Ira, could you explain excess on car rental?
 

Hi Ira,
Could you please explain what the excess fee on a car rental is? Also,
I am not sure if I am getting complete prices on the cars. Do they often have extra charges that they add on when you show up (such as airport surcharge)?

TTT

In British English, the excess on an insurance policy is what I think the Americans call a deductible.

It is the amount that the hirer has to pay of any insuance claim. If the claim is for £500, and the excess is £300, then you pay £300 of cost of the damage.

You can sometimes reduce the excess to zero by paying a higher insurance premium.

Yes, and sometimes those deductible amounts <b>even with</b> CDW can be considerable...as in several hundred dollars.

ttt

Hi Mom,

Chartley is correct. It is the &quot;deductible&quot;.

The best way to rent a car is to decline the CDW and use your CC company as your insurer.

This doesn't work for all countries, especially Ireland, Israel and Italy.

&gt;Do they often have extra charges that they add on when you show up...

Some do.

www.autoeurope.com and www.gemut,com will tell you about airport surcharges, road tax fees, one-way drop off charges, VAT, etc before you pay.

((I))

In follow-up to Ira's comment, I also recommend you call your credit card company to verify the extent of your coverage. I just did that in preparation of our trip to France next week. We are covered CDW/LDW and loss of use, but not theft of personal items out of the car.

I am trying to understand all these ins and outs of a european rental. I think I got lucky last time.
If I use my credit card does that mean I do not have to pay the extra deductible. We need a people mover, and a couple of websites had mentioned an 'extra' excess for these types of cars.

What do you mean by &quot;people mover&quot;? Credit cards may exclude coverage for vehicles that hold more than 8 people. You need to read your cards terms and conditions carefully.

I noticed a thing called a theft waiver in the last few days. I thought this meant if the car is stolen it costs me nothing. No what it means is that is costs me less (a percentage of the original cost). That took a lot of digging

Hi Mom,

&gt;If I use my credit card does that mean I do not have to pay the extra deductible?&quot;

Depends on the fine print in the policy.

Have your CC eml or mail you a copy of the policy.

((I))

Hi bilb,

&gt;I noticed a thing called a theft waiver in the last few days. I thought this meant if the car is stolen it costs me nothing. No what it means is that is costs me less ...&lt;

Is that if you use your CC or if you buy the CDW?

((I))

Just a thought, I used my CC in the past for car rental and actually had to use the insurance it provided. However, as planning my trip, I called to check on some specifics and the insurance for a rental had been dropped--I had never read that teeny tiny coverage update that had been sent. If your CC has good coverage, could you share the company with us?

Ira

CC, interesting point I guess some of it could be laid off. I used holidayautos.co.uk who seem sensible

Bilbo

&quot;I also recommend you call your credit card company to verify the extent of your coverage. I just did that in preparation of our trip to France next week. We are covered CDW/LDW and loss of use, but not theft of personal items out of the car.&quot;

Patandhank, your homeowners's insurance policy probably covers the loss of personal items, whether stolen from your dwelling or a rented vehicle. Mine does.

Anselm

I know that Ira would never intentionally mislead anyone but his blanket statement that &quot;the best way to rent a car...&quot; is not always the &quot;best&quot; advice.

A lot depends on your CC and the extent of its coverage which I would carefully check.

A lot may also depend on how much, if any, hassle it might be to settle any claims.

We have consistently heard here from posters who have used their CC to cover CDW that settling claims was &quot;no problem at all&quot; despite the fact that for some it took months for the issues to be resolved.

Lots of aspects to consider IMO before making the final decision.

Anselm - good point. I'll double check that against what the homeowners policy says and also against what Hertz defines on their website as what is included in their separate &quot;theft&quot; insurance.

Hello...I just wanted to add my two cents...

Just this morning I booked a package from Aer Lingus that inc. airfare, car rental and B&amp;B stays. I had called the Visa credit card people to ensure that we were covered for the CDW as well as the deductible. I was assured three times that I was and so I paid for the trip with the card. The agent was surprised that my card covered it and warned me to double check. Glad I did because it turns out they definitely DO NOT! I was told there is only one card co that covers Ireland and I never heard of it (nor can I remember the name, sorry).

I went through 4 hours of explaining and complaining to my cc company and although they didn't change their policy they did FINALLY agree to credit my card for the amount I had to pay to get the coverage from the car rental co. And, I believe the CDW coverage is mandatory. The extra fee to cover the deductible is extra. Please check your fine print carefully.