My trusty Visa card has insured all my rental-cars. It seems that Jamaica is problematic and Visa will not be insured. Based on my reading and Google search, I am under the impression that the situation in JA is such that no credit card will insure rental cars there. Is this correct?

Are there any other alternatives to buying insurance at the local rental-car station? (it doubles the cost of the rental).


Statefarm insurance did not have a product and I bought insurance from Island rental cars. Drivers in Jamaica are notorious for their decision making and I would not expect the other drivers to be able to pay for damage they would inflict.

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  • You can usually refuse to buy insurance and drive at your own risk. – JonathanReez Dec 3 '16 at 19:16
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    Can the downvoters perhaps elaborate? – Mark Mayo Dec 5 '16 at 13:26
  • Have you considered looking up travel insurance from your local country? Looks like you're in the US, plenty of companies would offer travel insurance, presumably to Jamaica, unless there's something obvious I'm missing? – Mark Mayo Dec 5 '16 at 13:28
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    Yes considering going to Statefarm later today to investigate options. It would be interesting to understanding downvotes, however, it is too easy to provide negative feedback without any providing any constructive input – gatorback Dec 5 '16 at 14:15
  • mastercard business cards cover cdw in jamaica. i have one and used many times for this – saxa Feb 20 at 17:19

Yes, there are alternatives.

One alternative is to see if you can purchase additional coverage on your personal auto insurance. Many companies will do this, but unfortunately most will only do it in your own country or nearby ones.

A second alternative is to purchase a specific policy that covers rental cars. Here is an example, though I have no knowledge of their prices or coverage, and I am not recommending them in any way.

The third alternative is to not buy the insurance at all. This is probably legal, but you would be well advised to check first. This will of course mean you will have to pay the entire cost repairs, possibly the entire cost of the car, if it is damaged.

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My suggestion is to hire a charter taxi. The driver will:

  • keep you safe security-wise
  • safe on the roads (out of potholes and tire repair places)
  • make sure you don't get charged too much (they will get a "drink" aka kickback from some places, part of how Jamaica works)
  • likely not cost as much as car insurance
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