Bob, I frequently travel to the UK and rent cars there, and what you describe
sounds way too complex. I don't know which car rental companies you are dealing
with; I usually rent from Europcar because they are at Bristol airport (my
usual landing point) and I can book them through Easyjet at the same time as
booking my ticket. The rental always includes insurance, and at the counter I
am always asked about two options: whether I want to pay extra to get rid of
the excess (deductible) and whether I want to pay up front for a full tank of
fuel so as not to worry about returning the car full. The question is asked
politely, with no full-court press (or any press at all), I equally politely
decline, get my keys and drive off. The other things you mention in your mail I
have never even heard of.
I do always use Amex when paying for car rental, hotels and other
travel-related expenses. They are the best of the card companies if there is a
problem.
Cheers,
Nathan
On 31 Jul 2013, at 02:33, Bob Whitmire wrote:
> Sigh. Several of the sites I read set the excess at 1600 pounds. That's a
> good bit of cash.
>
> I've read and re-read my VISA rental car coverage benefit, and it _seems_ to
> cover just about everything, including a provision that you must refuse any
> and all offers at the rental counter. Tina speaks highly of her American
> Express experiences, so maybe the card companies are onto something. The
> reviews I read indicated that VISA was best, with Mastercard struggling to
> keep up. I don't recall reading anything specifically about AMEX.
>
> One of my questions when I call them for clarification is whether I need to
> have the cost of the bloody car in reserve for the car company before VISA
> pays up.
>
> --Bob Whitmire
> Registered Neanderthal
>
> On Jul 30, 2013, at 7:43 PM, Andrew Fildes wrote:
>
>> Nothing. I got caught like that last year - quote around 450 squid for a
>> month (Europcar) but standing at the counter at 3am after a 26 hour flight I
>> opted for a few things like zero excess that sounded reasonable at the time
>> (the excess being VERY high at about 1200 pounds) and ended up with a bill
>> just over double that quote and a lot more than I expected.
>> Car insurance in the UK is bloody expensive and complex for a start
>> (compared to here) - then the car rental companies seem to practice
>> 'competition by confusion'.
>> An unpleasant experience.
>
> --
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>
Nathan Wajsman
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