Arrive in Florence May 24th. Have reserved Alfa Romeeo 159 wagon for ten days for $1018. Will leave car and depart from Rome airport June 3rd.

The French website does not show the exact car but they show a Lancia Lybra Estate wagon for 485.04 Eur. They show a Ford Focus Estate wagon for 502 EUR. All cars are midsize wagons. Appears to be much cheaper than going through USA website.

Has anybody used the French website before? I don't speak French so having problem comparing terms. Were the terms the same? Any problems? Concerns I should have? Insurance coverages the same?

Thanks.

Hi P,

If you get a better rate on the French website, take it.

The terms are the same.

Call AE in the US and find out the English-speaking help number from Italy.

How does the insurance coverage get factored in. I went to the French site and it shows only the inclusive rate which is much better than even the basic rate I found on the US site of autoeurope. I also like the car selection better. I wonder if the assumption is that your personal car insurance covers any damage.

Any comments from people who rent through any of the European sites for AutoEurope and live in the US

thanks, Deborah

I live in the U.K. and have used the U.K. Autoeurope site to hire cars in Spain. There is no option about insurance - the rate is inclusive. i once had a problem with a broken mirror glass and it was simply replaced without charge while I waited.

I cannot understand this insurance coverage through one's credit card. The profit that the card company makes on a transaction is way less than would be charged for insurance, so how can they afford to do it? There is also no way that my private car insurance would pay for the coverage on a hire car.

I do wonder if U.S.hirers are simply charged the usual rate. They are led to believe that they are getting a better deal by not taking the insurance, but the company covers itself against any possible loss by simply charging more.

I wish I could figure out the insurance issues. Currently I am looking for an 18 day rental in Spain. The following rates I found on various autoeurope site with the same day and place pick up for the same category of cars:

on France site a Clio was 437 euros all inclusive

on Spain site an Ibiza was 499 or 529 euros all inclusive, the more expensive said con devolucion de la franquicia, which I thought might be a free upgrade

on the US an Ibiza was $693 basic and $923 inclusive or for an Opal was $699 basic/ $1015 inclusive

This is quite a price difference and the car choices vary with France giving the most offers in budget category.

I've always gone through the US site for Autoeurope but this might be a good time to consider the European sites and save some money.

I want to be sure I'll have insurance whether through the credit card I use or through the rental because it is inclusive.

Is it inclusive because the renter is assumed to be from the EU???

thanks for any help. Deborah

When choosing inclusive, make sure that there is no high deductible.

I live in France and use the French AutoEurope site, although the first time I didn't notice the differences and used the US site. However, several of my colleagues in France use the Spanish AutoEurope site because it comes out a little cheaper than the French site (and I am talking about rentals completely in France!). In fact, it was by phoning AutoEurope France (which doesn't really exist -- it is based in Dusseldorf) that they were told by AutoEurope staff to use the Spanish or Belgian sites to make the rates go down. I just don't rent cars long enough to need to save an extra 10€, but I am probably wrong not to take advantage of it.

Legally, you are allowed to use any AutoEurope site that you want in Europe due to the 'unified market' law in the EU. Rates may vary depending on the country, but the customer has the right to choose the cheapest one he finds.

The different AutoEurope sites are in different languages obviously, but they are all set up identically, so if you have navigated the site in English, you can navigate it no matter what the language.

Has anyone rented through any of the EU sites of Autoeruope and not been an EU country resident?

Does this seem like a logical way to cut $300+ off travel expenses?

Thanks, Deborah

I'm curious, Philip.

How does citizenship factor in here? I've never been asked for passport or any other proof of citizenship when renting a car.

Drivers license, yes, but one need not be a citizen of a country to have a DL.

ttt

Fascinating discovery. I have always gone to the main NA site and changed "country of residence" from USA to Canada.

Today, I went onto the France site (autoeurope.fr) and did not correct the country of residence.

On the NA/ Canadian site, I was able to get a car pickup near the Vatican (This is a Hertz office on v. Gregorio VIIo -- we rented there in 2005).

No such location appears on the France site. I noticed that several other downtown locations, available to Canadians, are likewise unavailable to users of the France site.

In other words, companies like Hertz seem to have different arrangements with different branches of AutoEurope (assuming AutoEurope even has branches).

If you make place of residence "Belgium", you DO seem to get some very low prices!

Hi all,

>How does the insurance coverage get factored in?

All AE rentals are "inclusive" - they come with CDW and a deductible.

For an extra fee (about $20) per day you can buy Super CDW with almost no deductible.

However, in the US CC companies offer free collision insurance with zero deductible.

Check with your CC provider for what is and isn't covered.

If you have collision insurance on your card, you ** must ** decline the CDW.

Having done that, your CC will be charged a deposit.

If there is damage to the car, your CC will be billed the damage.

You then take the matter up with your CC provider.

They will put a hold on the damage claim, process the paperwork through a real insurance company and reimburse you for the loss.

>I cannot understand this insurance coverage through one's credit card.

CDW through the rental car company is extremely high. Any insurance company can make money by providing a blanket rate to the CC companies.

There are different rates on different country websites because each market has its own peculiarities.

The US site is almost always more expensive than the European sites.

Hope this helps.

Ira, if the rate is inclusive, as quote on autoeurope fr and es, how can you refuse the coverage offered to use your cc coverage, or should I not want to use what is offered?

Philip, I hope this is helping answer your question, I'm still trying to muddle through all the ins and outs of rental insurance

thanks, Deborah

Hi DA,

I called both the CC companies and the rental agencies each time I rented cars through AE.

CC co. says "Decline the CDW" if you want zero-deductible coverage.

Rental co says, "If you decline the CDW, you won't get a reduction in cost".

The voucher that you get from AE is not the rental contract.

You get that when you pick up the car.

Tell the rental agency that you wish to decline the CDW when you get the car.

There will be places on the contract to initial.

Hi P,

A note on the insurance.

Italy requires CDW.

It also requires an International Driver's Permit.

Ira, sorry to keep belaboring this insurance thing but I appreciate your help in clearing some points for me.

I am confused between rates that basic and inclusive, we always take basic coverage when we rent and use the cc for insurance. So we don't choose inclusive. What if the only thing offered is inclusive like on the fr and es sites. That would mean we don't have a choice, right? because there is no basic rate, correct?


thanks so much, Deborah

If your contract is inclusive, you cannot decline the coverage when picking up the car. I recall having to translate for a man in Nice who wanted to decline the CDW but was unable to because that was the contract he purchased. He could not understand why the inclusive had a hefty deductible. BTW, this was not necessarily a AE contract.

Hi DA,
>we don't choose inclusive.

I made a booboo above.

"All AE rentals are "inclusive" is incorrect.

(Bad Ira, Bad Ira)

Basic Rental: "excludes Collision Damage Waiver Rental excludes Theft Protection. Auto Europe strongly advises you to contact your credit card for coverage".

>What if the only thing offered is inclusive like on the fr and es sites.

As I said in my 12:14 post, you can decline the CDW at the same price.

However, call the rental agency to make sure.

Thanks, Ira, I think I'm finally seeing through the insurance fog

Now, any problem with the legality of the rental terms if on the es or fr website the assumption is you are a resident of the country? As mentioned by tedgale

It isn't fraud or anything that would nulify the contract if we should need to present a claim. Not that I am expecting a problem but want to make sure I have considered all possibilities.

thanks again, Deborah

Hi DA,

It is not improper, illegal, immoral or fattening to use a foreign country site through AE.

I suggest that you do your booking over the phone.

You can often get a better deal that way.