Rental car in Philly - insurance

Parent Cafe
1

<p>We will be going out Aug 27 to take S to Penn where he will do PennQuest for 4 days. We are thinking/planning on staying those 4 days and seeing the sights.</p>

<p>We’ve traveled and rented cars before (not a lot, but some), and always end up buying all the rental car insurance when we pick up the car. The things the rental people say to me always scare me and convince me to buy it.</p>

<p>Do we really need the insurance? We have Allstate Insurance (20plus years); AAA member (20 years); Chase CC or Discover CC.</p>

<p>Thanks! And yes I know I need to call my agent and look at my CC fine print…but would like advice from others who have been there, done that.</p>

2

<p>No. Do not take the car rental agency insurance. You are covered by your own policy.</p>

3

<p>Your auto insurance policy should cover you but just check with them to make sure.</p>

4

<p>Yup, what they said!</p>

5

<p>Make sure you actually need the rental car as parking is nightmare in Philly. Have you ever seen the tv show parking wars? Public transportation in Philly is great and a car may not be necessary to see the sights. Also, since you will be at Penn, do thru have a zip car? If so you my only want o rent it when you actually need it.</p>

6

<p>Agree with above</p>

<ol>
<li><p>If renting, insurance is probably covered by your personal policy, check with your insurance.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are taking a hotel in Center City, I agree with jerseygirl - skip rental and cost of parking and simply take public transport or walk to destinations - Google Philadelphia Phlash which is a tourist daily shuttle around Center City for something like $10/family/day or $2/stop. It only runs during tourist season. <a href=“http://c526532.r32.cf0.rackcdn.com/phlash-route-2011.pdf[/url]”>http://c526532.r32.cf0.rackcdn.com/phlash-route-2011.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
</ol>

<p>Taxi from airport to Penn is reasonable or take SEPTA train to 30th Street Station which is in walking distance to Penn. <a href=“Routes – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority”>Routes – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority;

7

<p>Don’t buy it!</p>

<p>I can testify that I’ve actually been in a wreck, in Philly, in a rental car and had no insurance, and there was no downfall to it. Also might have something to do with the fact that I was not at fault. </p>

<p>Beware of I-476 if you have to get on it. I absolutely hate it and am glad I never have to travel it again!</p>

8

<p>Am just throwing this out there in case you decide to stay in Philly for a few days. Back in March, H and were flying out of Philly after a visit to D2 in Allentown. The Big East basketball tournament was going on and we wanted to watch Syracuse (D1’s alma mater), so we found out where the Syracuse alumni club was watching and went there. While there, we met a woman (probably in her early 30s), who had started the only Segway business in Philly. She was quite animated about how well the business was doing and the varieties of tours she was offering. It sounded like a lot of fun - perhaps a more efficient way to see some of the historical sites.</p>

9

<p>Great ideas everyone…I was actually not sure about renting so will look at the links. I do need to talk to my insurance agent and clarify so that if I need to rent, I know my options. Have started my hotel search to stay and walk…segway idea is interesting…will google.</p>

10

<p>You can also buy a rental insurance from AmEx. I believe it’s like $25/day and covers you for rentals of various durations up to like 30 days or so. If you’re an AmEx cardholder, you can see about it if you want more peace of mind. A friend did this so he no longer buys the insurance from the rental companies. It adds up, especially if you rent for many days.</p>

<p>We have never bought rental insurance in the decades we’ve rented cars & figure we will be covered by our regular car rental companies & also our credit cards for CDWs. If we ever do have to pay, we figure out after all these decades we’d still come out ahead.</p>

11

<p>The credit card you use to rent the car usually also provides complete coverage. Read the policy.</p>

12

<p>The stated advantage of the AmEx coverage is that it is PRIMARY insurance and won’t be added to your auto insurance record if there is a claim against it, just the AmEx record (according to them).</p>

13

<p>Hi capenn15 - I think I talked to you on another thread - I would skip driving in Philly. I would take a taxi/train/septa/walk. It is actually very similar to SF - parking is nearly impossible, it is just so much easier to hop in a cab and have them drop you at the curb and there are cabs everywhere. If you are worried about getting from the airport - the train station is literally in the airport. I think the fare is $7/person. And then you can usually walk to your hotel or get a cab from whatever station is closest to your hotel. Or the cab fare from the airport to Center City is a flat rate of (I think) $28.</p>

<p>But if you are going to be driving somewhere outside of the city, I have rented a car in New England and was told by MasterCard that I was covered by them if I put the charge on my card. I was also covered by my auto carrier and by AAA, so I actually had triple coverage for no extra charge. But I also didn’t get in an accident so I never found out for sure!</p>