CDW confusion on AutoEurope

First you say:

GBP 1,600

But then you write

$1,6000 CDW deductible

Those two are not the same. £1600 is more like $1750. Which just sounds like a high deductible policy—but not unreasonable.

PharmerPhil, I'm sure that extra zero was a typo.

Peterv, sometimes rental agencies charge a high deductible if you are waiving the CDW, and you have to pay a deposit. If there is an issue, then they take the deposit until the amount is paid by the credit card company, then it should be refunded.

Forgive the pound/dollar confusion. My issue is that $1,600 pounds does not sound like "full damage" protection. I would expect full damage protection to equal $0 deductible.

Mardee, if I understand you correctly, is the idea that they will refund whatever the damage is up to the deductible ? I've written the company for clarification but haven't heard back. I have to admit to still being confused.

I'm betting it's a typo and should be 160 pounds.
I rented a car last Sept for a week in Exeter, Devon from Enterprise and got the full meal deal for insurance from them - everything. It doubled the cost of the rental but they told me I was insured for absolutely everything. The most I would have to pay was a 100 pound deductible. Maybe the cost has gone up a bit to 160, or because you are with a different company, but I'm betting it's 160, not 1600.

I think this tells you about the excess https://www.autoeurope.com/travel-blog/cdw-insurance-what-is-cdw-in-car-rental-contracts/

in the event of a claim you pay £1,600 (or another figure if it is a typo) to access the insurance - that £1,600 (or another figure) is then refunded by AutoEurope

https://www.autoeurope.com/travel-tips/refundable-deductible/excess-refund/

In the UK there are two types of car insurance: third-party and fully comprehensive.

Third-party is a legal requirement and will be included in the car hire. That covers you for everything outside the car -damage to others and property.

Fully Comprehensive also covers you for damage to yourself and the car itself (as well as others).

The car hire company will want to sell you their insurance to cover you and the car. You can decline and have your insurance from say a credit card. If you do that, remember that the contract for the car hire is between you and the car hire company so they will only deal with you, not a credit card company. If you damage the car, the car hire company will charge you and you will have to supply paperwork to your cc company for reimbursement, which can be a hassle.

The car hire company will want to sell you their insurance to cover you and the car. You can decline and have your insurance from say a credit card. If you do that, remember that the contract for the car hire is between you and the car hire company so they will only deal with you, not a credit card company. If you damage the car, the car hire company will charge you and you will have to supply paperwork to your cc company for reimbursement, which can be a hassle.

That is similar to what happened to me. I declined the insurance and was told that if there was an accident, I would have pay £1000 deposit. I got a dent in the car, paid the deposit, then when I got home, reported it to my insurance company. They are now in the process now of paying Arnold Clark for the damage, and I will then be reimbursed.

So the £1600 does sound like a feasible amount. But you should be reimbursed for that after the claim is made and the rental agency is paid.

Ramblin on, thank you for the link which explains the (what I found to be) confusing language in the pricing. Mardee, I am struggling with using my credit card insurance and having to deal with the hassle of that versus just buying the insurance from the rental place. The difference between the standard package in which you are responsible for the $1600 and the package where that is covered is only 4 pounds a day, which seems a good deal, so that is where I am leaning. Interestingly, this is available on the autoeurope.co.uk site and not on the .com site. Unlike the .com site, the co.uk site does not have an option to decline everything. . In addition the prices for renting the same car are $200 cheaper on the co.uk site (Yes, I double checked which currency the quote was in). Unless there is something I am not seeing here, I am going with the full protection on the co.uk site.

The difference between the standard package in which you are responsible for the $1600 and the package where that is covered is only 4 pounds a day, which seems a good deal

Peter, that's fine. You should do what you feel comfortable with. But I did want to clarify that I am being reimbursed for the money I paid to decline the CDW. It's a refundable deposit only. Once my credit card company pays it, then I am reimbursed. And that is already in process so I expect to receive the deposit back soon.

When I had a question about the insurance coverage for a recent AutoEurope rental, I called them and they were very helpful on the phone. I think you are getting good advice, but you could confirm that with a call.