OT:Rental Cars

I had this recent thread on Flights http://www.plctalk.net/qanda/showthread.php?t=79886

I thank you all for the valuable info and I would like to ask about rental cars also. More specific airport rental cars.

I know there is a debate to buy the rental insurance or not and I see terms like LDW and CDW but I don't know what they mean and thus far have not found a definition of them yet.

I have liability only on all my cars so no full coverage and I don't have any credit cards only a bank check card / debit card that is Visa.

I am thinking I should buy the insurance the rental company offers?

If you have a accident and you have thier insurancew do you have to deal with it after your trip or do they take care of it turn key?

Find out if you have insurance through your company, I know when I rent cars on company business I am told to decline the insurance as I am covered under our corporate fleet coverage.

Also make sure to do your own inspection of the car when you get it, make sure they note everything as they could hit you for something you and they miss when you take it out.

First off does your company have a policy on this? Employers usually have a policy to waive the extra insurance otherwise you will get stuck paying for it.

CDW=Collision Damage Waiver
LDW=Loss Damage Waiver

Both are essentially the same thing, they protect the rental car and nothing else, whatever you hit, runover, or maim isn't covered.

Word of caution about using a debit credit for a rental. Most agencies will put a hold on a significant amount of cash from your bank account (usually more than the rental cost). This means you won't be able to access that money for other expenses and even when you return the car it may take several days for the money to be freed.

Get another credit card or two. When traveling, always have at least two, in case one gets lost or left at a restaurant. It happens. Guaranteed.

Your corporate car policy will usually tell you to decline insurance, since the company policy covers it.

If you are in a small company, there is no corporate policy. Your personal car policy normally applies to a rental car.

Many credit cards automatically cover the additional rental insurance, so it is OK to decline it (after you first check with your cc).

Typically decline the "the rental company will fill the tank when you return". It is usually cheaper to fill it on your way back to the rental office.

Renting at the airport is the most convenient. Renting "off-airport" is cheaper.

You can read the rental contract later in your hotel. Very long, very tiny print.

Christoff84 said:

...Also make sure to do your own inspection of the car when you get it, make sure they note everything as they could hit you for something you and they miss when you take it out.

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Cell phone cameras are great for this.

Welcome to California, you may need a little bit of patience when driving on our freeways.
Some drivers are in a bit of a hurry, and others are quite busy looking on their smart phones. Other than that, it's a walk in the park.

If I am travelling on my own for pleasure etc. I usually decline the rental car coverage, since both my credit card and my own auto insurance have coverage that extends to a rental vehicle. Note, however, that the deductibles apply, and there is some hassle involved in filing the claims and getting paid.

When travelling for a client (or an employer in the past) I usually took the rental car coverage. I don't see any reason I should endure the hassle and hit on my personal coverage, try to get reimbursed for the deductible, and potentially have my rates go up. If the employer is so benighted as to refuse to pay for that coverage then I see no reason to travel for them.

I'm not sure about the debit card, but if you rent with cash you have to be prepared to lay down a substantial deposit at the time you pick up the car. I assume they will treat the debit card the same way, and make a substantial withdrawal. That amount, less the rental charges, will be refunded when you return the car. A credit card is easier, and if you will be travelling much in the future I'd suggest getting one.

Rental car rates and service vary tremendously. My personal preference is Enterprise, as a good balance between the two. Hertz has great service, high prices (generally). The cheaper outfits generally have poorer service - you get what you pay for.

The prepaid gas is a variable with me. Some airports (DFW) for example, have convenient spots to refuel when you are returning and so I bring it back full. At others it is a pain to find a convenient gas station (Kansas City and Pittsburg used to be terrible, for example) so I prepay the gas. LAX is OK to refuel. It's been a while since I flew in and out of Orange County, but as I recall re-fuelling wasn't bad there. Part of that depends on when you are flying out. For red-eyes not everything is open, and rush hour needs to be avoided!

I have liability only on all my cars so no full coverage and I don't have any credit cards only a bank check card / debit card that is Visa.

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Pay for the LDW and CDW insurance.

If anything happens to the rental car, you are responsible for it. Your own auto insurance won't pay for it (you have only liability coverage) and I have never seen a debit card with the sort of supplemental insurance that many credit cards offer.

Unless your company has a fleet of vehicles, it's unlikely that they carry insurance that would cover you for damage to a rental. Check with anyone you can at work, but if you don't know for certain... get the LDW and CDW insurance.

Some car rental companies will play any trick with you regarding damage to the car even if it is not caused by you.

Inspect the car upon pickup, and use your cell phone to photograph any scratches or other damage to the car.
And photograph it again upon return, preferably with a person from the rental company next to it.
You then have proof in case there is any argument with the rental company.

I almost always pay for the rental company fill of gas. Invariably, my trips end such that I am doing the hustle to get back to the airport and make my flight.

Since you are going for a training class, the end time should be specific and you can plan accordingly.

If you think you will be travelling more, get a traveller's rewards style credit card. The usually higher annual fee ( $200-$500) will also cover card rental insurance, trip cancellation insurance , and in some cases access to airport lounges.

I always decline insurance and bring car back full of gas.

The usually higher annual fee ( $200-$500)...

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That seems an excessive fee to pay to give a credit company the right to charge your sellers a fee each time you buy something. I go with the free cards with high interest rates and reward points. I have yet to pay any credit card interest charges or fees in over 50 years of using them.

My philosophy is different from most, because I never felt charitable enough to give money to a credit card company. People tell me "Yeah, but you can buy more stuff if you use credit". You really can't in the long term that we live in from decade to decade. The difference is the interest charges. Simple arithmetic: Using credit, you can buy only T-I, where T is your Total Available to Spend and I is the Interest Charges. I can buy T and don't ever have to worry about the I. I once calculated that I have saved enough in credit card interest charges to buy 2 or 3 new cars! That was 15 or 20 years ago.

On my American Express it costs an additional $17.95 to have LDW/CDW insurance on the rental car. They automatically add it when I rent a car with my AmEx.
Just contact AmEx and they will add it to your policy. An AmEx green card is pretty to get, because the charged amount is due every month.

Be for-warned, don't expect you regular car insurance company to "fully" cover costs. Some rental car companies also wants to charge "loss of use" fees to a damaged car while it is being fixed, this is where your regular car insurance policy will balk.

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Lancie1 said:

That seems an excessive fee to pay to give a credit company the right to charge your sellers a fee each time you buy something. I go with the free cards with high interest rates and reward points. I have yet to pay any credit card interest charges or fees in over 50 years of using them.

My philosophy is different from most, because I never felt charitable enough to give money to a credit card company. People tell me "Yeah, but you can buy more stuff if you use credit". You really can't in the long term that we live in from decade to decade. The difference is the interest charges. Simple arithmetic: Using credit, you can buy only T-I, where T is your Total Available to Spend and I is the Interest Charges. I can buy T and don't ever have to worry about the I. I once calculated that I have saved enough in credit card interest charges to buy 2 or 3 new cars! That was 15 or 20 years ago.

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This Amex Platinum card also gets me priority check in, extra luggage, access to Airport lounges. If I travel a lot, which I do, it pays for itself.