Insurance Guide UK Car Rental

This is a subject which causes a great deal of confusion with customers who are hiring cars in the UK.

The reason being there are many options available to you and you’re not quite sure what you need and what you can afford to refuse.

Even the most seasoned traveller can get confused with it.

I am going to cover the section relating to customers coming in from United States to the UK. In North America many  credit card companies offer additional benefits with their card. Car hire insurance cover is one of these advantages. North American customers when booking a hire car will request that the car hire insurance isn’t included in the price as they have it already through their credit card company insurance.

The car rental company would only consider a Gold credit card or a Platinum credit card , as these cards have enough credit to cover the cost of the car.

The customer should be aware of this. If you decide to use a Gold credit card to cover the insurance cost and you have an accident. In the unfortuate event that the car was extensively damaged beyond repair, the car rental company would charge the total cost of replacing the car to the credit card of the renter.

The renter would have to contact his credit card companies insurance and hope they pay out .

If you don’t have a Gold card, just an ordinary credit card, you can still use your credit card insurance to cover some of the insurance cost. I am referring to the damage excess when mentioning the insurance cost. In North America the damage excess could be referred to as the deductible. If the car is damaged this is sum of money that the car rental company will make you responsible for. The sum could be in the region of £600.

You cannot directly use your credit card to cover the excess in these circumstances. You would decline the optional insurance that would be offered by the car rental company representative. The member of staff would authorise your card for the total deductible amount. In the event that the car was returned damaged the car hire company would deduct the cost of the repair from your credit card up to the maximum amount of the excess . You would then claim that amount back on your credit cards insurance.

Various independent car hire companies will offer you low cost insurance deals.

See Car Hire Prestwick Airport