I hear you—those counter fees are wild. I’ve rented in Montana twice, and my regular insurance plus the card coverage worked fine, but I did get a rock chip once on a back road. My insurance covered it, but the hassle wasn’t fun. If you’re not used to rural driving, it’s a gamble.
Honestly, I’ve gone back and forth on this every time I rent in Montana. Here’s how I break it down:
Step one, check your regular car insurance. Most policies cover rentals, but the fine print can get weird—especially with “loss of use” fees if the car’s out of commission. Step two, see what your credit card covers. Some cards are awesome for collision, but not liability. It’s like a puzzle.
Now, Montana’s a different beast. Gravel roads, random wildlife, and those sneaky little rocks that love to chip windshields. I once got a flat tire on a forest service road and the rental company tried to charge me for “undercarriage damage.” My insurance sorted it, but it took weeks and a lot of phone calls.
If you’re sticking to highways, maybe you can skip the extra coverage. But if you’re planning to explore, I’d at least consider it. The peace of mind is worth something, even if the counter fees feel like daylight robbery. Just my two cents...
Honestly, I don’t trust the “maybe” approach with rentals out here. Montana roads chew up cars—gravel, potholes, deer, you name it. My regular insurance left me hanging on a cracked windshield once and the rental company’s fees were nuts. If you’re even thinking about leaving pavement, just get the extra coverage. It’s not cheap, but neither is arguing with a rental company for weeks.
It’s wild how many folks assume their personal auto policy covers everything when they rent, especially out here. The fine print gets a lot of people—windshield chips, undercarriage damage, even animal collisions often aren’t covered unless you’ve got some pretty robust comprehensive. And rental companies know how to charge for the tiniest thing. Ever seen what they bill for “loss of use” while a car’s in the shop? Makes you wish you’d just bought the coverage and called it a day.
But I get the hesitation. Those rental counter upsells are aggressive, and the daily rates for extra coverage add up fast. I’ve seen people pay more for insurance than for the actual car rental, which feels like a scam... until a moose runs across the road and you’re staring at a busted bumper.
One thing I always ask: does your credit card offer any primary rental coverage? Some do, but you have to decline the rental company’s insurance for it to kick in—and it rarely covers everything, especially off-road stuff or “acts of wildlife,” which, let’s be honest, is just a Tuesday in Montana.
Here’s the real kicker: most policies (even the fancy ones) don’t cover gravel damage or cracked windshields unless you specifically add glass coverage. That one gets people all the time. And if you’re heading off pavement, a lot of policies will exclude that entirely. Ever try arguing with a rental company about what counts as a “maintained road”? Spoiler: they win.
I guess it comes down to risk tolerance and how much hassle you’re willing to deal with. If you’re sticking to the interstate, maybe you roll the dice. But if you’re even thinking about exploring, say, the Beartooth Highway or a dirt road out to a fishing spot, that extra coverage starts to look less like a ripoff and more like cheap peace of mind.
I’ve seen both sides—people who never needed it, and people who really, really wished they had it. Just depends how lucky you’re feeling... and how much you trust Montana’s “charmingly unpredictable” wildlife.
This hits close to home—I rented a car in Missoula last summer and spent way too long squinting at my insurance paperwork. I thought my regular policy had me covered, but turns out, my liability was fine but everything else was kind of a gray area. The rental guy even joked about “moose deductibles,” which I laughed off…until I saw the wildlife on the side of the highway.
Ended up adding their coverage, even though it doubled the rental price. Felt like a ripoff at the time, but then I got a rock chip in the windshield on day two. Would’ve been out a few hundred bucks if I’d just stuck with my own insurance, since glass wasn’t included.
I get why people skip it, especially with those crazy daily rates. But after that trip, I’m way more careful about what’s actually covered—and I don’t just assume my credit card will save me. If you’re off the main roads at all, that extra coverage is probably worth it, even if it feels like highway robbery.
