USVI-On-Line

I have asked this question to a couple folks on the side but none of us are sure, so here goes. For the insurance that the car rental places offer, is the coverage full or liability only? Is it relatively standard accross the board? If it is liability only, would the renter be responsible for the damage to the Jeep (out of pocket)? My insurance company covers me in St John, But it (the rental company insurance) may still be a worth while expenditure if it would fully shield my regular insurance from claim, thus protecting me from jacked up rates if something were to happen.

Any thoughts or facts would be greatly appreciated.

We always rely on our own insurance, plus most credit cards further cover you if you use them to pay for the rental.

The insurance offered by the car rental companies varies. Liability covers damage to other cars and the CDW covers damage to the rental vehicle, but what about personal injury, etc.? One thing it does cover, that personal insurance does not, is loss of rental income.

We use our personal insurance and credit car coverage.

Cheers, RickG

Rick, what is CDW?

Hi,

Most car rental companies will only sell you physcial damage insurance. No liability. They are only worried about their vehicle. Your personal auto policy will extend to a rental vehicle for the same coverages that you carry on your own auto. So if you have a $500 deductible that would be the deductible for the rental. Also your personal insurance will not cover loss of rent to the car rental company.

When we rent a car we use the american express coverage they offer for $24 for the entire rental for the physical damage, then if there were injuries to another party or property damage I would use my personal auto policy for that.

I think CDW that rick mentioned is the collision damage waiver that the rental companies make you sign.

Hope that helps.
Nancy

Another benefit of buying trip insurance is that a lot of them include rental car coverage.

We used Conrad Sutton and if we wanted to decline insurance we had to show our insurance card. Never had to show my insurance card when declining at other rental agencies. Thankfully no problems during our trip.

and the CDW usually has a deductible of $1,500, which you are responsible for.

Assuming your auto insurance covers you in STJ, you would be better off using that instead.

I have Progressive, and my coverage seems pretty good on St. John.

I am not sure if American Express considers it to be a U.S. car rental or not. One of the girls on a previous trip put the rental on her AmEx thinking it would be covered, and then she found out later that it didn't extend to St. John. Or I think that's what she said. I'd double check with them.

Our insurance company (USAA) covered us in STJ with the same coverage as we have at home plus it had loss of use coverage. Best thing to do is check with your insurance company and credit card companies to find out exactly how much is covered and where. Conrad Sutton didn't even ask us about insurance and we brought all the documentation. Ah well, it's always good to be prepared.