Archive for January, 2009

Getting the Right Auto Insurance Policy

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

When it comes to insuring your vehicle, it’s absolutely critical to take the time to do the appropriate research to really understand your policy and what it covers. Most people don’t really care about this, and quickly shop around using only a few insurance comparison tools or agents to try and get the cheapest deal on auto insurance.

When it comes to secondary drivers and friends, many people don’t realize what their car insurance policy covers, and what it does not. For example, what if you were to get in an accident but you didn’t have car insurance? Well obviously, you would be in huge trouble, but what happens if you’re tired and you let your friend drive and he doesn’t have insurance and you end up getting pulled over. Then what happens?

These are the type of questions that many people don’t take the time to discuss with their insurance agent when signing up for their car insurance policy. Insurance policies aren’t that complicated, you just need to understand what’s covered, and what isn’t. For example, many people don’t realize that car rental insurance is automatically under some car insurance policies, so when they go for a car rental they still end up paying insurance for it when they were already covered in the first place.

That’s one of the more common examples, but there are many. Hence why it’s so important to do your research and get the right car insurance policy for your needs!

Do All Car Rental Companies Offer One-Way Rentals?

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009

Car rental companies are all about satisfying their customers, so they offer a wide array of services. Some of the services are needed and others are not. There is also the fact that there are a lot of add-ons that people may or may not need. But what about those things that you may need, but you find out they may not have? What special things do you need out of a car rental company?

Of those things that are needed by some individuals are one-way rentals. One-way rentals allow an individual to rent the car in one city, drive it to another, and then leave it at another location owned by the rental company. In other words, they do not have to drive the car back to its original location. This is great for those individuals who are moving to another destination. This is also great for those wishing to drive to their destination, but then fly, ride the train, or ride a bus back.

A scenario

Here is a perfect scenario as to why someone may need a one-way rental: Let’s say that someone drives 12 hours away from home. They drove instead of flew because they wanted to take the time out to be on the road alone and enjoy the sights. However, they get a phone call that tells them there is an emergency and they need to come home as soon as possible. The only way they are going to be able to achieve that is if they buy a plane ticket in order to get home quickly. However, they have an issue on their hands and that issue is that they have the rental car and they are not sure what to do. They surely can’t drive back home and make it back in a reasonable amount of time.

This is where a one-way rental comes in. They go to another location owned by their rental car company and find out that they can just drop the car there so that they can catch a flight home.

Do they all offer one-way rentals?

As for whether or not all rental car companies offer one-way rentals, the truth is that they don’t. The reason is because not all car rental companies are nationwide companies. There are smaller companies that you may find in your local area that may be a one location type of company or they own very few throughout the country. The national chains, on the other hand, they do offer one-way rentals. You probably won’t find a company with locations all over the country that doesn’t offer one-way rentals to their customers.

There are just so many reasons why someone may need a one-way rental that the company would be hurting financially if they didn’t offer that option. Customers would simply go to another company that did offer the service. That’s how a lot of companies make a lot of money. They offer services such as this.

Don’t fret

So if you need a one-way car rental, don’t fret because this is definitely an option that you can take. It is nothing to be afraid of asking about. They’re not going to look at you strange if you say you want a one way ticket to your destination. They are going to tell you where their location is in the town you are going so that you know where to drop of the car. If you need any other information regarding the drop off, you can simply ask and they will answer your questions. Just don’t forget to shop around before committing to one company.

Do You Really Need Car Rental Insurance?

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

A rental car service is very convenient for most people because they provide you with a reliable car if you ever need one in case of an emergency or if your car is being repaired. The rental process is very straight forward and simple; all you have to do is pay a rental fee and you are able to take that car wherever you need to take it. There is only one serious consideration - do you really need car rental insurance? But what if you get into an accident in a rental car and you didn’t buy their insurance? Then what happens? Here’s a great video from MetaCafe that discusses car rental insurance in detail:


Car Rental Tip #3 - Rental Insurance - Click here for more amazing videos

Insurance options

There are a couple of different options available to you when it comes to car rental insurance. First of all, your own insurance that you already are paying for may cover you in a rental car. The best way to determine this is to consult with your insurance company about your policy and inquire whether or not it allows you to be insured in a rental car.

The second option is to take the insurance through the rental car company, this way you are covered in case you’re involved in an accident. The other option is obviously to not take the car rental insurance, if this is the case it’s highly recommended to make sure you look at your insurance company’s policy very carefully. You don’t want to pay for insurance through the rental car company if you don’t have to. You would be amazed how many people think they have to purchase the rental car company’s insurance and the company may not say anything to them about it. If the customer says they want it, then the rental car company is going to give it to them. This is despite whether they really need it or not.

However, there is good news that help simplify this issue; you don’t have to worry about being in a car accident without having insurance. This is because you have to provide proof of insurance to the rental car company in order to rent a car. If you don’t have insurance, then you are required to purchase their insurance. They will not let you take one of their cars off of the lot unless you have insurance. This is because they can be held liable if something happens that you’re in an accident in their car. They don’t want to have to pay out thousands of dollars in medical bills or be sued because you were driving one of their cars without any insurance. So remember to do your research and find out from your insurance provider if you are covered or not before you consider purchasing car rental insurance from a car rental provider!