Car Rental Insurance

[provoguy]

Just a reminder to everyone renting cars internationally that many times travelers assume they'll be covered by their existing auto insurance policy and decline insurance offered by the rental agencies. Although this is often true domestically, it's usually not the case once out of the country. Some credit cards have automatic protection if you pay for the rental with the card, but again, this often doesn't apply to international rentals. Because accepting the daily insurance coverage car rental agencies offer isn't cheap, one alternative I found was through a special program with my credit card company. For about $20 per rental (not per day!) I get the same protection as the rental car agency's $18 per day insurance. So before you leave on your trip, be sure and check your existing car insurance policy to see if you're covered out of the country. If not, see if your credit card company offers a program that will insure you by the rental, not the day. It could save you many $$$ on your trip!