I will be traveling to Santiago in December to visit my bf. *We want to rent a car to drive from Santiago to Las Martas de Farfan, but neither of us have a credit card - all I have is my visa debit card from CIBC and a pre-paid Visa with my name on it. *Can anyone tell me where I can go to rent a car without a credit card and what the cost should be for 4-5 days.
- Thread starter Karen Holland
- Start date
Car rental without a credit card
I will not be the one driving but I am trying to work out my budget for this trip and was wondering what the cost is - he has not had time to look into it and I cannot find anything online.
Exactly. Is it not possible to put your friend in charge of this? I know many people in Puerto Plata who do this. I'm not commenting nor advising on security/insurance issues, that you need to check yourself, but I know as well, it should be pretty easily possible.
Depending on condition/type, what I've seen, between 1,300 and 2,200 pesos per day. For a longer trip, I'd say the safer options would start from 1,500 - 1,600 pesos daily (not sure about prices in Santiago though). If your friend will be the one negotiating, he could negotiate a package for the needed days with advance payment.
Keep in mind that not only will they put the amount of the rental on your card, they will also put a "deposit" on the card also. Make sure you ask about this if you plan to use your DC (or even CC). It could tie up your cash availability.
If he is the one doing the driving, he should be the one with his name on the contract. *God forbid you get in an accident (even a minor one), the liability issues (both "official" and unofficial direct payoffs) can be daunting and really wreck your day. Should there be injuries involved, the driver will probably find himself held in jail for several days (irregardless of fault).
That said, in my experience here, there are many rental car businesses outside of the airports. For these, with negotiation, you can usually get a decent well used "jeepeta" (small SUV) for around 1000 pesos a day.
I have a deal with one such company where I take their oldest car (usually a 4d Toyota sedan with about 200,000 kilometers on it) for 500 pesos a day (minimum 1 week). I've driven that car all over the island (North Coast to Santo Domingo, Samana, Costanza, etc, etc). And other than the occasional flat tire, I've never had a problem with it. *But I never drink and drive, and I try to avoid driving at night. (The DR is a whole different driving environment than most tourists are used to - very dangerous).*
The bus system does work well though and is very economical compared to car rentals. *
Good luck with your visit.*
330 kms and about a 7 hour drive and lets say US80 gas and assuming a week car rental with good insurance cover you will be looking at $500 and probably more for inland travel cost.
Your option is to book an international rental car with flight but the hirer here will want some security unless maybe you opt for full cover.
Or and probably much better tell your bf that you will travel by bus with him. Probably $40 each way for the both of you and you can overnight in Santo Domingo to break the journey and all less and less hassle with a hire car. I doubt he will like the idea of having to bus it expecting you to be able to comfortably afford a hire car.
Las Matas de Farfan is close to the Haitian border and is a place way off the beaten track for any foreigners so caution is the keyword.