Personal Accident Insurance (PAI)
Personal Accident Insurance covers the people in the car rather than the metal. If you or your passengers are hurt in an accident during the rental, PAI contributes toward medical treatment and pays a lump sum for serious injury or, in the worst case, accidental death.
It overlaps heavily with cover you may already hold. A decent travel insurance policy usually includes medical expenses and personal accident benefits, which makes buying PAI a second time at the rental desk unnecessary for many people.
Before you accept it, ask yourself what your travel insurance and health cover already pay for abroad. If you are well covered, decline it; if you are travelling without any medical cover, PAI is a cheap stopgap.
Remember the boundary: PAI looks after the occupants, third-party liability looks after other people, and CDW looks after the car. They solve three different problems.
Related terms
Personal Effects Coverage (PEC)
Optional cover for your belongings if they are stolen from or damaged inside the rental car.
Third-Party Liability (TPL)
Mandatory cover for injury or damage you cause to other people, vehicles or property — not to your own rental car.
Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI)
Optional cover that raises your third-party liability limit well above the legal minimum.