When going out of town for a business trip or for vacation we often use a rental car to get from place to place. And we’ve all been there. You just land from your flight, gather your luggage, make it to the rental car counter, and are faced with the question, "Do you want to add on our rental car insurance?"  So what do you do?

Typically, if you have your own car insurance for your car at home, your coverage will extend to a rental car also. For car theft or car crashes, as long as you have comprehensive and collision coverage your insurance will cover the damage. The worst is you may be stuck with paying the deductible should any damage occur.  This is also true for any damage that you may cause to other cars. If you have the bare minimum insurance coverage, it may make sense to add on some supplemental coverage at the rental car counter.  Any injuries from a car accidently are typically covered by your own health insurance, so anything additional would be repetitive. Further, anything that is stolen from your rental car will be covered under your home owners or renters insurance.

If you are in doubt, you can always take the additional route of paying for your rental car with a credit card that provides additional coverage. Before traveling, call your credit card company to verify the amount of rental car insurance the card will add if you pay for the rental using your American Express, Discover, Visa, or another major credit card.

We understand that residents from Newark, NJ love to travel and at E.S.T.I.R. Inc. we are here to help. If you are planning travel and have questions about your own car insurance policy, feel free to ask our experts to make sure you are covered.  We proudly serve the people of Newark, NJ. Stop into our local E.S.T.I.R. Inc. office to speak face to face with our insurance pros today.