Red259

I rent using Hertz domestically but I have never used them overseas. I am making a trip to Greece and I am likely heading to Rhodes and Santorini. Someone mentioned I may want to rent a car. How reliable is Hertz in Greece? What can I expect? Do I need a car for the islands? I do not own a vehicle so have no insurance so can I buy the insurance from the rental agency like I do in the US? Can I get the CDW from using a credit card if its outside the US? Are there specific cards that I should use for these rentals (I have a variety of higher end cards that I could use such as amex plat, citi prestige, ink bold). Any advice would be appreciated. I'm just wondering if it is worth the hassle or if its not a big deal.

Firstboss

I've rented from Hertz in Greece once, on the Island of Crete. Very professional and reliable.
There are many local rental companies everywhere on the islands that rent tiny cars by the day, but they will hassle you hard in case of any small scratch.

Greece is included in the rental insurance coverage by a US-issued credit card.
Very few countries are excluded (Ireland, Italy, Israel, Jamaica, and a couple of others I don't remember). There is no point in buying CDW from Hertz. All you have to do is decline coverage (the mandatory liability is included in the rate). When you make a reservation with the US residency, all the other coverages are optional and not included in the quote.

The island of Santorini is very tiny, there is no point in renting a car there at all.

The cars with automatic transmission are priced a lot higher than the manual ones.

wobbly wings

Definitely get a car in Rhodes but I wouldn't get one in a smaller island.

Hertz in Rhodes is ok as are other companies I gave tried. Some, eg goldcar, will actually take about 1500usd deposit from your cc if you do not take cwd with them and refund it at the end of the rental.

No hertz points for rentals in Greece.

sokolov

I disagree. I spent a week there and saw a lot. Without a car, this would have been completely impossible.

Well, a motorbike/scooter would probably have worked. But for the three of us, a car was the easier option.

luv2go

I also rented a car on Santorini and was SO glad I did; We stayed in Firostefani and drove to the beach daily as well as other areas.

Actually used AutoEurope to rent the car, because it was cheaper than Hertz directly, but I picked up the car from Hertz. Was very hassle free. Car did have many scratches and dents, but I took pictures of them all. Agent did a walk around upon return, and he seemed to recognize all the dents and scratches.

An option on Santorini is to rent an ATV, many people do that.

B-HQC

Any recent experiences on whether Hertz Santorini will ask to see an IDP? I do have a valid US license, but somehow misplaced my IDP and am already out of the country.

mathgeek1978

I rented with Hertz in Santorini and I handed the agent my IDP together with my credit card and US driver license. I was told that Hertz did not require an IDP by it was a good thing that I had it because if I ever got pulled over the cops would need to see it.

criced

Is it true that some Hertz offices in Greece are not part of the Gold Rewards program? My Swedish Hertz agent told me that when i booked as a President Circle