Friends going this Fall have discovered there is a surcharge for drivers over 70 years old.
Is this universal across all Croatian car rental companies (Sixt has it in very fine print, but does not give a cost)?
Has anyone recent experience with this issue? Any company that does not charge it? Is it a daily extra fee? How much?
And since this is a one way trip from Rovinj to Dalmatia, please don't say "Italy does not charge us."
Thanks to all the mature adventurers out there - and yes, I do use the Croatian bus network myself. It works fine.
John Scott, Nanaimo , BC Canada.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
It is company to company. Similar to the surcharge for under 25 in the US. I don't know if it is universal in Croatian but have found it from time to time across Europe.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
You can answer this question by trying to make a rental car reservation - e.g. on the company websites like Sixt or Auto Europe, etc.
Posted by
OP
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
172 posts
Thanks Andrew, I do not see it anywhere on the Sixt booking process and do not want to enter my credit card and book a car to find out. They bury the phrase 'a surcharge will apply to drivers over 70' quite well in their text. We need an over 70 story here.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
Sixt doesn't require you to enter your credit card info to make a reservation.
Posted by
Langley, Wa, Usa
72 posts
Just finished this process. We are 71 years old.
Autoeurope or Kemwell: Input your choices on their websites. Your car options will appear. Make a choice. Click “Rate Details”shown for the chosen car and then “Basic Fees and Info” top left hand, you will then see a menu including Driver Information. You will have to go through each vendor but the age information is clearly there.
Dollar has an age limit of 70. Others vary. Some allow over 70 but with an extra payment. Nova is 74 but no option for basic insurance which we wanted. Sorry I can’t remember all the vendors info.
We ended up with Orix with no age limit and no fee for cross border and a reasonable price.
We will use our CC for insurance and bring a copy of the document describing the insurance.
I find that Kemwell is very helpful with the ins and outs. We have used them many times. They are open 24/7 in their office in Maine and we were able to get some badly needed help from them at 2am on one trip.
Posted by
OP
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
172 posts
Thanks, this is exactly the sort of detail we wanted. As usual, this community is a very helpful source of recent facts, Very kind,
John.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Don't know about Canadian credit cards but would very cautious of depending on your credit card for additional insurance coverage. There has been a number of horrid stories posted here of credit card insurance companies denying claims and some personal experience with the exact same problem. Most people claiming to using their credit card insurance have never had to file a claim. That is when you generally find out what is covered or more importantly -- not covered. Good luck.
Posted by
Langley, Wa, Usa
72 posts
Frank is right, it is very important to read the fine print on your CC document which you can do online as well as calling them for confirmation that what you interpret as covered is actually covered. It is also very important to follow instructions exactly should damage or an accident occur.
After years of travelling and renting we have never had problems with our CC but have never needed to use it for a claim so concede that there could be problems. Car rental is always a crap shoot and as much as we love the freedom of driving, we are always relieved to return it safe and sound.
We are ending our upcoming Balkan trip with a few days in Iceland and for that rental we paid for the full package of insurance including “sand and gravel” damage. Quite the pretty penny it is, too..... we are renting for 5 days for the same amount we are renting in the Balkans for 21 days!