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I'm planning to rent a car to visit family in another state over the holidays. I made a reservation on-line and I plan to call the week before to confirm the reservation. Is there anything else I should consider?

Someone thought it might be difficult to rent a car if you didn't own one. Is there any truth in that?

Are there any considerations because I'm taking the car to a different state in the US?

If a lot of people are going to be driving over the holidays do I have to worry about overbooking and not getting a car even if I have a reservation?

I still have my toll transponder which works in several states in the northeast US. Can I just hold my transponder up near the rear view mirror when I go through the toll? (I know to update my transponder account with the rental car info.)

I also heard that some car rentals will have toll transponders. How common is that?

What about insurance? I don't have auto insurance since I don't have a car. I heard that if you pay with a credit card sometimes you don't have to take the extra insurance the rental company offers. How does that work?

Thanks

prathmann

Shouldn't be a problem as long as you're over 25 (some rental companies have minimum age requirements) and have a valid driver's license. I've never been asked if I own a car.

Are you planning on dropping off the car at a different location? Sometimes there are rather high charges for one-way rentals. Driving across state lines isn't generally an issue with the national rental companies but local ones may have restrictions.

On a couple occasions during the holiday season I've had to wait a little while when they ran out of cars despite having a reservation - it wasn't more than an hour or so, but yes they do sometimes overbook and run out of cars. More common has been that I reserved a small car (which I prefer to drive) and they only had larger ones (got it for the lower price, but I still would have preferred the smaller car).

The transponder should work as long as it's not encased in a metallic foil packet or under lots of metal structure of the car - anywhere on the dash should be fine.

Check with your credit card provider on the rental car insurance coverage and specifically mention that you don't have auto insurance. Their coverage varies considerably. If possible, have them send you their coverage rules in writing.

chandltp

The only thing I've found that credit card or personal auto insurance doesn't cover is the loss of use charges. I may be paranoid, but I always buy that coverage from the rental company. Of course when I'm renting a car, I'm in an unfamiliar place so my chances of accident increase.

Then again I'm a paranoid kind of guy and the extra coverage lets me sleep better at night. I've never needed it, so YMMV and all that.

If I didn't have auto insurance, I don't think I'd trust the credit card insurance but I've not researched it enough to know.

gerv 

My experience too.

Baboo

Last time I rented a car (a couple of years ago) I didn't want to buy the rental company insurance, they asked me for the name of my car insurance company, they didn't want a policy no or proof though. This was Enterprise and a one way rental from Florida to Kansas. The fee for on way was higher than the fee for return to same location and I didn't get much choice of cars.

Allen

B. Carfree

My credit card covers me for damage to the car (kind of like a collision policy), but it does not cover my liability (damage to someone/something else). Be sure to check with your credit card company for what they do and don't cover.

Fargo Wolf

As long as you have a valid DL are over 21 (in most places) and sufficient funds to cover the cost of actually renting it, there should be no issue in getting a rental car aside from availability.

As for taking it across State lines, no problem there either. If you're picking it up in one State and dropping it off in another, there may be a fee for that. Make sure the care is fueled up before returning it too as there is a charge for that, plus the cost of fuel.

Check with the rental company. If you're in a State where tolls for bridges and tunnels are common, then there should be one with the car.

As for insurance, the car will be adequately insured to cover the basics (loss of use, theft, etc). Additional coverage can be obtained at the rental office.