Don’t get stung on your next car rental…
When picking up your rental car at the location keep in mind that the person behind the counter isn’t merely a customer service agent.
Oh no, he or she are much more than that. They’re sales people!
And just because you’ve got a price locked in through your travel agent or online booking site doesn’t mean that they won’t attempt to extract additional money from you.
They’re trained to do that and are usually very good in ‘scaring you’ into purchasing additional protection—in the form of insurance coverage you probably DO NOT NEED!
Some rental outfits even reward their agents for insurance up-selling with monetary bonuses.
Why you shouldn’t fall for their sales tactics?
Because chances are you are most likely covered by your own automobile policy.
Collision damage and personal liability for temporary use of a rental car in most cases is already part of the insurance you carry.
As it is with my policy.
And chances are that secondary collision coverage may be in place through the credit card you are using for the rental.
So here is MY suggestion to our travel agency clients:
Call your insurance agent before picking up the rental car.
Ask what you are covered for and whether there is any need for purchase of additional coverage sold at the counter.
In nine out of ten cases my travel clients are already covered with no additional coverage needed.
But make sure about your policy before declining the pitch at the car rental counter!
(Note that the same applies for international car rentals.)
A few more rental tips.
* If you have a choice of rental car pick up points it is usually cheaper at city locations since renting from airport locations usually adds surcharges.
* Always return the rental car with a full tank of gas. If they do it you’ll often pay way above the current price at the pump.
* So you’ve got unlimited mileage. Maybe. But be sure to check if there is a ceiling to unlimited.
In some cases it is 150 or 250 miles per day after which it’s x-amount per overage mile!
* Always do a personal walk-around of the rental car before accepting it!
If there is a spot of chipped paint, dents, bumper problems, whatever—TAKE A PICTURE OF THE PROBLEM AREA WITH YOUR PHONE. And make sure the agent takes note of it as well.
It can save you much grief—AND MONEY—-after the trip!
For work, I always go through Avis/Budget. They’re ok. For my personal rentals, I either use Enterprise or, if they’re available, Sixt. At Sixt I can rent a Mercedes E400 series for about $50-60 per day. Always use them when the wife and I are in Vegas.
Sixt is VERY big in Europe—especially Germany!
(But they sure don’t like their cars taken across the border into former eastern satellite countries.)
I’m a National Car Rental Executive Elite. Great to just walk to the car I want and drive off the lot. Dealing with all of that other stuff is a royal pain in the ass.