Dumb Rental Car Insurance Question

"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion) 01/21/2020 at 21:48 • Filed to: fastest car in the world and I don't mean that Koenigsegg

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Here’s a stupid question. Do you get the extra insurance when you rent a car? The CDW or whatever it’s called, it hovers around $10/day. I’m renting a basic car in Florida for 5-6 days in April, it’s like $250 and then the eternal question is, insurance or no? I’ve always thought my regular insurance policy covered me in a rental.

The only time I’ve agreed to the extra insurance is renting abroad. Laws are different, my car insurance might mean nothing, I figure it’s relatively cheap for the peace of mind and potential saved hassle in another country. But Florida? What’s the worst that could happen, lol. A drunken Florida man t-bones me while riding a motorcycle with an alligator under one arm and a bottle of Jim Beam between his legs, a joint in his other hand while naked and high on meth going 60 in a 25 school zone?

Ok maybe I should pony up the extra $50 since I just spend over $2,000 on plane tickets.

But what does Oppo think!?

Toyota Camry “or similar” for your time:

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:00

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I always do. It's worth the peace of mind.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:01

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I didn’t know “nothing” was “Camry or similar” but I guess Kinja gotta Kinja. Typical of the rental agency; it’s so vanilla I can’t see it.

wafflesnfalafel > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:03

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I always get the damage waiver and never the liability. My personal insurance covers both, but it’s far more likely that I will get hit in a parking lot or even just a simple windshield ding than any kind of liability claim so I hedge my bet because I don’t want to have to turn in a claim on my personal insurance, (and the resulting pricing increase for the next three years...)

facw > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:04

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So if you use Visa to pay, you should have CDW coverage: https://usa.visa.com/support/consumer/card-benefits/consumer-auto-rental-collision-damage-waiver.html

You should also have liability from your personal auto insurance (and that may offer additional rental coverage as well).

So you should be fine. There is the issue that the rental car company may try to bill you right away while insurance payouts may be slower, putting you in a bind, but in theory you should be covered. There used to be an issue with “loss of use” charges, but it looks like Visa now covers those as part of their CDW coverage.

smobgirl > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:06

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I don’t. But I rent cars so frequently that I pay for extra coverage on my normal policy.

Even before I added that coverage, I had the incident with the Sentra and the mystical giant hood dent (in hindsight, I think I was stuck by someone throwing rocks off an overpass). Insurance paid for repairs, my credit card covered the deductible, and between everyone’s negotiations the incident was closed with nothing out of my pocket. No loss of use fees, no diminished value costs,  nothing. 

someassemblyrequired > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:13

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I have an add on on my Amex card, it’s $20 per rental and basically covers the CDW for the entire rental, up to 42 days, plus it’s primary insurance, so you can make a claim with them first and they handle the BS . Here’s a link:

https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do

Basically it pays for itself on the first day, and you don’t have to worry about every little door ding or some crap the Enterprise dude tries to pin on you but which has been there since the car left the factory.

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:20

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Most of the credit cards I use to pay for rental cars i nclude coverage as a perk, check your CC offerings.

Obligatory, Seinfeld...watch unt i l the end.

WilliamsSW > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:22

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In the US I never get the insurance. My regular insurance covers it.

Outside the US it’s a different story.  I’ve worked for companies that would actually pay for the insurance when abroad. 

For Sweden > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:23

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Some Chase cards offer primary rental car insurance.

functionoverfashion > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/21/2020 at 22:23

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Damnit kinja. Fixed. 

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:24

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I use amex and for $ 24 total get 100k for the vehicle protection and my regular insurance covers main damage .

abroad, Ive used sixt that has 2mil in covereage for main liability , plus amex for the cdw

functionoverfashion > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 01/21/2020 at 22:25

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I’ll have to look at that, I’d likely be paying with a Southwest Visa... they should have good travel benefits?!

And that Seinfeld is classic. I’ve had a situation like that, where I really just wanted to start quoting that clip... 

TheRealBicycleBuck > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:28

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The insurance for mine is covered by my company AMEX. However, that doesn’t necessarily cover everything. While damage to the rental car is covered, contents is not. So, when my last rental was broken into , AMEX covered the broken window, but they didn’t cover my stolen laptop, or hard drives, or phone, or iPad, or the ring which was in my bag. Although my company replaced the laptop and the external drives, my iPad and personal items were total losses.

Before you ask, the office policy does cover contents, but they have a $100k deductible. My homeowner’s insurance also covers losses while trav eling, but after the deductible, I would only recouped about $800. That wasn’t worth the increased premiums.

AestheticsInMotion > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 22:34

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Various credit cards. Currently using chase for rentals as they've been the best to deal with 

functionoverfashion > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/21/2020 at 22:36

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It sounds like I need to look at my credit cards... that is a bummer on the break-in. We won’t have much stuff in the car when we’re not in it, it’s a short beach trip with the kids. Still, good to know that kind of thing... 

functionoverfashion > facw 01/21/2020 at 22:37

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I’ll have to check, I’d be likely to use my Southwest visa... thanks

smobgirl > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 01/21/2020 at 22:47

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Oh dear lord I re-enacted this in Raleigh last week when I’d reserved an economy car and  all they had left were 15-passenger vans. 

fintail > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 23:08

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After the incident in late 2018 where I was driving a Hertz Grand Cherokee that was hit (by another Hertz car, who was at fault) and totaled, I get the insurance, it’ll just make things easier. The situation eventually got resolved with nothing out of my pocket, but it was a huge pain in the butt to deal with the Hertz bureaucracy and receiving bills for a 19K damage claim.   The money spent is less painful than the hours of aggravation.  When renting overseas, I’ve always got the insurance as well.

ttyymmnn > functionoverfashion 01/21/2020 at 23:43

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I never get the extra coverage. But I did call my insurance company to make sure I didn’t need it. 

notsomethingstructural > functionoverfashion 01/22/2020 at 00:49

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Most regular car insurance extends your policy to times when you are driving a for-rent commercial vehicle. That may not be the same coverage as the CDW (depends what you’re liable for) , and your policy limits would still apply. Meaning, if you have state minimum coverage, and rent  an Escalade and wrap it around a pole, you’re only covered to your property liability maximum less deductible.

notsomethingstructural > notsomethingstructural 01/22/2020 at 00:52

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(As a for-instance, if you let your dog in the car and it tore a hole in the seat, you would probably be liable, but may not be covered under your standard insurance)

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > functionoverfashion 01/22/2020 at 04:32

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So I will have a definitive answer on this hopefully soon but right now I’m still in limbo. I rented a car in Hawaii in November and was in an accident. Car probably totaled but if not definitely a super high bill eventually. I opted out of the rental company insurance. But my Visa has rental coverage as well as my own USAA car insurance. They are supposed to cover everything with USAA covering repair costs and Visa covering my deductible and any other bullshit from the rental company like towing, loss of value, and any other fees. However the rental company STILL has not sent a bill to anyone and it’s been like two months now. Either way, I had to spend like a couple HOURS on the phone already for this shit and likely more before it's over. So there's definitely value in the rental company's "hand them the keys and walk away" insurance policy. It's moreso the time and peace of mind instead of dollar amount. Visa wanted no joke a dozen different papers to process the claim. And I don't have all of those papers yet due to getting no bill, so it's a lengthy process. I'll be posting a full review once it's finally complete. I am still expecting my final bill to end up being $0 but there could be some catch or something stupid I have to pay. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/22/2020 at 04:35

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Ahh this is why I carry a $100 deductible on my renters insurance. Premium difference was negligible versus $500+ deductible. 

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > functionoverfashion 01/22/2020 at 08:53

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Lots of credit cards provide decent rental insurance as long as you pay for the rental with them. Check your credit card’s benefit paperwork .

functionoverfashion > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 01/22/2020 at 09:00

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Ugh, yeah, stories like that make me want to fork over the $50

Milky > functionoverfashion 01/22/2020 at 09:05

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Thats where I’m at, mentally speaking.

Last rental I got I ended up telling the person working where/what I was doing:

“W ell if a coyote runs out or a tourist hits you, just leave it there and call us.”

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > functionoverfashion 01/22/2020 at 09:36

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Just make sure you check into what the rental company insurance really covers though too. Some of them are deceptive with a low price but still carry a high deductible and minimal coverage. At least I know 100% if the car exploded into a million pieces, at least my own collision/comprehensive would totally cover the cost of the car at least. The supplemental stuff is just to cover my odds and ends. It’s funny though that the much larger expense was way easier to get covered. That was ten minutes on the phone with my insurance company and they didn’t need anything other than my own telling of the accident. They retrieved all the documents themselves and will go after the guy who hit me, I’m sure his life will suck more than it already does. Considering he had no license nor insurance and was on the run from the law for other grievances as well.

But yeah moral of the story is if it's walk away insurance, it's worth the money. 

Thisismydisplayname > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 01/22/2020 at 14:54

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Yup, that’s the main reason to take their coverage.  Less mess in your end.  But it’s a dice roll each time.