joesorce

If renting a car you need to make sure that your home carowner policy is paid up and current, and probably a good idea to print a copy of the policy with you.

In the past I thought that my Mastercard "auto rental coverage" included everything...but reading the fine print I see that it doesn't cover certain large vehicles, doesn't cover certain countries including Italy, doesn't cover any damage done to the other person's car in a collision, doesn't cover certain liabilities etc. And doesn't cover any rental longer than 15 days.

It also doesn't cover if you're on a frequent-renter free days deal, you must have something CHARGED to the credit card in order to be covered.

All credit cards are different I guess, but don't just assume that "everything's covered".

LoveItaly

And I read a couple of weeks ago that Hertz is now making the customer responsible if the rental car is damaged by an act of God (floods, hurricanes etc) so best to check all that out also. If you have comprehensive coverage on your personal auto policy for your owned cars you should be covered for your rental car, but don't assume. Contact your insurance company.

tracys2cents

Hmmm...I'd never stopped to think about damage to the OTHER car in an accident, I guess some states are no-fault and others aren't.

We had damage in an Avis car once and it was no problem, Visa took care of it, but we hit a pole in a parking lot not another car.

Also, even though Visa covered every bit of damage with no hassle, Avis then charged us a "$100 processing and handling fee" after all was said and done, not covered by the Visa travel insurance.

SamH

Certainly coverage for rentals internationally would likely be different than a US rental. Make sure to check it out.

Vittrad

what has really irked me is that I've never been able to get a straight answer about how to safely rent a car without having car insurance. I don't own a car, therefore don't have car insurance, and whenever I rent a car I'm not entirely sure if how all that works, and I certainly don't trust the rental company to be straight with me about it. It is enough to really scare one off.

LoveItaly

Vittrad, here is a suggestion. When I was in the insurance business here in California we were able to write an auto policy for a person who did not own a car if they had a CA Drivers License and had a good driving record. It was called a Non Owned auto policy. It covered Bodily Injury (if you hurt or killed someone while driving), Property Damage (damage that you did to someone's else car or property). No comprehensive or collision as the insured did not own a car, but that could be purchased through the auto rental company. The NonOwned Auto policy had a low premium.

I have been out of the insurance business for awhile so do not know if this type of policy is still availalble and I do not know if all states had/have it. But I would check with a reputable Independant Insurance Agent regarding this. I assume you hold a Drivers License. Best wishes.

nytraveler

Vitrad -

You ned to find out what YOUR credit card covers (and the car rental agency won;t know this - since they vary). Then you can decide if you need to take any of the insurance offered by the company. At a minimum you need collision (damage to your car if you hit a thing) and liabiity (damage/injuries to others if you hit another car or person). (Although in some cases your homeowners insurance covers this - you need to check that.)

LoveItaly

Unless NY's Homeowners policies are different than CA Homeowners policies, there is never any coverage under HO policies for automobile coverage of any kind. But maybe it is different in NY.

nytraveler

No - it's usually not covered - but if you don;t have car insurance you can probably get some sort of rider on your homeowners that would cover liabiity outside the home (the same way many "homeowner" policies cover theft even if you're away from home).

Miss_Maple

In anticipation of an upcoming trip -- I recently received a new credit card. They had in small print spelled out very carefully what they covered and who to call. Also, as mentioned earlier -- certain vehicles are not covered (Hummer's, expensive cars). You must use their card to get the coverage and you must decline the CDW insurance offered from the rental agency. I made a photo copy and plan to take this with me -- and leave a copy at home -- just in case. As mentioned earlier -- you need to check with your own insurance company or credit card company.

LoveItaly

Hi NYTraveler, yes HO policies do cover insureds for liability off of their premises such as if you open up an umbrella on a public sidewalk and poke someone in the eye, but auto liability is never covered..at least in CA.

nytraveler

No - auto liability is not covered by homeowners anyplace I know - but if you don;t have auto you may be able to get your homowners agency to get you a special policy - assuming your credit cards don't cover it. Just offering another option for those trying to find coverage that's cheaper than the rates of the rental companies.

NorthwestMale

VITTRAD,

I am in your exact place, and I rent cars often, so I am somewhat versed on the ins and outs.

Upon arriving to pick up a rental car, I present Visa or MasterCard (and if you're a "gold" - or pyrite or special or yadda-yadda uppity card-holder) then it covers damage to the rental car when I decline the "CDW" offered by the car company.

I always take the "SLI" (supplemental liability) coverage (about $11-13 per DAY) which should cover me to at least minimum legal standards in the event that I crash and hurt someone and/or their property.

Upon return of the car, in fine condition, I am free to pay cash or to use a different debit card to pay, but IN THE EVENT OF ANY ACCIDENT, you MUST LEAVE IT ON the original credit card to be covered!!!!

Furthermore, the fine print generally says that you should err on the side of caution in the event of an accident, by calling the police and having an official 'accident report' to fulfill your obligations under the CC coverage letter-of-the-law.

I hope this helps a little bit.

It would help to keep the fine print about "what to do in case of an accident" with you while traveling by rental car.

tracys2cents

Vittrad...with most CCards that come with auto coverage, the fine print says that the coverage is secondary to any auto policy that you already have...but that if you don't own a car the coverage becomes primary.