Are Purchasing Rental Car and Refundable Plane Tickets Permissible?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Is it permissible to purchase rental car insurance or refundable plane tickets to avoid potential hardship and financial loss?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Rental Car Insurance

Esteemed Muftis state that if the car rental price includes insurance, the payment will be considered part of the rental fee. This categorizes the insurance as an included service rather than a separate contract. Moreover, if it is a legal requirement, it will be permissible in any case.

Adding insurance when renting a car through the website is permissible, as it is a legal requirement in most countries. Additionally, having insurance can protect you from severe financial hardship while abroad, where legal and medical costs can be quite high. [Zuhayli, al-Fiqh al-Islami wa Adillatuh]

Refundable Plane Tickets

You may purchase a plane ticket at a higher price, allowing for the option to refund or change the flight, and this would not be considered impermissible or a type of insurance. The higher purchase price will be considered a service charge for other options, like ticket cancellation, refunding the flights, etc.

Please go through the valuable answers and links below. Insha’Allah, they will provide you with guidance and direction.

Related: Car Rental Insurance

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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.