shelly27

Still mulling over where to take my next vacation...I had initially ruled out CR because every rental car agency I checked out had a credit card deposit that required
$1000 or more...does anyone know of any from San Jose that don't carry this stipulation?
We would not want to hire a driver-we like our privacy and the ability to drive off on our own. When we went to Ireland (and in my research of other countries)-there were no deposits like this, so it surprises me that it's so high in CR...

michelina01

Hi Shelly;
You can do away with that deposit by obtaining the maximum insurance from the rental car company, which includes an optional zero liability daily fee which reduces your liability to zero, which is what you would be paying that hefty deposit for anyway. BUT, you are paying I belive and additinal $15 or so per day, and this is not refundable. Your $1,000 deposit is a hold on your cc which is refundable so long as there are no damages to the vehicle - if there was, you would be liable for up the the amount of the deposit only. I have been struggling with the same thing as you, and it took numerous calls and emails to the rental car companies to understand what all the fees were about. We too, are renting a vehicle because we also prefer the freedom and feel it is the best way to see the country. All rental car companies in Costa Rica charge this, some an upwards of $2,000. My advice would be just to get the max insurance (driving is rough there and the locals are known to drive very poorly) to be safe rather that sorry. BTW, TriColor car rental seems to have the best prices with insurance combined. Another FYI..someone on this board gave me the advice of looking into obtaining travel insurance. Travel insurance is quite inexpensive and covers your mandatory car insurance costs, as well as your entire trip. I am in the process of checking that out. I would not rule out CR because of this! This fee is required in most foreign countries for car rentals.
Good luck -

Melissa5

We rented through Tricolor, they have an Alajuela office (NOT at the airport.) There wasn't any credit card deposit, just a credit card to secure the reservation. From memory, I hope this is right, web-site was www.tricolorcarrental.com Sorry if my memory is faulty then let me know and I'll look it up. I recommend them. Cars are smaller than similar cars in USA. Keep that in mind. A car with 7 seat belts will not have quite the inside space that similar cars in USA would have.

Melissa5

I should also add to my answer above that we rented with a Platinum Mastercard so that we could waive the full insurance coverage and only had to buy the mandatory minimum coverage. Our trip was June 2005.

shelly27

I'll definately check out Tricolor. Michelina-thanks for explaining the zero liability-I think I can now resume my CR itinerary! When are you planning to go? And Melissa, thanks for reminding me about the Platinum benefits- I have one of those handy credit cards and I forgot I could use it for that!

michelina01

Hey, we'll be there Jan 24-Feb 5. Going from Atlanta to San Jose flight directly to Peace Lodge at La Paz for the first night, then to MA, Arenal, Monteverde, and ending at Rincon De la Vieja 2 days, flying out of Liberia, about 30 min from our hotel at Rincon De La Vieja. I, too am opting to use my Amex to pay for the CDW collision ins. Little tip...Check to see how much your cc will cover for damages and compare to the rental agencies. We will also get liability and possibly just suck it up and pay the zero liability optional. We are getting in a lot in our 12 days, but we're adventure travellers with lots of energy! Ha! I'm sure we'll be drained of all that energy once we get back (will need a vacation from our vacation as they say). All the car insurance stuff had given me a headache as well - each car rental company seemed to have their own separate theories and laws...oy yoy yoy. Hope you have fun in CR...