To Rent a car or not to rent a car?

"Budget". At POP aeropuerto. $32 including everything. Pay with CC and get free insurance coverage. "Alamo" and "Hertz" are just a couple of bucks more. Do not drive at night. Return with same level of gas like when you take it.

HerbigPovec said:

Hello All:

My wife and I are flying into POP next month and are splitting our time between Cabarete the Samana Peninsula.

We thought we would rent a car for the week so to have have some freedom to get to surf beaches or get into town for food. We are in our late 20's, adventurous and have driven overseas quite a bit. We don't know Spanish.

Should we rent a car?
From what company?
Do we need all-wheel drive on the peninsula?
What other options do we have to get from POP to Las Terrenas?
How much does a bus cost? Taxi? Private driver?
Are there car rentals in Las Terrenas or Las Galeras?
What transportation options does one have getting from Cabarete to the morning surf @ El Encuentro?
What do we risk by renting a car?

Any info or suggestions are welcome. Thanks for your insights!

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AK74 said:

"Budget". At POP aeropuerto. $32 including everything. Pay with CC and get free insurance coverage. "Alamo" and "Hertz" are just a couple of bucks more. Do not drive at night. Return with same level of gas like when you take it.

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since when did Budget do this? or is free insurance coverage a POP thing only? I have never heard of any rental company doing this for a hook up! :ermm:

jalencastro said:

since when did Budget do this? or is free insurance coverage a POP thing only? I have never heard of any rental company doing this for a hook up! :ermm:

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I used American Express with Budget in June and the insurance was covered by my Amex.

Robin

jalencastro said:

since when did Budget do this? or is free insurance coverage a POP thing only? I have never heard of any rental company doing this for a hook up! :ermm:

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If you have a visa card, Visa covers your liability to the car.

ok

yelkcub said:

I used American Express with Budget in June and the insurance was covered by my Amex.

Robin

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ok thats insurance by your credit card, you didnt specify that on your post originally, i thought it was some new thing with POP! LOL, you know they didnt accept mine in SDQ, they refused to use the insurance by CC companies and forced me to take their lowest insurnace! hmph! :tired:

hey

badpiece33 said:

If you have a visa card, Visa covers your liability to the car.

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is this universal and apply to all Visas? i heard there have been issues with this liability lately in foreign rentals....i hope they dont give me the same B.S. as last year and refuse it!

I would strongly suggest a 4WD car for you time in Samana (return it for a regular car when in Cabarete) There are so many beautiful beaches in Samana to explore (which require a 4WD and higher clearance) If you are explorers you will appreciate the freedom. The downfall is that 4WD cars are often worth 4 times the price to rent :ermm: (Which is why I suggested returning it for a car in Cabarete)

Just be cautious driving, and heed the warning about not driving at night if you can avoid it. Make sure you get to Las Terrenas before the sun sets. The road over the mountain is narrow, steep and lined with homes and people. Unless you have done it before, you do not want to do it in the dark

HerbigPovec said:

Do we need all-wheel drive on the peninsula

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jalencastro said:

is this universal and apply to all Visas? i heard there have been issues with this liability lately in foreign rentals....i hope they dont give me the same B.S. as last year and refuse it!

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Not all cards have the same coverage. Be careful though, cc's only cover the car, not damage to property or persons. If you decline, they will make you sign a waiver.

Some car companies oblige you to take their liabilty insurance (I know Budget does this. Although I have refused all insurance with Avis, Alamo and Hertz).

i noticed Budget was obligating me to take their liability....dont know why, but thats the case or their policy i guess....stinks, but oh well

jalencastro said:

i noticed Budget was obligating me to take their liability....dont know why, but thats the case or their policy i guess....stinks, but oh well

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No. You are not very right. They freez like $200 or $300 on your CC until you return the car. And you sign a waiver that you do not want to buy their policy. You are covered with your CC already. I rent from them all the time.

jalencastro said:

since when did Budget do this? or is free insurance coverage a POP thing only? I have never heard of any rental company doing this for a hook up! :ermm:

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Not "BUDGET"! Most CCs give you FREE rent car insurance when you pay with CC. Sorry for misunderstanding.

AK74 said:

No. You are not very right. They freez like $200 or $300 on your CC until you return the car. And you sign a waiver that you do not want to buy their policy. You are covered with your CC already. I rent from them all the time.

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They will let you refuse their insurance for the vehicule (and freeze $$$ on your card) But they will not let you refuse their liability insurance (for property and person damage). It is stated in their contract. Although I believe that this is specific to Budget in DR (I cannot be sure for other countries)

badpiece33 said:

If you have a visa card, Visa covers your liability to the car.

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Which means only certain damage to the car. I've been told by several car rental companies that if you end up responsible for personal injury to a passenger, or anyone else, or damage to another vehicle you will only be covered if you take out liability insurance with them. I've also been told by the car companies, in the event of a necessity to make a claim (accident) the usual course of action is for the rental company to charge the damage to your credit card account and then you fight it out with the credit card company (if you don't have a valid police report your fight will probably be unsuccessful). The rental companies take an extra imprint of your card for just such an event.

jalencastro said:

is this universal and apply to all Visas? i heard there have been issues with this liability lately in foreign rentals....i hope they dont give me the same B.S. as last year and refuse it!

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It's best in every case to call the customer service phone number on the back of the card before each trip and make sure of exactly what they cover. They will also tell you exactly what you have to do to take advantage of their benefits.

wuarhat said:

Which means only certain damage to the car. I've been told by several car rental companies that if you end up responsible for personal injury to a passenger, or anyone else, or damage to another vehicle you will only be covered if you take out liability insurance with them. I've also been told by the car companies, in the event of a necessity to make a claim (accident) the usual course of action is for the rental company to charge the damage to your credit card account and then you fight it out with the credit card company (if you don't have a valid police report your fight will probably be unsuccessful). The rental companies take an extra imprint of your card for just such an event.



It's best in every case to call the customer service phone number on the back of the card before each trip and make sure of exactly what they cover. They will also tell you exactly what you have to do to take advantage of their benefits.

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Do not waste your time talking to rent car people. They lie. All the true info about your insurance coverage is in your CC agreement. Read it.

wuarhat said:

Which means only certain damage to the car. I've been told by several car rental companies that if you end up responsible for personal injury to a passenger, or anyone else, or damage to another vehicle you will only be covered if you take out liability insurance with them. I've also been told by the car companies, in the event of a necessity to make a claim (accident) the usual course of action is for the rental company to charge the damage to your credit card account and then you fight it out with the credit card company (if you don't have a valid police report your fight will probably be unsuccessful). The rental companies take an extra imprint of your card for just such an event.


It's best in every case to call the customer service phone number on the back of the card before each trip and make sure of exactly what they cover. They will also tell you exactly what you have to do to take advantage of their benefits.

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Good points. I pay the extra cost for liability insurance in the DR. It's the only place I purchase the car rentals liability insurance. Here's why;

1. No matter what you think is being covered, read the fine print because while the car itself may be covered, neither you nor passengers are. Many people believe there's this magic umbrella of coverage provided by CCs. That's false.

2. Your CC will most likely not cover property damage, nor personal damage/personal liability- like say, you hit someone. It's all on you.

3. Amex plat member here and they don't cover SUVs in DR. Nunca. Nada. Most CC companies have international exclusions of where and what they will cover if, they cover any damage at all.

4. Whether you have CC coverage or are covered under your auto insurance policy at home, here, they want that money before you even think of filing a claim. You pay and then file a claim back home. They want cash/ cc, unless you're covered by their policy. It's not as simple as saying here's my CC I'm covered and walking away. And again, most insurance companies have very limited, if any, international coverage unless you purchased a separate insurance riderl

Renting a car in DR can be expensive and I totally get not wanting to add to the cost with their liability coverage. However It will be much more expensive if you have an accident and didn't read the fine print before driving off the rental lot. Just add it to the cost of having a fun time in DR!

For Amex members, here's the link to their automatic auto insurance policy, and what the additional rider wiil/ won't cover. I doubt Visa/MC's insurance policies are that much different. Especially in foreign countries

Read the fine print. You can *purchase* additional insurance (PCRP) through Amex. Basic coverage (CRDLI) which is the standard coverage offered on all their cards will leave you underinsured. As you see, the basic coverage will not cover an suv, property damage, personal injury or injury to others.

Like many things in DR, auto rental is a crap shoot. Personally, I feel it's worth the extra 12 dollars.