cherylforeurope

Recently returned from a trip which included a rental car in Germany. Refused the CDW (had some coverage through credit card) and the clerk at the rental assured us if we were in an
accident the other party would have insurance
covering them. I had read a post prior to our trip which stated they may put a hold on your credit card if you have an accident. Anyway, I was a nervous wreck worrying about an accident (not for physical safety but because of insurance/credit card worries)...my husband had to drive the entire trip since we didn't get the automatic we ordered and I can't drive manual...I may have been more relaxed if I could have driven but since I was more familiar with the routes he would've been as good a navigator anyway.

To get to the point...we're going back to Italy for our next trip and knowing how anxious (an understatement) I was in a rental I hesitate to even consider it again...not renting in Rome but through Tuscany and the northern area. Has anyone had an accident, did you have CDW, what happened, etc?

Thanks.

Budman

In Italy you are required to take all the insurance -- that's why rental cars are so expensive in Italy.

Betsy

Wait until Patrick wakes up and sees this. He'll be sure to post about his experience with totaling a car in, I believe, Ireland.

Mucky

I was in Portugal's Algarve last week and I took out CDW for my car. It was optional but I couldn't be bothered with the nit picking that monitors every little scratch upon return.
However there was a couple there who had damaged their door and despite having CDW they were still being asked to pay €200 to put it right.
I left as they were still arguing, so I'm not sure of the true value of CDW.
Perhaps it has a limit??

Muck

Sue_xx_yy

There's CDW, which usually has a deductible that can be as high as € 600, - some companies offer 'super CDW' which is in theory no deductible but even then windshields, glass, and tires aren't covered. Considering how easy it is for these things to be damaged, don't count on never having to pay for something even with CDW. Also, many contracts also maintain that you are responsible for regular maintenance such as oil changes - so if the car runs out of oil and the engine seizes up, does this mean you are responsible for the damage? I've never wanted to risk it, so I always pop the hood and check the oil level on signing out the car.

As someone said, there's a poster 'Patrick' who had to rely on credit card insurance - it took a long time (as in a couple of months, if I recall correctly) but the CC company did eventually settle everything with the car rental company.

lincasanova

there are tons of posts about this, but.. again i will repeat, and Budman, you are not entirely correct.

many insurance companies have a basic liability of 600 euros or more, even when you take out the cdw.

the most well known agencies USUALLY have an EXTRA SUPER cdw that you can buy to get what is called "ZERO RESPONSIBILITY".

read the fine print.. and get all the insurance you feel you need.

many companies also do not cover tires/windshields/ roof or underside of car.. so.. just know what you are getting.

you can count on quite a supplement if you go for the zero responsibility. but i felt it was worth it.
i have no credit card i trust. you must REALLY read THEIR fine print!

ira

Hi cheryl,

In Italy you have to take the insurance.

Except for one CC (the name of which escapes me) no one will insure you for Italy.

Take the highest level of insurance - usually called Super CDW.

As noted glass, tires, undercarriage are not included.

For countries where you can decline the CDW it works this way:

Your credit card company reimburses you for charges from the rental agency. The charges go on your credit card and are set aside while the CC company investigates.

After they are done, they pay the rental agency and remove the charges from your account.

www.AutoEurope.com also offers insurance beyond the Super CDW. It works the same way as for the CC.

Tires, glass and the undercarriage will be your responsibility.

Don't worry. Enjoy your trip to Italy.

Patrick

Here's Patrick -- "waking up" as Betsy says in Chicago.

But you already have your answers. In Italy you MUST take the insurance, so your problem is gone.

Our situation was in Wales (UK) and we declined the CDW, ended up totalling a car and having our Citibank Card insurance paying for EVERYTHING with no deductible. If we had taken their insurance it would have cost us a couple hundred pounds for that, plus I believe 500 pounds deductible. As it was, we didn't spend a penny.

cherylforeurope

Do they put a hold on your credit card? My concern was they would put a hold to total the max on the card and therefore render our card useless. The only other card I had was a check card which would not have enough to cover the trip. My MAC card didn't work in Europe. That's why I was so concerned.

ira

Hi C,

>Do they put a hold on your credit card? My concern was they would put a hold to total the max on the card and therefore render our card useless. <

No, you can still use your card. The charges go into a different file.

RufusTFirefly

Be sure to read ALL of the fine print no matter which rental company or broker you are using.

I always thought that AutoEurope provided insurance and/or waiver of deductable for an additional charge.

But I've been researching rentals in Germany, and I was surprised to see on a rental from Frankfurt with return in Nuernberg that AutoEurope's fine print said they would NOT provide any insurance or waivers (on a $1080 deductable). I would have to get it from the actual rental company--don't know what the rental company would charge to reduce or eliminate the deductable. This was for a compact car with manual transmission for one week.

I guess it might be because of the location of the rental or the actual rental company that would furnish car.

When I tried Nova, the cost was over $127 less, and had the same $1080 deductable, but Nova's fine print offered to reduce the deductable to $500 for a charge of $42.

Anyway, always read the fine print no matter what company is involved--what applies in one set of circumstances might not in another.

StuDudley

For countries covered by your CC (not Italy), you are only covered for 14 or 31 "intended" rental days. The difference depends on the specific card. We've rented for over 31 days on a couple of occasions. We return the first car within 31 days and rent a new one under my wife's name and using a different CC. Every time we've done this (aboout 3 times) we kept the same car. Also, the same CC must be used for all charges on the rental.

Stu Dudley

tomboy

I had a accident in Slovakia (about US$5000). A week later we returned home. The first CC statement had only the rental on it. The 2nd after our return had the total of the repair bills on it. Three weeks later we got a check for the amount of the repairs from VISA. The 3rd statement after our return , and thereafter, had nothing auto related. So we weren't out of pocket anything, and we got 5000 miles on our card.

ira

Good tip, Stu.

StuDudley

>>So we weren't out of pocket anything, and we got 5000 miles on our card.<<

All you need is nine more accidents like your last one, and you will earn a free RT frequent flyer trip to Europe!!!

Stu Dudley

Underhill

We had only a minor accident--some idiot was hightailing it down a narrow mountain road and took off the driver's mirror in our car--but it was a major hassle. Hertz charged our credit card $400 for the repair, and we submitted the claim to Diners Club. About 8 months later we were notified that Hertz had withdrawn the charge, evidently because the company could not document the repairs.

Now we buy travel insurance that includes at least $30,000 for damage to a rental car.

laverendrye

On my last trip to Europe, in a fit of absent-mindedness or similar temporary brain failure, I took the Auto Europe rate with insurance, rather than relying on my Visa card coverage as I had always done in the past.

Of course, this was the one time I would have an accident. Although it was only a small fender-bender, the damage to the rental car was somewhat over €1100. Then I discovered that the Auto Europe insurance had a deductible of €500. I then wrongly assumed that my Visa would cover the deductible, which of course it would not, as I had not declined all insurance on the rental.

When I called the Visa insurer, I was told that if I had declined all insurance, I would have been covered from the first dollar for collision coverage. I would have been covered as well if I had been required to take the CDW, as in Italy.

This of course applies to CDW. Third party liability comes with the rental.

Moral (for me, anyway): If you have good credit card auto insurance coverage, use it.

tomboy

StuDudley: While the thought had crossed my mind, it sure wasn't worth the mental distress of having an idiot crash into me on a curve on a mountain in a country where NO ONE spoke English. Truth to tell, the Slovak cops couldn't have been more polite, helpful, courteous, and understanding. (The world's greatest accident diagram helped immensely)

Ann1

AutoEurope offere complete insurance at no charge for Italy only. Other countries you have to see what they have in small print.

If you rent from AutoEurope in Italy and are smart enough to buy travel insurance from an insurance company that gives auto rental in their policy, you are more than completely covered. We use http://www.csatravelprotection.com Just make sure what cars they don't cover.

geraldineb

I want to long term lease a car for about 50 days to drive in France and Spain.
Does ones CC insurance only cover one for 14 days or so?

What would be the best coverage to get for complete coverage as my USA car insurance will not cover anything?

Is the AutoEurope "super insurance" the best way for me to go?