A waiver of excess is just like a deductible as it’s the part of the car insurance that you will have to pay when you make a claim after damage is done to your vehicle. The term waiver of excess is more commonly used in the UK while the word deductible is used in the US. If you need to rent a car in the UK then you will be introduced to a waiver of excess.
When the amount of the waiver of excess is exceeded in damages then you pay the amount of the waiver of excess and the insurance company covers what’s left over. So if you have a waiver of excess of $1,000 and an accident causes $5,000 in damages to your vehicle then you will have to pay the $1,000 up front and the insurance company will cover the other $4,000. While a waiver of excess is not included in the premium of the insurance policy you pay it is still very helpful.
There are some situations that it will be preferable and profitable not to make a claim. If the damages are very minute and are barely over your waiver of excess that you have to pay then you will probably want to just pay it all yourself. There is a good reason to paying for the damages yourself. In most cases after an accident the insurance company will raise the premium that you have to pay every month. If you’re a young driver or have a bad record, then this increase can be quite a lot.
The amount of your waiver of excess will depend on the type of coverage that you have and what amount you choose. The deductibles can range from as little as $250 to $1500. It’s important to remember that the higher that you have the deductible the lower your monthly insurance payments will be. The problem with having a higher deductible comes if and when you need to make a claim as you would need to come up with that amount before your insurance policy will cover the difference.
If you have an insurance policy and find the waiver of excess to be a percent rather than a figure you should consider asking if they can get a regular figure for it. This is because the percent can hurt you if you are involved in an expensive accident and have to pay thousands of dollars rather than a set price.
A waiver of excess is usually used to pay off damage that has occurred to your car due to an accident, theft, or harsh weather. Liability only will never have a waiver of excess since it only covers damages done to other vehicles. It’s possible to have better coverage for your waiver of access as well as a lower amount that you have to pay. However this will also increase the cost of your monthly payments.
Car insurance isn’t the only use for a waiver of excess. You’ll also see it applied to other types of insurance such as health, travel, and home insurance. Finally you should remember that if you do have damage to a rental car that you may be charged the damage and the insurance company would have to reimburse you.
Graham McKenzie is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading Car Insurance portal, which helps people save on their Car Insurance.
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