We usually skip extra coverage, but last summer we rented a minivan for a family road trip and decided to grab temporary insurance at the last minute. Glad we did—nothing major happened, but we did get a nasty windshield chip from highway debris. The rental company would’ve charged a ridiculous fee, but the temp insurance covered it without hassle.
"temporary insurance saved us some headaches."
Exactly my experience...I hate paying for "just in case" stuff, but in this case, it paid off.
Interesting experience, but I'm still not totally convinced. Doesn't your regular auto insurance or even some credit cards already cover rental damages? I've rented cars plenty of times and never had an issue—maybe I've just been lucky. But now you've got me wondering if I'm missing something important... Has anyone actually compared the fine print between temporary coverage and standard policies?
"Doesn't your regular auto insurance or even some credit cards already cover rental damages?"
That's a fair point, and I've wondered the same myself. However, when I looked deeper into my own auto policy, I noticed some gaps—especially regarding loss-of-use charges and administrative fees rental companies sometimes tack on after an accident. Credit card coverage can be decent too, but it often kicks in only after your primary insurance has paid out. Might be worth double-checking your specific policies... better safe than sorry, right?
I've wondered about this too, and honestly, you're smart to double-check. A while back, a friend of mine rented a car thinking his regular insurance had him fully covered. Turns out, after a minor fender-bender, he got hit with those sneaky administrative fees you mentioned—stuff his policy didn't even touch. He was pretty frustrated, to say the least.
Credit card coverage can be handy, but like you said, it's usually secondary and sometimes has its own fine print. I guess it really depends on your comfort level with risk. Personally, I tend to lean toward being overly cautious (maybe too cautious?), so temporary coverage gives me peace of mind. But hey, everyone's different... some people are totally fine rolling the dice a bit.
Either way, good on you for digging into the details. Insurance stuff can be confusing as heck sometimes, but better to know exactly what you're dealing with upfront than find out the hard way later.
Yeah, I get being cautious, but honestly, temporary coverage always felt like paying extra for peace of mind I rarely needed. Curious though, has anyone actually had their credit card insurance fully cover damages without hassle?
