I am planning to rent a car in Cancun. Will I need (or is it highly recommended) to buy special insurance? If so, how expensive is it? I plan to pay with a Gold Mastercard with automatic coverage for CDW. Is this sufficient insurance?<BR><BR>Thanks in advance, all you experienced travelers!

Dear Jason:<BR><BR>We rented a car for one day in Cancun from the car rental company in our hotel. (Fiesta Americana Coral Beach)Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the company - it may be Executive Car Rental. However, we got the most insurance that was offered for an additional fee of $25. Thought it was worth it because we were fully covered in case anything happened.

Full coverage in Mexico is $15 a day. Take it! In Mexico, if you should get into an accident, everyone involved is quilty. What this means is that all damages will be paid before you are allowed to leave the country. As far as your automatic coverage, if you have enough credit on the card to cover all damages(and this also includes personal injury)then by all means this would be the way to go. Just remember, if you do not have enough credit to cover everything, you will not be allowed to leave the country until eveything is satisfied. Pay the &amp;15 a day and don't worry.

hi jason<BR>We always secure our reservations online through travelocity before leaving. The price difference is tremendous if you book from the states.<BR><BR>We have always used American Express CC and had one incidence where the rim on a tire was damaged due to a flat tire. We paid and were reimbursed. We never tak the additional insurance as AMEX pretty much is sufficient. you need to CALL the credit card before leaving and get a copy of their policy before leaving.

We went to Akumal, Mexico (a nightmare...another story) we rented a mini van at Alamo in Cancun and they charged us $650.00 with insurance for 6 days!!! Insurance is a MUST in Mexico!!! When we returned it they told us our license plates were missing. Something the cops down there do to unsuspecting tourists! They say you have done something illegal, probably parking illegally, then you get a surprise charge on your credit card! My husband says it is a SCAM. My son is fluent in Spanish and we know we did NOTHING illegal! Third world country!!! Be careful, be VERY careful! <BR>Teresa

I will say this again, the $15 a day insurance is not a SCAM! I have no doubts that if a tire is slashed or something minor, your credit card will cover it. We have checked every possible avenue on this and it always comes back to the same thing-if your credit card does indeed have enough credit to cover a major accident and your credit card company will allow you to honor these damages, then I agree, why waste $15 a day. But please I am telling you, if you have an accident and cannot pay the damages for the automobile or injuries, you will not be allowed to leave the country until all claims have been paid in full.

Hi, I agree with Monica, just pay the extra for the insurance; we had a perfectly fine car from one of the major companies _maybe Alamo? not sure _ in Cancun and even with insurance I think it only came to something like $45 a day. We made the reservation through a website while still in the US; you might try Orbitz or some other search engine to see who is offering best rates. I have driven in several areas in Mexico and have never encountered any kind of ``scam,'' but if you do get stopped by the policia, just be polite, show your drivers license and rental agreement, etc. and you will probably be fine.

I forgot to address the issue of the police in Mexico. We have been going to Playa for 12 years, and always rent a car. I cannot speak for Akumal, but I know the police in Playa do not want to upset the tourist. I think people forget they are in a foreign country. Wherever you go in Playa, you will see no parking signs posted. If you should decide that you think you are parking in a fire lane in some strip mall in the US and are pretty confident that the police (US I mean) will never even ticket you or usually the police are never around, you are totally in for a surprise. The police will always try and locate the driver of the car(especially if it is a rental) and ask them to move it. If the driver cannot be located, their only recourse is to take the license plates. Whne you pay the fine, you get them back. If you don't, naturally the rental company will charge you. I just cannot understand why someone going to a foreign country, would disreguard any laws in that particular country.

July 24, 2001 <BR>Hello, <BR>After much research, I rented my car from Hertz. They were not the cheapest but were the only company I could find that offered a $0 deductible. The car was about $60 and the insurance about $25 per day but I would not have taken the chance otherwise. Also,the guys at the Hertz office in Cancun/Fiesta Americana were great- helpful, courteous. The manager gave me his home phone number in case I ran into a problem.