Travel Insurance in New Zealand (Car Rental)

flippyflaps

Hi, im travelling to New Zealand with my wife and hiring a Jucy Car for 5 weeks.

As we are UK residents it looks like we do not need medical cover. We dont travel with any valuables, so i was looking at only getting insurance for the days of the flights.

The insurance (and excess!) that these car rental companies charge is too pricey. So i was thinking of looking elsewhere at different options.

Maybe getting travel insurance to cover any problems with the car? or maybe specialist rental insurance companies?

Does anybody know anything about what we should do?

Thanks

richardw

flippyflaps wrote: »

As we are UK residents it looks like we do not need medical cover.

For NZ? Why is that then?

flippyflaps

richardw wrote: »

For NZ? Why is that then?

It says on this government website that we are covered for medical care which is necessary

http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/eligibility-faqs

Under the Reciprocal Agreement New Zealand has with the UK, UK citizens temporarily in New Zealand are covered for medical treatment which, in the opinion of a medical practitioner (or dental practitioner for people under 19 years) is required promptly for a condition that arose after you arrived in New Zealand, or for conditions that became worse or would have become worse if treatment was not provided.

Jasper27_2

Flippyflap you would not get full cover in New Zealand, only emergency treatment. Also you would not be covered for repatriation if it came to that, I don't think it's worth the risk as cheap cover is widely available.

richardw

But you missed the bit

"It is recommended you have comprehensive travel insurance, including medical cover."

You need cancellation cover in case you can't go, especially if you have paid in full for your flights.

So sort out the travel insurance http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cheap-travel-insurance it ain't worth saving and risking it.

Also look at www.insurance4carhire.com

flippyflaps

Hey, thanks for the advice guys. I've now been looking into getting travel insurance which covers car rental, but i cant seem to find any. Does anybody know of which companies i should be looking at?

Cheers

jamesnc

At least then you don't need to worry. It's not worth the risk really.

You would only be covered for serious medical problems when visiting New Zealand so its not worth the risk.

Haven't seen any cheap car rental insurance but if you get the right travel insurance policy then it can sometimes cover the excess.

If you're looking for ways to save money once in New Zealand theres a site called Kiwimoneysavers, which may be helpful when you're over in New Zealand.

kiwifruit_2

United Kingdom citizens visiting New Zealand

Citizens of the United Kingdom living in the UK who visit New Zealand on a temporary basis (less than 2 years) can receive urgent medical treatment in New Zealand under the Reciprocal Health Agreement between New Zealand and the UK.

If your treatment qualifies under the agreement, you will receive medical treatment on the same basis as New Zealanders would receive it, so it may not be exactly the same as the treatment you would get in the UK.

In practice this means that you pay:

• The costs of visits to a GP
• For GP-referred laboratory and diagnostic tests
• For private specialists
• Full costs for prescription items prescribed by a GP when not associated with an acute event.

If the medical treatment relates to an existing medical condition, then a medical specialist must agree that treatment is needed to stop the condition getting seriously worse if it is to be provided under the Reciprocal Health Agreement. Dental treatment for people aged under 16 and public hospital in-patient treatment is free.

For full details see URL="http://www.moh.govt.nz/eligibility"][U][COLOR=#0000ff]www.moh.govt.nz/eligibility[/COLOR][/U][/URL

Upon return to the United Kingdom you are advised to contact your local National Health Service branch as you may be eligible for a partial refund of health care costs paid in New Zealand.

For more info visit http://www.nzembassy.com/info.cfm?CFID=6016642&CFTOKEN=24662889&c=14&l=56&s=go&p=61688 hope this helps

MichaelBrandon

Is the car insurance that expensive?

With the New Zealand Car Rental company that I am working with, you get insurance as part of the package. Yes, there is certainly excess that can be paid for to reduce.

At DriveNZ, there is an excess of $NZD1500 for over 25's that can be reduced to a far more reasonable $NZD750 for only $6 per day.

Now when you are paying only $NZD32 (Christmas/Summer high season) a day to rent one of the DriveNZ "cheap" car rentals for over 28 days hire, an extra $NZD6 is not really going to break the bank.

But what will break the bank is having to have hotel accommodation, or camping ground accommodation.

So in true money saving expert style, I would recommend you consider one of the sleeper vans they have. Like a turtle or snail, you can have your house on your back! From only $NZD66 a day (Christmas/Summer high season) for a 28 day+ hire, you can get a Campervan Hire New Zealand alternative that includes a mattress, pillows and curtains. For a little extra you can have one of their super sleepers that has extra luggage space, and cooking geat and other extras.

But you are not going to New Zealand for car rental, you want to see New Zealand. So check out the YouTube videos in my signature, where DriveNZ has a nice slide show of New Zealand attractions, and some details about our wonderful country.

All the best!