How does Full Damage & Theft Protection work?

With the growing popularity of Auto Europe's Full Damage & Theft Protection product, we would like to make it more understandable for those of our clients who are in two minds about purchasing the product. This blog post explains the advantages of the Full Damage & Theft Protection package.

To understand how Full Damage & Theft Protection works, it is important to understand what it is. Full Damage & Theft Protection is a service from Auto Europe that allows you to claim back your excess paid to the rental company, should there be damage to the rental car or if the vehicle is stolen.

Now, what is excess? All rental companies provide Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft Protection (TP) with a set amount of excess (which could also be zero). The excess is the amount of money you are liable for, if the rental car is damaged or stolen during the rental. It is important to check what parts of the car are covered by the excess.

OK, so let's say you have purchased the Full Damage & Theft Protection package from Auto Europe and you are about to pick up the car from the local supplier. You will be asked for a security deposit. But why? Since there is an excess on your rental car, you are required to leave a deposit for that excess. This means that the excess amount is blocked on the main driver's credit card. The deposit is returned to you after the rental, if the car is returned in the same condition as it was picked up.

What is worth remembering is that it is vital for the main driver to have his own credit card for the security deposit. You must be able to provide a physical version of your credit card. In case the main driver does not provide his credit card, the rental company may require the driver to purchase additional insurance locally.

If the worst case scenario happens and your car gets damaged or stolen, the rental company charges you the excess amount. This is when Full Damage & Theft Protection comes into action. You can claim your excess back from Auto Europe. We will ask you to provide us with required documents such as a payment receipt, police report and damage report and will contact the local company in your name to facilitate the refund. The terms and conditions of Full Damage & Theft Protection service are next to every Full Damage & Theft Protection product on our booking engine, so that you can make an informed choice. For detailed insight into excess protection options, pay a visit to our Full Damage & Theft Protection guide.

So why bother and book Full Damage & Theft Protection ? A) it is cheaper than the insurance from the rental companies, B) we are handling the refund in your name, and C) you won't have a care in the world and you'll enjoy your holiday!