Car Rental Insurance

My advice is to take the insurance. There are many threads on this board that discuss the difficulties when one gets in an accident in the DR, especially if someones been injured.

That said, if you still want to avoid paying collision insurance, you can try calling the insurance company that insures your vehicle in the US (I'm presuming you live in the US). Sometimes they provide free collision insurance. Make sure you tell them the vehicle you are renting is in the DR.

yaidani said:

Hello All

Does anyone know what the optional insurance is, and if we really need it?

I have a car reservation with Nelly right now. I have rented with them before and I was not unhappy, but I did feel resentful about paying $13.95 per day for their optional insurance, especially since I was already paying $6.95 per day for their mandatory insurance.

I opted for it because I had driven in DR before and already knew that the roads can often be bad, and the drivers extremely aggresive, and I figured it was better to just pay the money, than to risk getting sued in the event of an accident. This time around I would like to avoid paying it if its really not necessary.

I already called up my credit card company and Mastercard, and my card does not come with the built-in rental insurance..

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Do you have a Visa card? Visa provides CDW/LDW coverage free of charage.

I certainly would recommend getting the insurance. The $13 or $14 a day is well worth the piece of mind. Imagine taking out a motoconcho with 3 or 4 people on it. I rented a car along with some friends on my last trip and since I had a Visa Platinum,it provided the insurance free of charge.

Buying the insurance gaurantees nothing, as indicated by a recent thread where the renter bought it, but had his claim denied because the damage was a result of a "road hazard".

Also, it would be a mistake to assume your Visa card provides collision and/or LDW coverage. Generally only the Platinum cards have this feature, and you should still check to be sure.

As far as your insurance from the US or other home country covering you in the DR; if you have this and your rates are not astronomical, please post the info on your carrier! I know mine specifically excludes this, and my agent was not aware of any carriers that would cover me in the DR.

I personally decline the LDW insurance, and rely on the coverage provided by my platinum visa. Only used it once, and the claim process is a pain, since you need a police report (half a day at the police station in Puerto Plata waiting for the Commondante to show up and sign the forms.) I did get reimbursed however.

Credit card insurance

Hi there.
After just returning from D.R. and observing first hand the way drivers drive, also the condition of the roads, for sure I would not rent a vehicle without full insurance coverage!!
When I tried to have my own insurance company in Canada cover a rental while in St. Maarten, they said, only in Canada and U>S>A>. So,,I then checked with credit card company. My Capital one Mastercard covered insurance in St.Maarten, and also Visa Platinum. ONLY for a maximum amount. So, for instance , had I rented a HUMMER or some costly vehicle it would not have.
The maximum was around 35,000.00 or so. Let's face it, if you rent a normal car, that is plenty if a collision occured.
I was also advised to take the other insurance of 5.95/day that the rental agency insisted on.
Never had a problem, but it was piece of mind that I was covered. As other posters have said......do it, just in case.
Another tidbit,,,,,I would only drive in the day hours, as at nightime, it can be very scary. Just could not believe how much the high beams are used, and how many motor bikes have no lights on them, etc.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Happy Travels
Meg:classic:

The Voice said:

Do you have a Visa card? Visa provides CDW/LDW coverage free of charage.

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I don't believe all Visa cards provide this benefit. You should always check with the card issuer prior to renting.

All Visa cards don't , many do. Also they do NOT cover liability only the ability to waive the collision/damage to the car insurance the rental agencies LOVE to sell. Not damage to things, other cars or people. In a Napoleonic law regime driving without liability insurance is nuts. While you are in jail you wont have the insurance company haggling for settlement on the person you ran over. Buy it. In some countries it is mandatory and should be.

ok,, here's what happened to me

in Nov 2005 i rented compact car from STI Alamo. I opted to use my MASTERCARD coverage so i declined alamo's insurance. On second to last day before returning i caught flat tire,, fixed that,, then next day i ran overthe curb and damage one rim on front tire...ok i returned car to alamo, told them what happened... the rim i damage i fixed it (it was the spare tire rim). When i returned here i called mastercard later to find out that they do not cover glass, wheels,tires. And that if there was damage to car or accident then first i would have to go through my own personal insurance before i go through their mastercard insurance.

alamo assessed damage to damage rim, damage tire and it was more than 300 dollars. Nothing i could do... they do have insurance on glass and tires for $3 dollars per day... i would take that insurance next time i rent car.

I checked with State Farm last year. The liability coverage offered is through my umbrella policy but only after I would take the maximum insurance offered by the rental company. The maxium offered was $33,000 US. That may not be close to enough but the umbrella should cover almost any occurance.
My Visa covered damage.

To sum it all up....

If you intend to rent a car in the Dominican Republic, in addition to finding a reputable rental company, you should:

a) Contact your car insurer wherever you live to determine what, if
anything, may be covered;

b) Contact your credit card company to inquire about their coverage;

c) Speak to the rental car company about the various coverages they may
have AND what it does or does not cover.

Based on personal experiences and observations, I would take the glass and tire coverage as well as the liability for other persons or property and decline the collision insurance offered by the rental company assuming my credit card issuer and my automobile policy at home covered me in the D.R. for collision damage to the rental vehicle.

There has been so much inquiry about this topic, perhaps this should be a sticky.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2