Florida Car Insurance

michaelington

Hey guys, first time posting on here.
I have looked around but cant really find clear guidance so any help would be appreciated. Im will probably be booking a package holiday through thomas cook which includes car hire from alamo. As far as I can see this should cover third party insurance. Is this the minimum that I will need when driving over there? It also includes collision damage waiver (CDW), am I right in saying that this covers myself for loss and damage to the vehicle? Can anyone suggest if its worth taking out additional insurance and where the best place to get this is? Sorry for all the questions, thank in advance!

johnnyroper

the hire cars i have had in florida come with the bare minimum insurance which basically covers you for third party liability,IIRC the CDW covers you for damage but not excess or cover if vehicle is stolen.Should car be stolen the hirer is usually liable for the total cost to replace the car.

in my opinion you should upgrade the insurance to make sure you are fully covered and also not liable for excess in event of something happening.

luci

You will find that the insurance they offer you on arrival is very expensive.

It could work out cheaper to book a hire car and insurance through https://www.carhire3000.com or https://www.netflights.com

trets77

This is how they make their money. Package holiday companies like Virgin holidays USA for example sell packages with bare basic car hire with no insurance that actually covers you . they tend to use Alamo .Thompson may be different I don't know.

There is a nasty clause written in T&C's that says " Alamo does not accept any other companies insurance but it's own" or words to that effect. If you refuse their insurance they block a huge amount on your Credit card to cover any damage. very sneaky if you ask me.


third party insurance companies like Insurance4carhire might cover you , but they are more geared up for europe rentals. Have a ver careful look at the T&C's. if you read their FAQ you find this

Why do you not recommend this insurance for fly-drive programmes?
Fly Drive programmes are generally structured so that the car rental company makes its money from add-ons such as insurance. For that reason, companies which participate in fly-drive programmes do not always readily accept this insurance. For example, both Dollar and Alamo will accept our insurance but will withdraw or block US$ 1,500 from your credit card for the duration of the rental when you do a fly-drive through them, using our insurance.

next time you hire in Mainland europe use them for sure ( i have many times) but if they don't recommend their own insurance for your needs , i personally would stay well clear.

my advice price up how much extra the insurance is going to cost from the package company , and then get a quote from someone like carhire 3000 or netflights . they include all insurances with zero excess in the price for USA rentals . see if you can remove the car hire from the package as well so you can see who is the better deal .Carhire 3000 have a very good UK call centre, who will tell you how it is with no BS

rented with both Carhire3000 and Netflights with no bother . funnily enough when you get there the car hire agent may well be Alamo, but you have all insurance payed if you book through the mentioned brokers
.

trets77

http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/features/car-hire/car-hire-inclusive-packages-florida.html


so assuming you want a decent car to drive around Florida ( Personally a SUV is the minimum I would have) a 14 day break is going to cost you £33 x 14days = £462 OUCH !!!! as much as rental with another company .

with out knowing your dates/ location ect it is impossible to compare , but you get the idea.

Also remember to refuse any upgrades when you arrive. if they do not have the car you payed for they must upgrade you for free.

all said and done hiring a car in USA is a hell of a lot easier than Europe IMO if you use the right company.

stephb34

michaelington wrote: »

Hey guys, first time posting on here.
I have looked around but cant really find clear guidance so any help would be appreciated. Im will probably be booking a package holiday through thomas cook which includes car hire from alamo. As far as I can see this should cover third party insurance. Is this the minimum that I will need when driving over there? It also includes collision damage waiver (CDW), am I right in saying that this covers myself for loss and damage to the vehicle? Can anyone suggest if its worth taking out additional insurance and where the best place to get this is? Sorry for all the questions, thank in advance!

If the car is free with a Thomas cook package then generally you have to pay so much a day for the insurance which can work out dearer than declining the free car and then hiring a car through Alamo with Thomas cook, that will include the basic insurances you need but they will always try to upgrade you in resort. You can buy an annual policy in this country for less than what they'll want that covers the excesses should you have any accidents or incidents.