Information On Rental Car Insurance
I think we have all experienced it at least once in our lives. We touch down in a city for holiday or whatever reason, we go get a rental car and when going through the documentation we stumble when we get to the insurance part. The problem is that almost all of us aren't sure how to handle the insurance side of things. They use big words and tell of all the possible things that could happen to you. It is almost as though they are just pushing you to the corner and almost forcing you to sign up for every insurance package that they offer. It is quite normal for people to be confused when it comes to rental car insurance. In this article, we hope to educate individuals on how to properly deal with rental car insurance.
The first thing to know is that different types of rental car insurance that is offered. We'll list the most common below although some rental agencies offer more or may call the coverage packages differently.
CDW (Collision Damage Waiver), LDW (Loss Damage Waiver), PDW (Physical Damage Waiver) It is the most basic of rental car insurance coverage that you need. Basically, if you cause an accident an anything happens to the car, you don't need to pay for the damage. There are however limitations. The limitations will be set by the policy and are normally things like mileage, distance from city or even if you were caught drunk driving.
LIS (Liability Insurance Supplement) This insurance is in addition to the one above. It will cover any third party that is involved with any accident that happens with the rental car.
PAI (Personal Accident Insurance or Coverage) This coverage option takes care of the passengers of the ill fated rental car that got into the accident. It will take care of whatever costs from the maiming that requires hospitalization.
PEC (Personal Effects Coverage) or Personal Property Insurance This coverage item looks after any belongings that could either be damaged in an accident or be stolen or lost for whatever reason.
The insurance coverage items that we have described to you above are ordered from the most basic at the top to the extras at the bottom. The most basic insurance package that individuals should drive away with are at least a combination of CDWs and LISs. This is the very minimum coverage that we consider safe. Any less and you could be in for a very messy and prolonged case if you do get into an accident.
One thing that many people don't know is that if they have comprehensive car insurance for their car, it might even be comprehensive enough to cover the CDW and LIS needs of your rental car. What this means is you might actually be covered right from the get go from your own car insurance. This is a situation that happens more often than you think. It is however vital that you check with you current insurance provider to see if your policy extends to rental cars. Never get a rental car assuming that you already have rental car insurance from your own comprehensive coverage. There are times when your policy changes from year to year and your rental coverage may change without you knowing.
Sometimes you might not only be covered by your comprehensive plan but sometimes even your credit card too. This is especially true for higher end "gold" or "platinum" offerings. These cards normally have some sort of personal property protection package built in and as such will already work as an PEC insurance coverage. As with its availability, it will also be very wise to check with your credit card provider. Again it is very dangerous to assume you are already covered.
It is only after you check with both your current car insurance provider and your credit card should you even think of purchasing the rental car insurance from the rental company. Naturally, if you do it the other way around you could very well be wasting money with double coverage. The coverage that you buy at the rental agency could very well overlap the coverage that you already have with your current comprehensive insurance or your credit card.
It should also be noted that if you opt to get insurance from the rental car agency that it will actually cost more than what you can get from your own car insurance company or as provided by the credit card. It isn't abnormal to find that rental car agencies will charge almost double for the insurance coverage. This is a part of their profit model to catch customers with no insurance so they are forced to get it or not get the rental car.
Rental car insurance is certainly needed however you don't need to get it from the rental car agency. Most rental car agencies sell insurance as a side-income and are certainly trying their best to make you part with more money than you are comfortable with. It would be prudent to first check that you aren't covered and only rely on the rental car agency insurance products as a last choice. - 21393
The first thing to know is that different types of rental car insurance that is offered. We'll list the most common below although some rental agencies offer more or may call the coverage packages differently.
CDW (Collision Damage Waiver), LDW (Loss Damage Waiver), PDW (Physical Damage Waiver) It is the most basic of rental car insurance coverage that you need. Basically, if you cause an accident an anything happens to the car, you don't need to pay for the damage. There are however limitations. The limitations will be set by the policy and are normally things like mileage, distance from city or even if you were caught drunk driving.
LIS (Liability Insurance Supplement) This insurance is in addition to the one above. It will cover any third party that is involved with any accident that happens with the rental car.
PAI (Personal Accident Insurance or Coverage) This coverage option takes care of the passengers of the ill fated rental car that got into the accident. It will take care of whatever costs from the maiming that requires hospitalization.
PEC (Personal Effects Coverage) or Personal Property Insurance This coverage item looks after any belongings that could either be damaged in an accident or be stolen or lost for whatever reason.
The insurance coverage items that we have described to you above are ordered from the most basic at the top to the extras at the bottom. The most basic insurance package that individuals should drive away with are at least a combination of CDWs and LISs. This is the very minimum coverage that we consider safe. Any less and you could be in for a very messy and prolonged case if you do get into an accident.
One thing that many people don't know is that if they have comprehensive car insurance for their car, it might even be comprehensive enough to cover the CDW and LIS needs of your rental car. What this means is you might actually be covered right from the get go from your own car insurance. This is a situation that happens more often than you think. It is however vital that you check with you current insurance provider to see if your policy extends to rental cars. Never get a rental car assuming that you already have rental car insurance from your own comprehensive coverage. There are times when your policy changes from year to year and your rental coverage may change without you knowing.
Sometimes you might not only be covered by your comprehensive plan but sometimes even your credit card too. This is especially true for higher end "gold" or "platinum" offerings. These cards normally have some sort of personal property protection package built in and as such will already work as an PEC insurance coverage. As with its availability, it will also be very wise to check with your credit card provider. Again it is very dangerous to assume you are already covered.
It is only after you check with both your current car insurance provider and your credit card should you even think of purchasing the rental car insurance from the rental company. Naturally, if you do it the other way around you could very well be wasting money with double coverage. The coverage that you buy at the rental agency could very well overlap the coverage that you already have with your current comprehensive insurance or your credit card.
It should also be noted that if you opt to get insurance from the rental car agency that it will actually cost more than what you can get from your own car insurance company or as provided by the credit card. It isn't abnormal to find that rental car agencies will charge almost double for the insurance coverage. This is a part of their profit model to catch customers with no insurance so they are forced to get it or not get the rental car.
Rental car insurance is certainly needed however you don't need to get it from the rental car agency. Most rental car agencies sell insurance as a side-income and are certainly trying their best to make you part with more money than you are comfortable with. It would be prudent to first check that you aren't covered and only rely on the rental car agency insurance products as a last choice. - 21393
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You don't need to be in the dark with rental car insurance any longer. We understand that it can be quite confusing so we tackle the problem head on at http://www.InsuranceRelease.com
posted by X - Men @ 6:02 AM
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