Thanksgiving and until New Years are the most heavily traveled times. During the holidays, families come together to celebrate. If you are traveling by train or plane at the end of your destination, you may need to rent a car. When you come to signing the papers at the rental desk do you purchase the physical damage or not?
When I travel and rent a car, I buy the physical damage for the rental vehicle. I have since my first grown up trip when I went to Florida to visit my father. My father lived on a sand road not an actual road and I was afraid that I would not be able to control the car in the sand. I tend to drive with have a heavy foot. I was concerned that I would have an accident and would have to pay for the car. I did not know that my auto insurance would extend to the rental car.
Years later, I have my insurance license and am thankful I was so uninformed that I purchased the physical damage for the rental car. I now know that I would have been responsible for the down time of the rental not to mention any other fees the rental car outlines in their contract. Some credit cards offer the physical damage but they will not pay for the “loss of use” of the rental car. Yes, auto insurance would pay for repair of the car if I was in an accident but until they can replace the car, they would lose money until it was back in operation. Auto insurance would not and does not pay for down time of a rental car. If the car has a flat or “blows” a gasket while in my possession, I would be responsible for that and auto insurance does not pay for plain old maintenance or mechanical breakdown.
When I rented a car in Florida, I came out of the hotel room in the morning, found a flat tire, I called the rental car, they came, picked up that car and gave me another. The next morning I came out of the hotel room and found a crack across the windshield making it unsafe to drive. I called the rental company again; they picked up the car and delivered another to me. Thankfully, I did not have any more car troubles that trip. There were no extra charges on my credit card and no forms to complete since I had purchased the physical damage coverage.
Twice I did not purchase the physical damage from the rental car company on trips out west. Every time I got behind the wheel, I worried. “Don’t hit me.” “Don’t have an accident.” “Don’t have a flat.” I learned very quickly to buy the physical damage coverage from the rental car company for peace of mind. It is not a coincident that DGK’s motto is peace of mind.
I am fully aware how much the coverage cost. It can be more than the car rental price. When I travel and need to abide strictly to my budget, I include the insurance as part of my travel budget. I am not happy about it at all. I would love to see the largest ice cream cone or the world largest cotton candy. As an adult, I have to choose and I choose peace of mind.
If you are traveling I wish for you a save journey and peace of mind.
For more information please read the Trusted Choice article. The link can be found on DGK’s facebook. DGK's Facebook - Sign in & Like us.
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