Car Rental Question

[southerngirl]

Hi, new to the forum and have a question, I was wondering if anyone knew the differences between Basic and Inclusive rates when reserving a car in France?

Thank you for any help,
Danyelle

[PariS]

Welcome, Danyelle! We've only rented a car in France once, but I don't recall having a choice between "basic" or "inclusive". What website are you getting rates from? There's no fine print explaining the difference? There are several here on the forum who regularly rent cars over there, so I'm sure someone will come up with an answer for you! Be patient with us!

[Katharine]

Welcome to the forum Danyelle.

I went to the Autoeurope website and did a search for a rental. At the bottom of the page I found this information:

Basic rates, if available, include unlimited mileage, mandatory public liability insurance, fire insurance and the value added tax. Inclusive rates include unlimited mileage, mandatory public liability insurance, fire insurance, optional collision damage waiver insurance (CDW), optional theft insurance, and the value added tax. Rates do not include the mandatory surcharge for rentals commencing at airports and certain city locations. Rates do not include a mandatory road tax/registration fee which is paid locally.

I hope this helps. when we rented in France two years ago we went with the Basic rate, since my car insurance covered the CDW insurance.

If you rent, you might want to be aware that you generally cannot use a U.S. credit card to get gas at an automatic/self-serve pump. U.S. cards do not have a "smart-chip" in them, and so they do not work unless you find a gas station with an attendant who can swipe your card. Just an F.Y.I.

Good luck!

[southerngirl]

Thank you both Annette and Katharine for your response and information; this helps a lot. I will check with my auto insurance to see what they cover with an international rental.

Thanks,
Danyelle