Should You Purchase Rental Car insurance?

I was told by Dollar Rental that although I had collision coverage on my own personal policy, it would not cover the full rental fee for the days the car was out of commission. They said they would charge me the full rental price not the best price that I found on the internet for any days the car was out of commission. It scared me into buying the insurance.. which included collision and this full rental value insurance. More than doubled the price. Are they correct or was I a fool?

Bill Fix of MI 5:23PM February 14, 2013

In full disclosure, I work for a company called Protect Your Bubble. For many of us, the peace of mind is worth the money, but there's a way to save money.

We offer rental car insurance for only $7.99 per day. This is much cheaper than at the rental car counter.

Protect Your Bubble provides $35,000 in collision coverage. And unlike other rental car insurance plans that make consumers take on the liability of filing under their auto policy first, Protect Your Bubble’s rental car protection plan serves as the primary coverage on the rental car.

In addition to $35,000 in coverage, consumers will benefit from a $0 deductible and $500 of baggage coverage. If for any reason the trip is cancelled and coverage is no longer needed, the amount paid for the insurance plan will be refunded back to the consumer.

PYBComment of GA 2:37PM November 21, 2012

What about people who don't already have car insurance? Yes, we do exist! And since we don't already own cars, we often have to rent them, sometimes for an extended period of time.

It's very difficult to find information about reasonable car insurance if you are a non-owner who needs to rent a car for, say, a month. Buying protection from the rental agency can add up to almost as much as the car itself. I don't know why it's not possible to buy a short-term policy.

In the past, I've resorted to buying a policy and then canceling it once the rental ends, but insurers don't like this so I've had to lie about it. Also, they have an incredibly difficult time wrapping their brains around the notion that you're buying auto insurance even though you don't own a car and can't even tell them what kind of car it is until you obtain it from the rental company.

L Miller of NY 10:13AM October 13, 2012