I was pretty nervous about the whole process prior to our trip. I read a lot of blogs stating that some car rental companies would pressure customers to purchase insurances that were not needed, and that all members driving had to have a credit card in their name, and a large hold amount would be placed on the credit card. We rented our car from Alamo. I could easily find the information I was looking for on their website like:

Only one credit card is needed and that person has to be the one reserving the car.

All drivers must have a valid drivers license.

You have to pay a fee, per day for an extra driver.

The hold on the card was $500 euro.

There were two insurances to choose from.  To keep it simple, we basically chose between basic and super. I wanted the best coverage so we went with the super collision damage waiver. If the car was damaged or even totaled, we would not have to pay anything expect for our $500 euro deposit. If we put in the wrong gas or we somehow managed to break the clutch, then we would be responsible.

Honestly, I can’t remember what was mentioned about the basic insurance because I didn’t even want to take that chance. I really didn’t compare prices as well. A lot of companies online will tell you how much they charge per day for renting the car, but will not give in detail how much their insurance is or what insurances they offer until you arrive in person. I did not want to call every company for this information so I stuck with Alamo.

I liked how easy the process was with Alamo. I will call around in the future if I have to rent another vehicle, but I can tell you that if you are looking for an easy experience book your rental with Alamo.

*COVERAGE COVERED UNDER CREDIT CARD*

I did read a lot about insurance coverage being covered under some credit card companies. I called credit card company and they told me that I was not covered. If you have a chase credit card, you might be in better luck.

From what I read, if you do have coverage under your current credit card company, you can waive the insurance that is offered to you as long as you have proof of coverage through your credit card company, but it is not guaranteed that the company will accept this letter or information that you provide to them.

I also read that there may be a large hold on your credit card. A few thousand dollars could be put on hold on your credit card.

Always research and when all else fails, call companies for better information

I wil post about our flight with Tap- Portugal later- PENDING