lwildernorva

Before driving in Ireland, I would have had a hard time understanding your story, but having driven over there a number of times, I'm completely sympathetic. Last year, I was driving through a small town in the west when I had to make a left hand turn. I gave plenty of space away from the curb--if it had been a normal curb. After hearing a horrible scraping noise from the left underside of the car while executing the turn, I stopped and saw a medium dent on the lower part of the vehicle below the door. I looked back at the corner I had rounded and saw an outcropping from the curb that stuck out at least a foot that I had scraped with the vehicle.

Driving around and through these kinds of hazards makes it easy to understand why insurance works the way it does in Ireland!

henry999

Many people here no doubt know this but others won't: car rentals in Ireland are specifically excluded from the coverage provided by some US credit cards. You need to read the fine print.

lwildernorva

Of course, but that list is getting shorter and shorter. The big deal now is contacting your credit card company to get written confirmation of the extent of coverage. Many rental companies in Ireland will not accept an oral assurance of coverage but only a written confirmation dated within a week or two of the rental.

lwildernorva

I was unaware of this development although apparently Enterprise bought Dan Dooley in the spring. Since many who go to Ireland recommend Dan Dooley, I thought this link might provide some interesting information. BTW, there is a post on this website about the ins and outs of renting a car in Ireland that I believe is a valuable resource: http://www.infiniteireland.com/enter...ht-dan-dooley/.

tev9999

Add American Express (US) to the list of banks dropping Ireland (and other) exclusions as of September. Gold level and below gets $50K of coverage. Platinum and higher goes up to $100K. This is for Amex issued cards. I have not received any changes on my US Bank issued Amex. If you try this route be sure to read all of the T&C of the rental agency. Some are specific about Visa and MC. There will probably be a learning curve and need for modified T&C for some.

I also discovered my Bank of America World Mastercard also dropped the exclusion. That coverage is through Mastercard. It also has a FTF so won't be used any time soon.

I never found Dooley competitive on price, but they do a better job than the others of spelling things out. I can't imagine Enterprise will keep them a separate company forever. The added costs of maintaining two web interfaces, two reservations system, etc. would be too great.

My last trip in April was a mini nightmare at Sixt. Took over 90 minutes standing in line to get a car. I got to listen to dozens of people arguing about insurance costs, not being able to pick up the rental in the husband's name without him, etc. Luckily I signed up for the free Sixt Platinum through World Elite Mastercard (Citi Prestige). When I finally got to the counter they were out of midsize automatics (Ford Focus) with about 10 people processed and waiting for cars to come back. With the status they gave me the Mercedes E250 parked right outside the door. Ended up being $113US for eight days using the CSP for insurance coverage.

lwildernorva

Amex had coverage in 2000 when I was there. Then they didn't. Now it looks like they will. Maybe they won't when they see their exposure by my next trip in 2018. Coverage in Ireland is a funny thing when you start encountering those stone walls on narrow rural roads.

Happy when I can use credit cards for total coverage--and if Ireland becomes easier to use, I'll dump the company I currently use and go with my card coverage because I'll easily save $200 per rental--if my coverage is the same. I took an econobox as usual on my latest trip in September. I'd much rather use my credit card(s) (Plat, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and CSP) to get a better car for lower cost.

Dooley will probably get folded into Enterprise's policies, whether the name remains or not. And since Dooley has been an option for many, I think it's important for those following this thread to understand that Dooley is now part of a bigger chain that does not necessarily follow the same standards Dooley brought to the table.

lwildernorva

Found this post today, including a very good video with excellent graphics, that explains the issues and pitfalls about renting cars in Ireland. If you're going to rent a car in Ireland, I think it's a very good use of 8 minutes of your time to watch the video: #155 - Tips for choosing a rental car in Ireland - VIDEO - Irish Fireside Travel and Culture.

lwildernorva

Yet another resource for all-inclusive car rentals in Ireland: https://www.newway.ie/. I only know what I've read through a thread on Tripadvisor, and we know how unreliable those reviews can be. I'm going to Ireland in May, and I'm sticking with Conn's which was my go to website for all-inclusive rentals in Ireland before the pandemic. Nevertheless, newway.ie seems to have competitive pricing for my dates and is affiliated with Avis as Conn's is with Hertz so if you lean Avis, it might (and I stress MIGHT) be worth considering.

lwildernorva

Just completed a two-week trip to Ireland/Northern Ireland with a ten-day rental through Conn's and Hertz. A couple of twists since my last trip. First, a charge for driving your rental into Northern Ireland is now imposed. I'd heard that many companies charged this fee before Brexit, but Hertz had not imposed this fee previously. 30 Euro was not outrageous, but with Brexit now complete, it's understandable.

Second, I had a new sales tactic successfully used on me. As I was completing my paperwork, the rental agent said, "a midsize good for you?" I said yes, and with that exchange, consented to a hidden upgrade since I had rented an economy vehicle. I realized this even before completing the transaction but having estimated the amount of luggage my companions had brought with them, I knew I would probably need the larger vehicle, and I did. Nonetheless, it's a slick way of (mis)leading a customer into an upgrade and a higher price, and you need to be aware of the potential use of this tactic.

My rental vehicle had all the latest bells and whistles, and of course, in this era of sensors and backup cameras, I mean that almost literally. These new devices proved their value during my trip, including during an encounter with a lorry on a curvy, single-track rural road on the way to the Cliffs of Moher--I had to back up about 150 yards to find a driveway that would allow the lorry to pass. Who knows, maybe I had the right of way, but on that road, I took the only sensible course of action. On my previous trips, I would likely have hit something while trying to drive in reverse like that, but in this instance, I completed the manuever without a scratch. With more vehicles coming with backup cameras and proximity sensors, it's likely the incidence of damage will drop dramatically. Of course, we'll see if the rental car insurance prices follow suit.