Renting a Car, from Life in the USA: The Complete Guide for Immigrants and Americans

Life in the USA is a complete guide to American life for immigrants and Americans. All materials on this site Copyright © Elliot Essman 2010. All rights reserved.    Home    Back    Next

Life in the USA
Transportation
The Automobile

Renting a Car
Renting a car is a fairly straightforward procedure, but it is almost impossible to do without a major credit card. Prices and deals vary from company to company and region to region. Most rental companies will try to get you to agree to pay a small daily amount to cover “collision damage waiver” so you won't be responsible if the car is damaged. This might be $8 or $10 a day, but that will be 3 times what the real insurance costs the company if you divide the annual amount by 365. The rental companies make money on these charges. Many credit cards (remember they are all different) will include this insurance if you charge the car rental on their card, allowing you to say “no” and save these extra charges. Your own automobile insurance may also cover you. Car rental companies will often charge you for gasoline use. When you rent a car, make sure to find out whether there is a mileage charge in addition to the daily or weekly rental fee. These mileage charges can add up. The best rental car deals--often combined with vacation packages that include airfare and hotels--will have “unlimited mileage.”



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