If you don t know, for example, what liability coverage your own auto insurance policy provides, or

If you don t know, for example, what liability coverage your own auto insurance policy provides, or whether your credit card is any use in times of rental car trouble, then why, the agent will be asking you, would you want to drive off the lot without peace of mind? Why indeed.
Trouble is, peace of mind doesn t come cheap. Think hundreds of dollars added to your weekly rental costs, which are already skyrocketing, as competition goes all but extinct in the more-consolidated-than-ever rental car industry.
cheap rates on hotels Yes? Great. Then you probably have an insurance policy. You ll say this to the guy behind the counter. He ll counter with: Do you know if your coverage is adequate? Are you going to be stuck with a huge deductible? They ll throw it all at you. And if you can t answer the questions confidently, suddenly you ll be thinking maybe I should be buying the insurance here, because, really, what if something happens cheap rates on hotels and I m not covered?
Stop. Stop it right now. Before you leave home, examine your policy documents or call your insurance provider and ask questions like: Am I covered for damage, theft and loss of use? Liability for injury to others cheap rates on hotels (personal and property) while in the rental car? Personal effects if stolen or damaged? How screwed am I, as regards deductibles and such, if I find myself cheap rates on hotels in any trouble related to the above? You should know the answers to all of these questions.
Have you read the documents? cheap rates on hotels Too many renters learn the hard way that what most credit cheap rates on hotels cards provide is secondary coverage, meant only to bulk up your auto insurance policy, paying out after that has been exhausted. Your Visa card, for example, can be a great asset, but if you don t follow all their rules, the very thing you think is going to keep you out of trouble might end up leaving you in a world of hurt.
Across the board, it s wrong (really, really wrong) to assume that one size of coverage fits all card brands. Some higher-end MasterCards might be great. Other card levels may offer little protection. Examine cheap rates on hotels each card document carefully. Finally, note that credit cards tend to mostly offer collision, damage and theft coverage, if they offer anything at all. Personal liability (hitting a pedestrian, crashing into a store front, or injuring drivers in another car) and personal effects are generally your problem. Again: Read.
Say you go over both your auto insurance policy and your credit-card documents. Say you now fully accept that rental car-wise, you re less than protected. Don t just wing it winging it can lead to all kinds of trouble, such as you being stuck with a bill for thousands cheap rates on hotels of dollars or a huge jury award.
Besides upgrading your credit card to something more useful cheap rates on hotels and bulking up on your auto insurance you can also sign up for primary coverage with a third party (but again, this will only be coverage for damage to the rental car, it s not personal liability coverage).
It s a separate policy that protects you when you rent cars. Maybe you are protected with your credit card and your auto insurance policy, but if you get into an accident and have primary coverage elsewhere, you can leave your insurer out of the loop entirely, avoiding any potential rate increases.
American Express cardholders can purchase a Premium Rental Car Protection policy for less than the cost of one day s damage waiver in many destinations. For $24.95 cheap rates on hotels per rental period of up to 42 days $17.95 if you live in California you ve got $100,000 in coverage for damage and theft, plus $100,000 of Accidental Death or Dismemberment coverage, $15,000 for excess medical cheap rates on hotels expenses and up to $5,000 for personal property loss. The real deal here? No deductible. Nada. It s a good policy. Best of all, it kicks in automatically when you begin your rental using that card. When you do, you ll be surprised at how easy it is to stop agents in their tracks most know about the policy. Tell them you ve got it and they ll generally understand that they re dealing with someone who has come prepared.
cheap rates on hotels As long as any accidents involve just you and, say, a lamppost, cheap rates on hotels you re now well and truly protected. Bump into a billionaire in a supermarket parking lot, however, and you may not be adequately protected, liability-wise. cheap rates on hotels Many drivers lack the proper liability protection, often assuming that they re safe, hiding behind their homeowners or renters policies. More than once, after hearing about all the coverage we ve got, the rental car agent has asked the question, What about liability?
While rental car companies are required to build basic liability protection into their rates, they won t tell you this. Generally, you re going to be fine in a fender bender situation, cheap rates on hotels but if you find yourself cheap rates on hotels in some horrible scenario where you can be sued for lots of money, then make sure you are covered (if you re a high net-worth individual, you probably have an umbrella liability policy, cheap rates on hotels which should be enough, but check with your agent).
For those who are not covered, the agent will be happy to sell you Supplemental Liability Protection, often quite reasonably priced at about $10 per day. Then again, liability protection isn t something you should be sorting out on the fly with some kid at the Enterprise counter this is a matter for your insurance cheap rates on hotels broker.
Travel Wise is aimed at helping people travel cheap rates on hotels smart, especially independent travelers seeking cheap rates on hotels good value. The column covers everything from the best resources to how to tap into the local culture. It runs each Sunday in the Travel section.