CDW stands for Collision Damage Waiver. This coverage is mainly speaking of protection on a rental car. Excluding the waiver means that you are taking on full responsibility for the full value of the car and will pay the rental car company any damages or loss of income that may occur while you are in possession. By purchasing the CDW, the rental company is taking on the burden of depreciation or loss of income if there should be a loss and there is usually no deductible.
Some rental car companies will even offer several levels of CDW to choose from. When this is offered there will be some levels that give you full coverage with no out-of-pocket expenses and then there are levels that you can purchase where you are only responsible for anything over $1000. Because there are options, you can choose the one that you think fits you best instead of a “yes” or “no” response.
Who Needs CDW?
Pretty much anyone can benefit from having CDW. If you don’t want the worry about being responsible for anything that might happen, especially if you are at-fault, having CDW will
remove that worry.
If you do not have physical damage coverage on your personal auto coverage or if you do not have any transferability from your personal auto coverage to your rental, you will definitely not want to exclude the CDW.
CDW is also helpful if you are renting a commercial vehicle or truck as most personal policies won’t cover the rental for these vehicles. It poses too much risk and the cost for fixing these vehicles is much higher.
If you want to be extra cautious in protecting your financial future, you should spend the extra $20-$30 for the CDW coverage.
Who Might Not Need CDW?
There aren’t very many instances in which one wouldn’t need CDW, but there are a few.
If you are wealthy enough that a loss is an easy thing for you to pay off in cash right away, you can take the chance to be responsible for the rental car. Attention when you sign a rental contract and rely on the auto insurance provided by your credit card – it might require you to decline the CDW.
If you have full coverage on a personal auto insurance policy and they confirmed they will cover a rental car, you will want to assess
your risk behavior. If you are a cautious, careful driver, perhaps you feel your risk for any loss of a rental is minimal at best. If you are willing to risk the potential for paying out of pocket, then you might be okay to opt out of the CDW.
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