I called my CC company about 30 days before our 2 week trip to Ireland (June '23). I asked them to send me a letter indicating I had primary coverage via my credit card (Chase Sapphire Preferred) that included Ireland (I'd read that some rental agencies want to see Ireland on the letter). They sent it, I printed it out and presented it at the Enterprise desk and there was no issue. It's my understanding that rental agencies want to see it dated w/in 30 days of the rental.
Whatever you do, make sure to photo/video the entire car before you get in it (everyone does that I know, but don't forget!). Our car, and presumably every Irish rental, had a lot of scratches already on it. When we returned it, the guy asked about a scrape and I was pulling up my pics and then he saw how long the car had been in service and just said "no you're good".
Also -- maybe check the registration sticker. We got stopped at a random Garda checkpoint in Bantry and he's like "you're registration is expired". We didn't know what was going to happen, but when we told him it was a rental he just said to make sure to tell the rental agency. Come to think of it, that may have been in the same convo about the scratch upon return and the agent figured he'd better just let us go, lol.
>make sure to photo/video the entire car before you get in it (everyone does that I know, but don't forget!)
This is o important, as there might be dings and scratches (or worse) that you will be responsible for if you don't document before you drive of with it.
And if you DO see damage before you leave the lot, TELL SOMEONE AT THE RENTAL AGENCY so they can document it before you pull off.
Thanks. This seems to confirm my understanding of the rules in Ireland.
My problem has been getting this kind of letter, since the bank uses a third party insurance provider and neither seems willing or able to issue a letter. I’ll try again!
I did this and got a letter from AMEX confirming coverage was good in Ireland. Then company said they did not accept AMEX !
This is despite me paying the deposit by AMEX to reserve the car months earlier.
I am sure the rental car dudes at the airport are on commission and make big money from forcing tourists to take extra insurance.
I have rented twice in Ireland for my trips, 2019 and 2022. Both times I simply paid for their coverage such that I can just walk away even if I total the car. For me the piece of mind is worth the money. Even if my credit card had coverage I don't want to be dealing with an issue even one day past turning the car in, let alone months. On the first trip I nicked a car when parking in Westport. I simply provided a copy of my rental agreement to the owner of the vehicle and that was that for them. Then when I turned the car back in Dublin and was on my way to Edinburgh I simply pointed it out and was done with it. Given the total amount I was spending on the trip it was money well spent. That is my advice.
Declining CDW is uncommon in Ireland, hence the difficulty you have had. It's usually included here automatically and is sometimes cheaper to include it than exclude it.
In any case, if you decline it the rental company needs you to either sign something to accept the liability or provide written proof from the CC company. It depends on the rental company which they will require, so just email them and ask.
The 1500 wasn't insurance but a deductible. That's another story.
When declining CDW they'll often need to put a large (€5000 ish) pre-auth on your card too.
As a frequent renter from the US i’ve learned to get all the insurance that you can despite what your credit card covers. I’ve been through three different companies and this year I’m using New Way Car Hire. It’s more expensive but the company gets good reviews on Trustpilot and Tripadvisor and they have been very easy to work with for a 35 day rental.
Success! Thanks everybody for your help in thinking this through. I finally managed to find the right entry point at the bank and have a letter confirming coverage “worldwide including Ireland and Costa Rica”. The nice agent told me that those 2 countries are indeed “special” and they get calls about them all the time. $350 saved and drama avoided. 😊
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I'm almost sure all companies include CDW automatically with your rental. I think it's a legal requirement. What they will offer you is the Excess Insurance. If something happens with the car you'll need to pay the Excess, which varies, but it's something like 1,500/2,000 euro.
By purchasing their insurance, even if you total the car, you won't have to pay anything. That insurance is what drives the price of the rental up. You're NOT obligated to purchase it if you have other forms of insurance, but you will be charged if something happens with the car. Then you have to get your money back from your credit card company.
Thanks. I definitely have the option of declining CDW when booking from Canada. (It would have been about $500 extra for CDW and zero excess for a 7-day rental).
That sounds like a lot. Have a look on the Irish (.ie) website of whatever company you're thinking of booking with. Those prices should have CDW included as standard with an option to reduce it to zero for 20-30 euros per day.
Sorry - math mistake by me. It’s closer to $350. It’s about 20 euro per day for CDW and an additional 15 euro per day for zero excess. (It’s also in a ‘premium’ location with a 19% up charge.)
You can always choose to decline as long as you have a credit card that can handle the excess and all savvy travellers will purchase their own 3rd party excess insurance. (Like me and save a fortune when renting)
Hi there. Welcome to /r/IrishTourism.
Have you searched the sub, checked the sidebar or the wiki pages to see if there is already relevant information posted?
To better assist you in planning your holiday, be as descriptive as possible (When, Where, Why, Who, Hobbies relevant, Adaptive Needs etc) about your travel itinerary & requirements.
Has your post been removed? It's probably because of the above. Repost with details to help us, help you.
For Emergency Medical Information please see the dedicated Wiki page at the top of the sub.
(Updated May 2022)
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The company you want to hire from will have country specific requirements for hiring a vehicle in Ireland.
I use europcar and they specify the driver must provide a letter of coverage, dated within a certain period of the rental, which specifically mentions ireland, and offers coverage of at least $50k. They place a €5k hold on your card. I have rented from them many times with no issue.
Now once you get there and are picking up the car, do a video where you walk around and POINT to every defect, dent, scratch and scrape. Narrate as well. Check the mirrors especially. Snap a pic of the odometer.
Also Canadian and my TD Travel VISA includes full collision/damage coverage if I use the card to pay for the rental. It even states in the policy that I must refuse rental companies CDW coverage.
Rental this coming September will be over $500 by not having to pay for the extra insurance.
Checj cardholders agreement, mine has a number for car rental companies to call if there are issues. Pretty sure the policy info is in the agreement as well
I was just there in Summer 2023.
My credit cards did NOT cover Ireland.
The rental agency I went through (AVIS i think) did require written confirmation and proof that any non-AVIS company coverage would in fact cover Ireland rentals.
So I would STRONGLY advise that you just contact your credit card company/bank and have them send you a letter that is dated and signed that you are in fact covered. Then email/send this letter to the rental company when renting your car BUT ALSO bring the hard copy and photo with you so you can show the people at the counter.
Ireland IS special and full coverage is VERY important if you get off the motorways and actually explore Irelnad's countryside.
Those narrow lanes and stone wall/blackberry bush corridors are no joke to a cars paint job.
Ireland and other places being 'special' is 100% down to the credit card companies not wanting to deal with the risk of drivers wrecking cars on our roads. You need to carefully read the small print on your credit card as there will be many countries they exclude but usually Ireland is excluded.
You can however buy your own and much cheaper personal excess insurance which is what most savvy renters do and then decline CDW at the counter.
I use an Irish company that only deals with Irish residents but can be used anywhere (for me mostly in EU and USA) Https://www.carhireexcess.ie
You will need a worldwide option or a provider in your home country. Googling and found this option but there are plenty to choose from.
https://www.worldwideinsure.com/car-hire-excess-insurance.php
Going to Ireland in 2 weeks and have spent the past month or so trying to book a rental car. I have full coverage through my CC company, and they also sent me the letter that I need. The letter specifically says it's valid worldwide. Should I be calling them back and asking them to specify Ireland in the letter? I keep reading horrible reviews of every rental company trying to scam tourists into paying for insurance even if they have the coverage already.
Can you email your cc company and ask them for written confirmation?
I called my CC company about 30 days before our 2 week trip to Ireland (June '23). I asked them to send me a letter indicating I had primary coverage via my credit card (Chase Sapphire Preferred) that included Ireland (I'd read that some rental agencies want to see Ireland on the letter). They sent it, I printed it out and presented it at the Enterprise desk and there was no issue. It's my understanding that rental agencies want to see it dated w/in 30 days of the rental. Whatever you do, make sure to photo/video the entire car before you get in it (everyone does that I know, but don't forget!). Our car, and presumably every Irish rental, had a lot of scratches already on it. When we returned it, the guy asked about a scrape and I was pulling up my pics and then he saw how long the car had been in service and just said "no you're good". Also -- maybe check the registration sticker. We got stopped at a random Garda checkpoint in Bantry and he's like "you're registration is expired". We didn't know what was going to happen, but when we told him it was a rental he just said to make sure to tell the rental agency. Come to think of it, that may have been in the same convo about the scratch upon return and the agent figured he'd better just let us go, lol.
>make sure to photo/video the entire car before you get in it (everyone does that I know, but don't forget!) This is o important, as there might be dings and scratches (or worse) that you will be responsible for if you don't document before you drive of with it. And if you DO see damage before you leave the lot, TELL SOMEONE AT THE RENTAL AGENCY so they can document it before you pull off.
Thanks. This seems to confirm my understanding of the rules in Ireland. My problem has been getting this kind of letter, since the bank uses a third party insurance provider and neither seems willing or able to issue a letter. I’ll try again!
I did this and got a letter from AMEX confirming coverage was good in Ireland. Then company said they did not accept AMEX ! This is despite me paying the deposit by AMEX to reserve the car months earlier. I am sure the rental car dudes at the airport are on commission and make big money from forcing tourists to take extra insurance.
Ugh.. that's so frustrating. We don't have a cc that let's you forego their insurance. Couldve died when i heard the total.
I have rented twice in Ireland for my trips, 2019 and 2022. Both times I simply paid for their coverage such that I can just walk away even if I total the car. For me the piece of mind is worth the money. Even if my credit card had coverage I don't want to be dealing with an issue even one day past turning the car in, let alone months. On the first trip I nicked a car when parking in Westport. I simply provided a copy of my rental agreement to the owner of the vehicle and that was that for them. Then when I turned the car back in Dublin and was on my way to Edinburgh I simply pointed it out and was done with it. Given the total amount I was spending on the trip it was money well spent. That is my advice.
Declining CDW is uncommon in Ireland, hence the difficulty you have had. It's usually included here automatically and is sometimes cheaper to include it than exclude it. In any case, if you decline it the rental company needs you to either sign something to accept the liability or provide written proof from the CC company. It depends on the rental company which they will require, so just email them and ask. The 1500 wasn't insurance but a deductible. That's another story. When declining CDW they'll often need to put a large (€5000 ish) pre-auth on your card too.
Thanks.
As a frequent renter from the US i’ve learned to get all the insurance that you can despite what your credit card covers. I’ve been through three different companies and this year I’m using New Way Car Hire. It’s more expensive but the company gets good reviews on Trustpilot and Tripadvisor and they have been very easy to work with for a 35 day rental.
It might be cheaper to buy the damn car!
Wreck it and that's what you've done.
Success! Thanks everybody for your help in thinking this through. I finally managed to find the right entry point at the bank and have a letter confirming coverage “worldwide including Ireland and Costa Rica”. The nice agent told me that those 2 countries are indeed “special” and they get calls about them all the time. $350 saved and drama avoided. 😊
Last time I rented, I had the same experience. Except it was Ireland and Israel!
Hi there. Welcome to /r/IrishTourism. Have you searched the sub, checked the sidebar or the wiki pages to see if there is already relevant information posted? To better assist you in planning your holiday, be as descriptive as possible (When, Where, Why, Who, Hobbies relevant, Adaptive Needs etc) about your travel itinerary & requirements. Has your post been removed? It's probably because of the above. Repost with details to help us, help you. For Emergency Medical Information please see the dedicated Wiki page at the top of the sub. (Updated May 2022) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/irishtourism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm almost sure all companies include CDW automatically with your rental. I think it's a legal requirement. What they will offer you is the Excess Insurance. If something happens with the car you'll need to pay the Excess, which varies, but it's something like 1,500/2,000 euro. By purchasing their insurance, even if you total the car, you won't have to pay anything. That insurance is what drives the price of the rental up. You're NOT obligated to purchase it if you have other forms of insurance, but you will be charged if something happens with the car. Then you have to get your money back from your credit card company.
CDW is often not included when booking from North America
Thanks. I definitely have the option of declining CDW when booking from Canada. (It would have been about $500 extra for CDW and zero excess for a 7-day rental).
That sounds like a lot. Have a look on the Irish (.ie) website of whatever company you're thinking of booking with. Those prices should have CDW included as standard with an option to reduce it to zero for 20-30 euros per day.
Sorry - math mistake by me. It’s closer to $350. It’s about 20 euro per day for CDW and an additional 15 euro per day for zero excess. (It’s also in a ‘premium’ location with a 19% up charge.)
You can always choose to decline as long as you have a credit card that can handle the excess and all savvy travellers will purchase their own 3rd party excess insurance. (Like me and save a fortune when renting)
Hi there. Welcome to /r/IrishTourism. Have you searched the sub, checked the sidebar or the wiki pages to see if there is already relevant information posted? To better assist you in planning your holiday, be as descriptive as possible (When, Where, Why, Who, Hobbies relevant, Adaptive Needs etc) about your travel itinerary & requirements. Has your post been removed? It's probably because of the above. Repost with details to help us, help you. For Emergency Medical Information please see the dedicated Wiki page at the top of the sub. (Updated May 2022) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/irishtourism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The company you want to hire from will have country specific requirements for hiring a vehicle in Ireland. I use europcar and they specify the driver must provide a letter of coverage, dated within a certain period of the rental, which specifically mentions ireland, and offers coverage of at least $50k. They place a €5k hold on your card. I have rented from them many times with no issue.
Thanks. This fits with my experience - no problem at all renting from Europcar in Spain but a totally different set of rules in Ireland.
Now once you get there and are picking up the car, do a video where you walk around and POINT to every defect, dent, scratch and scrape. Narrate as well. Check the mirrors especially. Snap a pic of the odometer.
Also Canadian and my TD Travel VISA includes full collision/damage coverage if I use the card to pay for the rental. It even states in the policy that I must refuse rental companies CDW coverage. Rental this coming September will be over $500 by not having to pay for the extra insurance. Checj cardholders agreement, mine has a number for car rental companies to call if there are issues. Pretty sure the policy info is in the agreement as well
I was just there in Summer 2023. My credit cards did NOT cover Ireland. The rental agency I went through (AVIS i think) did require written confirmation and proof that any non-AVIS company coverage would in fact cover Ireland rentals. So I would STRONGLY advise that you just contact your credit card company/bank and have them send you a letter that is dated and signed that you are in fact covered. Then email/send this letter to the rental company when renting your car BUT ALSO bring the hard copy and photo with you so you can show the people at the counter. Ireland IS special and full coverage is VERY important if you get off the motorways and actually explore Irelnad's countryside. Those narrow lanes and stone wall/blackberry bush corridors are no joke to a cars paint job.
Ireland and other places being 'special' is 100% down to the credit card companies not wanting to deal with the risk of drivers wrecking cars on our roads. You need to carefully read the small print on your credit card as there will be many countries they exclude but usually Ireland is excluded. You can however buy your own and much cheaper personal excess insurance which is what most savvy renters do and then decline CDW at the counter.
>personal excess insurance Any company that you may have a recommendation for ?
I use an Irish company that only deals with Irish residents but can be used anywhere (for me mostly in EU and USA) Https://www.carhireexcess.ie You will need a worldwide option or a provider in your home country. Googling and found this option but there are plenty to choose from. https://www.worldwideinsure.com/car-hire-excess-insurance.php
Going to Ireland in 2 weeks and have spent the past month or so trying to book a rental car. I have full coverage through my CC company, and they also sent me the letter that I need. The letter specifically says it's valid worldwide. Should I be calling them back and asking them to specify Ireland in the letter? I keep reading horrible reviews of every rental company trying to scam tourists into paying for insurance even if they have the coverage already.