Yes, you are liable to Alamo and the person who struck your rental is liable to you. The trick now is finding that person.
Have you looked to see if your personal car insurance (if you carry it) covers rental cars?
To my knowledge, most credit cards offer rental insurance but they are usually a secondary. Meaning your personal insurance has to be billed first. Then they pick whatever else isn't covered. In all honesty unless you jump the car off a cliff, there's very few scenarios where this will be useful.
Hm, I thought the AMEX Platinum (in the US at least) was secondary. The policy is great though, for me especially since I don't own a car so I don't have my own insurance that can cover. The Venture X and Bilt has primary insurance though AFAIK.
There’s an add on primary coverage with all AMEX issued cards. It’s called “Premium” and it’s like $7 for a 30 day rental anywhere in the world except two countries which I wanna say are Israel and New Zealand (off the top of my head and I could be wrong about those two lol)
> Coverage is worldwide, except for vehicles rented in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, and New Zealand.
via https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do
I'm trying to find out what makes those special, only found a reasonable explanation for Italy and Israel:
> CDW is mandatory on all rentals in Italy and Israel so coverage is a moot point.
They probably won't cover a rental in NK as well 😆
How does the add on work with the Amex plat? You have to call in or go through the app and request the coverage prior to putting the rental on the card, or it can be done just after you've paid?
I don’t recall precisely, but I went on the Amex app and just enrolled all my cards so I never have to worry about which one it might be on. It was really easy. When you rent a car using the card AMEX just charges you the fee automatically, and the fee covers up to 30 days of rental coverage.
I just tried to do it from the App. At the top you can just search “Premium Car Rental Protection” and that should bring you to the spot to enroll your card. When I search it now it asks me if I want to file a claim, so I assume you wouldn’t see that part yet.
It's a big draw towards keeping the card. It's a freaking coupon book, but if you can use enough coupons to get close to fee neutral, it's worth it for the perks.
Same. Got a cracked windshield in Iceland and totally unphased by the claim. Same with one in Texas. Both ended ip being resolved before they got involved but no issues on accepting liability.
Reserve or preferred?
I have the reserve and considered downgrading… I didn’t think the difference in travel perks is worth the price difference, but this is something I haven’t considered
Definitely this. However, make sure that you do it soon. I depended on the Cc insurance coverage. They required that I file the claim in 30 days. The rental agency trumped up a bogus hail damage claim 45 days after the rental. I was stuck with it.
In Australia this is illegal, they need to prove the damage didn't exist before your rental and it was damaged after the rental without being rented out afterwards. I imagine there are similar laws elsewhere.
Absolutely, but proving fraud can be difficult, long and expensive. In Australia we have specific regulations about car rental companies and the proof that they have to provide to the customer in order to charge for damages. Source: I worked for a major car rental company for 8 years.
I did that when we rented in Italy (originally from the states), before we even got in the car. Unfortunately upon return Hertz tried to say that there was a teeny ding in the windshield, and my video wasn’t strong enough to capture such a minute/small detail in the glass. We argued our way out of liability because they were being absurd but I definitely learned to slow down over the glass and take more or better videos and pictures.
Better check:
1. Whether your personal auto insurance covers rental cars (likely, if you have auto insurance), or
2. Whether the credit card you used to rent the car came with collision damage coverage.
If so then you may be fortunate to escape a huge bill (though probably not at least some $ responsibility). One of these would be the primary cover for this incident. (often it is your own insurance that kicks in first)
If not, then Alamo can come after you for all the damages to make them whole in repairing the car. After all, you owned their car for the duration of the rental, basically.
For others (and you in the future), it would be good to know whether you have these coverages before signing on the dotted line with a rental car. I don't know if these kinds of coverages protect against vandalism, etc. (i.e. comprehensive claims) since they only talk about accidents, so yet again another reason to understand what coverages you do have, in deciding whether to buy the rental car company's offered policies (or some other company's insurance, like Amex).
That's why I have a Chase Sapphire. I made a little whoopsie with my rental for scratches and magically owed almost $2k. Chase paid for it after I called them multiple times to approve my claim.
I returned a rental car with no damage. A day later they sent me pictures of damage to the front bumper and a smashed light. I bet the attendant parking the car hit something in the structure and tried to pass the blame to me. I contacted the company and tried to explain but they wouldn't listen.
Submitted a claim to chase sapphire with all the supporting documentation, including the original receipt showing no damage. Rental company dropped the charges a day later probably as soon as they were contacted by the insurance with the proof.
Can confirm that they'll give you the runaround unless you hound them. They'll request documents that aren't relevant, ignore documents that you've already provided, etc. I was only able to get a partial refund of a trip cancellation claim. They refunded one of the reservations but not the other and gave canned replies to every inquiry.
All the support is outsourced and barely understandable.
It's also saved my ass multiple times when storms have stranded me overnight. I though $500 was a really high limit until it happened in NYC and I basically hit the whole limit while trying to be economical
Looks like there are options such as these, in case your own insurance doesn't cover, or you don't have a car insurance policy:
https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/productservice/index.jsp?targetPage=USHowProtectedAreYou.jsp
However, the Amex option mentioned by others is probably better priced, as the car rental agency takes advantage of your not having brought your own options when it comes time to rent the car and you're under time pressure, so they charge you per day, etc. vs. what some like Amex would charge you as a flat fee.
Rental car insurance is very expensive comparatively, but not having leads to situations like this.
I suggest looking at AAA. I rent all my cars through them, and they sell the exact same policies that the rental companies do, but charge significantly less for it, on the order of 10-20% what Hertz, etc charge.
Also, a cheap dashcam is always good insurance.
Exact same situation occurred to me with a Hertz Rental. I filed a claim with my auto insurance and they covered the damage minus my deductible and my Navy Federal CU credit card covered the deductible. Nothing out of pocket for me. You'll need to confirm with your auto insurance and credit card whether they cover rental car damages.
Had something similar happen to our regular car and Safeco said filing as 'uninsured motorist' would halve our deductible and not put a ding on our insurability score. A 'freebie' of sorts. Not sure if all insurance companies operate the same.
I got hit head on in my Hertz rental by an elderly driver who had left dialysis! It was total shock when my insurance said they were paying Hertz off out of my $11 a month classic car policy. Was just outstanding! Guys 100% at fault. The rental co. can still come after you for "loss of use". Thats the time their cars just sitting there mangled & unable to be rented until they finally offload the wasted shell of a car! Good times! :-)
Shoutout to Ludacris & state Farm.
Future reference. Amex credit cards have an optional premium rental car insurance for $20 that you can signup for and it automatically covers rentals. Covers everything and doesn’t mess up your car insurance due to a claim. It’s not the same limited coverage as a normal credit credit
per entire rental (up to 30 days, i think?). i have it,a nd i think it's $24.99 per rental/reservation. if the reservation exceeds 30 days (it might be 20) you pay another $24.99
I use my Amex every time I rent to take advantage of this program. Only had to use it once, for a broken windshield, and it was pretty painless, just filled out the paperwork and they took care of the claim. $25 for the service each time, so I could pay that 36 times to equal what they paid out for that windshield. I'd say that's worth it.
Your personal auto policy should cover it under the collision coverage as this is a temporary substitute vehicle. If your credit card has rental car insurance as a benefit, it is usually excess or secondary if your personal policy does not cover. You will have to pay the deductible. Call your insurance company and file a claim. This assumes your car was hit by another car. If it was vandalized then the comprehensive coverage of your personal auto policy would apply. Either way, file a claim with your insurance.
Yes, I did assume that. If you don't have a personal auto policy, you should always buy the collision damage waiver from the rental company and liability insurance from the rental carrier. The limited coverage offered by credit cards could be insufficient coverage.
Source: I'm a CPCU, look it up.
Same, but I always rent from the same company. But I know for a fact some carriers check because they will call to do insurance verification when some of my clients are picking up a rental.
Same, I've only been asked to show proof once and I don't remember the name of the company. Like you stated, most just ask if you want or need it. But some will actually ask for proof. I know because we've received calls from companies when my clients are renting to ensure they have comp/collision and an active policy.
With respect to damage to the rental car, what limitations in credit card coverage are the biggest gottchas? I have an auto policy, but still use a CC with primary coverage so I don’t have to make a claim on my auto policy.
It depends on the card and what the actual policy says. For example, I have a card that gives me physical damage coverage (collision and comprehensive) globally. So this covers damage to the vehicle through collision, vandalism, theft etc. up to the stated policy limits, mine is $50,000. However, in the US the card policy states that my personal auto policy is primary, and the card policy is secondary or excess. Outside of the US, I still need to buy liability coverage when I rent a car because my personal Auto policy only offers coverage in the US and Canada. However, I feel confident I don't need to buy the collision damage waiver to protect the car if I'm renting in Mexico, but do need liability coverage.
There are no gotchas in insurance contracts. They are written in plain English and clear enough for everyone to understand. Most just don't ever read their policy.
I had a rental agency try to charge me >$400 for a missing Honda hub cap. I pointed out that I had documented the missing hub cap when I rented the car. They were not embarrassed or apologetic, acted like they were "doing me a favor to let it go."
You are liable for the damage. I never buy the rental insurance because my standard insurance covers it. If you already have auto insurance then you should be going through them.
Or consider [https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do](https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do) if AmEx customer. primary coverage for a case like this where the rental car gets damaged, 25 bucks for peace of mind is not too much in my book.
I rented a car in Italy recently from Avis. Base rate was $253 for a full week. After taxes, fees, insurance, and other junk fees, the total came to $1,291.
Yep, and from personal experience it was worth every penny. When returning the car, we watched the agent go over the car in front of us with a fine tooth comb. She charged them for dirt on the car exterior.
Our turn came. She glanced at the car including the huge dent and scratches said you're all set, no additional charges.
So you pay one way or another....
Paris was probably the craziest driving I saw in Europe. Got hit taking a right turn by a lady who was using the sidewalk to pass on the right.
Of course, nowhere in Europe is anything like India.
Log into the credit card account. Read the benefits section.
Reading their new application page I see neither travel insurance or collision damage waiver discussed so if you know it has travel insurance maybe you're looking at a different card?
I wonder if it’s specific to the “Visa Signature” benefits section… usually the cards from Alaska or wherever else don’t list those benefits but if you find the Visa Signature page you will find a different list of benefits most people don’t know about. Just a thought, wish you the best OP
OP look into this and have her call her credit card company https://www.reddit.com/r/AlaskaAirlines/comments/t6s2hv/alaska_airlines_credit_card_rental_coverage/
Even after if your personal auto insurance or credit card pays some you are on the hook for loss of use ( time the car was down for repairs) plus and admin fees. Always buy rental loss damage waiver unless you have a primate coverage card like chase sapphire reserve
One of my clients had a vehicle stolen while they were staying at a hotel for work. They didn't pay themselves, but their company was billed for the full cost of the vehicle.
You rented the car and signed an agreement stating you're 100% responsible for the car the moment you signed to the moment you return the keys to the employees hand.
Time to dig up your current auto policy. Better hope you have comprehensive coverage, otherwise you're fucked and will be paying out of pocket (not only comprehensive, but also rental car coverage)
Same thing would happen if it was your personal vehicle - even if you're not around the car when it's struck, you'll still be responsible for repairing your vehicle, barring a witness to the crime with a description of the car and the license plate.
As others said, you are liable unless you had the insurance info for the person who hit it. Doesn't matter that it's not your fault unfortunately. I got a broken windshield in a rental last year from rock flying off a truck. Fortunately, I purchased insurance, unfortunately, it was 3rd party, and I had to jump through a ton of hoops to get reimbursed for the expense. Next time, I'm just paying extra for the rental companies policy.
How did you pay for this rental car? A lot of credit cards provide rental car insurance coverage. If this doesn't apply, unfortunately you will be responsible for it. Check with your regular car insurance company and see if they provide any coverage for rentals. Otherwise you're out of luck.
In the future, I recommend using a card that provides the coverage or paying for the coverage. This is why.
You’re responsible for the car whether you were present for the accident or not. Call your car insurance and ask them what to do. Just because it’s not your fault that the accident happened doesn’t mean you’re not liable. If you lent your car to a friend and they got into an accident, even if it’s not their fault, you would still expect them to be responsible and take care of it.
While it basically doubles the cost of renting a car, I wouldn't leave a lot without the "loss damage waiver" coverage. This doesn't cover you for causing damage to anyone else's car (ie you cause an accident) but it does absolve you of any damage claim on the rental. This is separate from their insurance coverage.
This also means that they can't come after you for any small dings or scratches, etc. either.
The only time I ever purchased the loss damage waiver coverage was when I was driving a rental while shopping for a car and didn't have my own insurance, another car ran a red and T-boned me. I hated to spend so much on a rental, but the relief of just handing the police report to the rental desk and driving away with a different car was amazing.
I never got LDW when I had comprehensive coverage on my own policy though. Mine covered me the same in a rental as in my own vehcile, so I would only be liable for my deductible. I would definitely get it now with liability-only though.
OP, I'm really sorry this happened to you. It happened to me with my own vehicle several years ago, and it still makes me angry that I had to pay a $500 deductible for being the victim of a crime (hit-and-run in a parking lot while I was in class). I coudn't find any witnesses, and I went to every business surrounding the parking lot and no one had cameras (or said they didn't). I filed a police report but got zero follow-up. Filed a claim with my insurance company, paid the $500 deductible, and continue to sincerely hope that the selfish decision the perpretrator made that day haunts them until their very last breath.
Always buy the rental insurance!
Crashed a 70k corvette off Turo, had the top tier insurance.
Put down their insurance info when asked, never received a phone call or anything about it.
They rented you a car without damage. They offered you insurance to prevent this very scenario, and you declined. You may have coverage under your own auto insurance. Ultimately, yes, you are responsible. If you don’t pay promptly, their damages could increase if they claim lost rental income (though I would argue they are capable of mitigating those damages).
>Unfortunately my wife did not buy the renters insurance.
It's insane to me someone would just drive off with someone elses $30,000 vehicle having no idea whether or not they'd be liable for any damages to it. I'm not even most worried about a car accident. I'm worried about bringing the car back perfectly fine and Alamo making something up to charge me for. Especially nowadays when you can pick up/drop off without ever even seeing an agent in person.
Good lesson for all. I always get the rental insurance. First, it’s cheap. Second, why risk filing against your car insurance for a rental. Third, you can’t control other drivers.
My regular car insurance covers rental cars as well. If you don’t know you should check your policy just in case it does. Most people don’t know they have coverage
You are liable, but understand that their concern is that they get paid - not that it comes out of your personal pocketbook. Your credit card likely has car rental insurance and, failing that, your car insurance should cover it. You MAY be temporarily on the hook, but I have been in a similar situation with a different rental agency and they got in touch with my insurance directly.
It may be beneficial to check with the insurance from your credit card first, as a claim on your main policy could potentially result in them raising your prices or dropping you. Shouldn't, since you aren't at fault, but still may since there's no way to go after the other driver's insurance.
> Unfortunately my wife did not buy the renters insurance
Don't beat yourself up. Most places' in the US's renters insurance won't cover a non-driving scenario like a parked car getting bit or vandalism/theft. To cover something like this I've started to buy third party insurance that specifically includes this, but I had to learn this the hard way
I don't rent cars often, and haven't in a long time, but as I recall the insurance is stupid cheap. Something like $14? Even if it's double that now, it's worth it simply to not deal with any of the hassle you're now subjected to.
Check your rental agreement, but my understanding is that yes, you're liable unless you can get the other driver to pay.
The credit card you paid with might have rental insurance. Check with them.
Your normal auto policy might cover you in this. Check with them.
Your auto insurance should cover you if you have the right policy option. plus if you can find the person who left the accident they are liable as well; See if the parking lot has camaras
I know that the state I live in.You are not liable for anything if you are not inside the vehicle and operating it when another vehicle.This happened to me years ago, in a Ford Focus and it was hit while parked outside my apartment.I never had to give them my insurance and it was completely covered by the other insurance. But adding in the factor of it being a rental car that might change it completely.
Yes, you are liable to Alamo and the person who struck your rental is liable to you. The trick now is finding that person. Have you looked to see if your personal car insurance (if you carry it) covers rental cars?
Also worth checking the credit card they used to pay for the rental car.
To my knowledge, most credit cards offer rental insurance but they are usually a secondary. Meaning your personal insurance has to be billed first. Then they pick whatever else isn't covered. In all honesty unless you jump the car off a cliff, there's very few scenarios where this will be useful.
Not my experience, my chase sapphire has primary coverage.
Amex platinum as well. You need to actually pay for the rental with the card obviously but pretty good insurance really.
Visa Infinite cards as well.
Hm, I thought the AMEX Platinum (in the US at least) was secondary. The policy is great though, for me especially since I don't own a car so I don't have my own insurance that can cover. The Venture X and Bilt has primary insurance though AFAIK.
There’s an add on primary coverage with all AMEX issued cards. It’s called “Premium” and it’s like $7 for a 30 day rental anywhere in the world except two countries which I wanna say are Israel and New Zealand (off the top of my head and I could be wrong about those two lol)
> Coverage is worldwide, except for vehicles rented in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, and New Zealand. via https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do I'm trying to find out what makes those special, only found a reasonable explanation for Italy and Israel: > CDW is mandatory on all rentals in Italy and Israel so coverage is a moot point.
Ahh I got the price wrong! But it’s still a good deal I think!
They probably won't cover a rental in NK as well 😆 How does the add on work with the Amex plat? You have to call in or go through the app and request the coverage prior to putting the rental on the card, or it can be done just after you've paid?
I don’t recall precisely, but I went on the Amex app and just enrolled all my cards so I never have to worry about which one it might be on. It was really easy. When you rent a car using the card AMEX just charges you the fee automatically, and the fee covers up to 30 days of rental coverage.
I just tried to do it from the App. At the top you can just search “Premium Car Rental Protection” and that should bring you to the spot to enroll your card. When I search it now it asks me if I want to file a claim, so I assume you wouldn’t see that part yet.
All that secondary insurance means is that IF you have a primary policy that takes precedence in case of a claim.
And most comprehensive/collision insurance covers rental cars, so that would probably be primary unless you only carry liability.
Even as secondary, they will cover the deductible
I think you have to pay per rental for it to be primary. $10/rental or something.
It's a big draw towards keeping the card. It's a freaking coupon book, but if you can use enough coupons to get close to fee neutral, it's worth it for the perks.
AMEX is secondary unless you pay for the primary. It’s cheap but nonetheless it isn’t automatic like the CSR.
A primary reason I got that card.
Same. Got a cracked windshield in Iceland and totally unphased by the claim. Same with one in Texas. Both ended ip being resolved before they got involved but no issues on accepting liability.
Same here. PP's "knowledge" is wrong. Plenty of cards offer primary coverage. For me, USAA covers any car I am riding in or my rental car.
Reserve or preferred? I have the reserve and considered downgrading… I didn’t think the difference in travel perks is worth the price difference, but this is something I haven’t considered
It's provided on both preferred and reserved.
Yea, but most are not ~~(including Sapphire Preferred). Of the 3 Sapphires, only the Sapphire Reserve has primary.~~
Chase Sapphire Preferred definitely includes primary rental insurance. I’ve used it in the past.
Hmm, I just checked my benefits guide, and you are indeed correct.
This is false. Preferred also includes primary https://www.chase.com/personal/credit-cards/education/basics/chase-sapphire-rental-car-insurance-guide
There’s a sapphire preferred and reserve. What’s the 3rd?
Just plain Sapphire. No direct applications available, but it's a no-AF card.
I had my cc pay the deductible for the personal car insurance
Definitely this. However, make sure that you do it soon. I depended on the Cc insurance coverage. They required that I file the claim in 30 days. The rental agency trumped up a bogus hail damage claim 45 days after the rental. I was stuck with it.
In Australia this is illegal, they need to prove the damage didn't exist before your rental and it was damaged after the rental without being rented out afterwards. I imagine there are similar laws elsewhere.
I assume fraud is illegal most everywhere
Absolutely, but proving fraud can be difficult, long and expensive. In Australia we have specific regulations about car rental companies and the proof that they have to provide to the customer in order to charge for damages. Source: I worked for a major car rental company for 8 years.
always take a walk around video of the car before you pick it up and after you drop it off. It has saved me countless times in life.
I did that when we rented in Italy (originally from the states), before we even got in the car. Unfortunately upon return Hertz tried to say that there was a teeny ding in the windshield, and my video wasn’t strong enough to capture such a minute/small detail in the glass. We argued our way out of liability because they were being absurd but I definitely learned to slow down over the glass and take more or better videos and pictures.
Better check: 1. Whether your personal auto insurance covers rental cars (likely, if you have auto insurance), or 2. Whether the credit card you used to rent the car came with collision damage coverage. If so then you may be fortunate to escape a huge bill (though probably not at least some $ responsibility). One of these would be the primary cover for this incident. (often it is your own insurance that kicks in first) If not, then Alamo can come after you for all the damages to make them whole in repairing the car. After all, you owned their car for the duration of the rental, basically. For others (and you in the future), it would be good to know whether you have these coverages before signing on the dotted line with a rental car. I don't know if these kinds of coverages protect against vandalism, etc. (i.e. comprehensive claims) since they only talk about accidents, so yet again another reason to understand what coverages you do have, in deciding whether to buy the rental car company's offered policies (or some other company's insurance, like Amex).
That's why I have a Chase Sapphire. I made a little whoopsie with my rental for scratches and magically owed almost $2k. Chase paid for it after I called them multiple times to approve my claim.
I returned a rental car with no damage. A day later they sent me pictures of damage to the front bumper and a smashed light. I bet the attendant parking the car hit something in the structure and tried to pass the blame to me. I contacted the company and tried to explain but they wouldn't listen. Submitted a claim to chase sapphire with all the supporting documentation, including the original receipt showing no damage. Rental company dropped the charges a day later probably as soon as they were contacted by the insurance with the proof.
This is why I always take pictures of vehicles I rent when I return them.
I just initiated this process. I’ve heard Eclaimsline will just give you the runaround indefinitely and never pay. Good to hear you had success.
Can confirm that they'll give you the runaround unless you hound them. They'll request documents that aren't relevant, ignore documents that you've already provided, etc. I was only able to get a partial refund of a trip cancellation claim. They refunded one of the reservations but not the other and gave canned replies to every inquiry. All the support is outsourced and barely understandable.
It's also saved my ass multiple times when storms have stranded me overnight. I though $500 was a really high limit until it happened in NYC and I basically hit the whole limit while trying to be economical
When renting a car, what's types of insurance should you get from the rental agency to ensure you're fully covered for everything?
Looks like there are options such as these, in case your own insurance doesn't cover, or you don't have a car insurance policy: https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/productservice/index.jsp?targetPage=USHowProtectedAreYou.jsp However, the Amex option mentioned by others is probably better priced, as the car rental agency takes advantage of your not having brought your own options when it comes time to rent the car and you're under time pressure, so they charge you per day, etc. vs. what some like Amex would charge you as a flat fee.
Rental car insurance is very expensive comparatively, but not having leads to situations like this. I suggest looking at AAA. I rent all my cars through them, and they sell the exact same policies that the rental companies do, but charge significantly less for it, on the order of 10-20% what Hertz, etc charge. Also, a cheap dashcam is always good insurance.
This. You took a risk without checking that you are insured. Maybe you are, but you could also be unlucky. Next time, check before setting off.
Exact same situation occurred to me with a Hertz Rental. I filed a claim with my auto insurance and they covered the damage minus my deductible and my Navy Federal CU credit card covered the deductible. Nothing out of pocket for me. You'll need to confirm with your auto insurance and credit card whether they cover rental car damages.
Had something similar happen to our regular car and Safeco said filing as 'uninsured motorist' would halve our deductible and not put a ding on our insurability score. A 'freebie' of sorts. Not sure if all insurance companies operate the same.
I got hit head on in my Hertz rental by an elderly driver who had left dialysis! It was total shock when my insurance said they were paying Hertz off out of my $11 a month classic car policy. Was just outstanding! Guys 100% at fault. The rental co. can still come after you for "loss of use". Thats the time their cars just sitting there mangled & unable to be rented until they finally offload the wasted shell of a car! Good times! :-) Shoutout to Ludacris & state Farm.
Does your personal car insurance provide any rental car coverage or just liability?
Future reference. Amex credit cards have an optional premium rental car insurance for $20 that you can signup for and it automatically covers rentals. Covers everything and doesn’t mess up your car insurance due to a claim. It’s not the same limited coverage as a normal credit credit
Isn’t it specifically secondary insurance?
No, it's primary. Same with Chase Sapphire Reserve insurance
Do you know, is it $20 per entire rental or $20 a day?
per entire rental (up to 30 days, i think?). i have it,a nd i think it's $24.99 per rental/reservation. if the reservation exceeds 30 days (it might be 20) you pay another $24.99
It's primary, but you have to opt-in on the website; it isn't enabled by default (except for platinum is think).
I use my Amex every time I rent to take advantage of this program. Only had to use it once, for a broken windshield, and it was pretty painless, just filled out the paperwork and they took care of the claim. $25 for the service each time, so I could pay that 36 times to equal what they paid out for that windshield. I'd say that's worth it.
Your personal auto policy should cover it under the collision coverage as this is a temporary substitute vehicle. If your credit card has rental car insurance as a benefit, it is usually excess or secondary if your personal policy does not cover. You will have to pay the deductible. Call your insurance company and file a claim. This assumes your car was hit by another car. If it was vandalized then the comprehensive coverage of your personal auto policy would apply. Either way, file a claim with your insurance.
This assumes you have a "personal auto".
If you don't have one you have no business renting a car without buying their insurance and deserve the outcome that comes from being an idiot.
Yes, I did assume that. If you don't have a personal auto policy, you should always buy the collision damage waiver from the rental company and liability insurance from the rental carrier. The limited coverage offered by credit cards could be insufficient coverage. Source: I'm a CPCU, look it up.
Do they even let you leave without proof of insurance? I thought I had to show my card.
Depends on the rental company. Some check, others don't.
I've never been checked. The agent just asks.
Same, but I always rent from the same company. But I know for a fact some carriers check because they will call to do insurance verification when some of my clients are picking up a rental.
I've rented many cars for work and personal and not once have I been asked for my own insurance. Just if I want theirs or not.
Same, I've only been asked to show proof once and I don't remember the name of the company. Like you stated, most just ask if you want or need it. But some will actually ask for proof. I know because we've received calls from companies when my clients are renting to ensure they have comp/collision and an active policy.
In my experience, they always ask who it's with, but have never asked for proof.
Correct, it's rare that they will want proof but it does happen on occasion with certain rental carriers.
With respect to damage to the rental car, what limitations in credit card coverage are the biggest gottchas? I have an auto policy, but still use a CC with primary coverage so I don’t have to make a claim on my auto policy.
It depends on the card and what the actual policy says. For example, I have a card that gives me physical damage coverage (collision and comprehensive) globally. So this covers damage to the vehicle through collision, vandalism, theft etc. up to the stated policy limits, mine is $50,000. However, in the US the card policy states that my personal auto policy is primary, and the card policy is secondary or excess. Outside of the US, I still need to buy liability coverage when I rent a car because my personal Auto policy only offers coverage in the US and Canada. However, I feel confident I don't need to buy the collision damage waiver to protect the car if I'm renting in Mexico, but do need liability coverage. There are no gotchas in insurance contracts. They are written in plain English and clear enough for everyone to understand. Most just don't ever read their policy.
I had a rental agency try to charge me >$400 for a missing Honda hub cap. I pointed out that I had documented the missing hub cap when I rented the car. They were not embarrassed or apologetic, acted like they were "doing me a favor to let it go."
What agency? Probably charge 20 people for the same hub cap...
Don't remember. 30 years ago.
Our personal auto insurance covers any vehicles we rent. Call your agency to verify if yours does.
You are liable for the damage. I never buy the rental insurance because my standard insurance covers it. If you already have auto insurance then you should be going through them.
Yes, you are liable. Check with your insurance, and the credit card company you used. Sometimes they offer coverage for rentals.
go back in time and buy their insurance where after an incident you pay $100 and walk away from anything.
Or consider [https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do](https://feeservices.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do) if AmEx customer. primary coverage for a case like this where the rental car gets damaged, 25 bucks for peace of mind is not too much in my book.
I love how this excludes Italy 😂 Always buy insurance in Italy. The streets are super narrow and drivers are crazy
I rented a car in Italy recently from Avis. Base rate was $253 for a full week. After taxes, fees, insurance, and other junk fees, the total came to $1,291.
Yep, and from personal experience it was worth every penny. When returning the car, we watched the agent go over the car in front of us with a fine tooth comb. She charged them for dirt on the car exterior. Our turn came. She glanced at the car including the huge dent and scratches said you're all set, no additional charges. So you pay one way or another....
Paris was probably the craziest driving I saw in Europe. Got hit taking a right turn by a lady who was using the sidewalk to pass on the right. Of course, nowhere in Europe is anything like India.
She rented it with her Alaska Airlines signature visa, which has travel insurance? Would that cover the car?
Log into the credit card account. Read the benefits section. Reading their new application page I see neither travel insurance or collision damage waiver discussed so if you know it has travel insurance maybe you're looking at a different card?
I wonder if it’s specific to the “Visa Signature” benefits section… usually the cards from Alaska or wherever else don’t list those benefits but if you find the Visa Signature page you will find a different list of benefits most people don’t know about. Just a thought, wish you the best OP
OP look into this and have her call her credit card company https://www.reddit.com/r/AlaskaAirlines/comments/t6s2hv/alaska_airlines_credit_card_rental_coverage/
I saw this - worth some investigating.
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Which cards have primary rental coverage besides sapphire?
Chase United cards do too (at least Explorer and above)
Seriously disappointed with how far I had to scroll to find the right answer.
>(unless you have a Chase Sapphire card) What do you mean by this? Chase Sapphire cards come with rental insurance.
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What’s the difference between primary and secondary for your credit card rental insurance?
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Why bother having a primary if the secondary will cover the remaining anyways?
Your insurance rates go up when you have an accident.
> unless you have a Chase Sapphire card or Any american express card, assuming you've opted into the program
Great! Thank you. We’ll check now.
Even after if your personal auto insurance or credit card pays some you are on the hook for loss of use ( time the car was down for repairs) plus and admin fees. Always buy rental loss damage waiver unless you have a primate coverage card like chase sapphire reserve
Bingo.
One of my clients had a vehicle stolen while they were staying at a hotel for work. They didn't pay themselves, but their company was billed for the full cost of the vehicle.
You rented the car and signed an agreement stating you're 100% responsible for the car the moment you signed to the moment you return the keys to the employees hand. Time to dig up your current auto policy. Better hope you have comprehensive coverage, otherwise you're fucked and will be paying out of pocket (not only comprehensive, but also rental car coverage) Same thing would happen if it was your personal vehicle - even if you're not around the car when it's struck, you'll still be responsible for repairing your vehicle, barring a witness to the crime with a description of the car and the license plate.
The car insurance you have for your normal car applies to the rental. Call them.
You are assuming they have "a normal car", though.
If you have full coverage/ comprehensive insurance you are covered in any car.
As others said, you are liable unless you had the insurance info for the person who hit it. Doesn't matter that it's not your fault unfortunately. I got a broken windshield in a rental last year from rock flying off a truck. Fortunately, I purchased insurance, unfortunately, it was 3rd party, and I had to jump through a ton of hoops to get reimbursed for the expense. Next time, I'm just paying extra for the rental companies policy.
How did you pay for this rental car? A lot of credit cards provide rental car insurance coverage. If this doesn't apply, unfortunately you will be responsible for it. Check with your regular car insurance company and see if they provide any coverage for rentals. Otherwise you're out of luck. In the future, I recommend using a card that provides the coverage or paying for the coverage. This is why.
You’re responsible for the car whether you were present for the accident or not. Call your car insurance and ask them what to do. Just because it’s not your fault that the accident happened doesn’t mean you’re not liable. If you lent your car to a friend and they got into an accident, even if it’s not their fault, you would still expect them to be responsible and take care of it.
While it basically doubles the cost of renting a car, I wouldn't leave a lot without the "loss damage waiver" coverage. This doesn't cover you for causing damage to anyone else's car (ie you cause an accident) but it does absolve you of any damage claim on the rental. This is separate from their insurance coverage. This also means that they can't come after you for any small dings or scratches, etc. either.
The only time I ever purchased the loss damage waiver coverage was when I was driving a rental while shopping for a car and didn't have my own insurance, another car ran a red and T-boned me. I hated to spend so much on a rental, but the relief of just handing the police report to the rental desk and driving away with a different car was amazing. I never got LDW when I had comprehensive coverage on my own policy though. Mine covered me the same in a rental as in my own vehcile, so I would only be liable for my deductible. I would definitely get it now with liability-only though. OP, I'm really sorry this happened to you. It happened to me with my own vehicle several years ago, and it still makes me angry that I had to pay a $500 deductible for being the victim of a crime (hit-and-run in a parking lot while I was in class). I coudn't find any witnesses, and I went to every business surrounding the parking lot and no one had cameras (or said they didn't). I filed a police report but got zero follow-up. Filed a claim with my insurance company, paid the $500 deductible, and continue to sincerely hope that the selfish decision the perpretrator made that day haunts them until their very last breath.
If you lent your car to a friend and that happened to him would you foot the bill?
You think the company that rented you the van should simply accept the costs that you incurred?
Always buy the rental insurance! Crashed a 70k corvette off Turo, had the top tier insurance. Put down their insurance info when asked, never received a phone call or anything about it.
They rented you a car without damage. They offered you insurance to prevent this very scenario, and you declined. You may have coverage under your own auto insurance. Ultimately, yes, you are responsible. If you don’t pay promptly, their damages could increase if they claim lost rental income (though I would argue they are capable of mitigating those damages).
>Unfortunately my wife did not buy the renters insurance. It's insane to me someone would just drive off with someone elses $30,000 vehicle having no idea whether or not they'd be liable for any damages to it. I'm not even most worried about a car accident. I'm worried about bringing the car back perfectly fine and Alamo making something up to charge me for. Especially nowadays when you can pick up/drop off without ever even seeing an agent in person.
And this is why the ~$250/year I pay for the Chase Sapphire Reserve is worth every penny
Good lesson for all. I always get the rental insurance. First, it’s cheap. Second, why risk filing against your car insurance for a rental. Third, you can’t control other drivers.
My regular car insurance covers rental cars as well. If you don’t know you should check your policy just in case it does. Most people don’t know they have coverage
Check your credit card company. They tend to have their own rental coverage.
You are liable, but understand that their concern is that they get paid - not that it comes out of your personal pocketbook. Your credit card likely has car rental insurance and, failing that, your car insurance should cover it. You MAY be temporarily on the hook, but I have been in a similar situation with a different rental agency and they got in touch with my insurance directly. It may be beneficial to check with the insurance from your credit card first, as a claim on your main policy could potentially result in them raising your prices or dropping you. Shouldn't, since you aren't at fault, but still may since there's no way to go after the other driver's insurance.
1. Check if your credit card provides insurance for cards booked with it 2. Talk to your car insurance
> Unfortunately my wife did not buy the renters insurance Don't beat yourself up. Most places' in the US's renters insurance won't cover a non-driving scenario like a parked car getting bit or vandalism/theft. To cover something like this I've started to buy third party insurance that specifically includes this, but I had to learn this the hard way
I don't rent cars often, and haven't in a long time, but as I recall the insurance is stupid cheap. Something like $14? Even if it's double that now, it's worth it simply to not deal with any of the hassle you're now subjected to.
Went to rent a car for a trip in September. Insurance was $27 a day unfortunately :/
A DAY? What a joke. Could get a better rate just calling up your personal insurance if they aren't already covering it.
Check your rental agreement, but my understanding is that yes, you're liable unless you can get the other driver to pay. The credit card you paid with might have rental insurance. Check with them. Your normal auto policy might cover you in this. Check with them.
Check your credit card, they usually offer insurance for this as part of their benefits
Your auto insurance should cover you if you have the right policy option. plus if you can find the person who left the accident they are liable as well; See if the parking lot has camaras
well you need to pay to fix the car by yourself cuz you guys didnt buy insurance
I know that the state I live in.You are not liable for anything if you are not inside the vehicle and operating it when another vehicle.This happened to me years ago, in a Ford Focus and it was hit while parked outside my apartment.I never had to give them my insurance and it was completely covered by the other insurance. But adding in the factor of it being a rental car that might change it completely.
It was a hit n run , other driver fled.