Foreign Car Rental Insurance

[jimcrawford01]

I have reserved a car rental in New Zealand for next month.
My car insurance with Amica will not cover me outside the US, Canada.
The insurance offered by Enterprise is a rip off.
What do other folks do for liability and auto coverage?
Thanks

[Jesa]

Buy it. It's peace of mind. Never would I buy the insurance in the US as my policy covers it. Overseas however is a different story, even regarding the coverage with your credit card if applicable. Even then, it's a hassle.

We traveled to Iceland last year and in returning the car to Avis (if I remember correctly), the employee spotted some ding on the front end. He told me the charge was a few hundred dollars. I mentioned I purchased the insurance, he verified, and we were on our way.

[sperry8]

USAA and GEICO offer this: https://www.geico.com/information/about ... /overseas/

Worth a call to GEICO - they may beat your Amica policy rates anyway.

Travel Guard also offers a CDW policy for $9 a day and it's primary coverage. https://www.travelguard.com/travelinsur ... rental.asp

But the travel guard policy may not be needed as many credit cards do cover you abroad (e.g., Visa Signature and Mastercard World Elite).

The cc's and travel guard are just CDW, but if you have a personal umbrella policy you should be covered for liability.

[TravelGeek]

I have reserved a car rental in New Zealand for next month.
My car insurance with Amica will not cover me outside the US, Canada.
The insurance offered by Enterprise is a rip off.
What do other folks do for liability and auto coverage?
Thanks

Auto coverage: Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card primary coverage (haven't checked if NZ is excluded)

Liability: research laws in foreign country; I think there are many where rental cars include liability because they would otherwise not be legal. For NZ a quick Google search lead me to:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g ... aland.html

[Katietsu]

The cc's and travel guard are just CDW, but if you have a personal umbrella policy you should be covered for liability.

This is a dangerous statement. My personal umbrella policy clearly states that no liability coverage exists for an automobile incident unless coverage is primarily provided by my auto policy.

[TropikThunder]

I have reserved a car rental in New Zealand for next month.
My car insurance with Amica will not cover me outside the US, Canada.
The insurance offered by Enterprise is a rip off.
What do other folks do for liability and auto coverage?
Thanks

As others have mentioned, many countries require liability coverage to be built into the rental fare. For example, I have rented from Sixt in Germany, Austria, and Spain, and in each case the fare included liability (but not damage). For example, Sixt T&C for New Zealand says:

Third Party Insurance (TI)
Protection coverage for the vehicle rented includes Third Party Liability with a maximum cover of NZD 30 millions for material damages and with unlimited cover for personal injuries.
Excluded from the protection is the use of the vehicle for the transport of dangerous goods. All protection as part of the rental contract will become void, in particular, if an unauthorized driver has used the vehicle or if the driver of the vehicle does not possess the required driver's license at the time of the event giving rise to claim.

https://www.sixt.com/rental-services/re ... formation/

Check the terms of the rental company for their specifics but it should be similar.
For damage coverage, I rely on my Citi card and decline their coverage.

[TropikThunder]

The cc's and travel guard are just CDW, but if you have a personal umbrella policy you should be covered for liability.

This is a dangerous statement. My personal umbrella policy clearly states that no liability coverage exists for an automobile incident unless coverage is primarily provided by my auto policy.

In NZ, it's against the law to sue for personal injuries anyway:

Personal Injury Liability: Accident Compensation

The single most peculiar feature of the New Zealand legal system is its accident compensation legislation which bars most forms of personal injury litigation.
With some special exceptions and qualifications, the scheme essentially provides a system of state compensation for people who suffer personal injury by accident irrespective of whether the injury was suffered at work, or on the roads, or at home, and irrespective of whether it was the fault of the injured party, or the fault of any other party. The injured party may not initiate litigation but rather must file a claim with the Accident Compensation Corporation. The scheme provides cover for accidents suffered on a "no fault", "no blame" basis. If there is cover for personal injury or death under the legislation, no civil claim for compensation may be brought in the courts.
The statutory bar to proceedings means that there is no civil liability in New Zealand for most personal injuries.

http://www.wilsonharle.com/new-zealand- ... vironment/

[jimcrawford01]

Thank you all for your replies.

My Amica Car Policy covers only US & Canada plus PR & Possessions.

Collision Damage is mostly covered by Credit Card.

My Amica Umbrella Policy covers the same WORLDWIDE (except auto)!

Accident Liability for personal injury is covered for everybody by the NZ Accident Compensation Corp.

It's all good. Or mostly good.

Thanks !

[richardglm]

Beware! New Zealand is one of the countries often included in the exceptions list of credit card collision damage waiver policies. If you plan to rely on your credit card for CDW, read the fine print.

[sperry8]

The cc's and travel guard are just CDW, but if you have a personal umbrella policy you should be covered for liability.

This is a dangerous statement. My personal umbrella policy clearly states that no liability coverage exists for an automobile incident unless coverage is primarily provided by my auto policy.

Good point, I should have said "may". It is always a good idea to check your own personal policy as to coverages.

[Nova1967]

Please make a note to drive in the left side of the road to increase the probability that you don't have to use the insurance

[Newlander]

I had a similar situation when I moved to Germany a few months back and needed to rent a car until ours arrived. I simply read the fine print with my Capital One credit card and called their customer service to confirm my readings. Capital One stated I would be fully covered as long as the rental was not greater than 30 days.

I would highly recommend and encourage you to contact your payment method bank/company and verify with them.

[TallBoy29er]

Recently rented a car in NZ myself, from Avis. One thought - they are sticklers at checking the car after you drop it off. They tried to lay a $750 repair bill on me for damage I did not cause. Three thoughts to tackle this if you care to follow (for any car you rent outside the states):

- Thoroughly go over the car when you pick it up. If there is the slightest damage, have the rental agency document it (they typically have a template of a car on a sheet, and they mark it up)
- take pics of any damage that is there when you pick it up. It takes all of 90 seconds on your phone
- take pics of the car once you drop it off.

Hope this helps. NZ is awesome. Enjoy.