pliant

Hi,

My fiance and I are spending our honeymoon in Ireland from March 8 - 18 and were wondering what the cheapest car company is to rent a car from. We've looked into a few and prices seem to vary widely and we're not sure what is the best place to go with. Also we noticed some places charge a 1000E deductible...what is this for? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Itallian_Chauffer

Generally speaking, Car Rental in Ireland is the most unsettling, annoying, overly confusing and single most frustrating part of the entire trip. Numerous threads have come and gone concerning the subject. You can do a search under car rental in ireland if you have several hours to read them all.
A short course:
Irish car rental is expensive.
The "extra insurance" to cover damage or loss of the Rental car is called CDW - Collision Damage Waiver. There is also a theft loss waiver (for the vehicle). Without some form of extra insurance coverage, you break it and you bought it. Even if you buy the extra CDW and Theft, the deductable is still quite high (as much as 1000 Euro on a standard car and even higher on a van, SUV or Luxury car). You can purchase "Super CDW" as an extra and even then, there is AT LEAST a 100 Euro deductible.
Your US car insurance (even if you have Rental Car coverage) WILL NOT cover you in Ireland. Visa and AMEX WILL NOT cover you in Ireland. MasterCard (GOLD and PLATINUM ONLY) DOES cover car rental in Ireland with their MasterRental -- IF the Rental Car Company CHOOSES to accept it. NOT ALL DO, and it is their option. You should verify:
1) Does YOUR MasterCard cover you in Ireland, and if so, how well? Call MasterCard and either get it in writing OR make sure you take down the name of the individual you speak with.
2) What are the requirements? Usually, you must pay for the ENTIRE rental on your MasterCard, and you MUST DECLINE ALL Extra Insurance offered.
3) Does the rental company ACCEPT the MasterCard waiver?

Some people have said here that Diner's Club Cards are also acceptable. Personally, I have no knowledge of that, but Rules # 1-3 above would still apply.

NO ONE'S INSURANCE COVERS FLAT TIRES. Once again, you break it, you've BOUGHT it, and it would probably be cheaper anywhere else but the car rental place.

People get good deals from most of the Major and Minor Rental companys all the time. Which one is cheapest generally depends upon when you are going and when you check. Just make sure that you are comparing apples to apples, vis a vis insurance, type/size of car and transmission. Automatics are a luxury and are taxed and priced accordingly.
We are going back in June, and currently, for that time period, for the type and sized manual car that I need, I found the best deal from Atlas -- www.atlascarhire.com but I have used National, Sixt, Iriscarrentals.com, Budget and rentacarireland.com. In all instances, I used my MasterCard to waive the extra insurance without any problems (but I didn't have a wreck, either).

Let us know how it goes.

Itallian_Chauffer

Bear in mind that you will be flying through the night and be quite tired when you pick up your rental car. They will probably offer you / require that you pre-pay for the full tank of gas 'at a really good price', and tell you to just bring it back empty. Have you ever really TRIED to do that? Being unfamiliar with the roads and the car, you'll likely GIVE them AT LEAST 10 to 15 liters of mgas (petrol) or diesel fuel at approx 1 Euro per.

FILL IT TO THE BRIM BEFORE YOU RETURN IT.

If you opt to not buy the extra insurance, do a THOROUGH visual inspection of the vehicle all around and document ANY damage (and have them note it on your contract) BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE LOT. Make sure the gauge reads FULL and the tires look OK (remember that you will pay for any rips and tears.

Take some time to get accustomed to the controls, etc. in the parking lot before venturing out. If you've never been before, the first Roundabout will scare Hell out of you, but after that, it gets better. If you are landing in Shannon and heading south, Stop at Bunratty to eyeball the Castle, grab some tea and scones in the Woolen Mills, or draw some EURO from the ATM out front. It will give you a good second start and reality check, before tackling LIMMERICK.

pliant

is the 1000E deductible returned to you at the end if the car is not damaged?

Itallian_Chauffer

I think you are confusing two different things. The deductible is your share of damages if you HAVE an accident. You sound like you are talking about a deposit, or "hold' on your credit card for 1000 euro. Some rental companies do that, to assure themselves of your ability to pay in the event of an accident. The amount isn't actually charged to you (unless you actually damage the car), but your credit limit IS REDUCED by that amount. Should only be a concern if anticipated spending and existing balance put you in a position where the 'hold' could cause you to exceed your charge card's credit limit.

bigtyke

We found Alamo to be the best deal when we went in 2000. My travelling companion tried all his affinity programs to see which gave the best rate with them and it was his Costco membership.

We used Mastercard so we could decline the CDW

janhan

itilain_chauffer, I just check the atlascarehire site that you mentioned. Was quoted a price of 183E for a Nissan Micra for 12 days in June. I indicated that I would like to pick up the car in Dublin city. up Do you know where their location is? Easy to get to? Thanks for your help.

TMWeddle

Check out rentacarireland.com There you will find their phone number - call them - that's the best way. We used them in October - good rates no hassle - used MasterCard to cut insurance cost.

No affiliation - just happy customer

Itallian_Chauffer

janhan: Actually,I've only used Atlas one other time before this and that rental, like my upcoming trip this June originated in and ended in Shannon. We are getting a Nissan Primera / Renault for 261 Euro for 11 days -- MC for CDW coverage, plus the airport fee. Got the same model Nissan in April 2004 - nice Camry sized - will be great for four adults. Is your Micra an automatic? The Primera is not, but has A.C. ??? Have to ask myself why????

lmhornet

I got the best rate from Avis, after searching the internet and finding a 10% discount AWD code. Avis also charges no drop off fee. Autoeurope's rate was close, but they wanted a $100 for the same pickup and drop points.

DavidD

pliant,

I've had a fair amount of car rental experience in Ireland, so allow me to offer a couple very broad tips:

First and foremost, steer clear of Hertz. This is a company that seems to pride itself on the art of hidden costs. (Perhaps it's to compensate for the company's bloated advertising budget.) In other words, Hertz = buyer beware;

Dan Dooley appears to be a reputable outfit. While the company's rather modest profile doesn't inspire confidence, they've offfered this traveler good service, dependable wheels, and no hidden costs. Do look into D. Dooley when it comes to auto rental.

Best of luck.

allisonm

We have used Budget and Hertz/O'Scannlain in the past without any problems. The best price seems to vary each trip, so shop around.

mixd

I rented from Hertz at Shannon Airport this past September. It was the worst part (really, the only bad part) of the trip. I was prepared to decline the extra insurance provided by my platinum Visa (specifically discussed on the phone with Hertz reservations) but was told on arrival that I would not be covered by Visa. Given that it was my first time driving on the "wrong" side of the road, I certainly wanted insurance. Then I was forced into an upgraded car (at my cost) because no standard automatic cars were available when we arrived ("could be an hour or two" until one was available). When I returned the car I was forced into buying two tires (there was damage, but I could not say whether it had happened on my watch). As another poster said, they seem to be experts in hidden costs. All in all, a horrible experience - stay away from Hertz in Ireland. BTW, I've never had trouble with Hertz in the U.S.

janhan

Itallian_Chauffer: No the Micra is not an automatic. Not sure abou AC or why we would need it. I went back on the atlascarhire site and you could email them questions so I inquired about the pick up location in Dublin. Also I plan on using the Gold Master Card.

Itallian_Chauffer

I'm copying this from my posting to the CHEAPTICKETS.COM THREAD as I think it contains some interesting info on car rentals and CDW insurance.

So my curiosity was piqued, not to mention a few brief moments of self-doubt. I went to Cheaptickets' website and plugged in the info for my upcoming trip, asking for a minivan for 11 days. They came back with a pretty good price and I 'clicked through' at the "BOOK IT NOW" button, where everthing STILL looked good, but ...

Next to the price was a statement, about estimated fees and taxes -- hyperlinked. Clicking on that brought up a detailed, small print filled window with the following tidbits of information:
"DOES NOT INCLUDE: LOCAL TAX AT 13.5%, Road tax of 1 euro per day, airport pick up fee of 25 euro, teft protection at 5.08 euro, fuel bond or extra driver charge at 6 euro per day."

The company on offer was Budget. They accepted MasterCard and Diner's Club for waiver of CDW, otherwise, CDW was between 19 and 30 euro per day. That bought you a 600 - 1200 euro deductible. "SUPER CDW" was available for 7.62 - 12.70 euro per day EXTRA. That bought the deductable down to 100 euro. The price variations were determined by type of vehicle rented, but even figuring everything at the lowest, it still adds up quick. I was quoted something like 465 euro for the rental. Real good, for a minivan, but now add 62.70 for the local tax, 11 for the road tax, 25 for the airport fee, 5.08 for the teft protection, and the 465 is now 568.78, and that's IF I waive the CDW. Add in the CDW, the SUPER CDW and the Personal accident insurance at 4.44 per day,and the 568.78 rental is now bloated by an additional 518.54, bringing the total rental charge to 1087.32 euro! That doesn't include the fuel surcharge/bond for the starting full tank, or that you are still on the hook for the first 100 euros of damage AND and broken window glass or tires! Generally, it is the uninformed that get burned by this. We once met a couple on the Tarbert Ferry that complained about how terribly expensive the CDW was. I asked why they didn't use a credit card to waive the fee and they said their cards were no good. They had paid with a Visa, were told it didn't cover Irishcar rentals (TRUE) and the man had offered to use his American Express card instead, only to be told that it too, didn't cover Ireland (ALSO TRUE). He also had a Platinum MasterCard, but didn't ask about it AND THE AGENT NEVER MENTIONED THAT IT DID WORK IN IRELAND! Not lying, exactly, but ...

Goes back to what I always advise -- COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES to know if it really is a "good" deal, and LEARN THE RULES OF THE GAME.

P.S. I found one web-site that said "Certain CANADIAN Visa Cards offer acceptible CDW waiver in Ireland." Dunno what guidelines, but those of you from 'Up North' might want to investigate.

Itallian_Chauffer

This from the Argus website ( note that when I printed out the details, WWW.THRIFTY.IE/booking/cdw_popup.php appeared):


US MasterCard & Canadian VISA Card Auto rental insurance

Options:
MasterRental Insurance and Canadian Visa Card Auto Rental Insurance may allow you to waive the cost of Theft Protection and Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) for rental cars in some countries. This coverage is ONLY available with Gold or Platinum MasterCards issued by US banks and some Canadian Visa Card programs.

If you pay for the full rental with your eligible US MasterCard or Canadian Visa Card you may be covered for up to $50,000 auto rental insurance for your rental without excess.

This insurance covers the rental vehicle. This is an insurance program, certain restrictions and exclusions apply. In order to establish if your US MasterCard or Canadian Visa includes Auto Rental Insurance in the Republic of Ireland please call your credit card issuer and/or US MasterCard/Canadian Visa before making your reservation.

This coverage is a service provided by US MasterCard/VISA Canada to the cardholder and therefore it is the card holder's responsibility to ensure that they are adequately covered for the entire duration of the rental period. We reserve the right to refuse third party insurance.

Contact details for MasterCard 1-800-MC-ASSIST.
Contact details for Visa Canada 416.367.8472.

In order to establish if your MasterCard or Canadian Visa includes Auto Rental Insurance in the Republic of Ireland please call your credit card issuer and/or US MasterCard/Canadian Visa before making your reservation. It is important to confirm to your credit card issuer that the Republic of Ireland as your place of rental.

12perfectdays

I just booked a car rental for October and have spent about 10 hours researching everything. Cannot find a Mastercard that will include Ireland CDW or a rental agency that will gaurentee they will accept it on premisis (even with a letter)--if not, CDW skyrockets to add on when you are picking up the car!

I will be renting an AUTOMATIC economy with Europcar for 11 days in October 2005 including vat tax, airport fee, CDW, 3rd party liability,fire, theft, unlim miles, daily svc fee and a 2nd driver for $592.43. This comes with a $1050 deductable.

autoeurope.com has a great site that finds you the lowest of all rentals in Ireland and you choose your category, size and CDW or not. ($397.93 VAT only)

travelgaurd.com is an insurance website that carries CDW insurance with no deductable for about $9 per day. I am purchasing this a week before I go and it will cover anything that the Ireland CDW does not, including the $1050 deductable.

I spoke with both Europcar and Travelgaurd and all is well. If anything happens in Ireland, we pay the deductable and submit to Travelgaurd on our end and it will be taken care of. As far as Ireland is concerned, we have regular CDW with them and are covered. Travel Gaurd even lists their policy word for word and even mentions the deductable being paid if you are charged.

All told, $697.43 for COMPLETE coverage, all fees, a second driver in an automatic car AND total peace of mind!

lmhornet

"Cannot find a Mastercard that will include Ireland CDW or a rental agency that will gaurentee they will accept it on premisis (even with a letter)--"

I don't understand this. I had no problem, with either. I got my Mastercard through the autoclub, so perhaps that makes a difference. I also pay a $10/yr fee for CDW coverage. Maybe you can find a card that offers a deal like this. My card is also Canadian, but not gold or platinum.

But Avis said thet they'd take my CDW in Ireland with no problem. Maybe the problem is Europecar. Also, if you rent from autoeurope, beware of their drop off fees.

bucky

I haven't contacted any car rental agencies yet, but I did call my mastercard ( AT&T Universal) and they said they will cover CDW in Ireland and will send a letter at my request. The coverage goes up to $50,000, and is good for rentals of 15 days or less.

bucky

I just checked the autoeurope.com website for irish car rentals and under the "general terms" section it says they do accept CDW coverage from mastercard with a letter as long as your master card covers ireland. The car I researched was from europcar and was a manual midsize. So that's strange if they told you on the phone they won't accept mastercard CDW insurance coverage.

I've been putting off arranging car rental because it sounds like such a hassle! I was hoping Hertz would be a good company to deal with, but didn't I read several postings criticizing them recently? How is Dan Doolin?