Auto rental optional insurance

Hello,

Can someone point me to a website that explains the
reasons and risk of opting out of auto rental optional
coverages?

Options a
- CDW - covered by some credit cards
- Personal accident insurance
- Liability insurance
- Theft protection

Also, I read somewhere, if renting in Europe, one
should take all the optional coverage (Inclusive)?

Thanks -

More and more rental car companies are separating out their insurance coverages
from their base rates. In some ways that's good -- someone who has adequate
insurance already in place doesn't have to pay for duplicate coverages. And for
the rental car companies it can be a savings since they don't have to pay
travel agents commissions on any "add-ons" that aren't a part of the actual
quoted daily rate. The more they can move out of that base rate the less
commission they pay. #1 thing to remember is that many rental agencies make
more off of the insurance than they do off the rental rate itself. So don't buy
more that you absolutely need. And remember that when you're shopping for a
rental car (especially overseas) you can't truly compare rates until you figure
out your total cost including the insurance. Getting a $9.99/day rate does you
no good if they're going to gouge you on the insurance.

Step #1 is to figure out what coverages (if any) you already have. If you use a
specific credit card for the rental bill will it cover the CDW? How much CDW
coverage is included ($25,000 is pretty standard). You also need to have some
idea of the value of the rental. If you have $25,000 in coverage but are
renting a $50,000 BMW you're going to be out $25,000 if the car is stolen and
not recovered or totalled.

Also check with your regular car insurance policy to find out what coverages
you might have there. You may already have CDW, liability, medical etc. If
you're a frequent rental car user you might find it easier and less expensive
in the long run to get that coverage added to your personal policy.

Never take a rental car without having third-party liability coverage. If you
don't have an existing policy and have to buy it separately from the rental car
agency you're stuck. It's a must have.

Don't quite know what you mean by "theft protection." If you mean theft of the
vehicle it's almost always included in the CDW -- either the policy from the
agency or your credit card, etc.

If you mean theft of personal items from the vehicle that's a different deal.
For example, if a thief breaks the car window and steals your camera the CDW
will pay for the repair of the window but not reimburse you for the camera.
Remember, your personal possessions are probably already covered by your
homeowner's or renter's policy while traveling so check there first before
buying any additional coverage for this sort of thing.

As for taking all of the insurance offered to you, well I guess it's a
convenient way to do it but in mamy cases will be money wasted.

(Cruzinsure) wrote in message ...
More and more rental car companies are separating out their insurance coverages
from their base rates. In some ways that's good -- someone who has adequate
insurance already in place doesn't have to pay for duplicate coverages. And for
the rental car companies it can be a savings since they don't have to pay
travel agents commissions on any "add-ons" that aren't a part of the actual
quoted daily rate. The more they can move out of that base rate the less
commission they pay. #1 thing to remember is that many rental agencies make
more off of the insurance than they do off the rental rate itself. So don't buy
more that you absolutely need. And remember that when you're shopping for a
rental car (especially overseas) you can't truly compare rates until you figure
out your total cost including the insurance. Getting a $9.99/day rate does you
no good if they're going to gouge you on the insurance.

Step #1 is to figure out what coverages (if any) you already have. If you use a
specific credit card for the rental bill will it cover the CDW? How much CDW
coverage is included ($25,000 is pretty standard). You also need to have some
idea of the value of the rental. If you have $25,000 in coverage but are
renting a $50,000 BMW you're going to be out $25,000 if the car is stolen and
not recovered or totalled.

Also check with your regular car insurance policy to find out what coverages
you might have there. You may already have CDW, liability, medical etc. If
you're a frequent rental car user you might find it easier and less expensive
in the long run to get that coverage added to your personal policy.

Never take a rental car without having third-party liability coverage. If you
don't have an existing policy and have to buy it separately from the rental car
agency you're stuck. It's a must have.

Don't quite know what you mean by "theft protection." If you mean theft of the
vehicle it's almost always included in the CDW -- either the policy from the
agency or your credit card, etc.

If you mean theft of personal items from the vehicle that's a different deal.
For example, if a thief breaks the car window and steals your camera the CDW
will pay for the repair of the window but not reimburse you for the camera.
Remember, your personal possessions are probably already covered by your
homeowner's or renter's policy while traveling so check there first before
buying any additional coverage for this sort of thing.

As for taking all of the insurance offered to you, well I guess it's a
convenient way to do it but in mamy cases will be money wasted.

I'm just curious: we've been reading about liability insurance for
auto rentals provided by other companies, not the car rental company,
at less expensive prices, but we can't actually find any of these
companies. When we look them up or contact them, they indicate such
insurance is intended only for drivers with very bad records trying to
improve their history. Is there any liability insurance for car
rentals that can be obtained from companies other than the car rental
company?

Is there any liability insurance for car
rentals that can be obtained from companies other than the car rental
company?

None that I know of.

One reason that most rental car companies charge such high rates for
third-party liability insurance is that they pretty much take on all comers
regardless of how good or bad a driver the renter is. If they've got a valid
license and credit card they'll rent to them. So the good drivers end up paying
more than they should and the good drivers end up paying less than they should.