Tony

We're travelling to Ireland in October and need to rent a car for a week. I remember reading something in this forum about CDW and credit cards. Can someone explain this for me? Thanks, and any reputable rental agencies that have automatics are appreciated.

wes fowler

Tony, <BR>In brief, CDW provided by the auto rental agency can in some cases almost equal the cost of the auto rental itself. Some credit card companies offer secondary insurance coverage if the rental is charged on the company's card. The coverage is usually offered in the company's premium cards, American Express Platinum or Gold for example, rather than its Optima card. Many of the card companies don't offer coverage for specific countries, Israel, Italy and Ireland come to mind, either because of statistical evidence of high accident and theft rates (Italy) or possible damage resulting from terrorist activity (Israel). For the most accurate information, read the fine print - the REALLY fine print of your credit card contract; customer service reps of the card companies rarely have authoritative or accurate information when responding to phone solicitations for guidance. <BR> <BR>One further point; it's extremely doubtful that your present auto insurer will offer any coverage for foreign car travel, though you might check to be certain.

FYI

Also, if you're renting a car and paying on an AmEx Corporate Card, you do not have any supplement (CDW) insurance. Just an FYI.

Phil

I've had the best luck with Avis. All of the big rental companies have automatics (good choice, by the way). Stay away from the local companies, as it's very difficult to fight them if you have a problem with your bill after you get home. Avis, Hertz, and the rest are more responsive (well, as responsive as car rental companies get).

CanadianAl

just returned from a month in europe .everything was fantastic ,except my experience with Avis...I booked a car over the internet ..got to Frankfurt after a 10 hour flight ,and they didnt have a car for me....(or 3 other people that were in line....waited 2 hours ...finally was told that there was a staion wagon (that I didn't want) with standard shift( that I didnt want)up in the parking garage...I went up to find 3 other automatic sedans sitting there next to (my) wagon.when I went down to find out why I hadnt been given one of them, I was told that they were contracted to other people...there was no manager to complain to,and I was told to take it or leave it..I have not emailed Avis yet ,to see what they will have to say about it, but it was not a very good start to an otherwise perfect trip...cheers, Al

Gaelen

Tony, <BR>I spent weeks researching this before I left. In the end I signed up for a no annual fee platinum mastercard whcih covers cdw in Ireland for up to 15 days. This saved us over $200. Visa does not cover Ireland. We used autoeurope which booked us Hertz in Dublin. This worked out really well and their rates were way lower than anyone else we checked (85 IEP a week)--you should still check everyone though, because things change daily. Use only major companies like Hertz and Avis (we had a bad experience with europcar in England) Get the smallest car you can stand--you'll feel much better on tiny roads and squeezing into tight parking spots.

love2trvl

Hi Tony: <BR>Stay way from Avis, had a car reserved before I left the States and when I arrived in Shannon, no car! They claimed they did not have a reservation even though I had a written confirmation. Budget rented a car on the spot without a reservation but I needed to use a Platinum card (Mastercard or AMEX, not Visa) to avoid paying CDW. Dan Dooley is an Irish rent a car company with a good reputation, you could try them. I have now vowed that I will never do business with Avis again here or abroad and I now only travel with my Citibank Platinum. They will take care of my CDW concerns. Apply for it before you leave. You can do it online like I did. Approval is done in seconds and the card will be here before you leave. Have a great trip!

Tony

Thanks a lot to all of you for providing good advice.

love2trvl

Tony: <BR>Have a great time. Post a note when you return and let us know how everything went.

Kate

We have a platinum mastercard & they sent us a fax stating that they cover CDW for Ireland. We rented our car (automatic)from AutoEurope. We leave tomorrow for Ireland, I will let you know if we had any problems when we return if I can find this posting or you can post your real e mail address and I'll respond directly. I know there is concern about posting real e mails due to spamming.

Sandra

Hello - <BR>Regarding AMEX Coporate cards and CDW. I just checked with amex on ours and they said they do not cover CDW outside the US. GoIreland.com has a web site that covers rental info and their site also said that Visa, Amex do not cover CDW but that Mastercard does. <BR>We're going in Sept. and have rented 2 vehicles from Go Ireland and plan to use a Mastercard Platiumn to avoid the extra cost of CDW. <BR>Enjoy your trip. <BR>Sandra <BR> <BR>

Mary Beth

Hi Tony, Regarding collision insurance, check with a rep from your credit card company. If they provide collision in Ireland, they will be able to send you some documentation stating that just in case the rental car company questions it. We rented with Dan Dooley who had rates comparable to Avis. Phoned them on the 800 number in the states and had the rental agreement within a few days. I also decided to opt for additional insurance so there would be no deductible in case of an accident. I would recommend them without hesitation. My daughter did all the driving and even though she would never admit to it, the car lost a hub cap and part of one of the outside mirrors. She said that is the way we got the car. I didn't think so so I wondered what would happen on return of the car. The young man helped us check out the car to make sure we weren't leaving anything behind, helped us into the van to the airport and that was that. They also charge you for a tank of gas so you do not need to return the car with a full tank which is convenient and less expensive than filling it up at a local station. On our departure I requested an extra map and was given two. By the way, their road map was all we used while traveling. So if you have a lot of maps at home used for planning you can feel confident leaving them at home.

anna

It's OK to count on an automatic if you know how to drive stick and just prefer automatic, but make sure someone in your party knows how to drive stick. It could be a disaster if you end up in a situation like CanadianAl did, or like I did two years ago. Rental agents will promise you anything but all the promises in the world do not equal delivery once you are standing at the counter waiting for your car. It only takes about an hour of practice to learn stick, and it could save your vacation from disaster. Rick Steves gives the same advice. Don't ignore it. <BR>

Linda

We were able to use our credit union issued Gold Master card to waive the CDW on a car rental in Ireland this June. The MC people sent us a letter stating that they would be liable for any problem. We rented from Dan Dooley thru the NJ office,a 800 number. Prepaid it was about $280 for a Ford Fiesta for 8 days. We then purchased the incidental liability insurance for #7 per day when we picked up the car. You also pay for the first full tank of petrol. The car was small, but we were glad to have it as we did a lot of travel on country roads. They are narrow and we did see people with SUVs and I would not want to be worryting about scraping along the shubs and such! The incidental liability covers such things as scratches, broken side mirrors, lost hub caps. We had no problems but you did see many such things happening to cars. The best thing to remember is take your time, be cautious and always have you navigator checking the maps provided by Dan Dooley.

Kirby

I hope this isn't drifting too far off of the original subject, but we're heading for Ireland next April and I'm interested in knowing how hard it is to make the transition to driving on the left side. Also, I can drive a manual trans proficiently, but is it tough to shift with your other hand? It's kinda hard to imagine without actually doing it! Thanks in advance for any advice.

John

For Kirby, <BR>I think it snaps into place for most people after a couple of days. I know my hardest transition is not the shifting, or keeping left, but the #%&@! mirrors. I keep looking at the roof column like there's something there. <BR> <BR>But watch out after a few days - don't get over-confident; you may do the wrong thing instinctively on a narrow road. Also watch out for pedestrians coming from unfamiliar angles.

anon

Driving on the left is easily adapted too ... just watch the round-a-bouts and those right turns! Problem is coming home and remembering to drive on the right!

marrianne

I've always used National. If you are hiring from Dublin airport, speak to Mary Callaghan - she's great and will always do you a good deal. They normal quote a price that is everything except the top up insurance which if you take the extra is only about £4 irish per day - well worth it for peace of mind. Have fun

topper

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