Please help me with car rental insurance?

[adamak]

OK, I read and read. Still very confused. Will someone please explain to me....

Looking to rent cars in Maui / Hawaii. I have no auto insurance (don't own car now). Have Discover Platinum and AE. Credit card insurance says they cover "actual cash value of car as it was originally manufactured". So I assume I can deny rental car's insurance.

But, in real life, is the credit card's insurance really the same as LDW or CDW? Not to mention, it's about $20 extra each day. This really adds up.

And, I read that rental insurance will only cover the car you rent, and not the other cars / people you hit. So what should I do to get peace in mind?

I'm asking because Hawaii requires you to pay for damages before you leave, regardless whose fault it is. This just adds to paranoia.

Thanks.

 

[ByTheSea]

if it only covers the car, (collision coverage) then you may need to pick up Liability for injuries (self and others)

You may want to call your credit card to verify - but if you don't have car insurance it may be worth it for the peace of mind?

 

[Eeyore1954]

Since you have no personal auto insurance, you would do well to purchase CDW and LDW from the rental company.

 

[Hillbeans]

Probably a good idea to consider car insurance esp. in Hawaii where everything is so much higher priced.

I never bothered with auto insurance, but on our last trip my DH broke our convertible window after having the car for 20 minutes. Thank god they only charged us $470 to fix it. The glass alone (I priced it out) cost over $800 retail.

Check out your CC, some have insurance and some don't.

 

[ChristmasElf]

When we were in Hawaii, I was surprised at the number of people who didn't rent cars while there.
We did as we were there for a month long visit, and I then realized why people didn't rent cars!
Parking is at a premium! Valet is very expensive and you could take the bus around the entire island for $1.00!

We rented using an Amex card and had no problems though.

HTH!