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Should I pay for extra insurance on a rental car?

Extra insurance on a rental car is a good safe guard, but it is not always necessary. Take into consideration the length of time you will have the rental, how far you plan on driving, the areas you will be driving in, who will be driving, your current insurance deductible, and your insurance company’s policy on accidents.

You might decide to get the extra insurance if you are only renting the car for one day because the extra $7 or $8 that rental car companies charge doesn''t add much to the price, but if you are renting the car for two weeks that extra insurance will end up costing you around $100 extra. Another time it would be a good idea to pay for the extra insurance would be if you are going to be traveling a long distance, are going to be driving in an accident or crime prone neighborhood, or are allowing an inexperienced driver to drive.

Always take into consideration your current insurance policy; if your policy has no deductible and/or your insurance company waives your first accident, then you will probably want to skip the extra insurance.

There are also several credit cards that automatically give you rental car protection when you rent the car with that credit card. If you have a credit card with this option then you should definitely pay with that credit card and decline the extra insurance.