Should You say yes to Rental Car Insurance? It depends

Frequent business traveler James Smith says he's saved "tons of money" during the past 30 years declining car rental companies' optional insurance coverage. But, he acknowledges, it could have come in handy at times.

Smith, an economist in Asheville, N.C., has paid $1,100 for damages to three rental cars in the past five years. Last year, a valet damaged his rental car in Maui, and his parked rental car was scraped in Buford, Ga. In 2002, he backed a car into a rock in Ireland.

Smith was unaware that his personal auto insurance policy would have covered most of the damages in Ireland, so he didn't make a claim. In the other two incidents, he had to pay deductibles.

Like Smith, many travelers are unsure about their coverage when they approach a car rental counter. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) surveyed 632 consumers in September, and 42% were "either thoroughly confused or had only a rough idea about insurance."

The association of top state insurance officials says 34% of consumers surveyed by telephone bought a rental car company's insurance just to make sure they were covered.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/