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Renting an Auto in Ireland is "Buyer Beware" |
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If you would like to have a credit card that covers damage
insurance, then the only card left that does this for Ireland is the Mastercard World Card (also known as World Elite Rewards
Card). If you call any other credit card benefits programs you will be told that Ireland is excluded, and not coverage
is given. In that case you must pay the CDW Waiver, which could costs as much as the auto does. To obtain a World Car, you should go on-line to www.mastercard.com to see what banks offer it. You must contact the specific bank of your choice. The call MasterCard and confirm
that your new card, or exiting card, covers your auto rental in Ireland. Also, ask that a statement to this fact is
emailed to you. They know that you will have trouble in Ireland convincing the rental company that you card covers you,
so they will email you a statement immediately. Call Master Rental Insurance at
(800) 622-7747 to do this. They will also inform you of all the conditions and rules
that you must follow when you rent the auto. Warning:
If you have a World Card and call the bank that issued the card, you will probably get the wrong information about the coverage.
They are not the experts in this matter. They normally send people to www.benefitinformationcenter.com for details, but that website is for Diamond, Gold and Preferred Cardholders, not World Cardholders. Call Mastercard
directly at the above number.
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The accompanying chart outlines the basic auto rental insurance plans offered by the four payment
networks. Details of auto rental insurance plans can change at any time and may differ slightly from issuer to issuer. Before
you embark on a trip in a rental car, it is advisable to call your issuing bank (i.e., Chase or Capital One, not Visa or MasterCard)
to gather the details on your individual plan. Source:
CreditCards.com research, conducted November 2008. Card terms are always subject to change. To report an update, write Editors@CreditCards.com |
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Payment network | Do all cards
offer basic coverage? | Amount of coverage | Vehicle exclusions | Limit on rental
length | Country exclusions | | Yes | Up to $50,000 for Green, Blue, Gold, Optima, Small Biz, &
Small Biz Gold cards; up to $75,000 for Platinum, Centurion, & Small Biz Platinum cards | Any type of pick-up truck, full-sized
SUV, luxury van, exotic sports car and cargo van | Up to 30 days | Australia, Ireland, Israel,
Italy, Jamaica New Zealand | | No: Only available to holders of only Platinum, Miles by Discover,
Discover Motiva, Discover Titanum, Discover Business and Discover Business Miles cards | $25,000 for personal cards;
$50,000 for business | Off-road, antique or limited edition vehicles; trucks, recreational vehicles, campers,
pickup trucks and minibuses; limited edition, high value, exotic, high performance or collector type vehicle; any vehicle
which has not been made for 10 years or more | Will not exceed 31 consecutive days, or 45 consecutive days if the insured
is an employee of an organization which has provided a card for business use | Coverage applies to vehicles
rented in the U.S. and Canada only | | No: Only available only to Gold, Platinum, World and World
Elite cardholders | The lesser of the actual repair amount, current market value (minus salvage), or $50,000 per incident
| All trucks, pickups, campers, off-road vehicles and other recreational vehicles; motorcycles, and any other vehicle
with fewer than four wheels; vehicles older than 20 years | Up to 15 consecutive days Worldcard: Up to 30 consecutive days | Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica and New Zealand Worldcard covers all countries (including Ireland) | | Yes | Up to actual cash value of the vehicle as it was originally
manufactured | Expensive, exotic, and antique automobiles; certain vans; vehicles that have an open cargo bed; trucks;
motorcycles, mopeds, and motorbikes; limousines; and recreational vehicles | Up to 15 consecutive days in
your country of residence or up to 31 consecutive days outside your country of residence | Ireland, Israel, Jamaica |
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Understanding the Terminology Used From: http://www.irelandyes.com/cars.html -CDW: Collision Damage
Waiver is insurance you pay extra for so that if you have an accident or the car is stolen you are covered for most of the
car cost. Lately car rental companies make you pay a deductible, which could be anywhere from €500 - €1,000 and
up.
-Super CDW (or Super Damage Waiver SDW): Pay even more for insurance and if there is an accident
you pay nothing or a reduced amount. Everything is usually covered (though you should ask about tires, undercarriage
and windshields). This can run $10 to $14 a day and up, depending on car type and length of rental
-VAT: 13 ½
% tax (non-refundable). Some companies include it, while with others it is an extra charge.
-Airport Surcharge: Extra
amount paid for renting at airport.
-Road Tax: Fee assessed per day on rental cars. Currently about $1.50 per day.
-Third Party Liability Insurance: Covers damage to people or property outside your rental car. This is
mandatory and is included with every car rental in Ireland.
-Extra Fee for Northern Ireland Travel:
Some car companies add $25 - $30 for driving into No. Ireland. You should inform the car company at the rental desk if going
to No. Ireland.
-Extra Driver: It costs extra for each driver you add to your contract.
-Tank of Gas (petrol)
Charge: When you pick up your car the gas tank should be full. Different companies have different rules. At some you return
the car full and have your deposit for the petrol returned to you. At others you return the car empty (try doing that!) and
pay for the first tank provided. |
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