Rental car damage insurance

Tim, do you have comprehensive auto coverage from any mainland company? GEICO, Etc.?  remember, PUERTO RICO is part of the US!!!!
if you own a car and have coverage, you have coverage here.  Also your gold visa or MC also provides you additional coverage when you rent a car using their cards.  Check with your company (OH, by the way: you will probably have to remind them as well that Puerto Rico is part of the US!!)  but i don't think you need extra insurance and never recommend anyone taking it out.
Would you take out extra insurance if you rented a car in say Arizona or Colorado??? same thing here.
what you DO need is to get the AUTO EXPRESS toll pass!!  there is NO cash taken at tolls here on the island and it's a pain to get the cash card: the AUTO EXPRESS line FLY!!  better than EZY pass on the North East CORRIDOR!!!

If you use a Visa charge card you will be covered for insurance. The rental clerk will probably try to tell you that it doesn't cover it in Puerto Rico. But they do in fact cover you there. I've done it and had that same conversation with the rental agent. There is a lot of money to be made by getting you to purchase their insurance. If in doubt go to your credit card company's website and look it up. Or give them a call. Just be careful. There are a lot of situations where people may try to squeeze a few extra dollars out of you. You will obviously be Gringo and that will come into play. Are you taking someone with you that knows the language?

yes, i do have comp auto coverage in a mainland u.s. company (erie insurance) but the agent there told me while it would cover a rental in the united states it does not cover anything on a rental in pr!...he advised me to buy insurance from the pr rental company...thanks for the tip about the auto express toll pass...by the way, where do you get one?
   

We're moving WHERE? wrote:

Tim, do you have comprehensive auto coverage from any mainland company? GEICO, Etc.?  remember, PUERTO RICO is part of the US!!!!
if you own a car and have coverage, you have coverage here.  Also your gold visa or MC also provides you additional coverage when you rent a car using their cards.  Check with your company (OH, by the way: you will probably have to remind them as well that Puerto Rico is part of the US!!)  but i don't think you need extra insurance and never recommend anyone taking it out.
Would you take out extra insurance if you rented a car in say Arizona or Colorado??? same thing here.
what you DO need is to get the AUTO EXPRESS toll pass!!  there is NO cash taken at tolls here on the island and it's a pain to get the cash card: the AUTO EXPRESS line FLY!!  better than EZY pass on the North East CORRIDOR!!!

i'm at a disadvantage...neither my travel companion nor i speak spanish.

GreggK wrote:

If you use a Visa charge card you will be covered for insurance. The rental clerk will probably try to tell you that it doesn't cover it in Puerto Rico. But they do in fact cover you there. I've done it and had that same conversation with the rental agent. There is a lot of money to be made by getting you to purchase their insurance. If in doubt go to your credit card company's website and look it up. Or give them a call. Just be careful. There are a lot of situations where people may try to squeeze a few extra dollars out of you. You will obviously be Gringo and that will come into play. Are you taking someone with you that knows the language?

timjoe48 wrote:

thanks for the tip about the auto express toll pass...by the way, where do you get one?

Most rental cars already have the pass (it's a sticker on the windshield with a built in chip, actually). Your credit card is being charged automatically for every time you pass a toll gate (plus a daily fee for the rental company)

If the car does not have it, forget about it; they (the DTOP who operates the toll) won't sell it to somebody in a rental car. In that case you will have to wait in line in the lanes where you can pay with coins.

In 2004 I went to PR for 10 days alone and stayed in the Fajardo/Ceiba area. I don't speak Spanish but managed to get by just fine. Just use your head. A lot of things are easy to figure out. Be humble and polite and if there is a communication problem just say"no habla Espanol, habla Ingles?" If you need gas you can't pay for it at the pump. You have to go inside and tell the clerk behind the glass "diez a la quatro" (ten on four.) learn your numbers before you go. If you go through a check out line just look at the cash register for the total. Don't forget Por favor and gracia.

gregg, thanks for the tip on buying gas...i'll be at the pump a lot over the winter.

GreggK wrote:

I if there is a communication problem just say"no habla Espanol, habla Ingles?" If you need gas you can't pay for it at the pump. You have to go inside and tell the clerk behind the glass "diez a la quatro" (ten on four.) learn your numbers before you go. If you go through a check out line just look at the cash register for the total. Don't forget Por favor and gracia.

My friend rented a Charlie Car and had an accident three months ago.  Charlie car is a great rental company, but they did keep a $500 deposit and force him to negotiate with his insurer...pointing fingers to keep from holding the bag.  Bottom line, always get car insurance.  Otherwise you have to deal with subrogation and pans-national claims, on top of the Spanglish language barrier.

labchinchosa,
i am renting from charlie at the minute...i got the required liability insurance but passed on the damage insurance because one must decline it for visa credit card insurance to take effect in the event of damage...the key factor in the visa coverage is the length of the rental contract cannot exceed 15 days...i need a car for longer than that so i wound up getting consecutive 15-day contracts...by the way, i agree with all who've described driving in p.r. as crazyland!....and i'm getting weary of speed bumps...those things are like an epidemic.

The pot holes are the worst culprit. Another warning besides the crazy drivers, a lot of drivers there like to use the left lane exclusively and go slower than the speed limit. It's a fact of life there. Go with the flow. And remember, don't beep at the guy in front of you for not going when the light turns green(seriously). And don't expect hardly anybody to use their turn signals. Be careful of motorcycles riding between the two lanes of traffic. Even cops do it. If you see a cop in your rear view mirror with his blue lights on don't worry about it unless they have the siren on too. They travel everywhere all the time with their blue lights on because they think it's a crime deterrant. It's true, I've talked with a number of them about it. Lastly don't ever take lightly any warnings about danger that experienced island people caution you about. And please be extra careful about dogs trying to cross the road or are stuck in traffic and are confused.