When renting a car do you get the insurance?

[O RLY]

It does add up fast! Just curious if you always get it.

 

[amcnj]

Check with your auto insurer as well as credit card company to see what insurance coverage you might get through them before paying for any additional coverage.

 

[My3Princez]

I talked to our insurance agent before we rented a car last time. She said we were covered *except* that if something happened, the rental company could charge us for the lost rental days while a damaged rental car was unable to be rented. We were able to add coverage for that to our car insurance policy for about $4 a year. We did that, so now there is no benefit to getting the insurance from the car rental company at all.

 

[supersnoop]

Only when traveling internationally.

 

[Ranger111]

Nearly no standard coverage will cover you for the rental companies "loss of use." And, for what I have seen, they really value those cars quite highly when they "can't rent them out while they are being repaired." If you can get that coverage for an extra $4 per year, that is a great benefit.

 

[wishesuponastar]

When we might have needed a rental last month our insurance agent told us we don't need the additional insurance from rental place.

 

[My3Princez]

Nearly no standard coverage will cover you for the rental companies "loss of use." And, for what I have seen, they really value those cars quite highly when they "can't rent them out while they are being repaired." If you can get that coverage for an extra $4 per year, that is a great benefit.

That's what I thought too!

 

[Ranger111]

Those of you who think you are covered because you asked your insurance agent should check into My3Princez's comment about loss of use.

Fifteen years ago, my agent also assured me I was fully covered -- turned out I was, except for the "loss of use" issue. I happened to read something in Wall Street Journal about it and called my agent back a few months after he told me I was fine -- and I found out that no, I actually was not.

 

[richmo]

In most cases, your insurance company should cover it. But, two things: One is the loss of use mentioned a couple of times above. I had an accident with an Alamo car out in Nevada several years ago and my insurance company handled most of it. I did have to pay for a few days of "loss of use". I thought that was going to be a big problem, but I felt Alamo was very fair about it. I think they charged me for about 3 days and the rate they used was quite reasonable...less than a 3 day rental would have been. The other thing about using your own insurance company is that an accident with a rental does count when computing rates. Usually with one accident, that shouldn't be much of an issue, but if you have more than one in a given period, it could.

What I've done lately is use a program that American Express has where they charge about $30 per rental, regardless of the rental length, and they cover everything including loss of use. Unless your rental is only a day or two, it is much less expensive than the insurance offered by the rental agencies.

 

[eliza61]

What I've done lately is use a program that American Express has where they charge about $30 per rental, regardless of the rental length, and they cover everything including loss of use. Unless your rental is only a day or two, it is much less expensive than the insurance offered by the rental agencies.

I use my Amex every time.

 

[North of Mouse]

We are 100% covered by our own vehicle insurance.

 

[tvguy]

Nope. My credit card and my insurance cover me as long as the rental period is less than 15 consecutive days.
I have had a few agents try to scare me into their coverage. I used to work for Budget, I get it, they get a commission for selling the insurance. I keep a copy of the credit card FAQ on car rentals with my travel documents.
Their favorite lines usually are something about "not participating in that program". FAQ sheet says, if they take that credit card, they are participating. Or that I will have to pay for the damage up front and get my money back from the credit card company. FAQ sheet says they are forbidden from collecting any money from the customer for any damage, they must bill the credit card issuer directly.

 

[Ranger111]

Nope. My credit card and my insurance cover me as long as the rental period is less than 15 consecutive days.
I have had a few agents try to scare me into their coverage. I used to work for Budget, I get it, they get a commission for selling the insurance. I keep a copy of the credit card FAQ on car rentals with my travel documents.
Their favorite lines usually are something about "not participating in that program". FAQ sheet says, if they take that credit card, they are participating. Or that I will have to pay for the damage up front and get my money back from the credit card company. FAQ sheet says they are forbidden from collecting any money from the customer for any damage, they must bill the credit card issuer directly.

Those of you blithely stating you are covered better read your actual coverage and FIND where it says you are covered, because MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT COVERED FOR LOSS OF USE.
Actually, don't know why I care, no skin off me, no loss of bananas from my stash....
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/09/business/la-fi-lazarus-20120309

 

[georgina]

What I've done lately is use a program that American Express has where they charge about $30 per rental, regardless of the rental length, and they cover everything including loss of use. Unless your rental is only a day or two, it is much less expensive than the insurance offered by the rental agencies.

I use this too - American Express Premium car rental coverage. I have the lower amount, it charges me $19.99 per rental and is primary coverage, so an accident would not be reported to my insurance at all. Before I used that, I had a small accident on a rental and my regular ins co dropped us. It takes effect automatically when I use my AmEx to rent a car.

 

[tvguy]

Those of you blithely stating you are covered better read your actual coverage and FIND where it says you are covered, because MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT COVERED FOR LOSS OF USE.
Actually, don't know why I care, no skin off me, no loss of bananas from my stash....
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/09/business/la-fi-lazarus-20120309

Visa and MasterCard
Both Visa and MasterCard emphasize that their terms vary by issuing bank.Again, check with your particular card’s issuer before heading out on vacation.

Benefit Visa MasterCard
Offered on All cards Gold, Platinum, World, and World Elite
Rental Period 15 consecutive days domestic/31 abroad 31 consecutive days
Must decline rental insurance? Yes Yes
Vehicle Value Not specified <$50,000
Includes Physical damage, theft, loss of use* Physical damage, theft, loss of use*
Excludes Injury, property damage, taxes, damage to other vehicles, diminished value, tire wear and tear
Primary or Secondary? Secondary Secondary
Drivers Covered All authorized drivers
Vehicles excluded Expensive, exotic or antique cars, trucks, pickups, RV’s, motorcycles, ATV’s, limousines and certain vans
Excluded Countries Ireland, Northern Ireland, Israel, Jamaica Maybe Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Costa Rica, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico
Exclude SUVs/vans with more than 8 seats 10 seats
Max coverage Not specified $50,000
Max loss of use* Not specified $500
Report/file claim within 45 days 30 days
Source Visa Call to customer service
*In order to be compensated for loss of use, the rental company must prove that the fleet is “fully utilized.” Most rental agencies won’t bother, so your chances of getting this benefit aren’t very high.


http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-card-benefits/rental-car-insurance/

 

[ibob52]

I noticed ... AMEX Premium Car Rental Protection mentioned more than once.
So I looked it up online ... It Does Not Cover Liability (other persons car).
I would like to find a reasonably priced Car Rental Liability Plan.
(major car rental agencies charge $12 - $15 a day)
I get the Car Rental Collision Coverage thru my Visa Card (no extra cost).

 

[undertheradar]

Visa and MasterCard
Both Visa and MasterCard emphasize that their terms vary by issuing bank.Again, check with your particular card’s issuer before heading out on vacation.

Benefit Visa MasterCard
Offered on All cards Gold, Platinum, World, and World Elite
Rental Period 15 consecutive days domestic/31 abroad 31 consecutive days
Must decline rental insurance? Yes Yes
Vehicle Value Not specified <$50,000
Includes Physical damage, theft, loss of use* Physical damage, theft, loss of use*
Excludes Injury, property damage, taxes, damage to other vehicles, diminished value, tire wear and tear
Primary or Secondary? Secondary Secondary
Drivers Covered All authorized drivers
Vehicles excluded Expensive, exotic or antique cars, trucks, pickups, RV’s, motorcycles, ATV’s, limousines and certain vans
Excluded Countries Ireland, Northern Ireland, Israel, Jamaica Maybe Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Costa Rica, Israel, Jamaica, Mexico
Exclude SUVs/vans with more than 8 seats 10 seats
Max coverage Not specified $50,000
Max loss of use* Not specified $500
Report/file claim within 45 days 30 days
Source Visa Call to customer service
*In order to be compensated for loss of use, the rental company must prove that the fleet is “fully utilized.” Most rental agencies won’t bother, so your chances of getting this benefit aren’t very high.


http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-card-benefits/rental-car-insurance/[/QUOTE]

It is actually up to the rac if they take this "coverage." The so-called cc coverage requires the cardholder to provide all information requested in a timely manner. This was a tremendous issue for the rac companies, as some cardholders believed that they didn't have any obligation to cooperate with the cc company or the rac company.

As for loss of use, it is based upon fleet utilization. Wreck a 15 passenger van that has highest demand on weekends and tell the rac company that fleet utilization isn't high enough. The rac companies have started to take renters to small claims court to recoup lost revenue. While these coverages sound great, there really is no free coverage and the cardholder can be left with the entire bill if all information is not provided.

That clause about All Authorized Drivers is very important. That includes all of the listed drivers on the rental agreement. So if your 20 year old just runs to the store with the rental car and has a claim, if they are not a listed driver, the cc denies coverage.

You are much better off getting your information in writing from your insurance agent.

 

[dayvewc]

This is why I will never use Enterprise ever, ever, EVER again. Got manipulated into getting their coverage while my vehicle was in the shop being repaired. Found out later that I was covered under my regular insurance.

Now, when I travel and need to rent a car, I always call and double-check with my insurance company to verify that the policy still is in effect. All I've been informed that I need is the "loss of use" clause, so that is all I opt for.

 

[Pooh2]

We use our Sapphire card for car rentals. They now provide Primary rental car coverage.
We've encountered some pretty high pressure rental agents, trying to sell their insurance. The insurance is often more than the cost of the rental!

 

[wmson2000]

I never do the coverage.

Worst "strong arm" sales push for added coverage was from a Thrifty agent at MCO this past December. She kept pushing and saying it was a "new state law" requiring her to put the added coverage on the car - as someone else mentioned, the added coverage was more than the discount online car rental total fees!

My temper was starting to heat up (I've rented hundreds of cars for business travel and my BS meter was off the charts), I asked her to call a manager and she backed down saying that I could sign a waiver . . .

i was kind of freaked out. I photographed every inch of the car (dozens of time-stamped shots of every minor scuff) prior to driving off. I thought for sure they'd try to nail me later because of my vehement refusal of the coverage. No later problem though.