I was just looking at travel insurance. Without insuring the trip (put in $0 in the trip cost prompt

Will need to rent a car in Cape Town and also in Johannesburg which we will drive to Kruger. What do I need to know about insurance? We have an American Express as well as visa and mc. I know when we went to Ireland last year, we were advised to take additional insurance as the only credit card that provided insurance benefits there were some Mastercard World cards.
We rented a car for a month in Cape Town last year - I researched my credit affordable travel for single travelers card (and personal auto insurance) policies and concluded we were fine to decline coverage and use Amex or Visa (but we're Canadian so our credit card offers aren't necessarily the same).
I looked at all the major companies (more than once!) and in the end the best price was Alamo/National - mainly due to the absence of a high second driver fee. There are some local budget companies (with older rental vehicles) but I was happy with the price I got and the convenience of picking up/dropping off at the Cape Town airport. (price was about $35/day for a small car)
We just returned from seven weeks in Southern Africa including South Africa where we rented cares in Johanesburg and Cape Town. We relied on American Express. Call them and they will email you printed details of their coverage including all exclusions. Only additional insurance we purchased based on Amex rules was liability. In addition, I do not believe their coverage affordable travel for single travelers includes full size SUVs.
Beware of corrupt affordable travel for single travelers cops who set you up for bribes by pulling you over for perceived infractions. affordable travel for single travelers The pattern goes like this: you are pulled over for x, y or z and asked for your license, then told you have to go with them to the police station immediately to pay the fine. When you protest that you are in a hurry and don't want to do this, they offer you the alternative of paying the fine at a discounted rate on the spot. This goes right into their pocket. Instead of falling affordable travel for single travelers for this shakedown, tell them that you know it is your right to accept the ticket and to go to the police station at a later date to settle the account. If it is an alleged speeding infraction ask them to see the digital photo and data of your alleged infraction. This usually puts an end to the shakedown.
Also ask for identification so you can be sure you are dealing with a real cop and not some entrepreneur who has put on an orange vest to collect "fines." Never give a cop your US State license. Before the trip, go to AAA and get two or three copies of an International Drivers License. When pulled over, hand over the International license which is valid in South Africa. Using this technique, you will still have a license if they refuse to return your license to you.
Beware also at returning cars at JNB. There is a STOP sign just before you enter the final Return Car lanes. Cops line up there to stop tourists returning cars with this shakedown. It really is a horrible problem for South Africa. Getting stopped by one of these corrupt cops leaves a very bad taste with you after having had a wonderful time in their beautiful country. Talk to your rental agent before taking the car to get the latest affordable travel for single travelers information.
We've traveled extensively in rented cars all over South Africa. In our many years of driving there, we've been stopped exactly once, for speeding, (the sign was pretty hard to see) and were given the option of paying on the spot. It wasn't affordable travel for single travelers a reduced fee or anything; paying on the spot is done all the time by South Africans.
Hi Buckeye. Yes, I did alot of research in 2008 for our self drive trip through South Africa and found the CC auto insurance coverage not adequate. My conclusion came from talking to a car rental company here in the US, the one we used in S.A.,the CC companies, reading posts here and on TripAdvisor. The best solution I found was to purchase trip insurance that included the car rental coverage I felt comfortable with. I can look up all my details which I saved if you need more info.
I was just looking at travel insurance. Without insuring the trip (put in $0 in the trip cost prompt), but with a three week car rental affordable travel for single travelers insured at $50,000, $50,000 med insurance affordable travel for single travelers and $1 million evac/repatriation, plus all kinds of other stuff if we die, the premium is $122 for two, not each, under 50 year olds. I was unable to do it through insuremytrip.com like I did last time, but had to go to the separate insurers to compare. $122 is less that I'd pay for the CDW for the three weeks, so it's a bonus. But, when I looked into renting through Avis there is some insurance included in the rental. So, see what you are comfortable with. Travel health insurance for me is a must as our insurance doesn't cover international.
Although thankfully I don't get may speeding or other traffic fines, as a South Africa that's news to me! That's not an option with either the "old" system, or the new AARTO that is being piloted in some areas. Unless of course the trap happens to be outside a Metro or SAPS office affordable travel for single travelers or station. In which case payment might be made there.
Have never heard of a Tourist being shot by a member of the South African Police and While there are corrupt police officials affordable travel for single travelers all over Africa this type of Shake down as it has been described would be the exception to the rule rather than the norm as boudecca describes. I have lived here my whole life and travelled South Africa and Africa extensively. The rental companies will offer you different insurance coverage options I would advice on taking the most extensive and this will cover every eventuality. The price with the major car rental companies affordable travel for single travelers will be the same at the Airport as in the cities. The Well known established companies are Budget, Avis, Europcar and Hertz.
In Swaziland we paid on the spot in February of this year, as did others caught at the same speed trap, and also many years ago, either 1980 or 1987. I know it's usual in Swaziland and Lesotho, and I sure thought affordable travel for single travelers it was the norm in South Africa too.
We personally had the experience twice in South Africa on our last trip. First time we were stopped for allegedly speeding in Acornhoek traveling between Hoedspruit and Kruger on the main road on July 28, 2010 just before the turn to Sabie Sands. We were definitely affordable travel for single travelers not speeding, climbing hill in second gear with other cars speeding past us. Our second experience was just outside JNB on September 14,2010 for allegedly not stopping at a stop sign when we did, in fact, stop at this sign. While we were pulled over we saw two other rental cars also pulled over by different cops. Reported the JNB experience directly to Avis. Manager went to location and got the cops' identification to report it to the local precinct head. Avis management confirmed this was not an isolated event.
The only two fines that I can recall getting affordable travel for single travelers where I was actually affordable travel for single travelers stopped (one long ago, one this year) were dealt with in the standard way. Presentation of a summons for payment or court appearance later. I suggest that anyone asked to pay on the spot should start by assuming it's a bribe, disguised or not.
Arthur, I admit we could have been scammed affordable travel for single travelers in the South Africa incident. And as I think back on it, I remember that my husband and I wondered at the time, and discussed the possibility that we'd been had. Looks like we were.
But in Swaziland, we were caught in a speed trap (at a spot where the speed limit changes sort of suddenly and the sign announcing it is sort of hidden) along with other motorists affordable travel for single travelers ahead of and behind us. The Swazi police -- there were four or five of them there -- filled out all sorts of forms and gave us copies, along with a receipt for the payment, listing the time and place and amount. So I do think that in Swaziland it's standard operating procedure. My "all the time" remark was based on the two experiences in Swaziland. Thanks for the correction!
Celia, I was only referring to South Africa. And I have since found a reference affordable travel for single travelers to being able to pay outstanding fines at road blocks by cash or card, although I doubt that all or even many would be equipped to actually do that. perhaps just the major road blocks that are targeting motorists with outstanding fines. But where that can be done for old fines (where a summons has already been issued), one should perhaps expect that it could be done for the fine that has just been incurred.
I guess I was mostly reacting to the "done all the time by South Africans". I think that even if a valid "pay now" facility was offered, affordable travel for single travelers almost all South Africans (myself included) affordable travel for single travelers would want to delay things as long as possible. Also in the forlorn hope that somehow the problem would somehow go away! (But without payment of a bribe.)
In hindsight I wish there could have been such a payment facility for my most recent speeding fine that I mentioned earlier. affordable travel for single travelers It was in a different Province to where I live and work and I only realised later that there is no way to pay a fine in a different Province. It has to be done in the Province in which it was issued, or by mail. The latter has to be by money or postal order, or by bank guaranteed cheque. I was worried about the security of the former, so I went for the latter. So I had to go specially into my bank branch and get the cheque (fortunately covered in my banking package, but a cost for some), and then to a post office to send it registered mail. A pain all round.
I've gone into all this detail because it occurred to me that it would be at least as painful for a visitor to have to pay a fine in the same circumstances. So the advice is to find the nearest affordable travel for single travelers police station before leaving the Province. Or ignore the fine and hope it doesn't re-emerge at immigration if you ever visit again? (I never said that!) But if you're in a rental car I suppose there would be no escape. You'd get billed for the fine and I think an "admin" affordable travel for single travelers charge for taking care of it.
INSURANCE WAIVERS for Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft Loss Waiver (TLW) are MANDATORY. The minimum waivers to be taken must be collision damage waiver theft loss waiver. Renters