billdz

Thanks for the reply, I will report back after the trip.

SJOGuy

I'll be very interested to hear what your experience is. I've heard so many stories through the years of people surprised at how much more their Costa Rican car rental costs than they were expecting.

I will say that I think Costa Rica is no place to skimp on insurance. When I rent a car here, I take the agency's full insurance. That might be too cautious, but it's what I do.

SaraF

If you have CDW through your credit card company then taking full insurance is not necessary although it may give you more peace of mind to take the car rental operator's coverage option as should something occur during your rental, that the car rental operator will cover everything without having to wait for paperwork to be completed. If you do not have credit card coverage then the car rental operator will probably oblige you to take their full coverage.

Whatever the case, the third party is unavoidable even if it isn't clear on your quotation. It is mandatory insurance and cannot be covered by any credit card.

Look carefully for other hidden costs: airport taxes, environmental taxes, even car washing fees that may be in the small print. Unfortunately not all car rental companies are upfront about their fees. Book via the Costa Rican website or office of any car rental operator to have more chance of being told about full fees.

Car rental is more expensive in Costa Rica than in the U.S. so if your quote looks too good to be true, then it is. The roads and weather conditions wreak havoc on vehicles and import taxes to buy cars are massive which all add up to costly rental fees, not simply a trap for the unwary 'gringo'.

My research is as follows:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Which-Cost...st?&id=7166335

Hope this helps!

billdz

Just returned yesterday, the car rental from Europcar was smooth. They upgraded me to an almost brand new Daihatsu 4x4 at no extra charge. The rental was $9 a day and the mandatory "supplemental" insurance was $21 a day. No other fees. So total of $30 a day.

To summarize, I searched for Liberia car rentals at Trip Advisor or some other search engine. Best deal was with Car del Mar, $9 per day for a Toyota Corolla (search showed similar prices from other agencies). Booked with them and received an email that the local operator was Europcar. I requested and received a letter from VISA confirming that my credit card provided car rental insurance. At the airport, a delegate was waiting for us with a sign with our name. They took us to the rental office, which is right across the main road from the airport. I knew there would be an additional hit for insurance but did not know how much. Filled out some paperwork, inspected the car for damage, and was off.

My only complaint is the lack of transparency about the cost of the supplemental insurance. I knew it was coming thanks to this forum, but would have liked to know the exact total price when I booked.

sylvia hennesy

"would have liked to know the exact total price when I booked"

Why didn't you ask them when you confirmed, via phone or email?

billdz

Yes, I should have done that but did not.

Darian

The insurance is sold locally, and prices change at times with no warning. So you can ask, and they may quote, but it can change.

rankourabu

Need a car in SJO for 3 days - several ridiculous options (like $1 a day from Apex) appear in searches.

I am hoping to just use AMEX for insurance.
So, would one expect extra 'insurance' with this text from Budget ($64)

Purchase of LDW is optional and relieves the customers financial responsibilty to the vehicle. Cost for all car groups is 28.95 USD per day. If LDW is declined, the renter is responsible for up to the full value of the vehicle. Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) is optional for all car groups at 14.99 USD per day. If SLI is declined a credit card hold will apply, see CID information above. Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) is not offered. Reduction Coverage (DRO): is available at the counter only

ozmo

I recently went to Costa Rica for the first time, and rented a car.

I got several web quotes for absurdly low prices, but they seemed meaningless due to the mandatory upsell once you get to the counter.

We rented from Dollar at LIR, mostly based on fewer negative comments for them on travel forums. There were other companies that seemed equally reliable, but I didn't have a chance to look into them further as the trip was approaching.

By the way, Economy has a terrible reputation on forums, but they seem to be everywhere. I wonder how they stay in business.

Instead of going through the travel aggregators like kayak and carrentals.com, I went directly to the country site (dollarcostarica.com). I got a quote including insurance, which ended up around $150 for 5 days for a small 4 door sedan with automatic transmission. I then called the number to confirm and get a quote, and was told about $210. I balked (but very nicely), and the sales rep quickly adjusted it to the original quote of $150.

The breakdown was $15/day for the base rate, $13/day for the mandatory liability insurance, and about $1/day for a 'license plate fee'. Tax was included somewhere but not listed as a separate line item.

Once I got there, I declined the insurance upsells, and I wasn't pressured much beyond that. There was no requirement to show proof of damage insurance, although I had it handy if needed (via credit card). There was a deposit of $2500 held as a credit card authorization.

The check-in agent happily marked down all the pre-existing damage. The car ran fine.

Upon returning, the original quoted amount was paid, and the deposit authorization released. Everything was smooth. Pretty satisfied. If I had more time to plan, I might've tried calling more places for 'real' quotes, but <$30/day seemed fine.

vigoritout

we also rented from Dollar, back in March 2012, without a problem. We initially booked a small SUV (a Jimney I believe), but they upgraded us to a Nissan X-Trail for no extra cost. We were happy to have the X-trail, especially on the road between Arenal and Monteverde.

We arrived around 9 pm at the Liberia airport and stayed at a hotel close the airport. Someone from the hotel picked us up. The people from Dollar picked us up from the hotel the next morning and took us to their business, close the airport.

Chelski

I rented for 5 days from SJO Dollar. They didn't pressure but I just paid the full insurance. The total rental was $400 (~$50/day for the three insurance levels). We booked a Jimny which they didn't have so they gave us an upgrade to a brand new (0 km) Suzuki 4x4. We out 1,000 km on it and drove it on some rough terrain. If you aren't going to drive in the urban areas then you probably don't need to get all 3 levels of insurance. Also, for me only renting 5 days it made sense to pay the extra $17-35/day to not have to worry about paying 20% of damages or the $1,000 deductible.

Don't rent GPS. Download a map app, preferably WAZE. Search the locations you know you will go beforehand. All you need is wifi on (turn off 3G/4G) and the gps will direct you. Go to Walmart and get a SIM card so you have a phone for any emergency. Walmart only charged for a load fee but not for the SIM.

drseagrass

I will add a data point for Budget at Liberia. I came away from the experience of renting for 9 days over the holidays from them feeling they are pretty dishonest. Original quote for a small SUV was $US527.18 "Airport and taxes fees are included in the price above", but we ended up paying $US682.80 + 1% on our credit card for the currency conversion. When I arrived at the counter, they presented me initially with a contract for approximately $900, which included $29.95 a day for a liability waiver, which the agent initially insisted was required by Costa Rica law. I presented a copy of my personal umbrella insurance showing global liability coverage far in excess of their overpriced product, and he made a copy of it and back-pedaled, finally acknowledging that the quote of $527 included the government required minimal liability coverage. Then he presented another contract for $US660.97, and said that the additional costs over the online quote was due to the 14% airport tax fee, despite the original quote saying that it included taxes. I didn't notice until later that $116.90 in additional costs were due to "services" labelled as RSN (2.99/day) and WTC (5.00/day). These services were never explained to me, but a Google search confirms that they are "Roadside Safety Net," that is help if I locked the keys inside the car or ran out of gas, and the WTC is windshield and tire coverage---didn't need or want that either. There were also charges for $2.95 per day for a license plate fee and $2.00 for "Ecosocial"(?)

The final insult was to get home with the final invoice for $660.97 and find that my credit card bill was $682.80. There is some tiny fine print on the contract that states "Budget Car Rental will charge in local currency at the sales exchange rate of our commercial bank." In every other case of transactions made in Costa Rica, I asked for credit card bills to be paid in colones rather than dollars, and always came out ahead over the quoted dollar price. Great exchange rate it appears that Budget Car Rental gets at their bank.

Nothing wrong with the car we used, and enjoyed visiting Costa Rica, first time was 30 years ago when no US airlines flew there and Liberia was not an international airport; quite a change, and not all for the better, but until the government steps in and helps visitors with more transparent car rental consumer protection, you really have to go down there fully ready to protect yourself.

milesunited

Thanks for sharing...

Was this from your credit card or another insurance source?

drseagrass

The umbrella insurance I pay for separately is to the same company that insures my cars and home, and provides additional asset protection if I would be subject to a negative judgment for personal liability. The insurance associated with the credit card that I use for car rentals just protects the car rented from damage. It is secondary to my personal car insurance, but would be primary outside the USA. I think this is the most common form of insurance protection provided by credit cards used to rent cards.