Separate car rental insurance? - Timeshare Users Group Online Community Forums

mecllap · December 6, 2008, 11:29 AM

Has anyone purchased rental car insurance for the Caribbean (Cayman Islands) from a company other than the car rental place? If so, how did that work out? What company did you buy it from? I'm thinking I might want a little more as a back-up in case my credit card company has changed their policy, and I do need to double-check on my regular car insurance to see if their rental coverage includes out of USA. And of course I don't want to pay the exorbitant rental car company rates!

I guess what I'm asking, is does anyone have a recommendation for (or against) an independent rental car insurance policy/company?

Kola · December 6, 2008, 01:43 PM

Last year I bought extra insurance from the car rental firm in Cayman Isl. because IMO the alternative of being personally responsible for possible damages could have been MUCH, MUCH more expensive. The bottom line is that you never know what charges you may be faced with unless you actually have an accident, at which time it's too late to consider options. Be aware that an independent local insurance agency may, or may not, provide the protection you need. I always doublecheck the terms of my credit card insurance when considering car rental abroad. Any additional costs, if warranted, are simply part of my car rental costs, not unlike local taxes, drop-off charges, etc. Unless you are renting for a long time (like a month or more) I would consider potential savings not worth the risk.

K.

isisdave · December 6, 2008, 10:09 PM

If you buy trip-cancellation insurance, sometimes you can include car rental insurance as an option. I use Travelex, and I'm pretty sure it's available, seems to me it was about $8 a day. See the sticky at the top of the page on travel insurance and check our some providers.

philemer · December 6, 2008, 10:41 PM

AMEX, assuming you have a certain type of AMEX credit card, offers great auto insurance coverage. See https://www152.americanexpress.com/f...sbn/product.do

TubTub · December 17, 2008, 08:19 AM

There are lots of really interesting sites with useful car insurance info such as this one on types of car insurance and this one is really good for car insurance news. Hope these help!!

Jaybee · December 17, 2008, 02:12 PM

We have rental insurance with AMEX, but we don't have a business card, just a lowly Hilton Blue Card, but when we rent a car with our AMEX card, we're charged a total of $17.95 for coverage for the entire rental.

Quote:

Originally Posted by philemer

AMEX, assuming you have a certain type of AMEX credit card, offers great auto insurance coverage. See https://www152.americanexpress.com/f...sbn/product.do

donnaval · December 29, 2008, 02:08 PM

Thanks for this info about the Am Ex option. We have a Costco AmEx card and didn't know about this option. Very economical for peace of mind!

December 6, 2008, 11:29 AM	#1
mecllap TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Apr 3, 06 Location: North Carolina Posts: 199 Resorts: Grand Caymanian; DVC-SSR	Separate car rental insurance? Has anyone purchased rental car insurance for the Caribbean (Cayman Islands) from a company other than the car rental place? If so, how did that work out? What company did you buy it from? I'm thinking I might want a little more as a back-up in case my credit card company has changed their policy, and I do need to double-check on my regular car insurance to see if their rental coverage includes out of USA. And of course I don't want to pay the exorbitant rental car company rates! I guess what I'm asking, is does anyone have a recommendation for (or against) an independent rental car insurance policy/company?

December 6, 2008, 10:41 PM	#4
philemer Moderator TUG Lifetime Member BBS Reg. Date: Aug 17, 04 Location: BEAUTIFUL IDAHO Posts: 2,949 Resorts: HI, ID, TX, UT & S.A.	AMEX, assuming you have a certain type of AMEX credit card, offers great auto insurance coverage. See https://www152.americanexpress.com/f...sbn/product.do __________________ Phil GO VIKINGS

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

December 6, 2008, 01:43 PM	#2
Kola Guest BBS Reg. Date: Jul 4, 05 Posts: 1,003	Last year I bought extra insurance from the car rental firm in Cayman Isl. because IMO the alternative of being personally responsible for possible damages could have been MUCH, MUCH more expensive. The bottom line is that you never know what charges you may be faced with unless you actually have an accident, at which time it's too late to consider options. Be aware that an independent local insurance agency may, or may not, provide the protection you need. I always doublecheck the terms of my credit card insurance when considering car rental abroad. Any additional costs, if warranted, are simply part of my car rental costs, not unlike local taxes, drop-off charges, etc. Unless you are renting for a long time (like a month or more) I would consider potential savings not worth the risk. K.

December 6, 2008, 10:09 PM	#3
isisdave TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 6, 05 Location: Murrieta CA Posts: 461 Resorts: Marriott Newport Coast, Marriott Waiohai	If you buy trip-cancellation insurance, sometimes you can include car rental insurance as an option. I use Travelex, and I'm pretty sure it's available, seems to me it was about $8 a day. See the sticky at the top of the page on travel insurance and check our some providers.

December 17, 2008, 08:19 AM	#5
TubTub Guest BBS Reg. Date: Dec 17, 08 Posts: 4	There are lots of really interesting sites with useful car insurance info such as this one on types of car insurance and this one is really good for car insurance news. Hope these help!!

December 29, 2008, 02:08 PM	#7
donnaval TUG Member BBS Reg. Date: Jun 7, 05 Location: Western PA Posts: 514	Thanks for this info about the Am Ex option. We have a Costco AmEx card and didn't know about this option. Very economical for peace of mind!