Question & Advice around visiting USA

Shep_Cobain

Shep_Cobain

Shep_Cobain

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Hi all,

I’m heading to Las Vegas and LA this year for an 11-day trip and would really appreciate some advice and suggestions on a few things.
  • Car Rental & Collision Damage Waiver (CDW): I’ve heard that getting third-party CDW can be much cheaper than going through the rental company directly, but I’m not sure where to start or what to look out for. Any tips or recommended providers?
  • Travel Insurance: I’ll be travelling with my wife and two daughters, so I’m also looking for decent family travel insurance. Any companies or policies you’d recommend?
  • Data SIM vs Roaming: I’ve been told it might be better to buy a local SIM for data while out there. I’m currently with Vodafone and ID Mobile – would it be worth using their roaming options or going for a local data SIM?
  • Money: What’s the best approach for spending out there – Revolut card, credit card, or cash? Keen to hear what’s worked best for others.

Also, if there’s anything else I should be thinking about before or during the trip, feel free to shout! Thanks in advance for your help.

Cheers,
Shep
 
Local SIM worked out really well for me, one company sold a 21 day package in their shops which I grabbed. That gave me both data and a local phone number, which meant I could sign up to Uber, Lyft etc as a new customer, and both call and receive calls from hotels, restaurants etc.

Credit card works pretty well, I barely needed cash. As above for insurance and card fees MSE will have the info you need.
 
  • I use these guys for excess waiver insurance - https://www.insurance4carhire.com/
  • Travel insurance - get a quote from any of the comparison websites and ensure the cover is enough for your needs
  • SIM - O2 worked fine for me when I was last there, check what Vodafone will cost or look at getting the 3 Travel Sim (I think that's what I've had before)
  • I used my Starling card and the Halifax Clarity Credit card
 
make sure you get an esta

1. 2 - just use an online comparison site - I ended up with Coverwise last time
3. Sim - check your current provider - giffgaff and voxi have all world addon packs
4. Startling Monzo work fine - Halifax Credit card works fine - US love cash a lot to!
 
Shep_Cobain said:
Data SIM vs Roaming: I’ve been told it might be better to buy a local SIM for data while out there. I’m currently with Vodafone and ID Mobile – would it be worth using their roaming options or going for a local data SIM?
Click to expand...
I used a data esim when I went to USA 2 months ago, worked flawlessly

Shep_Cobain said:
Money: What’s the best approach for spending out there – Revolut card, credit card, or cash? Keen to hear what’s worked best for others.
Click to expand...
Credit/debit card with 0% fees and I didn't carry cash
(I used HSBC global money account - this has 0% fees and Visa FX rates)
 
If you're planning to gamble while in Vegas then make sure you've got the required amount of cash before you arrive as ATM fees on or anywhere near the strip are extremely high.
 
Car hire in the US is a bit different to Europe. If you hire directly from the rental desk you have the option to hire without insurance, because US citizens are often covered for car hire through their own personal car insurance.

If you book US car hire through a UK website, insurance will usually be included, but double check this. Insurance often also comes with zero excess, so there's no need to separately buy excess insurance, but again you should check this.

In my experience the hire company don't bother checking the condition of the vehicle before and after, I guess because there's nothing they can do if the insurance has zero excess.
 
@weringo - to echo your comments, I found the car hire process loads easier in the USA than in Europe. I went directly with Alamo, did their “skip the queue” option, walked directly to a choice of 5 cars and drove off. I dont think there were any options to do extra CDW even as it was included. Also, they didn’t seem to check the car particularly thoroughly afterwards. I would use Alamo again, but I’m sure the other companies use very similar procedures.

@Shep_Cobain - I’ve used Esure for family travel insurance for the last couple of years. Slightly better price than insure and go which we used before. Easy to get through to and helpful phone lines.

We didn’t need extra sims as our phones include quite a generous roaming package due to being O2 and VM customers. Double check your own provider, as this will be the easiest option, but eSIM seems easy enough.

We had too much cash. Pretty much everything was card payment and had service options etc on there. Have a few tipping dollars for the bell boys at the hotel, but otherwise shouldn’t need much if you’re in big cities.

Check on the hotel parking situation - this was quite a significant expense when we went recently, but it was tricky to avoid. You’ll likely be driving everywhere and it’s very helpful to have the freedom of the car. Parking is abundant at most major tourist attractions.

Would be interested in your itinerary. We’ve just got back from a Palm Springs —> Anaheim Disney —> San Diego trip. It was absolutely amazing!
 
I went to Vegas although probably 15 years ago now...

Was staying at a large hotel (mirage) so I just got limos everywhere rather than hire a car...

There's so many they are not much more than regular cabs. Dunno what prices are now but it's probably less hassle than hiring a car... Might be an option if your not traveling outside the city.
 
If you like first person shooters, go to Battlefield Vegas and shoot your favourite COD/MOH/BF guns for real.

Avoid the Grand Canyon helicopter tours out of LV as you only get 10 minutes over the canyons due to their distance from LV. Stay somewhere on the South Rim and use Maverick Helicopters out of Tusayan, NV.
 
I used a Saily eSIM when I was in USA last year. It worked really well.
Travel insurance I just check comparison sites.

Halifax clarity has always been a good credit card to use abroad. We have one that is only used while travelling abroad, nothing else. It's a handy policy considering we found it had been cloned when we were in USA a few years ago and someone tried to buy bitcoin with it later. Might not have noticed if we used our usual debit/credit cards.
 
If you book car from the UK in california and Nevada you'll be fully covered with no cdw so you don't need top up insurance. Although there is one exception but I can't remember what. Also I those two states you don't need to pay for additional drivers from memory. There's a huge USA car hire thread I the car forum you would be well versed to read.

Travel insurance. Get a nationwide current account. Worldwide travel included for you and family.

Sim, I just get a three payg one. USA sims are generally expense.

Money, get a fee free card such as santander zero, Halifax clarity or nationwide select. Although having a few dollars is useful if you're going to be going out for drinks or gambling.
 
Never hired a car so don't have any advice

Travel insurance through my bank account so haven't ever needed additional cover

Just used the International Roaming perk on my normal EE sims, worked fine

Just used Apple Pay on my normal Nat West account, took around $200 cash as well for tips but it's always stood me well on my many trips to the US
 
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