covered loss of use and the deductible as secondary coverage. (There are a handful of cards that provide primary coverage).
3. I did see the bill from National -- it was about $200 for loss of use of the rental car damaged. My experience is that the car rental company will negotiate to collect stuff faster on loss of use. I had a friend who was also a heavy renter who did not have personal insurance. He said the credit card company would not cover the loss of use claim, but he negotiated from $300 to $150 on the loss of use. Of course, YMMV.
4. You do need extra driver coverage if someone else is driving. However, Costco provides free extra driver with their rentals. And certain rental companies preferred services (Avis Preferred which is free to join AFAIK) allows spouse to drive free without adding extra driver (but check your agreement to be sure) in the US.

I also assume this is in the USA. If it is out of country, you will need to check your coverage to ensure you are covered. I never buy anything extra in the USA. In Mexico, I will usually buy the liability insurance from the rental car company ahead of time so I know what the fees are going to be all in. Good luck (and as a side note, I also have to give specific instructions to my parents on what to do when renting a car or they end up buying a lot of other stuff.

-ryan

 

[easyrider]

I use my Amex card with enhanced coverage to cover the car when in Mexico. Third party liability is often included in the rate in mexico but sometimes it isn't so I check and usually find a rate that includes the third party liability. The problem with buying CDW in Mexico is the deductible. There is no deductible with Amex.

In the USA and Canada my auto policy covers everything that my Visa card doesn't. The only reason for us to buy any insurance when renting a car in the USA is for something like an off road vehicle or golf cart.

Bill

 

[DaveNV]

I have nothing to add, except: OMFG!!! That is outrageous.

Dave

 

[ski_sierra]

So they paid over twice what the original booking was for. You can't help some people.

This. Very well said.

 

[goaliedave]

45 years travelling the globe, often by myself ... never bought rental car, travel or health insurance.

I don't own a car or premium credt card so no coverage there either. Retired 8 years so no health coverage through work.

However i do sell life, health, home, auto, etc insurance.

Sent from my SM-A505G using Tapatalk

 

["Roger"]

To the OP ...

Won't help your parents, but I pay $20 per car rental to make American Express my primary coverage on a rental. Would save a lot of headaches if the car does get damaged. Also, my home car insurance would not go up (presuming I am not ticketed) if I damage the rental car.

More relevant to your parent's situation, I believe that most car rentals allow a spouse to be an extra driver without the need to pay the $10. You should check on that.

 

[MULTIZ321]

To the OP ...

Won't help your parents, but I pay $20 per car rental to make American Express my primary coverage on a rental. Would save a lot of headaches if the car does get damaged. Also, my home car insurance would not go up (presuming I am not ticketed) if I damage the rental car.

More relevant to your parent's situation, I believe that most car rentals allow a spouse to be an extra driver without the need to pay the $10. You should check on that.

+1 on American. Express Car Rental Insurance.

Richard

 

[dgalati]

I secured my parents a week with an AC. My brother used points for their flights. So far...nice cost effective vacation for them.

They told me today that they rented a compact for about $750 for the week. WHAT? I previously told them Budget was the cheapest for a small SUV, just under $400 for the week.

1. They didn't want the small SUV because mom is use to driving a sedan. Ok, but you drive dad's truck?
2. They purchased $25 per day insurance.
3. They purchased $10 per day for extra driver, just in case.

I'm curious about the insurance. I never purchased in the past and no my Chase card offers, so I have never looked into. Mom states she called her insurance agent that said damage is covered, but if the car is in the shop for the damage the rental agency will charge them per day the car is in the shop because they can't rent. She said my brother once got stuck with over $600 for a fender bender with a car for this reason.

Do those of you without coverage via a credit card purchase the insurance??????

I compare the rental car upsells to the timeshare sales sharks. The upsell is where they make more then the rental price. Set them up with a Budget fastbreak account and use Costco travel when booking rental car. Costco gives you a free additional driver when booking with them Fastbreak eliminates standing inline and being subjected to the upsell.

 

[WinniWoman]

The only time we ever did was in Scotland No necessary here in the USA.

 

[LannyPC]

I compare the rental car upsells to the timeshare sales sharks.

I sort of do too, although I would more closely compare the rental car up-sell to buying an appliance (fridge, stove, etc.) or TV with the sales people trying hard to sell you on extended warranties. As with the sales of appliances and TVs, the profit margin for basic rental cars is razor thin. So the sellers try to make their profits through all these added extra peace-of-mind insurances.

They like to use scare tactics such as "Your credit card (or car insurance at home) won't cover you if... and you will be required to pay..." or "Your credit card coverage won't kick in until...and you will be required to pay... and you will have to apply to your credit card provider who may or may not reimburse you."

 

[bnoble]

I would pass on the insurance provided they (a) have decent auto insurance already and (b) are reasonably competent drivers. Formally allowing a second driver sounds like a good idea, if only for peace of mind. There may be cheaper ways than paying Budget to do that, though. Fore example, I can use my employer's negotiated rate for personal rentals, and that rate comps extra drivers in the immediate family over some threshold age. Even though it is sometimes not the rock-bottom possible rate, I will still often use it.

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

Since I am a truck driver, I rent from Enterprise monthly since their office is less than a few miles from my company terminal. I never took the insurance, and as luck would have it, someone hit the rental in the rear quarter panel and drove off in my apartment complex's parking lot. Since the paint was not scratched, I can't tell if a resident did it. I talked to my insurance, and since they said I had $500 deductible collision, that is what I had to pay. I don't have a credit card, so that was my only option. Just to be on the safe side, I asked a personal injury attorney, he said there's nothing I could do since I don't have the other person's info.

So, get the insurance UNLESS you have a low-enough deductible that you can cover on the spot, or your credit card will cover it. It is just like any other insurance you see every day, thousands pay it so that if one person gets in an accident, it will be covered.

TS