Rental Vehicle Insurance Excess

[NM]

Do remember though, that if they verify eligability for discount codes ( which Hertz does do ( I have had call from Hertz before to check my eligability for a corp code ) you could be in doo doo . (1) they will recalculate according to the normal rate and (2) if you had an accident , then the included LDW would no longer apply and be liable for the entire amount

Dave

There are lots of discount codes for which he may very well be eligible to use. I have seen codes for AAdvantage (free to join), Hilton Honors members (and most hotel chains) along with a whole swag of professional societies. But, yes, you should only use the codes for you are eligible.

 

[serfty]

Serfty, have you had a look on FT in the rental car forums for some valid discount codes to try for the major rental companies? Often can get some much better prices, and some codes automatically kick in LDW/CDW.

I've had a good look actually! :?
Most of the 'free' ones apply to weekend rentals of more than one day (e.g. 3 days for the cost of 2). I'm actually renting for one day, a Sunday (8 Am collect, 7am drop off before flight to DFW on Monday)

The only one I could find that I could use with no issue was a 5% thrifty discount. (Which is taken off the BASE rate before adding the extras).

There are quite a few codes for certain affilliations. I have seen these with hotel rates as well. Can any illuminate on these following: SAM, AAA?

 

[serfty]

... There are lots of discount codes for which he may very well be eligible to use. I have seen codes for AAdvantage (free to join), Hilton Honors members (and most hotel chains) along with a whole swag of professional societies. But, yes, you should only use the codes for you are eligible.

However, I'll do a further search (on AA, HHonors etc). I probably have missed one or three.

 

[NM]

... There are lots of discount codes for which he may very well be eligible to use. I have seen codes for AAdvantage (free to join), Hilton Honors members (and most hotel chains) along with a whole swag of professional societies. But, yes, you should only use the codes for you are eligible.

However, I'll do a further search (on AA, HHonors etc). I probably have missed one or three.

Have a look at Avis codes. This is where most of my research was done since we use Avis for corp rentals as well. But its been a while since I have looked at this and they may have closed off some of the older codes that people have used in the past.

Note that Hilton Premium Club also includes an Avis discount code, but I think it is only for Australian rentals, but its worth trying it on the Avis web site.

I have also found that Travelocity sometimes offer better deals for the same car and the same rental company than their direct web sites. I found this to be the case for some one-way rentals where Travelocity did not charge a one-way fee so long as it was between major airport locations, while the rental car company web sites were wanting a very large one-way supplement charge (like $500 in some cases). So that is also worth checking.

 

[tuapekastar]

Reading this thread has been quite revealing (I think). I have never taken out any rental company 'extras' like excess reduction, but have always been covered for that under my travel insurance.

However, I have always rented under the impression, rightly or wrongly (and this could well have changed in recent times), that in the event of an 'accident' that was my fault, I was covered for that damage (less the excess, which was covered by my travel insurance).

One occasion was about 20 years ago when we had a head-on crash in our hire car which caused it to catch fire, burn, and ultimately 'explode' (though only a little one, a muffled boom in the fuel tank area, not like in the movies)...we specifically declined any insurance 'extras', which ended up costing us our wallets and cameras, which perished in the fire, but certainly did not end up paying anything extra (in fact Hertz rented us another car the next day, after they picked themselves back up off the floor after hearing what happened to their car).

Anyway, just checking out a rental from Hertz in NZ which appears to tell me there is no insurance whatsoever included in the base rate: Can anyone confirm that i'm reading this correctly? I'm usually reasonably thorough when doing this sort of thing but cannot recall ever having to take out more than the 'base' rate before. I don't rent that often, maybe once a year.

Rate Details for Quote at top of page

Selected Vehicle Ford Focus or Similar
Compact 4-Door Manual Air Con
Total Approximate Charges 408.38 NZD




Base amount
Weekly: 1 Week at 343.00 NZD
Unlimited Free Kilometers
Rate Code: KSN2



Additional Items (included in Approximate Total Charges)

Tax 12.50 %
Airport concession fee recovery 20.00 NZD
Rate is guaranteed.

Total Approximate Charges 408.38 NZD



Optional Items (not included in quote)
Rates for Optional Items are exclusive of tax and other associated charges

PERSONAL EFFECTS COVER:

35.00 NZD Per Week



5.00 NZD Per Day

ACCIDENT EXCESS REDUCTION:

154.00 NZD Per Week



22.00 NZD Per Day

PROTECTION PACKAGE:

210.00 NZD Per Week



30.00 NZD Per Day

PERSONAL ACCIDENT INSURANCE

35.00 NZD Per Week



5.00 NZD Per Day


Currency Converter

This information will also be displayed on your confirmation page. Return to top

 

[serfty]

... Anyway, just checking out a rental from Hertz in NZ which appears to tell me there is no insurance whatsoever included in the base rate: Can anyone confirm that i'm reading this correctly? I'm usually reasonably thorough when doing this sort of thing but cannot recall ever having to take out more than the 'base' rate before. I don't rent that often, maybe once a year. ...

You do have LDW insurance with a NZ$2200 excess built in with this quote. As per these:

•Accident Damage Excess &

•Insurance and Other Coverage’s

The other insurances mentioned (PERSONAL EFFECTS COVER, ACCIDENT EXCESS REDUCTION, PROTECTION PACKAGE, PERSONAL ACCIDENT INSURANCE) would be covered by most reputable international travel insurances.

 

[tuapekastar]

Thanks serfty. I can now recall reading those linked details in a previous rental long ago...didn't spot them this time. It makes sense now. I think sometimes, if I understand things first time, I feel compelled to re-read them repeatedly until I manage to confuse myself. :?

Trust your trip, initial delays aside, is going well?

 

[serfty]

... Trust your trip, initial delays aside, is going well?

Thanks... Yeah, just need some sleep!

Did you know that the UAE are 7 hours behind AEDST and that currently AUD10 will get you 26 UAE "DIRHAM".

 

[JohnK]

... Trust your trip, initial delays aside, is going well?

Thanks... Yeah, just need some sleep!

Did you know that the UAE are 7 hours behind AEDST and that currently AUD10 will get you 26 UAE "DIRHAM".

More importantly how many beers can you buy with 26 UAE "DIRHAM"? Make sure you afre discreet though. :wink:

 

[serfty]

... Trust your trip, initial delays aside, is going well?

Thanks... Yeah, just need some sleep!

Did you know that the UAE are 7 hours behind AEDST and that currently AUD10 will get you 26 UAE "DIRHAM".

More importantly how many beers can you buy with 26 UAE "DIRHAM"? Make sure you afre discreet though. :wink:

One, or maybe 1½ in a cheaper place :shock:

Unless you get some Duty Free on the way in, like a 12 pack of Heineken/Fosters for ~AUD15.

 

[JohnK]

Let's get back to Rental Vehicle Insurance Excess for a little while.

I hired a car in Perth from Budget and noticed the following sign on their counter. It went something like this "The full excess will be charged for any new damage to the car" which got me thinking.

Assuming that you have paid to reduce excess or have insurance to cover it then the excess will be around $350. If you haven't then with Budget it is around $2750, not sure what it is with other rental companies.

My dilemma is if you cause an accident and the damage to the car is less than the excess why are we asked to pay this ridiculous amount? An example maybe that you open the door and some paint is scraped off. This may cost $500 to fix and they pocket the remainder of the money. Seems like a good money making scheme. Is it because the rental companies can charge and get away with anything they want? Most of the time the car you rent has damage on it that has not been fixed anyway.

 

[Dave Noble]

My dilemma is if you cause an accident and the damage to the car is less than the excess why are we asked to pay this ridiculous amount? An example maybe that you open the door and some paint is scraped off. This may cost $500 to fix and they pocket the remainder of the money. Seems like a good money making scheme. Is it because the rental companies can charge and get away with anything they want? Most of the time the car you rent has damage on it that has not been fixed anyway.

No, if they do charge the full amount, they will return any amount over the repair costs

Dave

 

[markis10]

No, if they do charge the full amount, they will return any amount over the repair costs

Dave

I dinged a door in an underground car park with a rental car a few years back, Avis hit me for the 3K excess and then refunded $2500 once the repair was done.

 

[serfty]

What can be frightening is when the company preauthorises the full excess amount at the time of the rental. :shock: Can destroy your available credit limit on a credit card. For this reason I prefer charge cards for travel.

 

[Dave Noble]

What can be frightening is when the company preauthorises the full excess amount at the time of the rental. :shock: Can destroy your available credit limit on a credit card. For this reason I prefer charge cards for travel.

Not a situation I have come across; Hertz tends to charge approx $200 over the expected rental cost ime

Dave

 

[serfty]

... Not a situation I have come across; Hertz tends to charge approx $200 over the expected rental cost ime ...

The first specific experiance I had was with Hertz in AKL; this was quite a few years ago when they preauthed NZ$1660 on a $60 rental with $1500 excess.

This as a #1 club member. :roll:

 

[JohnK]

No, if they do charge the full amount, they will return any amount over the repair costs

Dave

I dinged a door in an underground car park with a rental car a few years back, Avis hit me for the 3K excess and then refunded $2500 once the repair was done.

Thanks guys, I can stop worrying for next time I rent a car. The underground car park at the Emerald in Perth was so narrow you had to do 5 point turns to turn car around and there was so many columns didn't leave a lot of room to park car.

It is better if you have insurance to cover excess as the insurance I took out says that I pay the excess, then I get refunded the full excess I paid up to $3,000 and then they recover the excess paid less damages from rental company.

 

[markis10]

I finally got my FF points for my QBE annual policy last week that is mainly used for piece of mind re excess for car hire, I got 490 points even thought the annual policy was discounted to $392!

 

[markis10]

... Not a situation I have come across; Hertz tends to charge approx $200 over the expected rental cost ime ...

The first specific experiance I had was with Hertz in AKL; this was quite a few years ago when they preauthed NZ$1660 on a $60 rental with $1500 excess.

This as a #1 club member. :roll:

At least you get the details of the amount of the authorisation on your rental agreement so you can take into account when working out how close you are to the credit limit. My biggest issue is with hotels that preauth the card and then dont do an offline transaction when checking out to link the preauth to the actual charge, happens a lot to me and often results in tying up available credit.

 

[JohnK]

What can be frightening is when the company preauthorises the full excess amount at the time of the rental. :shock: Can destroy your available credit limit on a credit card. For this reason I prefer charge cards for travel.

My credit limit on Amex is pretty tight but I find Budget rent a car quite good when it comes to pre-authorisation. On Monday they only pre-authorised the expected rental charge of $131.16. On other occassions they have pre-authorised around $200 above the expected rental charge.

Sounds pretty fair to me.