Minimally required car insurance

[dand99]

Hi,

was wondering - if I have no auto insurance and rent a car, and decide not to get any supplemental insurance at the counter - do I have any cover at all ?

I was under the impression that the car rental company is obliged to provide the state required minimum (am renting in PA, which has a minimum by law) even if I choose not to purchase anything. Having spoken to the Budget local office and Customer service they clearly stated that I will be liable for all costs (including 3rd party) if I don't buy their insurance.

So... are they correct ?

D.

[AinA]

They likely have a bond that covers them with the state. They will pass any costs incurred on to you unless you purchase their extra coverage, which is a big money maker for them.

Your credit card should cover you. Make sure you use your credit card, not your debit card, when you do the priceline purchase. I just had an incident last weekend and that was the key to having my credit card cover it. Every step along the way had to be paid for/secured with the credit card.

-A

[dand99]

Thanks.

Since I don't have a credit card (well, not an American one) I am not covered for Liability - my US Debit card only covers LDW.

So I guess I have to choice but to contribute to their bottom line....

D.

[AinA]

Can you use your foreign cc at Priceline? If so, it might be worth checking to see if it covers you. Mine appears to cover me internationally. (I find my benefits at visa.com/benefits) Kicking into their bottom line sucks, I understand that, last weekend my rental car had the window smashed in outside a Marriott property. It was the ring on the window left by the suction cup of the GPS that attracted them (according to the officer that took the report).

The did get my (personal) GPS and ipod, which is NOT covered by my cc, but left my very expensive sunglasses and a makeup bag that contained 4x the cost of the GPS & ipod combined (I know they don't want makeup but THAT would have hurt!). I digress (it is still new so I guess I am touchy about it).

My POINT... I had no control short of washing my window each time I parked, and even then, who knows? Ensuring you have some coverage is worth it even if you have to pay their nasty fees because sometimes crap just happens.

Here's a thought... if you are in the States often, can you pick up a US cc? If the whole non-citizen thing is an issue to get one, perhaps you can go through a bank that offers secured cc's and put $$$ ($1,000-ish I think?) in a savings account. I am not sure this is an option, banking is not my forte, just thinking out loud here.

-A