Q: What is car hire excess insurance?
Car hire excess insurance protects you from having to pay for the extra costs associated with insuring a rental car. It covers any damage to the car during the rental period that is not covered by your rental company's insurance policy, up to a certain amount. Our policies offer coverage for those excess costs, so you don't have to worry about them.
Q: Are courtesy cars covered?
Yes - provided you have a signed car rental agreement in place for the loan car, as this will confirm you as acceptable as a car hire excess customer. In addition to a signed car rental agreement, and in the event of a claim, you will be required to provide damage reports, etc.
However, please note that you would not be covered under this car hire excess policy if you use your own personal car insurance (i.e. the loan car is insured by your policy - not by the garage/dealership providing the car) and only take out this SimplyExcess car hire waiver. A car hire excess claim would not be considered in such circumstances.
Q: Are the windows, tyres, wheels, headlights, undercarriage, & roof of the rental vehicle covered by insurance?
Q: How do I use excess protection Worldwide?
When you get to the car rental desk, don't buy their excess insurance. You don't need to show them your policy with SimplyExcess, but they will ask for your credit card so they can block out the amount of excess you are responsible for. If the rental company charges you for something that is covered by your policy, you can make a claim with us to get reimbursed. You can download a claims form here: www.simplyexcess.com
Q: How does SimplyExcess work?
With SimplyExcess.com car hire excess policies, you can save money by declining the extra cover offered at the car rental company's desk. When there is damage to the vehicle, they are unlikely to charge your credit card unless the amount is small and will likely contact our claims management company instead. To ensure that all circumstances in which damage was sustained are documented, you must submit a claim form as part of your policy coverage.
Q: What’s the difference between an additional driver and a joint policyholder?
An additional driver is someone listed on the car rental agreement alongside the policyholder, as long as the policyholder is named as the lead driver. The additional driver is covered to drive the rental car—even on their own—but only when the policyholder appears as the lead driver on that rental contract.
A joint policyholder, on the other hand, shares the policy with equal rights. Both named individuals can hire cars independently as the lead driver and enjoy the same level of cover—without needing to be on the same rental agreement.
If you’d like both drivers to be able to hire cars independently, please choose the joint policy option during the purchase process and add the second policyholder. An additional fee applies.
Q: Do your policies cover van hire?
No. At the moment we are unable to offer cover for van rentals.
Q: If I have taken out your excess waiver insurance, why do I still need to provide my credit card details to the rental company?
This policy provides reimbursement for rental costs you have paid out in the event of damage to the rental vehicle. You will need to pay the excess/costs first, then claim back the amount up to your policy's cover limit as printed on your Certificate of Insurance. You can download a claims form here: www.simplyexcess.com