Whoa - you've just busted my bubble. I think many of us (me!) just rent and raise a painkiller to the notion that we'll be fine. Now you've got me thinking i need to check with my ins company to see if they cover me in a rental in the VI. I always assumed they did. I have always declined coverage.

If Budget will assist with a breakdown or flat tire on STJ (flat is most likely scenario), I would go with them.

I am not sure how to cover the liability and collision property damage. What about comprehensive (vandalism, flood, fire, etc)...can you get coverage for that on STJ with a STT rental?

I don't know about the insurance part of the question at all, but one of the several reasons that we rent vehicles on STJ is so that if there is a problem (and most likely there won't be), I really want to be dealing with an company that's on the same island. Even if the company does send someone over from STT, I wouldn't expect the response too prompt. If I was stuck at Lameshur, I'd much prefer to know that someone was coming from Cruz Bay to help me rather than from Charlotte Amalie .

I sent an email to the Office of the Governor to the person who heads Banking & Insurance & I'm waiting to hear back. I'm also going to call several insurance companies in St. Thomas to find out if I can buy the coverage for the time needed. I'm also going to check with Lloyds of London to see if I can buy the coverage from them. I'm also going to contact some of the local car rental places to see how they handle these matters. If I find something positive I'll re post it here.

If your from the U.S. & your car insurance company will cover you in the USVI please let me know which company you are with & they're phone number. I have not found one U.S. car insurance company that will cover car insurance in the USVI

Lex, That's not an option. I'm gonna be renting a vehicle from 12/17-12/28/06. All of the car rental places that I've checked with on both St. John & St. Thomas are completely sold out. I just recently found out about the deficiencies in the coverage. Luckily I have a reservation at Budget so I just need to get the liability coverage handled.

I think something else to think about (for those thinking of renting in STT in the future and bringing a car to STJ) is that even if the company say's you are covered for breakdowns/flats while on STJ, and they will assist you, just remember "Island Time" Should you breakdown at say 6:30pm in Coral Bay, it is more than likely no one will be getting themselves to Red Hook - and if they did, probably missing the 7 pm ferry, catch the 8pm ferry and get themselves to Coral Bay, fix your flat or more serious problem, and then return to STT - it is more than likely your car will sit until the next day or even longer.
While I was at work in Coral Bay last year, I watched a couple wait for 5 hours for someone for someone to assist them with their car problem - just something for you to think about.
Pia

It's been a while since we've lived in the states and visited the VI, but when we did, I checked with our agent at State Farm and he said we were covered with a rental just like anywhere else in the "states". But I never had any trouble (knock wood) so I can't say for sure.

Linda, I have State Farm & it is 100% not covered. Neither is any of the other large carriers in the states that I checked with. I also checked with several other State Farm agents just to make sure my agent was giving me the correct info & he was. They may have covered it in the past, but not now.

Insurance is one of the perks of using a credit card to pay for your car rental. Most, if not all credit cards automatically come with insurance that covers all sorts of purchases you make on your card.

My husband and I never pay for the insurance from the rental agency because we know our credit card company will cover it, should something happen. American Express is particularly good about this. A friend of mine rented a car on an Amex card, totaled the car (the accident was even her fault), and American Express covered the expenses, pretty much no questions asked.

You should of course review the fine print on the insurance that your credit card provides and make sure you are covered.

Teresa, This poster is specifically concerned about liability - not collision. Amex will cover collision - but if you kill someone.......will Amex cover the million dollar lawsuit that will follow....or the hospital bills for injured people....or the lifetime rehab for the quadriplegic?

That is the kind of coverage this poster wants. It is an interesting point - one that most of us don't consider.

I am an insurance agent with American Family Insurance in Kansas. Most coverage varies from State to State based on the regulations within that state. Some states require you to purchase a special endorsement for this type of travel. The best thing to do is call up your agent and ask them, that is what they get paid to do.

Here is what our policy manual says about this subject: Our American Family auto policies state: "This policy covers only accidents, occurrences, and losses which occur. . . within the United States of America, its territories or possessions, or Canada.. . ." - U. S. Territories and Possessions: (list is not all inclusive): American Samoa,Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, Guam, Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands.

I traveled with others in our group who have their insurance through State Farm and Allied ,and they were told by their agent that they were covered. Your biggest exposure when renting a car is if you total the car. If the market value from the insurance company is $5,000 and the rental company charges you $6,000, you are liable for the difference of $1,000.

I hope this helps out with some of the confusion. The bottom line is it can vary from state to state within an insurance company, so call your local agent and ask. I sometimes think that they make insurance as difficult to understand as possible.

Ruprek, Thanks for the info. I contacted my State Farm insurance for the 4th time. All 3X's prior they had checked with underwriting and all 3X's they gave my agent incorrect info each time. I told her about your post & she contacted underwriting again & spoke with someone higher up & they cleared it up & told her the info she was given was not correct- so State Farm does cover me in the USVI. That's the good news! Make sure you all check with your insurance carrier to make sure you are covered in the USVI- don't just assume! My other insurance carrier who is Farmers told me today that I also was not covered in the USVI & then called me back later in the day to tell me the info he gave me was also incorrect & that I would be covered.

I called Budget rent a car today & they confirmed that if you have a breakdown they will assist you. If you purchase the collision coverage (which I won't) there will be no charge for this assistance, but if you don't they will charge you $150 for assistance on St. John. I do have an emergency towing & assistance package with my State Farm & my agent told me that I should be covered with this as well up to some dollar amount. By the way, Budget rent a car is the only company on St. Thomas that will assist with a car breakdown on St. John. All the other companies that I've called & I've spoken to almost all of them have told me it is the drivers responsibility to get the vehicle back to St. Thomas.

I guess sometimes you have to check 4X's to get the correct info. Hope my 10+ hours of wasted time on this helps some of you and thanks again Ruprek.

I can't see how they will not honor your rental policy to differ from one island to the next. The rental companies lost the banning of STT rental cars to STJ already as being against the laws off interstate commerce. Can't see how they can distinguish a different policy from one island to the next. Makes you wonder?

RL

If you take a look at your policy, the long form not the declarations page(s) under the General Provisions section, subsection "Policy Period and Territory" or similar section you will find the language you need to know what coverage you do or don't have. Mine states " Coverage Territory = United States of America, its territories or possessions; then Puerto Rico, Canada. This coverage also applies while the covered vehicle is in transportation between their ports". I like to read it myself as it has been my experience as others have also noted, that sometimes your Agent does not know what they are talking about. Also as a side note check with your credit card co. as I think all only cover collision not liability and most only pickup AFTER your own Auto Ins. pays.