first time renting a car. get rental insurance?

[luv2liv]

first time renting a car and any advice you have would be great!
should i go with the local Enterprise car rental? or book online like hotwire.com?
they ask if i want rental insurance so i dont have to use my own car insurance and dont have to worry about deductibles or anything even if i totalled it! doesnt some credit card cover that if i put the credit card when renting a car? meaning i dont even have to worry about my own Geico car insurance.

update-> for whatever reason, rentalcars.com rates are almost half price of hotwire.com. rentalcars.com ratings is 1/10 on resellers while 7.8/10 on trustpilot.com. whats going on here?

 

[IronWing]

CC coverage varies. Read the policy slip if you were ever sent one by your CC company. If you have never received a piece of paper explaining the coverage, ask for one. For example, my CC coverage excludes all trucks, even pickups.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Never rented myself but I hear it's VERY good to get the insurance. But most importantly, drive it like it's stolen!

 

[IronWing]

Never rented myself but I hear it's VERY good to get the insurance. But most importantly, drive it like it's stolen!

Only if you get the insurance and only if you can afford to buy the car when the rental company finds evidence that you "drove it like you stole it". With GPS trackers and cameras everywhere and people posting stupid people tricks to youtube, it isn't a good idea.

 

[Humpy]

I rent 10 or 12 cars a year and never pay for the extra insurance.

My regular insurance completely covers rental cars. I don't really trust the coverage through credit cards but haven't looked into it much.

The risk seems to be timing. Apparently the rental company will immediately charge your card/bill you for damages and it is up to you to get reimbursed from your insurance company, or that's what I've been threatened with. I use an old low limit card specifically to thwart this issue.

Fuck rental car companies. They are the third or fourth most shady businesses to deal with so I don't want to pad their profits if I don't have to.

 

[SSSnail]

Between your own car insurance and the credit card you're using to book the rental, you shouldn't have to purchase rental insurance from the rental company. Of course check on the terms of your insurance and credit card companies to see what they will cover.

Now, don't drive it like you stole it, or treat the car any differently than your own. Why? Have some respect. Stay classy.

 

[luv2liv]

i just called my cc. she said anyone with capital one visa signature is covered. so its supplemental coverage. so say total damage is $2000. i have to pay my geico deductible of $500. then file a claim with visa benefits to get that $500 back or any fees.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

I rent 10 or 12 cars a year and never pay for the extra insurance.

My regular insurance completely covers rental cars. I don't really trust the coverage through credit cards but haven't looked into it much.

The risk seems to be timing. Apparently the rental company will immediately charge your card/bill you for damages and it is up to you to get reimbursed from your insurance company, or that's what I've been threatened with. I use an old low limit card specifically to thwart this issue.

Fuck rental car companies. They are the third or fourth most shady businesses to deal with so I don't want to pad their profits if I don't have to.

BINGO! and spot on.!!!!! Wife and I travel frequently, even globally. Why pay for an agents fee when what I have is 3 times better? And it's paid for.

 

[Exterous]

There are a few CCs out there that offer primary rental car coverage so you don't even need to let your auto insurance company know. The Chase Sapphire Preferred, MileagePlus, Fairmont and Diner's Club Premier come to mind.

You'll also want to pay closer attention if you are traveling abroad. Certain places like Ireland and Israel are often excluded from many rental coverages. You may also run into some regional complications. For example in Australia you are immediately charged a high deductible (~$3,000) to your card in the event of an accident. Depending on your situation you may want to get insurance to lower that to a more reasonable $200-300

 

[RossMAN]

While that's better coverage than nothing it's terrible compared to most premium credit cards such as the awesome Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve.

Also check out costcotravel.com assuming you're a member, their rates are usually the lowest.

I never purchase the rental insurance, I pay using a premium credit card which offers PRIMARY (instead of secondary) and optional loss of use insurance ($5/mo) from my home/auto insurance company.

 

[tynopik]

not directly related, but was renting a moving truck and after some hemming and hawing bought the liability waiver as it was bigger than anything I'd ever driven before

going down the interstate in broad daylight and a deer darts across and jumps straight into me

brought the truck in, pointed out the damage and that was it, no hassle, definitely worth it that time

only time i've ever hit a deer and only time i've ever bought the liability waiver, the odds that those 2 events would coincide is incredibly remote

if you're ever going to hit a deer, that's definitely the way to do it

 

[BarkingGhostar]

first time renting a car and any advice you have would be great!
should i go with the local Enterprise car rental? or book online like hotwire.com?
they ask if i want rental insurance so i dont have to use my own car insurance and dont have to worry about deductibles or anything even if i totalled it! doesnt some credit card cover that if i put the credit card when renting a car? meaning i dont even have to worry about my own Geico car insurance.

update-> for whatever reason, rentalcars.com rates are almost half price of hotwire.com. rentalcars.com ratings is 1/10 on resellers while 7.8/10 on trustpilot.com. whats going on here?

The one thing I can say is that by going with the rental agency's insurance you can ignore any aspect of damage. Back in 2012 I rented from Hertz out of the Orlando airport and during the four days I had the full size SUV it sustained about $3-4K worth of body damage from the fly-by-nighters that couldn't care about other people's vehicles. When I turned in the vehicle they said nothing and didn't even pause in closing out my ticket. Wife and I laughed, got on the plane and went home. I think we paid something like $15-20/day, but considering the deductible, hassle with our own auto insurance or whatever the CC offered, etc., it was money worth spending to us.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Having worked for a rental car company I can tell you with absolute certainty that it is a game of risk assessment but that fee is an upsell and basically pure profit. By the way, you should read the contract well because it may just cover what your insurance won't.

I never opt for the insurance personally.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Having worked for a rental car company I can tell you with absolute certainty that it is a game of risk assessment but that fee is an upsell and basically pure profit. By the way, you should read the contract well because it may just cover what your insurance won't.

I never opt for the insurance personally.

In my case I won.

 

[Kaido]

See if your insurance has any discount rates; mine knocked $100 my last rental. I always just go with my regular insurance instead of paying for theirs. Shopped around a bit, prices were all over the map; ended up going with Avis - was going to get a sedan, but they had a Mustang for $8 less, it was a blast!!

 

[pcgeek11]

What you really have to worry about is if the Rental Company charges you for lack of use while the car is being repaired. Your insurance may cover the damage, but I doubt they will cover the lack of use to the rental company.

Some have been hosed by this little trick.

 

[luv2liv]

What you really have to worry about is if the Rental Company charges you for lack of use while the car is being repaired. Your insurance may cover the damage, but I doubt they will cover the lack of use to the rental company.

Some have been hosed by this little trick.

wow! thats really sneaky.
and i didnt know about the sapphire card. will have to check that out. thanks!

 

[RossMAN]

wow! thats really sneaky.
and i didnt know about the sapphire card. will have to check that out. thanks!

Just make sure to choose the correct one for your needs/spending habits. Don't let the CSR (Chase Sapphire Reserve) high annual feel scare you away because it offers A LOT:
http://thepointsguy.com/2016/08/chase-sapphire-preferred-vs-chase-sapphire-reserve/

Do you already have a Chase Freedom credit card?

 

[pete6032]

Never rented myself

I can see you are highly qualified to answer this man's question...

 

[JulesMaximus]

By the way, laws vary from state to state too so what you're on the hook for in one state might not be the same if you rent a car in a different state.

 

[luv2liv]

Do you already have a Chase Freedom credit card?

yes. i have the chase freedom visa signature. theres no annual fees.

 

[Bardock]

Last time I rented I used hotwire and declined the insurance and relied on my auto policy coverage which covers renting a car. Everything was cool, never been in an incident with a rental and I take pics of everything before accepting the keys. That way I have time stamped proof of any damage already on the vehicle so they don't say I did it and charge me, that's another of their tricks.

 

[Linux23]

$450 annual fee for the reserve card?

I could see that being a great business account card though as it offers really great benefits.

 

[RossMAN]

yes. i have the chase freedom visa signature. theres no annual fees.

Good. If you decide to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred (50,000 points) or Reserve (100,000 points) your existing points will suddenly become a lot more valuable and flexible.

http://milecards.com/1588420932/how...nts-to-your-chase-sapphire-or-spouse-account/

Back to rental insurance via credit card, here are some links that might help:
http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/car-rental-insurance-coverage-1273.php

Chase guide to benefits (48 pages - suggest CTRL F for rental or insurance)
https://www.chasebenefits.com/sapphireVW15

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2016/08/03/chase-sapphire-preferred-car-rental-insurance/

http://thepointsguy.com/2015/08/lesser-known-sapphire-benefits/

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/five-reasons-to-get-the-chase-sapphire-preferred-card/

http://milecards.com/2063/chase-sapphire-preferred-full-benefits-guide/

OK back to credit cards for a minute. If you're seriously considering applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred I would also consider the Reserve if you can stomach the $450/annual fee which is really only $150 after you factor in the $300 annual travel credit which covers all purchases coded as travel such as local bus transit, AirBNB, Uber, parking, etc.
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/300-chase-sapphire-reserve-travel-credit-work-triggers/

 

[luv2liv]

looks like Costco visa card for costco member does travel protection and much more too.
not bad for $55 membership
https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-cards/costco-anywhere-visa-frequently-asked-questions/