Car Rental in SDQ

DAKRA said:

Questions Questions Questions!

I am headed ..... Thrifty or Budget or Avis.

I found a pretty good deal ....... $18 USD per day plus tax.

........ But the websites want me to pay for the insurance now... Is this right?

I am concerned that if I pay for the insurance now, is this going to be accepted at the rental counter in the DR? -

__________________________________

1. Even though I have a reservation, should I just pay for everything to include the insurance in full at the counter in SDQ?

2. How much should a compact car with full insurance cost per day/week from one of the major carriers in SDQ cost?

3. How much of a "HOLD" do the car rental companies put on your credit card when you rent?


Any assistance would be greatly appreciated...:cheeky:

Click to expand...

I would steer clear of Thrifty as I have had very bad experiences with them; their cars are usually beat up also. I have rented from both Avis and Thrifty in the past and was never required to pay for insurance in advance. I suggest you wait until you get to the SDQ rental car agency before you give any credit card details. 18 USD sounds pretty low for a rental, but maybe you found a really good deal (Ford Fiesta). Keep in mind the tax applied is 26%. 16% Sales Tax and 10% Airport Tax. If I remember correct, a 500 USD hold was put on my card when renting an SUV for 2 weeks. Your situation may be different.

If I could suggest, Avis is the best SDQ Airport option. The only downside is that you need to exit the airport building make a left and walk a short distance to get to their office. The shuttle to bring you there is almost never around.

Enjoy your time.

OP do not include the insurance in your reservation with Thrifty. I did that thinking I was getting a deal.... not the case. The clerk asked me if I wanted insurance, to which I replied in the affirmative, thinking that he was referring to the insurance I had requested online. He ended up charging me the insurance twice (a considerable amount - I had the car for a week). Despite my best efforts trying to figure out why I was being charged so much above the quote I had been given online, I had to pay the higher amount with the promise that the discrepancy could be figured out before I had to return the car. Of course, nothing was done for me despite my making numerous phone calls repeating the same information over and over again. I was forced to pay the higher amount so I could get the ordeal taken care of and not miss my flight.

After returning to the US I had to file a complaint with the US Thrifty corporate office which ultimately resulted in me settling for a mere 40% return of the overcharged amount.

Long story short - just get the insurance at the desk - plus it was cheaper at the desk than online in my particular case.

Hope this helps. Don't take my word for it though - call first and ask at the desk.

By the way - my family and I will also be going down in May. Staying at Oasis Hamaca in Boca Chica.

Also take a look at National, you might be surprised at their pricing.

National Car Rental // Dominican Republic // Welcome

They have a great reputation and lots of posts from happy customers on the board.

Robert said:

Also take a look at National, you might be surprised at their pricing.

National Car Rental // Dominican Republic // Welcome

They have a great reputation and lots of posts from happy customers on the board.

Click to expand...

National is good but Avis and Budget always seem to be priced lower.

hey DAKRA, you got a pretty good deal there at $18USD a day. I rented last year from Europcar and paid $17USD a day and even managed to get a Mitsubishi Lancer. I had one problem with the original car [nothing too major but nevertheless very annoying] yet i didnt even bother to get [nor really needed] insurance on it. That was my first experience with Europcar and I must say I was very impressed with their professionalism and taking care of me when i had problems. All in all for a 16 day rental only cost $339USD so just a little over $21USD a day [taxes & fees are factored in]. I hope they have a similar deal when I go back sometime this year

Low season Chevy Spark from National is around US$25 per day.

DAKRA, what you should do is tell the guys at the counter that the outside no name rental companies are offering you $15USD daily but that you would rather deal with a reputable company and see if you can negotiate a low rate....i did this between the rental companies and got Budget to lower my reserved daily rate by almost $5USD, every little bit helps!

DAKRA said:

Questions Questions Questions!

I am headed to SDQ in May and plan to rent a car. I plan on renting from one of the large brand companies like Thrifty or Budget or Avis.

I found a pretty good deal on a compact car for like $18 USD per day plus tax.

When I log on to the website to make my reservation, they "Strongly" recommend that i obtain the collision and damage insurance. I agree! - - - But the websites want me to pay for the insurance now... Is this right?

I am concerned that if I pay for the insurance now, is this going to be accepted at the rental counter in the DR? -

__________________________________

1. Even though I have a reservation, should I just pay for everything to include the insurance in full at the counter in SDQ?

2. How much should a compact car with full insurance cost per day/week from one of the major carriers in SDQ cost?

3. How much of a "HOLD" do the car rental companies put on your credit card when you rent?


Any assistance would be greatly appreciated...:cheeky:

Click to expand...

I went to the DR in Feb and i made a reservation with budget before hand. When i got there i was told that because i was not taking the insurance that they would need to put a 800.00 additional hold on my credit card i had no problem with that because my credit card covers me up to 300,000 dollars more or less the price of a Bently, but what got me was a airport surcharge over 130.00 so i called budget and i asked why was this not disclosed on the site and they told me that they had no control of this was it a scam i dont know but i went else where and got a deal of 250.00 a week which included ins pm me and i will give you the info

When I got to DR I always rent from Payless, call me an idiot, but I never take the insurance.
Payless has some pretty good deals too, you can cars for about $18-21 a day for an economy or compact car.

SQR On-Airport Auto Rental Questions

Hello and thank you for your informative posts.
I have narrow my selection of car rental companies to National or Avis.

Are each of these providers located in the airport terminal or near the exit?

Is a shuttle required to reach the vehicle parking lot?

Do they provide Preferred or Emerald Club service?
Have you encountered long lines at the locations' counters?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

- P

just some more information on this subject

I always use Dollar Rent a car. rates vary from $19-$25 depending on the length of the rental.

Insurance:
i use my mastercard which provides insurance for my rentals. i suggest you check with your credit cards to see if they offer similar benefits

If not i recommend getting insurance. The traffic in Santo Domingo is very chaotic, and you are always on the verge of a fender bender. This will drive the price of your rental to about $40-$50/day.

Their are rental car kiosks when you exit customs. Sometime there aren't any employees occupying them. Wait 5 minutes, ask a employee at one of the other kiosks if that company is there today or in the outer rental area. the outer rental area is easy to get to. you just walk straight out of the airport, cross the street(10ft it is a 1 lane) and there is a building on your right. All the kiosks there are always occupied because it is right in front of the parking for the cars.

I've been renting cars in the DR for 6 Years and only use Avis

I've been renting cars in the DR many years. Sometimes for a week and on occasion for a month or so. I used to own a car there but it was too hard to maintain between trips back and forth from the US, so now I only rent. I've rented from many of the SDQ Airport Vendors as well as in the city. For convenience I now only rent at the Airport. For the past 3 Years I've only rented from Avis. They have been the only ones who have not scammed or attempted to scam me. National and Budget were okay, but their rates have seemed excessive these past through years. I had an accident in car from Thrifty that was an 'nightmare' to resolve so...never again. Stick with Avis (or National or Budget if the price is right).

Any updates on the rental car situation as far as preferred vendors or changes in insurance requirements?

Viajero said:

Any updates on the rental car situation as far as preferred vendors or changes in insurance requirements?

Click to expand...

I have been renting for five years consistently with Dollar. Always used my Amex for insurance... great road service.. as i have broken down.. well

in matas de farfan and constanza

avoid euro car
they sent a drunk mechanic in a skoda

i rented from nelly all the time with the rental and full insurance runs about 50 dollars and you can talk them into adding the tire and wind shield damage for free every other company with the full insurance runs into 60 or 65 dollars unless you get the 400 dollar deductible it can be cheaper but thats only for rich people and nascar drivers plus i was bugging the guy to death to give me a free day and he did the nelly workers are nicer than the others

Just checked Hertz online and they have compacts at 33 per day including taxes (like a chevy aveo) economy (like the little chevy spark) are a couple of bucks less at 30. I own a SUV but at those rates it may be more economical for me to rent when I visit.