Car Hire USA

Maybe some of you can help me here with the fine print!

I'm hiring a car for our holiday in Florida in June. The cost of the car is fine, but it only seems to cover rental, I take it you buy additional insurance? I'm looking for a policy that basically means I pay nothing extra if we are in a crash or if anything happens the car. What I want to know is

1. What excess do car companies tend to charge if you DONT take out the insurance?
2. Roughly how much should I expect to pay for a policy with 0 excess?
3. How do I know that all eventualities are covered? (I have looked at FAQ's on websites and even emailed one company only to be told to check out the FAQ page!!).

My main worry is that I will book an car and insurance online and then be told at the desk that the insurance is not adequate and I will be hit for another bill as well. I'm trying to pay for as much essential expense as possible up front before we go.

If anyone can offer any advice here I would appreciate it. Thanks

Sorry, GA, I wish I could help you! I've never purchased any of the insurance options on a rental car. My car insurance covers me when driving any vehicle, including rental cars, and if I put the rental on the American Express card there's additional coverage there on other things. When renting on travel, my company has a blanket policy with Hertz. Between all these things, I've never needed it. You may want to check with your car insurance company and see what they cover, and if they don't cover you, they might offer a temporary rider that would include covering the rental.

I agree with what VA wrote, GA. I would also say that you may want to actually call the car rental company here to try to get additional information because, as is usually the case in the U.S., each company probably offers something different. If you don't have any luck getting answers after speaking directly to them, send me an email and I'll be glad to see what I can find out for you. :thumbsup:

GA - are you staying at a hotel on or off Disney property? I went to Epcot with my cousin last Wednesday and thought of you and your family. It was great fun but it was already hotter than heck and humid. My cousin said that y'all should bring clothing made with the Dri Fit material and you will feel so much cooler. She said that is all they wear in the summer down there. They live in Lakeland @ 20 minutes south of Disney.

Thanks for the advice ladies. On the car front I finally managed to get through to a UK number which transferred me to a US advisor. I was able to ask him pretty much everything and have booked the car throuigh economy car rentals. Its hilarious. Most of the sites had helpline numbers, but when I tried them I got a standard answer of 'our helpline only operates in certain regions and you are not in one of them. Please refer to our FAQ section on the website'
I would already have tried FAQ only to find my question was not answered there. Same when I emailed one company. Instead of responding to my question they too diverted me to FAQ!!

Oh anyway, its done now, for better or worse! Rant over.

HB thanks for that advice. I don't think we have Dri Fit material clothes here, I have never seen it but the plan is to travel light and buy stuff over in Florida. We are staying near Lake Buena Vista as far as I know. I think its near to Disney.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks