I do not own my own car so I do not have car insurance. I am going on vacation and will be renting a car (in the US). Will I have enough coverage if I just opt in to all the rental company's insurance options?
It's really hard understanding all the fine print on my credit cards' benefits. I have a Citi Premier card, Amazon Prime Visa, and Barclay Arrival Plus card.
The Barclay card is a travel card and does appear to have some car rental coverage but it looks like it is all secondary and in order to get it I have decline the optional collision/damage waiver (or similar coverage) offered by the rental company.
As far as what is covered this is what it says (page 20 of this pdf):
The kind of coverage you receive:
We will pay for the following on a secondary basis:
• Physical damage and theft of the vehicle, not to exceed the
limits outlined below.
Questions about these benefits? Call 1-800-Mastercard: 800-627-8372 22
Español: 800-633-4466• Reasonable loss of use charges imposed by the vehicle rental
company for the period of time the rental vehicle is out of
service. Loss of use charges must be substantiated by a
location and class-specific fleet utilization log.• Towing charges to the nearest collision repair facility.
This coverage is not all-inclusive, which means it does not cover
such things as personal injury, personal liability, or personal
property. It does not cover you for any damages to other vehicles
or property. It does not cover you for any injury to any party
This doesn't exactly sound like comprehensive coverage.
Should I just go with all the coverage I can get from the rental company? Is there anything I should get additionally, potentially from a 3rd party? I'm not a bad driver or anything, but just like to make sure I'm fully, or at least reasonably covered for worst case scenarios.
Renting a car without any personal car insurance. What should I know?
byu/skytbest inInsurance
Posted by skytbest
1 Comment
In the event of an accident and there is bodily injury to the other party you should purchase the liability insurance from the rental car company. This will protect you (up to the limits) if the other party goes after you for their injuries.
Rental car damage from the rental company is technically not insurance, but a damage waiver. Unless you violated the rental contract in some way, if you damage their car, they will “waive” your responsibility to repair it. This could get expensive.
Credit card coverage does not cover your injuries, bodily injury to other parties, or your personal property (stuff). It is only meant to cover your rental car. Since you have no insurance, it becomes the primary.