Please explain insurance

Can someone please explain these to me:

We are Australians wishing to hire a one way car. I went to the suggested web site but want to compare to Orbitz.

This is Orbitz Insurance info:

Question: Do I need both these insurances? Does the Whizz site include both of these or just one?

I don%26#39;t quite understand the difference between the two?

Collision Damage Waiver:

The Renter May Be Held Financially Responsible For Any

Damage To The Rental Vehicle- Regardless Of Fault. By

Purchasing The Ldw (Loss Damage Waiver) The Renter Can

Avoid Or Lower This Responsibility As Long As The Terms

Of The Rental Agreement Are Not Violated. Cost Of Ldw

Ranges From Usd 8.95 To Usd 14.99 Per Day Depending On

The Vehicle Type. Purchase Of Ldw Is Optional.

Insurance:

Third Party Primary Liability Insurance Is Not Included

In Rental Rate. Supplemental Liability Insurance (Sli)

Is Offered For Renters Not Covered Through Personal Or

Business Liability Insurance. Cost Is Usd 12.99/Day.

Mexican Insurance Is Offered For Renters Traveling Into

Mexico. Cost Is Usd 25.00 Per Day.

Thanks

Please explain insurance

Many credit card companies will absorb the insurance fee on auto rentals - I suggest you check with your CC sponsor for more information on the intricacies of rental car insurance or with your insurance PROFESSIONAL.

Poppa

Please explain insurance

From what I understand, whizzcarrental includes ALL insurance. Here%26#39;s what their website says:

';What is Included

Rates will include unlimited mileage, liability cover for the minimum required by local law, coverage for the hired car subject to an excess deductible in most countries except USA where full cover is included ($100 liability in New York). All local/government taxes and airport fees are also included. In some countries the first additional driver is also included free.

What is not Included

Additional driver unless otherwise stated. Young driver supplement. Baby/toddler/child seat. Ski racks or snow chains. One way drop unless otherwise stated. Excess deductible. Fuel. Damage caused to tyres, wheels or glass and any damage caused wilfully or by neglect. ';

Now I%26#39;m talking again. ;)

Here%26#39;s what I THINK

CDW or collision damage waiver is for damage to the car

LDW or loss damage waiver is additional to the CDW if the car is stolen

Sli is liability coverage for any damage an accident you%26#39;re involved in causes to OTHER people or vehicles.

Many Americans would be covered for one or more of these (I honestly forget which one) either by their own auto insurance and/or by a credit card (and if it%26#39;s a credit card, you have to USE that credit card for rental in order for it to be effective!) , but often these coverages are only valid in your own country, not in another country. So first thing you need to do is find out what insurance you MIGHT have from those.

I did a general search online for an explanation of car rental insurance in the US and hit some good info on another forum. Here%26#39;s the similar question someone asks and the answers.

http://tinyurl.com/2gqxx2

I think they are saying the same thing I am but they make a major point of the importance of LIABILITY insurance. So hearing that, I would ASK whizzcarrental what the liability coverage is. I find their parenthetical ($100 liability in NY) very confusing. Does that mean you only have $100 worth of liability ins. or does it mean you%26#39;re charged $100 in NY. I%26#39;d ask.

Also, another helpful piece of advice (ans. #4) is to look for prices on British or Australian websites for your rental as those will include the insurance you need and will often be cheaper than reserving on a US website and then adding the necessary insurance. Whizzcarrental is a UK website. I think part of what makes them so competitively priced is they provide insurance from a third party co. rather than thru the rental cos. but don%26#39;t quote me on that. ;)

Then you want to scroll down to read #148 under their FAQ

http://tinyurl.com/oskcl

But I%26#39;m remembering you%26#39;re planning to see Niagara Falls on this trip and there may be even further issues bringing the car over the border.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Do you own a car in Australia, if so check with your insurance company.

also check with your credit card company if they cover any of these insusances, (I have an AMEX gold card and it covers them, we totaled a car a few years back and there was NO CHARGE at all)

MOST IMPORTANT: make sure that the coverage is valid in the USA in New York State, as some cards/insurers only some areas.

Ok thanks for your help.

I will phone our CC company to ask about insurance. I know they cover us for liability insurance but I don%26#39;t know if that means liability on cars.

I wish they wouldn%26#39;t get so technical in all these legal documents.

Then assuming this does cover liability on damage caused by a car, I assume this still doesn%26#39;t actually cover the car repairs to the car itself. So I may just need CDW.

Crossing the border into Canada doesn%26#39;t seem to be an issue so long as you inform them of this. I have read about that one.

I%26#39;ll also send an email off to the Whizz people.

Ok, so our credit card only covers the ';excess'; on an insurance policy. Which is what the CDW means in the US I assume.

On reading the FAQ on the other web site about insurance I think we just need SLI - Liability Insurance which is not even quoted on the US car rental sites anyway.

Hmmm now whether to rent through a US Site or Australian Site?

I am going to call our car Insurance company here, but am fairly certain it wouldn%26#39;t cover us in the USA because we are insuring our car not people.

Auto insurance is one area where you%26#39;ll want to err on more rather than less.

The second an accident happens, especially if there are injuries, you are going to wish you had bought all the insurance you can.

The USA is very lawsuite happy.

Unless you get in writing from your insurance company what is and isn%26#39;t covered, I%26#39;d purchase the car company%26#39;s insurance.

Don%26#39;t try to ';wing this';.

You know you are right but I am just trying to work out which is the best deal on hiring and whether I NEED this LDW.

After going to Thrifty web site and reading about it, I am even more confused. It says that LDW is NOT insurance. All I want to make sure is that the car is covered for repairs and also the liability damage is (which appears to be classed as SLI). That one seems clear.

But if LDW is not insurance then where do you get actual insurance on the vehicle and why is this not on the web sites? Am I missing the point?

See LDW definition below:

You are absolutely liable for any loss or damage to the vehicle, even if someone else caused it or the cause is unknown, whether due to theft, fire, hail, flood, collision, vandalism, or any other cause, subject to limitations imposed by the law where the vehicle is rented.

However, in the U.S., if you purchase the optional LDW Plan, we will waive your responsibility for loss or damage to the vehicle in full or in part (depending on the LDW plan you accept). LDW is not insurance.

LDW does not apply if: (1) you use the vehicle in violation of the rental agreement; (2) you fail to remove the keys, or close and lock all windows, doors and trunk, and the vehicle is stolen or vandalized; (3) you fail to notify us and the police immediately after the loss; and (4) you fail to pay the charges under the rental agreement; or (5) as allowed by state law.

If you do not purchase LDW and the vehicle is lost or damaged, your liability will not exceed the full value of the vehicle, plus:

Actual towing and storage charges;

Loss of use;

Diminution in value, regardless of whether the vehicle is repaired or not;

All rental charges through the date you report the incident if not returnable or the return date, whichever is later;

Any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by us as a result of the loss or damage to the vehicle;

A reasonable administrative fee, and

Pro-rata license plate fees, all as allowed by law.

Before deciding whether to purchase LDW, you may wish to determine whether your own automobile insurance or credit card agreement provides you coverage for rental vehicle damage or loss and determine the amount of the deductible under your own insurance coverage. The purchase of LDW is not mandatory. LDW is not insurance.

By signing the rental agreement, you agree to pay us any amount not covered by any insurance, credit, or charge card or other coverage you may have. However, your responsibility will not exceed those damages expressly permitted by the applicable law.

I too am confused. I always thought LDW WAS insurance. However, I will tangent and leave all the technical stuff aside to offer a warning/reminder.

When you rent the car examine it carefully---especially if you will be held responsible for damage. Make sure every scratch and nick is notated on the form. Make sure you have a spare and all the necessary accessories. Make sure you have all your wheel covers, make sure the insurance/registration/inspection sticker is valid. ( I once rented a vehicle that had a sticker in the windshield for NYinspection, but had NJ plates!!--btw I rejected it and asked for another.)

Gee wouldn%26#39;t have thought to check the plates.

We are renting through Hertz %26amp; Thrifty but I am at the stage where I just don%26#39;t know what%26#39;s what.

So I will just wait and see when we actually go to pay for the car hire. I will do what you suggest and go over the car with a fine tooth comb for scratches etc.

I will just have to ask the question when we pick up the car that we want insurance on the vehicle not just other vehicles and property.

Surely there must be other Aussies out there who have had this issue? I wonder how I can find out from them what they did.

Im from Sydney, I booked a car thru expedia.com.au using National Car Rental the quote I got from expedia was in Aussie dollars which included all insurances in the expedia special rate, I had to pay upfront using my credit card, I paid about $65.97Au per day (8 day hire) for a compact car (5 adults, 3 large suitcases %26amp; 4 door aircon, auto, unlimited mileage, CDW,Theft Protection, Third Party Liability Insur. City/Airport Surcharge, Road Tax, VAT/Tax, Additional Liability Insu (ALI) for US %26amp; Canada.all included in this rate). This booking was for Sun 3rd June till Sun 10th Jun 07. We chose this car rental cos it was close to our accommodation on return to New York. The only extra we were charged for on top of what I had already prepaid was for 1) an additional driver $3USD per day, 2) Fuel Service Option $45USD (our son the additional driver suggested this cos trying to find a service station in Manhattan was not easy %26amp; it would have cost us this much to refill the car anyway). we were given a check-in voucher which listed any damage but you need to recheck yourself %26amp; reaffirm what you found %26amp; make sure they list it on the voucher (we didnt have a problem). So we ended up paying an extra USD78.24 in total only cos we added the additional driver %26amp; took the option of them refuelling the car plus sales tax. The one thing you really need to enquire about is what charges if any if you are returning the car to a different location/state, also if you are going into Canada. We were told that to pick the car from one place %26amp; dropping it off elsewhere was quite expensive unless you can get one that wants a car returned to its home base (not the place you picked up).Also some car co. charge extra if pick up is from an airport. Also our car was registered in Florida so I dont think it is a problem if you pick up from Manhattan like we did but maybe others may have a different opinion about this. Our travel insurance also covered for $4000.00AU excess or repair cost. Good Luck - just read carefully what is included in the price %26amp; no doubt some will say you can hire a car cheaper in US but I rather stick with well known companies %26amp; pay the extra if needs be. I thought the rate I was given was comparable to car hire here. Dont know where you are planning on driving to but I wish they had ETag it was a pain trying to find change to pay tolls %26amp; so many of them. Hope I answered or at least made you feel more comfortable about hiring a car in US, ps to hire GPS was about $15.00USD a day extra.

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