The named driver and all additional drivers included on your rental agreement are covered by your RentalCover.com plan. There is no need to add any additional drivers to your plan; they are automatically covered. Please ensure that you are named on the rental agreement.
Thinking of visiting other countries on your trip? With the exception of New York rentals, renters with Collision Damage Insurance or Supplemental Liability Insurance are covered in Canada if the vehicle is collected in the US.
You do not need to inform RentalCover.com of additional drivers or countries you are visiting.
We defer to the rental companies to check driver’s licenses; you do not need to provide the details to us. If you’re unsure, please contact your booking agent.
Want more information? Our Rental Guides explain how everything works.
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At RentalCover.com we provide the rental protection and our partners are responsible for the rentals.
To make changes to your car booking, the contact details for our partners are below.
To make changes to your RentalCover protection, login at rentalcover.com/account. If you have a question that’s not answered in our Help Center and not about a car rental booking, just reply to any of our emails.
At RentalCover.com we provide the rental protection and our partners are responsible for the rentals (a lot of our partners have very similar names to RentalCover.com, so it’s easy to get us mixed up). This means that for most customers we also handle cancellations and other changes on RentalCover.com. Read this article for step by step instructions on how to cancel or modify your RentalCover.com policy.
You can benefit from our popular American primary plan called the "Collision Damage Coverage*".
Using RentalCover.com offers you damage protection without touching your personal auto plan. If you need to make a claim, there’s no deductible to pay from your personal auto plan and the rates on your plan won’t increase!
*For US Residents, This is a travel protection plan that includes coverage for Rental Car Damage during a trip.
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*Not currently available for purchase on RentalCover.com
The following information is US customers only. In most countries, renters are not liable for injury or damages to other vehicles. Please refer to our Country Guides for more information.
Supplementary Liability Insurance insures you against injuries you may cause to other drivers and their vehicles. In some countries this "third party" insurance is compulsorily provided by the vehicle owner, i.e. the rental companies. However most states in the US do not require the vehicle owner to have mandatory third party liability, meaning the driver is potentially liable for injuries to other people and their property.
If you are driving in one of those states you will be offered SLI (also called Accident Liability Insurance/ALI or LIS or Renter Liability Protection) by the rental company, which will normally provide between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 coverage. As a general rule, if SLI if offered by the rental company, we advise you to take it.
How much coverage is normally provided?
In the USA each state has different rules regarding whether or not third party coverage must be provided, and often the minimum level of coverage required by law will be quite low. Despite this most SLI providers will generally insure you in the range of $1-2 million, though in some cases coverage may extend up to $10 million.
Sample of Minimum legal coverage | ||||
State | Individual | Multiple Persons | Property | Supplier SLI Coverage |
California | $15,000 | $30,000 | $5,000 | $1-2 million |
Florida | $10,000 | $20,000 | $10,000 | $1-2 million |
Nevada | $15,000 | $30,000 | $10,000 | $1-2 million |
New York | $25,000 | $50,000 | $10,000 | $1-2 million |
Other | $10-50 thous. | $30-100 thous. | $5-25 thous. | $1-2 million |
Am I insured if I am not at fault?
Generally no. In most cases you will only be able to claim third party damage or injuries if you were the driver at fault. The only exception to this would be if you were deemed by a court to be responsible for a third party accident even if it is not caused by you directly, though this will vary depending on your policy terms.
An Example of When You Are Not At Fault
RentalCover.com customer Eric Clapton is visiting friends in California, and is hiring a car to get around. While Eric is turning a corner, a taxi driver in a hurry to get a fair pulls an illegal u-turn and drives into the side of Eric's vehicle. Even though the other driver's vehicle is written off, Eric's SLI does not need to insure the taxi driver's car as Eric is not at fault.
How Does the Claims Process Work?
To make a SLI claim you will need to contact the rental company's insurance provider and deal directly with them. You will be asked by the insurers to fill out a statement of claim, and to provide some form of documentation relating to your insurance and the claim being made (usually a certificate of insurance, receipts of payment, copies of invoices and police reports as well as other details from the third party showing evidence of damages or injuries sustained).
Since 2014, we’ve specialised in providing customers with coverage that’s up to 50% less expensive than what you’ll be offered at the rental desk†. We provide damage protection for rental cars, and even 4x4s, campervans, minibuses, RVs and motorhomes in most countries.
Our plans are valid for most rental vehicle types, anywhere in the world. We aim to offer significant savings compared to the rates charged by rental companies and all RentalCover.com plans include the following as standard:
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Additional drivers Unlike other companies, we cover additional drivers for no additional cost if they are named on your rental agreement |
Limited exclusions You won’t find any common exclusions in our policies, such as tires or windshields |
Zero deductible We refund approved claims in full, including all deductible charges |
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Global cover | Global partners and underwriters | Global refund |
Your coverage is customised to your destination and country of origin | Our wide network allows us to bring you the coverage you need at an affordable price | Claim payments are available in your local currency |
Want more information? Our Rental Guides explain how everything works.
† We compared the costs of collision damage protection via RentalCover.com to the average cost of collision or loss damage waivers (including taxes and fees) for a one week rental (December 11 - 17, 2016). Cost comparison is in U.S. dollars and is based on online quotes provided by Alamo, Avis and Hertz for an airport pickup and drop-off of a compact car in Boston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Portland for a U.S resident over age 25. No discounts applied.
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Travel protection plans are always calculated in full calendar days to ensure you are covered for the full trip even if you pick up early or drop off late.
For example, if you pick up your vehicle on June 3rd and drop it off on June 9th that would be 7 days.
Yes - registered agents can provide their customers with some peace of mind while earning a commission on every booking as long as the appropriate licensing appointment and/or training has been completed.
Visit agency.rentalcover.com to register today and join our team!
RentalCover.com's Collision Damage Insurance is an alternative to the Collision Damage Waiver coverage offered at the rental desk, for up to 50% cheaper.† Our Help Center includes further information on why US renter's prefer not to rely on their personal auto plans and the claims process.
Here’s a comparison of what you can purchase at the rental desk:
What you get with RentalCover.com's "Collision Damage Insurance" | What you may get if you purchase the rental company's "Collision Damage Waiver" at the counter | |
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Coverage for total loss of the rental vehicle | ✓ Loss is covered up to the limit ($25,000 - $50,000 - check your policy wording). There is no deductible. |
✓ Loss is covered, often with a deductible of up to $2,000. |
Deductible | $0 | A deductible of up to $2,000 may apply. |
Fire, car theft and vandalism | ✓ | Sometimes |
Key lockouts/damage caused by an accident | ✓ | x |
Windshield and lamps | ✓ | Sometimes |
Tires and undercarriage | ✓ | Sometimes |
Price per day | Up to 50% less expensive† than the rental desk | $10-$30* per day |
Unfortunately for US rentals we do not provide coverage for luxury vehicles, trucks, RVs, 4x4s, motorcycles, quad bikes or vans. These may be available if you are traveling internationally. Please check your policy wording.
If you are told by the rental company that they don’t recognize your RentalCover.com plan, don’t worry: They don’t need to! Our plans are an independent alternative to the rental company’s offerings and they are valid worldwide. They are up to 50% less expensive than what the rental company offers†. If your rental company refuses to give you a vehicle based on using our plan instead of their offer, we recommend speaking to your rental booking agent.
Have all required documents ready for your check-in and take a look at your country’s Rental Guide so you know what to expect at the rental desk.
In buying a plan from us, you have chosen to be insured by a fully underwritten, global distributor of insurance products with a proven track record of assessing claims in a timely fashion. We have been doing this since 2014 and our customers rate us "excellent" on consumer review website, TrustPilot.com.
CDW (or Loss Damage Waiver, which adds theft protection) is sometimes included in the rental rate that you see online. They are commonly sold over the counter when you collect your rental. Note that these “waivers” reduce your risk from a high amount (similar to the full value of the car) to between $0 and $1500 depending on the rental company.
RentalCover.com's Collision Damage Insurance is equivalent to CDW however there is no deductible and the price is up to 50% cheaper. The coverage limit is designed to cover a total loss accident. †
You can check our rental guides at any time for more information.
We understand that insurance, and especially insurance acronyms, can be confusing! Here we help demystify the various products that help reduce your costs if there are damages.
CDW (Collision Damage Waiver)*
CDW is the amount payable to the rental company in the event of accidental damage to the rental car.
RentalCover.com's equivalent is Collision Damage Insurance (CDI). it covers a rental vehicle for accidental damage and/or theft during the course of a rental period, with no deductible.
SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance)
SLI provides coverage for damages or injuries you may cause to another person or their property while operating a rental vehicle.
Deductible
A deductible (or “excess” outside of the US) is the amount payable by you if there’s damage to the rental vehicle. RentalCover.com plans do not have a deductible.
LDW (Loss Damage Waiver)**
This is the same as CDW but it adds theft and vandalism protection.
Loss of Use Fees
Renters are often charged additional fees by rental companies if the rental requires repairs that keep it off the road (these “loss of use” fees are also called “demurrage”). These are usually payable even if you have CDW and SCDW (i.e. they are “exclusions” in CDW and SCDW policies). These costs may be covered by RentalCover.com plans (i.e. they are “inclusions”).
Want more information? Our Rental Guides explain how everything works.
We work with some of the largest and most respected insurers to provide you with coverage, no matter where you drive. Our top-rated global panel of insurers include, but are not limited to:
Astrenska Insurance Ltd, Canopius, Chubb, Intact Insurance, Lloyds, Crum & Forster
All our customers benefit from the rigour and expertize that our global panel provides.
If you make changes to your RentalCover.com plan or create several quotes over time you may notice a small difference in price from when you originally booked.
Reasons why the cost of your modified coverage may differ are as follows:
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The average price per day often changes based on multiple factors including the duration of bookings, locations, time of the year, the car rental rates and many other factors. |
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Insurance risk rates are provided by our insurers. They are complex and can impact the price you see. |
We often get asked if we protect the following rentals. When you purchase via RentalCover.com you may see options for the vehicle types below. If you don’t see them they unfortunately aren’t available for your location.
You can select a Vehicle Type on the homepage.
If you have a quote or booking you can add vehicle types - if available - within your RentalCover Account.
If you have a quote or booking you can add vehicle types - if available - on the RentalCover.com Payment page.
If you purchased RentalCover via one of our partners (some of whom specialise in campervans, motorhomes, RVs and offroad 4x4s), their automated systems will ensure you have the right protection for your rental. You can check your coverages and, if available, upgrade to include these vehicle types at any time, just login to your RentalCover Account or get a quote.
Your rental needs to be booked with an authorized rental company, peer to peer rental platform (such as like Drivy, Getaround, Goget, Turo, Carnextdoor, Zipcar, HiyaCar etc), car dealership, accident replacement service or loan cars from an authorized mechanic. Depending on your country, RentalCover Protection is available for the following when you get a quote on RentalCover.com. The meaning of each may differ based on your country. To view your wording, click the link in your RentalCover account or on the quote page.
✓ Cars: “Cars” are the default coverage on RentalCover.com.
✓ Recreational vehicles (RVs), motorhomes and camper/campervans.
✓ Offroad 4x4s for use on unsealed roads. You do not need to select this if you intend to drive any type of 4x4 on normal sealed roads. If you choose “Offroad 4x4” you must have rented a 4x4.
✓ Caravans are covered in selected countries.
When are you not covered?
This is a general summary only and may not apply to your RentalCover Protection. Please login to your RentalCover Account or get a quote to view your policy wording.
Depending on your country, RentalCover may not cover the following.
✗ Misfueling
✗ Out of pocket costs like phone call fees, taxis and accommodation
✗ Charges incurred through service providers that aren't authorised by your rental company
✗ Loss or damage to accessories/equipment
✗ Interior damage like spillage or tears
✗ Personal Property: We don't cover theft or loss of items that you own.
✗ Liability: Please read the Rental Guide to better understand how this works in your travel country.
✗ Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) for drivers: This is usually covered by your travel insurance
✗ Annual protection: We no longer offer annual protection. You are however still covered if you previously purchased Annual Protection on RentalCover.com and it’s still active.
✗ Personal vehicles or others that aren’t from authorised vehicle rentals or car share platforms, as outlined above.
✗ Commercial trucks and other vehicles that are used for commercial purposes such as removal/moving trucks, pantech trucks, commercial delivery vans, courier trucks, trailer trucks, dump trucks, garbage trucks, carriers, refrigerator trucks. Americans renting “Passenger trucks” for non-commercial use are covered under the default “Car” type, as outlined above.
✗ If your vehicle requires a special license (for instance, if the passenger limit or cargo capacity exceeds the limitations of a standard license) or if it is a commercial van, truck or bus, you will not be covered.
✗ Vehicles that have trailers, camper trailers or other extensions - with the exception of caravans (see above) - attached to the tow bar
✗ High end supercars, high end sports cars, classic cars and exotic vehicles (including but not limited to, those made by Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Bentley)
✗Certain combinations of country of residence and destination country
✗ Motorcycles or other bikes
Find out how much you could save on a damage protection plan by creating a free quote on our website.
1. Visit RentalCover.com and enter your country of residence and destination country
2. Confirm the start and end dates for your trip, and then select the vehicle you plan to rent; car is always selected by default (if you are unsure about vehicle types read this short guide).
3. Lastly click “Get a quote” to retrieve your personal quote. You can review the details and complete your booking by entering your payment details.
The quote page displays the plan price and all the important information you need to know before you set off, including any inclusions and exclusions. You can also review your damage protection plan before you buy.
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You can check the status of your plan at any time by accessing your account.
1. Visit My Account.
2. Next sign in. To do this you will need the email you used to create your original quote and your booking reference number which ends with "-INS", this can be found in the subject line of your confirmation email.
3. On the left hand side menu you will be able to see the status of your plan:
Confirmed | Your plan has been purchased |
Quote | Your plan has not yet been purchased |
Canceled | Your plan is no longer active and a refund will be issued |
At RentalCover.com we send two types of emails. Newsletter emails and quote / transactional emails. You can learn about how these emails are sent and managed below:
You can update your newsletter email preferences at any time from your My Account page.
1. Visit My AccountPlease note if you have made a booking enquiry you may receive quote emails from RentalCover.com, with more information about your cover. Whilst you can’t unsubscribe from our transactional emails, you should be aware that these are only sent for a short period and will automatically stop after a maximum of three emails.
If you have accidentally canceled your RentalCover Protection, the refund has already been processed. However, you can purchase the same protection on RentalCover.com or click the “repurchase” link in the cancellation email that we sent when you canceled.
If you purchased RentalCover Protection via one of our partners, it can take between 7 and 21 days for the refund to show on your card statement - please reach out to them directly if there’s a delay. If you purchased via RentalCover.com the refund is processed immediately however it may take up to 4 days to show.
Sometimes the limits of your RentalCover.com Protection are displayed in a different currency to the one you selected at purchase due to underwriting restrictions.
You can see the same limits in your preferred currency by clicking the question mark next to the ‘limit/excess details’ in your policy wording. Login to your RentalCover.com Account to get started.
No, RentalCover Protection does not include luxury vehicles such as high end supercars, high end sports cars, classic cars and exotic vehicles e.g. Ferrari, Porsche, Bentley.
This article has more information on what’s covered.
Please follow the steps above to start the process. Refund amounts differ based on your RentalCover.com policy, when the policy is scheduled to commence and your booking agent (if you booked through one of our partners).
To cancel, extend or shorten your cover please follow these steps:
1. Visit My Account.
2. Next login. To do this you will need your booking reference number which ends with “-INS”, this can be found in the subject line of your confirmation email.
3. Lastly, choose your policy and select either Extend / Reduce Cover dates or Cancel. If you booked via a partner, you may be redirected to their site. Otherwise, we will handle the cancellation and refund. Please contact your bank if it takes more than 4 days for it to show on your statement.
At RentalCover.com we offer the rental insurance and our partners are responsible for the rental cars. We work to help our rental partners to sell plans that make sense with your rental when you book from their site.
If that sounds like you, and you are having difficulty at the rental desk, please contact your rental agency directly for support.
If you purchased your plan separately to your car rental and would now like to make a change or cancel, you can shorten, extend or cancel this online via the My Account page. For more instructions please read our cancelation guide.
Please note that your RentalCover.com plan can be used for most rental vehicles, from any rental company, subject to the terms of the rental agreement. You don’t need to change your plan.
To shorten or extend your policy please follow these steps:
1. Visit My Account.
2. Next login. To do this you will need your booking reference number which ends with “-INS”, this can be found in the subject line of your confirmation email.
3. Lastly, choose your policy and select Extend / Reduce Cover dates.
Reducing Days
You can only reduce unused days, This means refunds are not available for today and other preceding days. If you reduced the number of days we will refund you the difference to your original payment card.
Adding Days
If you are extending your dates you will just need to pay the additional amount.
However, you will not be able to extend your policy if the policy’s end date has already passed (i.e. you cannot extend your booking if it is January 2, and the policy ended on January 1). If you have extended your rental and need extra protection, please create a new policy for the remaining days of your rental.
Good news. You don’t need to change your plan.
Your RentalCover.com plan can be used for any rental vehicle*, from any rental company, subject to the terms of the rental agreement.
Planning on adding extra drivers and countries to your cover? Learn more here.
*Please note that there may be some vehicles that are not covered by the rental plans (e.g. exotic vehicles). Please review the plan to confirm your rental vehicle type is covered.
The named driver and all additional drivers included on your rental agreement are covered by your RentalCover.com plan. There is no need to add any additional drivers to your plan; they are automatically covered. Please ensure that you are named on the rental agreement.
Thinking of visiting other countries on your trip? With the exception of New York rentals, renters with Collision Damage Insurance or Supplemental Liability Insurance are covered in Canada if the vehicle is collected in the US.
You do not need to inform RentalCover.com of additional drivers or countries you are visiting.
We defer to the rental companies to check driver’s licenses; you do not need to provide the details to us. If you’re unsure, please contact your booking agent.
Want more information? Our Rental Guides explain how everything works.
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If you're reading this article it's because you let us know about an issue. So first and foremost, thank you for letting us know! If it's a technical issue, our technical team has already been notified. Shortly thereafter they add a note below, and when it's resolved they remove the note. "Bugs" are usually resolved in 3-5 days. If your problem persists though, please reply to any of your emails and we'll share an update.
Technical Issues
This is a list of known technical issues that are being resolved.
- Multiple charges for the same policy
- Missing discount: discount may be deleted from the RentalCover.com quote once you sign in to your account
- Phone numbers not being accepted on our website: please enter your phone number using + at the beginning and no spaces between the number e.g. +4400000000000
- Unable to delete unwanted quotes
- Unable to upload documents to the Claim Form
- Duplicate bookings
If your rental has started and you realize you forgot to buy protection, don’t worry, you still can in most countries. Just create a quote on the homepage.
As soon as your purchase is complete, your coverage is active. Find out more about how coverage days are calculated.
Please note that this doesn't apply for Canadian residents travelling within Canada or worldwide, due to underwriter limitations.
For all plans except ones sold to American residents, Supplemental Liability Insurance for US-based rentals, and those that are for travel in Iceland, if you find a better price anywhere, we are happy to beat it. Policies for American residents and travel within Iceland are also ineligible for various discount coupons on RentalCover.com.
Just reply to any of our emails and include details of the alternative quote, including a screenshot or link to the other quote, your country of residence, your destination country and your travel dates, and we will further discount your RentalCover.com quote.
We offer many types of accidental damage that the rental companies don’t, such as the following (not applicable with “Supplemental Liability Insurance" [for US rentals]):
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Unfortunately, transaction fees are everywhere when you travel internationally. In this article we share tips for how you can avoid these fees.
One major cost that most travelers don’t plan for are those arising from an accident or damage. Whereas US claims are typically settled directly between RentalCover.com and the rental company, when you travel outside of the US the rental company will charge you the deductible (or "excess") and then you'll be reimbursed by RentalCover.com. Those fees can cost in excess of $3,000 and credit card issuers typically charge 4-5% in additional fees for international transactions.
When you make a claim with RentalCover.com there are two factors that can explain the difference between the amount you paid for your damages and the final claim amount you receive.
1. Additional credit card fees: When you make a claim, RentalCover.com will refund the charges you received from the rental company, but we do not refund any additional international transaction fees from the credit card.
2. International money transfers: Our payment technology allows your claim to be paid into any bank in the world, with no additional fees. While we waive the fees that banks charge for sending payments and wherever we can we waive the fees charged by your bank for receiving payment, (these normally both cost between 10-20 USD per transaction), we take these fees into account when calculating the exchange rates should you wish to convert your claim payment from the "currency of loss" to USD (this article has more on the topic).
We hope that this article explains the efforts we take to simplify payment and how you can save money when traveling internationally.
We sometimes hear of rental companies charging customers for damages that did not happen, inflating or miscalculating the final charges. If this has happened to you, you should lodge a “dispute” with your credit card issuer for this unauthorised transaction.
To save time lodging your dispute please follow the instructions below:
1. Download our template letter and fill in your details
2. Contact your credit card issuer and use your letter to lodge a dispute for the final transaction you were charged by the rental company. It is best not to explicitly request a refund as your bank may defer you to contact the rental company directly to contest the charge. Instead we advise you state that “the charge was unauthorised” since you do not recognise the damage
What happens next? You can expect a response within 1-2 weeks, and for the charge to be reversed within 3-4 weeks. Our customers have a 95% success rate with these requests, however if your request is unsuccessful, or if you have some excess charges remaining after the dispute is settled, please start a claim online with us here and we will review your case as soon as possible.