Car hire in US - can't find paper part of license!

kodys_angel

Hi All,

We are flying to Los Angeles on Friday and will be hiring a car. Having recently moved neither of us are able to find the paper part of our driving licenses :eek: we've searched boxes and folders to no avail. There's a possibility that they are somewhere at our parents' houses but no chance of getting there and finding them before we fly.

We called a couple of companies and got mixed responses as to whether we would need it or not… Hertz said no rental, Budget said we only need a license that has a stamp, picture, expiry date and signature on it so paper part won't be required… Checked T&Cs on the big names' website and none of them list anything specific about this.

Has anyone been refused car hire in US for not having the paper part? I don't recall taking it when we went 6 years ago. Also never needed it hiring in UK.

I know we should have been a bit more organised etc etc but the whole trip was a bit of a will we/won't we be going until recently!

Thanks for any advice!

tomtontom

I don't know the answer but why not ring through to the relevant hire desk at your pick up point? Then you'll get a definitive answer and a point of reference in case of problems when you arrive.

PeacefulWaters

I've hired in NYC and DC and not needed it.

Good luck though!

Marmaduke123

We've hired many times in the US and never been asked for the paper counterparts. I really don't think the counter staff even know they exist!

I think it is the letter of the law though, so if you ask them, they'll tell you its needed. I suppose there might be a problem if you had an accident or something which involved the police, who might know about the paper counterpart.

Good luck!

kodys_angel

Thanks guys and/or girls
Was a bit worried, but I found a cheap dial number and called the offices at the airport and they didn't even know we had a paper counterpart!

ferf1223

strictly speaking they could ask for it but as you have found, I don't think most even know it exists.

I actually used my paper counterpart only once...I had left my photocard licence in the hotel room but had the counterpart in my travel filofax I always have with me...so I decided to try it on the basis that if they knocked me back I wouldn't have lost anything and would just have to go back to the hotel...and they didn't bat an eye.

Some car hire counters have started asking for a passport + foreign driving licence. At least in Vegas, not sure if it's more widespread than that.

bex2002

I had a car from Alamo in los angeles a couple of weeks ago and when I asked if they needed to show them my paper part they said they didn't need to see it even though they stated they had to in the information I was sent.

kodys_angel

Thanks again! I will obviously have my passport with me as we'll be hiring the car at the airport. Everything else is sorted - got NavFree apps, getting a local SIM etc... I'm just kicking myself for not even thinking about the paper part til now. Seems there's a very good chance we'll be fine without it, but to double check I called DVLA who said they can fax a Certificate of Entitlement to the rental office for a fee of £5. I will probably try and call them in office hours later today and triple check. The last thing I want to happen is to get there and not get a car to be able to go to Disneyland! :eek:

visidigi

If you haven't got a car already booked consider these guys...

http://www.usrentacar.co.uk/

Main benefit is you can buy all the insurance etc up front, no painful negotiating and no upsell at all..

If you go with Dollar then sign up for the express service on dollar.com - that way we went from the front door of LAX to the drivers seat of the car in under 20 mins.

No license checks at all, we used them last year and will most definitely use them again next.

kodys_angel

Thanks. We got a car through rentalcars.com. The deal was so cheap I called the desk to double check I wasn't missing anything... Chevrolet Impala - Full size vehicle (5 adults/3bag) for £295 1-12 August! 60 quid less than the next cheapest quote.
The company is Avis and additional driver is FOC. CDW is included, $400 deposit to be returned when we drop off the car. I asked about excesses etc in case of damage and they said there isn't one in US? I thought this a bit strange, but it was an excellent deal.

Am I being thick and missing something?

Checked T&Cs:

Your Rental Includes
* Unlimited Kilometers for ALL car groups
* Insurance ( - Collision Damage Waiver - Theft Protection - 3rd Party Liability - Supplementary Liability Insurance )
* Local Taxes
* Airport Surcharge
* Premium location fee

Insurance & Waivers Information
At the counter, you may decide to buy additional cover to reduce or remove your excess, or to cover things your Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) doesn’t, such as tyres and windscreen.
Please note: if you do, the contract will be between you and the supplier. Since rentalcars.com will not be involved at all, we won’t be able to help if you’re dissatisfied with the cost of the policy or the cover it provides.

When you hire a car through rentalcars.com, your car rental agreement will normally include collision damage waiver & theft waiver. Collision Damage Waiver will waive your liability to pay for any damage caused to the vehicle during the period of hire. Theft Waiver provides coverage for the theft or damage resulting from attempted theft of the vehicle, its parts and accessories up to their full value and any loss that our car rental partner may incur. Both are subject to certain exclusions. Your liability is waived subject to you paying a charge, referred to as an “excess” which limits your liability to the cost of the excess only. In some instances, an excess will not apply and you will be advised of this at the time of making your booking.
Your rental includes Collision Damage Waiver and Theft Protection with zero excess. This deposit usually takes the form of a credit card, although cash is an option at some locations so please contact a member of our team if you require this facility as this must be confirmed prior to collecting the vehicle. If the vehicle is damaged during the rental, you will be charged up to a maximum of the excess amount. In the event that the renter has behaved recklessly or negligently or driven under the influence of drugs or alcohol you may be liable for the full cost Please note in common with most car rental policies there are exceptions to cover which may include windscreens, tires, the underside or interior of the vehicle, towing charges & replacement keys. Please check your agreement fully at the time of renting for exact exclusions. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact our team Please note a number of options may be available to buy locally which reduce your risk or can provide further cover to you & your belongings

Just realised that the company is actually part of traveljigsaw, which I've not read great stuff about on this forum

visidigi

There is excess depending on policies, check your small print very carefully - its usually on wierd stuff.

Tyres and Windscreens aren't included - they will try and get your to buy insurance.

Also first tank of fuel wont be included at that price, so check what the policy is, likely to be must be returned full - when you do return you usually have to prove you have filled up with fuel within 10 miles or so of LAX - this is to stop you returning it short on fuel. We prepaid ours last time so it was a return empty job (and boy did we do a good job of that!)

Im not normally one for the extra insurance, but on the last one I did take platinum cover and I'm glad I did, that pallet I hit on the middle of the freeway on the way to Las Vegas did something horrific to the brakes on our 'premium' car (read as rebadged vauxhall insignia!)