Renting a car? Your travel insurance coverage may help protect you
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For information relating to policies purchased prior to October 23 2024, please check the Policy Wording provided with your purchase. You can contact us if you need this sent to you again. For plans purchased after October 23 2024, please see below.
There’s nothing quite like setting out on the open road with the windows down, the music blaring, and the wind blowing in your hair. Us nomads love our road trips, and we’ve discovered some of the best ones in our travels. The Blue Ridge Parkway, Route 66, and the Pacific Coast Highway are a few of our favorites here in the US.
While we look forward to our time on the road, the process of renting a car can be daunting. We’ve been the ones standing at the rental car counter totally confused by the legalese and wondering if we need to buy car rental insurance.
Even though dealing with car rental insurance can be confusing, it can be beneficial to educate yourself on the offerings. If you’ve ever experienced the narrow roads in Italy and potholes in Costa Rica, you know what we mean. Nobody plans to get into a car accident while they’re traveling, but sometimes the unexpected happens. In case of an accident, you may find yourself thinking about what it’s going to cost to fix or replace the rental car you just wrecked.
If you’re renting a car while you’re traveling, you may want to consider getting a quote for travel protection that includes rental car damage insurance coverage.
Rental car damage insurance is included in the Explorer and Epic Plans (coverage not available to residents of WA). Rental car damage insurance is also included in the Annual plan (this plan is not available to residents of MO, MT, MY, or WA.) If you’re on a trip and your rental car gets damaged due to a collision, theft, vandalism, natural disaster, or any cause beyond your control while in your possession, rental car damage insurance may help you be reimbursed for the cost of repairing the car or actual cash value to replace if a total loss, up to the maximum benefit amount.
You’ll want to review each of the travel protection plans offered by World Nomads to make sure you understand the rental car damage insurance coverage. You can compare the differences in each plan’s Maximum Benefit Amount for rental car damage insurance benefit when you get a quote.
All car rental companies are different, but most car rental companies have their insurance requirements listed on their website. If they don’t, call them. We highly suggest that you read the wording in your World Nomads travel protection plan to make sure you understand the rental car insurance benefit that’s included.
While rental car damage insurance benefit may be included in your World Nomads travel protection plan, it doesn’t cover everything.
A few things that could lead to various coverage exclusions include:
First and foremost, make sure you and your passengers are ok and report the incident to the local authorities.
In the event of a life-threatening emergency, call the local emergency authorities first to receive immediate assistance.
You’ll also want to notify the company that you rented the car from and the local authorities. The rental car company will advise you on what to do with the vehicle. You’ll want to take all necessary steps to protect the vehicle and prevent further damage to it.
When you turn in the car, you’ll need to find out how much it is going to cost to fix it or have it replaced. You will need to get an official written estimate that details exactly what may need to be repaired, and the costs associated with it. Make sure that you keep this, and all documents that include information about the incident. This includes the police report, rental agreement, and damage estimate. Pictures of the damaged vehicle will be helpful as well.
That supporting documentation is very important and is needed to help you be reimbursed for any reasonable and customary cost of repairs and rental charges or the actual cash value of the vehicle if it must be replaced. Once you have all your paperwork together, you can then start a claim.
As nomads ourselves, we’ve learned a few things along the way as we’ve road tripped to some of the coolest places on the planet.
A few of our tips include:
I arrived in Delhi from Rome. Baggage claim help desk informed me that my bag had been delayed in transit. I was without my bag for almost a week before it was finally delivered to me. It was cold in Delhi (being winter, December) and my warm jacket was in my bag, requiring that I purchase a jacket and other items of warm clothing that I had not taken in my carry-on.
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Here are our most frequently asked questions about cover for rental car protection. You can also find the answers to other questions in our Help Center or you can ask the customer service team.
Possibly - it depends on the country you are visiting. Not all countries accept a US driver’s license, but many accept an International Driving Permit (IDP). The The US Department of State is a good resource to research the countries you’ll be visiting so that you can learn ahead of time what license you’ll need. They also provide information on how to get an IDP if you need one. It may not be a good idea to wait until you get to your destination - do your research before you depart on your trip.
This is up to your needs and personal research. Take a look at the rental car insurance requirements for the company you’re renting from. You can usually find these online, but if you can’t, call the company and ask. Review the rental car insurance benefit included in your World Nomads travel protection plan and review the rental car company's requirements.
No, rental car damage insurance is not available to purchase separately from World Nomads. Rental car damage insurance is included in the Explorer and Epic Plans (coverage not available to residents of WA). Rental car damage insurance is also included in the Annual plan (this plan is not available to residents of MO, MT, MY, or WA.). When you get a quote for travel insuranceget a quote for the travel protection plan, you can learn about what is included in each plan.
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.