Aussies Hiring A Car - What is Loss Damage Waiver Charge?

Hi all,

I have got a quote from major car hire firms to hire a car for 2 weeks from Vegas and drop off LA. It seems very cheap at US$412 for a Dodge Charger. However this does not include the Loss Damage Waiver charge which adds an extra US$310 to the cost.

Any other Aussies out there who understand car hire in the US? Doesn%26#39;t our travel insurance cover us so we don%26#39;t have to take out this insurance. Am I better to go through traveljigsaw which is in AUD and includes these so call %26#39;insurances%26#39; although it seems dearer.

What do you all recommend?

Thanks

Ally

Aussies Hiring A Car - What is Loss Damage Waiver Charge?

LDW is pretty much essential. It%26#39;s a potential disaster if you have an accident and don%26#39;t have it.

I can%26#39;t speak specifically for Aussies but I know that generally speaking it%26#39;s cheaper for overseas visitors to book and pay in advance for car rental (including LDW) using a company based in their own country. I%26#39;m sure Aussie posters will give good advice about companies.

Regular travel/trip insurance won%26#39;t normally include insurance required for car rentals.

Aussies Hiring A Car - What is Loss Damage Waiver Charge?

loss damage waiver basically covers you in an accident for the damage to the other car. if you hit another car you can be up for damage to the car and the other person.

it is like ctp (compulsory third party) here allyman.

i would thoroughly check your travel insurance as i dont think many would include this.

We paid the extra for the LDW charge as we didn%26#39;t want to take any chances as we found the insurance cover a little hard to understand too. We found National pretty good and their online quote system fairly user friendly. On the two occasions we hired a car, we never actually got the car we wanted though.

Hi Ally,

We are also doing the same thing. Picking up in LV and dropping off in LAX. We have booked with Autoeurope.com.au They give an all inclusive rate with all insurances and taxes no drop off fee. We have used them before. Kemwell.com.au also offers good rates with no drop off fees with these rates.

They link up to a number of hire companies and find the best rates of the day.

I did a quick search and a 14 day rate starts off at $723AUD for 14 days all inclusive.

I hope you have a great trip. We will be there in March.

Cheers

Belv

Wow, thanks folks. This site is amazing, as you can pretty much get responses immediately. I will definitely look up the websites mentioned to get the best deal, and I guess we can%26#39;t avoid the LDW if we want to rest easy on the trip.

Regards

Ally

We are from Perth and currently in Vegas having a blast.

The best US car hire deals are out of the UK. Just google ';US Car hire'; and look for .co.uk sites.

The insurance in the US will kill you. We used to live in the UK and flew to US several times per year. Many holiday companies in the UK would give you the car hire free if you paid for insurance.

Go for an all-inclusive rate, with no one-way charges from LA to LV.

A good tip is to either book the car type you want if the price is good, or book the cheapest car possible. The car hire companies rarely carry the smallest cars. Last time we rented from Dollar at LAX they only had larger cars. The car hire agent will try like crazy to upgrade you. Pretend to be uninterested and the upgrade rate will fall quicker than the Aussie Dollar. Expect to pay about $8 to $10 per day for your choice of Premium group car.

loss damage waiver aka collision damage waiver involves the rental car you are driving not a car you might hit.

The situation of whether to buy it is complicated by because your own car insurance may have the coverage and some credit cards might provide coverage but everyones situation may be different.

It should cover the deductible on damage to the rental and that nasty situation where a rental car company may charge you for loss of rental use while the rental car is undergoing repair.

talk to your insurance agent, and check with your credit card company. do google loss damage waiver and read until you understand your situation.

I live out of the US too. When we travel to the US we frequently rent a car. Our credit card company covers the CDW and LDW insurances for rental cars in the US if we pay with it, so we only buy the liability insurance, which is cheaper. So check with your credit card company and your car insurance too.

Thanks all

Hey Kipperpie, where are you staying in Vegas? Still haven%26#39;t decided on a hotel.

Your comments were very interesting. I didn%26#39;t think we could hire a care through a UK company being in Aust for the States. Talk about a geographical jigsaw! I see you are from Perth, so I assume you have done it.

Regards

Ally

Allyman,

We now always hire from uscarhire.co.uk . We have used other companies with no problems, ever. You book it over the web, pay a deposit on your credit card then the balance is deducted about 8 weeks before departure. Simply print out the voucher they email you and give it to the car hire people at LAX. They only extras are that you pre-purchase the first tank of gas (returning the car empty), and a few minor cost such as local fees (but you always have to pay these).

Neither your Australian car insurance, or credit card insurance are likely to cover US car hire excess (CDW, LDW etc). The insurance extras run at over $US40 per day for full cover if purchased locally.

The rates are only available to drivers with non-US or Canadian driving licences.

WE are stating at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club on Las Vegas Strip. It is a timeshare at the north end of the strip next to Circus, Circus. Really high-end 2 bedroomed suite with full kitchen and washer,dryer which is great when you are here for 2 weeks. No casino, and nice and quiet compared to most other hotels. Wherever you are on the strip you will have to travel to the other casinos/hotels.

Would stay here everytime with the family. If I was travelling as a couple or single for just a few days I would stay mid-strip.

These are the hotels I would choose:

Wynn - luxury

Encore - luxury

Belagio - luxury plus fountains

Paris - great food, well themed

Venetian - so over the top

Ceasars Palace - over the top plus nostagia

Luxor - Bit far south but still OK

Rio - has great shows and the hostesses are hot

Palms - Party time

Wild card choice is The Orleans on Tropicana. Huge rooms, great rates and one of the best Fun Books at check-in (free meals, drinks, spa etc). A bit out of it, but you%26#39;ll have a car. Also it%26#39;s near In N Out Burger (best burger in town, especially after a night out). The great thing about The Orleans is that they always have good rates when the rest of the hotels have gone ballitic. This is the only low-cost hotel I would ever stay in. There are some horific dives here in Vegas, but it is not difficult to avoid them. Stayed here in response to and email they sent and paid $US17.50 per room per night plus tax. This included a free burger, free drinks, free use of spa, and loads of 2 for 1 coupons.

Best advice is to register online with all of the hotels you are considering then wait for offers by email. Also www.fatwallet.com has a section on hotel promos. The best time to book is about 2 to 4 weeks before arriving. Or hold till the day before if you like to gamble. Weekends are always busier an more expensive.

Tix2Night have good show and meal discounts. Also check out www.restaurants.com for discounted meal gift certificates. the code EXCLUSIVE gave us $25 gift vouchers for $4 instead of $10.

Final tip: buy a cheap Net10 disposable mobile phone (from $20 including call credit) you can use it call home (15 cents per minute, 10 cents per minute US). ou call also use it to register for the casino promotions (we got free drinks, discounted shows and food, a free trips up the Eiffel Tower from Rio simply by texting the number. The Eiffel Tower tickets saved us $36 alone as we were going up to see the Bellagio Fountains at night.