travelerscott

I have read elsewhere that if you decline coverage and use your credit card instead in Ireland, that the rental car company will put a hold on your card for the value of the car.

Is this true? Does it still apply if you have the letter from Chase? And anyone have any experience (positive or negative) with Avis in Ireland?

Thanks.

travelerscott

Excuse my ignorance. Is the fee 30 Euros per day or 30 Euros total?

philemer

No.

The hold is a flat amount & varies with companies but it's NOT for the full value of the car. I've seen figures like 2K to 3K euros.

Fees vary but it's a flat fee for the full rental period. You really need to decide on a company to use & then ask these questions of that company.

ReneP

Has anyone had to file a claim with their cc insurance because of damage done to the rental car? How did that process go and did you get reimbursed for all of the damage charged by the rental car company?

philemer

Can you "flesh out" your question a bit more? What co. are you renting from? Are talking about a claim only while in Ireland? What CC?

ReneP

Yes, I'm referring to claims specifically in Ireland. I have an AA World Mastercard and a Marriott Chase Visa, both of which will cover the rental car in Ireland. I'm thinking of renting from either Hertz or Dan Dooley, both of which will accept the credit card coverage.

My concern is that I've only heard a couple of bad stories (months to get resolved, cc only paying part of the claim, etc) but I haven't heard much from anywhere that I'd consider reputable. I'm looking to get some feedback from someone who has rented a car in Ireland, had some damage and had to file a claim. How did the process go, was it reasonable, etc. I don't want to pay extra for CDW/SCDW from the car rental company if my credit card already covers it but if it's going to be a major hassle to get reimbursed or I may not get reimbursed for all of it, I might consider just paying for the rental's insurance for piece of mind.

schwaa

This is good to know, I may try and upgrade my Regular Sapphire back to CSP for our November trip to DUB. In the mean time, I need to find out if my IHG world mastercard has master rental.

UPDATE: I just called the chase benefits administrator number at 1-877-631-0920, and they said the IHG World Mastercard acts as Primary Insurance in a foreign country(not excluding Ireland!), and that chase does not exclude ANY foreign countries from this benefit. Now I just need this in writing! What a money saver.

t325

I'm planning a trip to Ireland, and now that I have flights and hotel sorted out, time to arrange the rental car.

Since this would be my first time driving on the left side of the road, I want to make sure I am fully insured for anything and everything, just in case. (Ironically, as I type this, I'm watching the Simpsons marathon, and the current episode had Homer driving a car in Ireland on the left. If Homer can do it, so can I ) Since my personal auto insurance doesn't cover Ireland, and the AmEx premium rental protection I normally use doesn't cover Ireland, I think I'm at the mercy of whichever rental company I go through for insurance. But if I'm understanding everything right, the CDW offered by the rental companies have astronomical deductibles, over €1,000.

Is there an insurance plan I could purchase from a third party (perhaps one included in a standard trip insurance policy for medical, cancellation, etc) that would cover my rental car for all damages with no deductible, or a more reasonable deductible, like a couple hundred euros?

Also, is liability insurance (in case I hit somebody else) included with the rental? I haven't seen it offered separately on Hertz, Avis, etc, like it is in the states.



Thanks

stut

Hi t325,

As we have a dedicated UK & Ireland forum, and an active thread all about car hire insurance in Ireland, I'm going to move this thread over and merge with the existing one. Please continue to follow this topic in the UK & Ireland forum.

stut
Moderator
UK & Ireland

philemer

Now that you are n the correct thread go up-thread and read a bunch of posts. There are a # of cr. cards that offer primary ins. coverage. I'd suggest getting one of those and the accompanying bonus airline/hotel miles/points.

Also, check http://www.dandooley.com/ They have an easy to navigate site that lets you compare rates with and w/o ins. Also, I'd suggest calling their USA # and ask them any questions you have. They are responsive.

lwildernorva

Resurrecting this old thread to see if anyone has any experience renting a vehicle with full insurance from Easy Tour Ireland: http://www.easytourireland.com/. It appears you're getting a car from Hertz that includes everything, CDW, super cover (but not tire and windshield coverage), location charge, in the quoted price. And the quoted prices I've seen seem competitive, if not lower, than any other site, including Dooley and Hertz.

I'm planning a late April trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland (and noticed that driving to NI is not explicitly mentioned in the inclusions although Hertz rentals may generally be taken to the North) so if no one has had any experience, I very well may be the guinea pig on this one.

lwildernorva

A little research about Easy Tour Ireland during lunch provided this additional information. First, generally good reviews on two fora:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...s-Ireland.html
and
http://ireland.activeboard.com/t4915...rt=oldestFirst.

Second, unfortunately just expired last Saturday, a promo code that offered both a free GPS and a second driver: https://www.easytourireland.com/earl...r-special-2015.

Although this promo is over (I wouldn't have needed it as I'm solo on this trip and have a dedicated GPS for UK/Ireland), it appears that at least on one other, earlier occasion, they offered a coupon for a choice of a free GPS or a second driver.

Now I'm really beginning to wonder, why isn't this be too good to be true? I was originally going to rent through Dan Dooley, but this company seems reliable, is reported as having excellent customer service, and has low, all-inclusive rates. If I take a rental through them, I'll definitely post about my experience in April in this thread.

HIDDY

We have a Hertz C class car booked for 2 weeks in May at GLA costing £228. Hertz own zero excess is silly money so we just take out a third party insurance for around £40.
If you find out the cost of of doing it separately you may find it works out even cheaper than what ETI are offering.

LM225

Not sure how helpful this is for you, but I searched exhaustively for rental options that included super cover for our upcoming Ireland trip, and ETI was not only the best price, but they were tremendously helpful. I called their US office to ask some questions, and Conn, the owner, was fantastic, patiently walking me through the way rentals and insurance work in Ireland. He also recommended a transfer service that I've booked with as well.

A friend of mine rented from them previously and had nothing but good things to say as well, which tipped the scales for me.

lwildernorva

Good suggestions. In the UK, I'm very happy to use one of my credit cards that provides primary coverage for rentals in the UK. Unfortunately, as this thread indicates, there can be some confusion in regards to this issue in Ireland. Some American credit cards will provide primary insurance coverage for CDW in Ireland but apparently not for the super cover, which is an additional coverage to reduce liability from 1200-1800 euros to 0-100 (mentioned here for the benefits of others since I see you've used it for your UK rentals).

Although I'd normally decline this excess coverage while driving around Scotland, I've found the worst roads there not nearly as bad as the worst roads I've covered in Ireland (although the roads in Northern Ireland are at the generally higher UK standard). I'm a good driver, but not so confident that I would rule out the possibility of some incident occurring that might result in my paying 1200-1800 euros for car damage.

As a result and based on my other research, I'm happy paying for a level of coverage that I would decline in the US or UK. I'm also aware of third-party coverages for super cover, but I've also discovered that until you're at the rental counter, you may not be entirely certain that the rental company will accept this coverage.

To reduce the hassle by reducing the process to a "one-stop shop," I figured it was easier to take a rental through a company that offered the car and all insurances in a transparent, all-inclusive price even if I paid somewhat more than I might normally like. In doing my research, Easy Tour was so significantly lower than other options that I wondered about the reliability of the company, especially because until my post, the company had not been mentioned in this thread. LM225's post after yours reflects the evaluation of Easy Tour that I saw in the other fora so I think I'll end up taking the rental from them.