rental kiosks???

I have seen multiple people say they sign up for the clubs then bypass the car rental counter.

How does that work with the insurance? I buy insurance in canada for much cheaper than you can there and it covers us for everything.

Do these kiosks let you bypass the insurance that they "tack on" so that you don't have to pay for it?

We have only rented a car one time and went up to the counter, the dude argued with us over and over but i stood my ground and refused to be bulldozed and eventually he backed down but i did have to show him my insurance contract. Took almost 20 minutes of arguing and i want to avoid that this time if i can.

 

I'm just guessing here, but I imagine if you have trouble at a kiosk you can request human intervention. If there is no cost to join I would go for it.
(Disclosure: I haven't rented a car lately, but, the last time I did membership saved a lot of time.)

 

You can decline Ins either at the counter or kiosk, what you can do is sign up for their preferred customer program and then establish a profile that automatically declines the ins.

 

thanks, did not know that you could decline it online. Good to know we can decline at the kiosk as well, thank you.

 

Would you let a stranger drive your new car without them showing you some sort of insurance?

 

I have always declined the insurance and have never had to show them anything or even explained why for that matter. I dont carry any proof that I have ins on my own cars either for that matter. It's just a pressure tactic the clerks use to boost their income.I just look them in the eye and say I'm declining and thats it. Now that I'm a "member" of their programs all I usually do is go right to the ramp (where some guy in a booth has my papers) and go pick out a car. No need to even use a kiosk.

 

Also, check to see if any of your credit cards offer you primary car insurance on rentals. I never pay for any of the car insurances since it's a benefit offered to me by my CC, unless I get a car with a MSRP of $50K+

 

that had nothing to do with it, he was looking to prove that i could not use the insurance, that was full out the only reason. He did not find anything wrong with it whatsoever but still tried to sell me insurance.

 

I have looked into it and unfortunately ours do not.

 

Changing my idea on insurance.

A year ago August a guy rear-ended me in my rental car, the claim of which was finally paid a few weeks ago. This was the THIRD time I had a claim in 30 years of driving in Vegas, and all were NOT my fault. (Vegas drivers are crazy aggressive, at least around me!)

The CC company always came through … eventually. Dollar was charging me for all sorts of things because the other guy's insurance were dragging their feet and saying Dollar was charging too much. The CC company did do a good job, but the experience turned out to be a real pain in the arse. So…

On my next trip in about three weeks I'll rent a car for three nights out of seven and pay the $25 per day for insurance just to avoid the stress.

 

that is a lot of money. I think i paid 51$ when we went to orlando. With my private insurance company i would never have to worry about any of it, they take care of it all. That may be something you could do too.

We are just renting the car to got to the grand canyon, will not be keeping it when we return to vegas.

 

I pay for my rental using my AMEX card and for an extra $17 they cover the car for the duration of the rental.
I wasn't even aware of this insurance option until a friend told me about it.

 

Don't be so sure it will avoid any stress. I can not believe the insurance company or car company will just roll over and kiss somebody's behind and say everything is okay.


As to the earlier poster - never, ever had to show insurance. And, looking at that card does not prove a whole lot anyways. And of course, if it is your credit card that is covering you, you surely would not have that booklet handy. It was just a pressure tactic.