Great Deal from AVIS !!

[Disgruntled ExERACer]

I did the loss control thing so to sum it up for you original poster:

1) Remember to pay for the rental with that SPECIFIC credit card that gives you the coverage.
2) Most likely, the coverage will only cover your deductible.
3) It will never cover loss of use and most likely ERAC will "write it off".
4) MOST IMPORTANTLY****CALL YOUR CCARD COMPANY BEFORE YOU GET INTO THE CAR AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PERK!!!!!****Those ccard companies are very shady about how they try and sneak out of things. Speak with someone in the CCARDS claims department and they will tell you straight up.
5) Read the small print on the back of your rental contract regarding contract violations. For instance, if you get caught with a DUI in the rental and you try to get the ccard to cover the damage, they may reject it due to the fact that you were DUI.

By the way..all of you Diners Club holders (can you still get that?) if memory serves, you are the only ccard that ALL the damages will be covered, not just your deductible.

On a different tangent, I know CDW looks like a rip off. But if you have the car for a day or two and some jackass does a hit and run on my rental I don't want to be stuck with it. Anthing longer than a day or two**or if you do not have your own collision coverage or auto insurance for that matter**..go without it.

[NoMoreEMachine]

Originally Posted by TravelingAshley

An interesting tid-bit on the down time charge.

I went in depth discussing with my insurance agent all the insurances that rental cars offer and seeing excately how I would be covered. What it came down to is I would ONLY have to cover my $250 deductible. I then called my Credit Card company and they said they will cover that deductible. Even if I did have to pay the $250 it's cheaper than paying for the damage waiver for 14 days a year (which is an average of how many days I'm in a rental car).

Then I brought up the "down time" with my insurance agent and all she did was laugh. She said that rental car companies are now trying to collect for that but she said that their company has NEVER - and she did say NEVER- have to pay for down time. She said all that would have to be done would be that my insurance company's lawyer would contact the rental company and state that down time is expected in their line of business and the charges would be dropped. It must be a legal thing, I don't fully understand, but she does. She said that any insurance company can fight it and win it with ease.

So don't be taken advantage of with these insurances! If you have good insurance already, you are covered. Do your research.

Ash

And, to quote from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (with that hilarious car rental scene), if your agent told you that a wolverine would make a good housepet, would you believe her? ....

But yes, generally very hard to prove downtime. Although here in Utah during the middle of Ski Season, I have seen downtime charged.