Rental Car Insurance

[Gale in KY]

Lot's of confusion about what to take, if you need it etc. Here's a primer:

CDW (Collision Damage Waiver)
Covers damage as a result of an accident to the rental car with a deductible according to the class of the car. Theft or damage to parts and accessories are not covered. Deductible is usually 10% of vehicle value. Most put a hold on your credit card for the deductible, meaning you will need the value % available on your credit card when you rent.

Loss Damage Waiver (LDW)
Eliminates your finantial responsibility for loss or damage to the rental vehicle, as a result of an accident or theft. Eliminates your out of pocket deductible. (the 10% value of the vehicle)

Personal Accident Insurance (PAI)
Covers you medical expenses for you and your passangers while they enter, occupy or exit the vehicle.

Additional Liability Insurance (ALI)
Provides protection for claims against you for injury/death or property damage.-Covers the other guy if you are at fault in an accident, both medical and property damages. I think this is the MOST important coverage you can have!

Something to keep in mind, medical expenses in Mexico are also an expense that must be paid in full before departing the country. If you are injured and require medical treatment, you have to pay the bill before you go home and be reimbursed by trip insurance or your medical insurance after the fact.

[AdGuy]

Excellent post, Gale. This is an area even experienced travelers are often confused about. I'm always amazed how many people think their Montgomery Ward credit card or Fruit Of The Month membership will provide them coverage in a foreign country!!:rolleyes:

[minniemex]

Gale - thanks for this explanations - it took me forever to collect the same information when I was going down there, & never did have all the info in one spot! This is great, now next time I need the info, I will just do a search for this!!http://www.websmileys.com/sm/happy/1055.gifhttp://www.websmileys.com/sm/crazy/095.gifhttp://www.websmileys.com/sm/happy/1074.gifhttp://www.websmileys.com/sm/cool/1245.gif

[austxdan]

Gale/Lee,

We're doing the car-thang this May, and it is primarily the whole insurance issue that will probably guide me to CancunCarRental as they include all 100% insurance in the rate. No guessing involved. Peace of mind is well worth the pesos.

Dan

[beachreader]

This is helpful. I rented twice using my usual US-credit card insurance, after calling my card company multiple times to check that the coverage would be there. I believe they were telling the truth, but didn't know that the Mexican car companies would force me to pay in advance and I would have to deal with my cc co. for re-imbursement later on. So, I might be "coverered", but I'd be hugely put out by the process.

I have since decided that I will, from now on, just go ahead and pay all the insurances necessary to not only be covered, but to have a smooth resolution to any situations that might arise while I was on the hook.

[dcap]

That is exactly what we did. Our CC com. told us the same thing, yes you will be covered. But with some confusion at rental Co. in PDC, we opted for the insurance there. The whole process while being abit spendy was money well spent in my opinion. We had no troubles paying for useing or returning the car. We used national on 5th in PDC.

[GEB44]

Simple rule. Forget what the cc people say, when you are outside the USA, take the insurance. If you think it adds too much, rethink your decision to rent a car. I need the freedom of a rental car and while the piece of mind is expensive, it is worth it. I also rented from National in PDC with good results. If you insist on an automatic, there is a good chance you will get upgraded.

[austxdan]

OK, so here's a new wrinkle. Has anyone bought TravelGuard Insurance? I forget who this is through (AAA maybe) but we bought some a few years back to cover a rental in Cozumel. We took the 10% deductible standard insurance from the car rental, and I had TravelGuard insurance in case anything else went wrong.

Luckily, there was no need to test if what I was doing was "the right thing". So does anyone have input on whether TravelGuard will safely cover that 10% and serve as a "get out of jail free" card?

Dan

[minniemex]

I did some checking on independent insurance for Mexico on vehicles & found that the hassles far outweighed the small difference in rates - besides, I had no idea what it really would cover - not that I knew what was covered with the other that came with the car rental:confused: :eek:

[AdGuy]

Simple rule. Forget what the cc people say, when you are outside the USA, take the insurance. If you think it adds too much, rethink your decision to rent a car.

Great advice. I can't understand why, after spending several hundreds on airfare, additional hundreds on hotel, and probably thousands on food/drinks/shopping, some folks are willing to put their vacation at risk to save $90!
Absolutely mind-boggling! http://smilies.vidahost.com/ups/DeNiro/idiot.gif

[ScooterBum]

To expand on Gales post -

Check with your credit card company, most include CDW but not liability.
I will be renting a car next week for a trip to the Costalegre region.
I called Visa at 1-800-VISA-911 and asked them to e-mail me a document stating that my credit card covered CDW in Mexico; I received it within 30 minutes. This is a handy document to be in possession of in the event of an accident.

In the event you them - the Visa "hotline number in Mexico is -
001-800-847-2911

Mexican liability is available through the rental company for about $7 a day – this is highly recommended.

[Gale in KY]

Tope (Bump) it to the top..upon request!

[minniemex]

I decided to use this post, as Gale (whom we miss dearly), posted some great information at the top of this thread.

When I changed my reservations for my trip, I took another look at car rental as I have found in the past, prices change. I didn't think I needed a car while staying at an all inclusive and with all that I wanted to see and do within walking distance. Continental seemed to have the best price when I figured in where and when I could get a car. This left me with no transportation from the airport to ABR, (just an aside, my husband does not like buses, won't take one, especially with luggage - those are his words!) so, I am without a car to get from airport to ABR. I thought, I have been conversing with Senor Betanzos from Continental, so I would ask him about transfers - here is my questions and his reply -



Dear Senor Betanzos -

Just as an afterthought, we will also need a transfer, one way, to Akumal Beach Resort on 6th Oct 2007. Is this something you can handle?? Cost?? Or is there someone you would refer us to??

Again, thanks for all your help and prompt attention!

Fred Johnson



We are not in touch with transfer service providers, but we know most of them charge about 30 usd. per person if it is a direct transfer, or cheaper if you go in a van with many other people and doing some stops along the way. We suggest a better option for you: You might want to have us receive you at the aiport, then take you to our airport location where we could advance with doing the paper work for your rental, even if you are not taking the car on that your day of arrival, and then we can transport you to your place in Akumal, for the fee of one day of rental, which is 35 usd. For this amount you can choose whether to take the car yourself for one day or to have one of our people drive you there.

Please let us know your comments about this, and if you feel comfortable with us as your rental please visit our website again www.continental-rentacar.com (http://www.continental-rentacar.com/) , and make your reservation there, so we can have your contact and pick up place information and you can have a confirmation number in your e-mail.

We´ll be looking forward to hear your comments about it.

Sincerely,
Jesús Betanzos
Operations Director
CONTINENTAL RENT A CAR


I thought this was such a terrific idea!! Now, all it is going to cost me is $35.00 for a private transfer to Akumal. One of the services this company provides at no cost is to pick you up where ever, return to Playa and/or Cancun and rent you the car. My only concern is what if they do not show, then I do have just small issues - but as no segment is back to the airport, I am feeling very comfortable with this arrangement.

[beachreader]

Wow, that is a great deal. You're the queen of great deals these days.

Are they at all affiliated with Continental Airlines? Doesn't sound like it. So you rent with them, they pick you up at the airport and take you to their office in Cancun or Playa? I.e., they don't have an office just off the airport grounds? Just looking for more details.

[AdGuy]

So, Kayt, is it $35USD or "the price of a one day rental" which might also include taxes and insurance? If you factor those additional costs in, you may be paying close to the cost of a private transfer/taxi and would need to take a detour to do so. You may want to confirm your assumption of $35.00 total cost.

[beachreader]

Good point, Lee. I would assume that if they're using one of the company drivers, you wouldn't have to pay the insurances, but taxes and other fees might come into play.

[minniemex]

So, Kayt, is it $35USD or "the price of a one day rental" which might also include taxes and insurance? If you factor those additional costs in, you may be paying close to the cost of a private transfer/taxi and would need to take a detour to do so. You may want to confirm your assumption of $35.00 total cost.

That is the price with insurances and taxes!! I am just renting a mini economy car manual transmission, so it is the cheapest rental available. My experience has been with all car rentals anywhere, rent the cheapest and if they don't have it they upgrade you to what they have available. I have never gotten the mini economy. If I do, it will be ok, as there are just the two of us!!

Here is the email I received - check it out - I don't think I am missing anything - if I am, by all means point it out to me!!!!!!


Continental Rent a Car Reservation No. CONT-1724
Dear Fred ,
Thank you for choosing Continental Rent a Car for your car rental needs. For any comments or questions related to your reservation, please reply to this e-mail and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
http://www.continental-rentacar.com/images/spacer.gif Pick Up Location: Cancun Airport First Name: Fred Dropp Off Location: Riviera Maya - Akumal Last Name: Johnson Pick Up: 10 / 6 / 2007 @ 12:00 PM E-Mail: Dropp Off: 10 / 6 / 2007 @ 11:00 PM Telephone: 651-780-0375 Airline: Sun Country City Lino Lakes Flight Number: 503 State / Province: Minnesota Arrival Time: 11:45 AM Country: United States http://www.continental-rentacar.com/images/spacer.gif Vehicle: DODGE ATOS or similar Payment Method: VISA Vehicle Type: Mini Economy - Manual You have Selected: 1 Day (s) Aditional Comments:
http://www.continental-rentacar.com/images/spacer.gif Our Rates Include: Unlimited Mileage, Liability Insurance (ALI), Medical Expenses Insurance (PAI) and Theft or Collision Damage Waiver Insurance with Zero Deductible Fee (FDW) for the vehicle. Taxes Included Subtotal: 31.81
Taxes: 3.18 Total: 35.00 http://www.continental-rentacar.com/images/spacer.gif Directions for your Airport Pick Up:
One of our car rental representatives will be waiting for you at the arrival gate with a noticeable sign with the Continental Rent a Car Logo and your name clear and big for easy identification, then we will take you on our shuttle ride to our location which is 5 minutes from the airport where we will have your vehicle clean and ready for you. We don t have a rental booth or telephones inside the airport, we always meet our clients outside the building, but is always very easy to identify us with our sign.

For the drop-off you can select either your hotel, the airport or our location at your desired time.

Here is their web address - http://www.continental-rentacar.com/

Also, don't forget, I am going Low season, so the prices are at the lowest possible.

[beachreader]

Wow, $35 a day including all the insurances and such? Amazing. I'll have to keep them in mind for my next trip. Nice e-mail, too, very clear.

[AdGuy]

Looks good...go for it!

[PhyllisB]

Just bumping this up for the folks looking at car rentals right now!

Phyllis

[bikerific]

this is helpful. thanks for the continental link. They clearly state that ALI is included.

I don't want to seem too dense, but-- is the ALI included in other rate quotes as well? It is hard to compare rates without knowing if I'm going to get hit with extras at the counter.

Contintental gives me a total of $392 from Dec. 24-Jan. 1. Hertz says $224 (same ballpark as most big chains). It seems likely to me that the difference is that Hertz is not including ALI, but I still can't tell for sure. I wrote them and will report back if I find anything out.

[PhyllisB]

Bikerific,

I think it's probably true that Hertz isn't including it. I think a lot of the big companies don't. The only ones I've seen that are up front about it are the Mexican co's.

Phyllis

[bikerific]

Thanks PhyllisB.

Ridiculous question-- does anyone rent the VW bugs anymore?

And/or is it worthwhile to get a Jeep Wrangler if we were considering, for example, a day trip to Punta Allen ( transparent excuse to justify getting a cool jeep). Are the rental ones truly convertible or do they have a hard top?

Just looking for something with a bit more character.

[PhyllisB]

I don't know anything about the Jeeps, since we've never rented one. I know that they are easy targets for theft - or have seen that in other threads on different boards. Some people insist you don't need one to get to Punta Allen, and other people insist you do. I'll have to let other folks weigh in on this one.

I definitely wouldn't want a bug! Saw a couple last time I was down there that looked like they could fall apart any day. Driving super slow on 307... poke...poke...poke...poke.... ;)

[bikerific]

I definitely wouldn't want a bug! Saw a couple last time I was down there that looked like they could fall apart any day. Driving super slow on 307... poke...poke...poke...poke.... ;)

Well, there's history. Wife thinks they're cute. I spent some time partially restoring one.

[mayaflya]

If you are using Travelocity to get rate quotes, you can usually get the cost for adding insurance by clicking on the extremely fine print under "policies" / "charges for optional services"/ "insurance" after you select the rental company and car from the matrix that pops up after your search. Hertz, for example, on my search for March, has a basic rate of $12/day for their econobox...but the zero deductible insurance add is $33.95/day. What the different companies include or not is usually spelled out in this fine print.

I'd still check directly with the company to confirm the $$'s, before you book, but at least it lets you do a little apples to apples shopping.

[minniemex]

On all those sites (travelocity, expedia, etc) and including the major car rental sites themselves (national, alamo, hertz, etc.) they DO NOT ever include any insurances. These are ALWAYS IN ADDITION to the rental price they quote you.

[Gale in KY]

Tope to the top for our newer members