A WORLD MasterCard covers Ireland. To see if YOURS does, call 1 800 MCASSIST Do NOT call the issuing bank, 'cause THEY don't have a clue! MasterRental is a MASTERCARD benefit and the issuing bank has NO say.

MC will explain the procedure to waive CDW. If you HAVE coverage in Ireland, they will tell you that you MAY be covered. The reason is that Irish Rental Car companies are free to 'Opt Out' of accepting MasterRental, so what MC is saying is that they WILL cover you -- IF the car company will accept their coverage. Generally speaking, that's indicated by the option to waive CDW even being offered -- and explains why when you 'TICK' the "Waive CDW" button on most web-site Quote forms, you get that funky little 'Pop-Up' window that says, "Only certain US MasterCards .... blah ... blah ..."

The Other Insurance offerings are for when you CAN'T decline the CDW but DO want to decline the 'Super' -- which usually runs between 10 and 20 Euro -- PER DAY. (Note that SOME rental companies have TWO web-sites -- a .com and a .ie. They may only offer the option to waive CDW on their .com site -- I think that Hertz is one of those, but it MAY be true for any number of companies.) Third-Party insurance can also come in handy to cover SOME items not otherwise covered by EITHER CDW, 'Super-CDW, OR by MasterRental. Tires come to mind, in that regard.

I've been to Ireland 11 times in the past 11 years -- with #12 coming up, this July. I have ALWAYS declined the CDW in favor of using various MasterCards to waive the insurance costs. Now, I've never had a claim, either, so I can't speak as to how smooth or well the MasterRental coverage is, when 'Put to the Test' -- but the STATED coverage is BETTER than CDW and 'Super-CDW' -- and I pay NOTHING for it.

Still and all, when you've just come off an overnight flight -- tired, nervous and slightly befuddled -- and the rental agent hits you with the 'Hard Sell' and asks you to sign that you agree to be FULLY RESPONSIBLE --financially -- for any and all damage, it can be pretty TERRIFYING!!!

You need to decide what your COVERAGE is -- and what your COMFORT LEVEL is. Only YOU can decide what is best -- FOR YOU.

Does THAT help??

Bob

maureencol - you could rent it to all of us when you aren't using it!

Fodor's Timeshare Ireland Car Rental!

I have had claims both under the CDW and under my Mastercard. Both were very minor scratches...one that was a two inch scrape on the front bumper. I had the CDW with $1,000 deductible and lo and behold...the "new bumper" they needed was just about $1,000. The claim under the Mastercard was a slight dent in the door...must have happened at the B&B the night before turning the car in cuz I never noticed it. On that, they charged me for the damage and then I got the paperwork and sent it in to Mastercard. I was sent a check, however, they deducted the "towing and loss of use". I could have gotten in touch with the rental agency to protest that there was no towing needed and have them provide proof that no other cars were available during the repair time but it was a couple hundred dollars and I didn't bother.

Since I go home once or twice a year and have run up thousands of dollars in rentals...I definitely am buying a car and leaving it with my cousin.

Yes....no CDW .... just leave it with a full tank! :=)

I've been planning a trip to Ireland (for 18)for this summer and have done quite a bit of research on this issue so I thought I'd put in my two cents. B of A World Mastercard will cover CD in Ireland and will put it in writing (I have a letter - good for 60 days, then you have to get another one). We're renting with Avis so I sent an e-mail to Avis.ie asking for written verification that I could waive CD without penalty or charge. They responded promptly said we could refuse the CD as long as we took full responsibility for any damages (which I already knew). I also asked about a hold or charge to our credit card. They didn't answer this question directly, but I'm taking their e-mail as a "no" and taking a copy with me on the trip. In terms of price, I got the best deals from Avis.com (for a 9-passenger van [stick] in Dublin and another one [automatic]at Shannon. I ordered an automatic sedan from Auto Europe which also turned out to be an Avis rental. In looking for the best price I found good rates at Avis.ie which included CD, but they didn't have the vehicles I needed. Anyway, Avis and AutoEurope seemed to be the cheapest. The other thing I noticed, for those of you who haven't reserved yet, is that prices (for auto and lodging) seem to be going up steeply. [I have a bad habit of going back and checking to "make sure" I got a good deal.] Hope this helps someone.

Don't forget to take a 360 view of the car with date and time stamp. If possible include the agent who shows you the car.
I took the "last automatic available " from Dublin with a large dent on the right quarterpanel. On returning the car They wanted to charge me for the "damage" My habit of documenting the condition of my rental saved me from out of pocket costs plus the aggrevation of getting the refund from MC.

"Don't forget to take a 360 view of the car with date and time stamp."

I take them "before" and "after" and try to leave enough background in them to show the agency where we dropped it (last time had to dump it with the keys at 0-dark-30 in Milan). Nice thing about digital cameras is you don't have to worry about wasting film.

Rick

This whole mess is one of the reasons we have thus far decided to deny ourselves the pleasure of visiting Ireland.

All tourist transactions stack themselves in favor of the locals (I live in a tourist destination and see it every day) but Ireland is one of those places that has chosen to support its collapsing economy at the expense of the visitor, and I am just not willing to pay the price.

If we can figure out a way to do the country without using a car, we may well visit in the future, but otherwise . . . .

I have been going to Ireland since 1981 and the difficulty in figuring out the CDW and other surcharges on car rentals has been more complicated every time I have gone back. When I first went there, I just used my MasterCard and CDW was included. The last time I went, I couldn't figure out what was covered and what wasn't. There is CDW, Super CDW, theft protection, and Windshield/Tire Protection. If you get all of these coverages, they usually double the initial price quote. I am not sure why renting a car in Ireland is so complicated. However, because of the difficulty and expense of renting a car in Ireland, I have limited my trips to the country, having gone only once in the past 10 years. If the Irish travel industry gets enough complaints about this, they might do something about it. If you have complaints about renting a car in Ireland, I would suggest sending an email to the CEO of Failte Ireland (the National Tourism Development Authority). The CEO of Failte Ireland is Shaun Quinn and his email address is

[email protected]

It's a bloody mess - and after my trip last month, I was hopping mad with AutoEurope. After lots of back and forth and me telling them exactly what I wanted - the rep explicitly said I was covered for everything, and I just had to show my voucher and walk out with nothing more to pay.

Imagine my shock that I wasn't properly informed and had to end up paying an addition 500Euro! I'm going to see if I can get some of my money back after that debaucle.

I have to stop reading these posts - they're just going to give me a nervous breakdown. We have to have the vehicles and we've done everything we can to cover contingencies so I guess there's nothing left to do but pray. I'll let everyone know how it turns out when we get back in August.

Good advise

Geesh, this thread is enough to turn anybody off from the thought of visiting Ireland.

What about renting a car in Northern Ireland or even England and cross over to the Republic in it? Is that even possible?

Sure, it's possible. You will likely have a one-way drop off charge if you rent in Belfast and drop off in Dublin, and some car rental places won't allow it, but others do.

Okay, so one could start a trip in Belfast, rent a car and drive it around the whole of Ireland and then just return it. Even if flights to Dublin were cheaper, one could do Dublin without a car, then take a train to Belfast, rent a car and do the island? Sounds like the thing to do.

(Slightly OT: I guess the days are gone of cheap flights to Shannon, I think from N.A.--they used to be a major airport, but I'm thinking that they're not major any more, at least not for international flights.)

Ireland has some of the cheapest car rental rates in Europe, so I wouldn't be too bothered about a non-refundable 3% on your 2000 Euro deposit; the rental is still cheap.

That is good to know, so maybe it's a no-brainer.

I just completed a 12 day auto rental from Avis at the Dublin airport. Prior to departing for Ireland I researched my option of using my World MC for CDW. I got the confirmation letter from MC and all seemed well.

While checking in at the Avis counter I was asked about the CDW decline I had checked on the internet reservation form. I replied that I would use World MC coverage. "Oh well," says the Avis clerk. "Guess you are on your own." I replied that if I had a claim for the car that I would simply assign my insurance rights with MC to Avis for settlement. "Don't think so" says the Avis clerk. "Your credit card will be charged for the damage and you will have to deal with your MC insurance company."

Needless to say I left the counter more than a little worried if I had insurance at all. I spent the whole driving trip trying to 'protect' the pos Toyota. Luckly I sustained no damage and had no claim. But I stessed more than necessary while driving.

I would recommend to those who stress easily to go ahead and double the cost of your car rental by purchasing super CDW. Have fun driving, lose a mirror or two, scratch the doors and bumpers. Enjoy..........

Good lord I just want to rent a car, why is it so complicated?