Car rental insurance

There are no credit cards that cover rental car insurance in Ireland anymore. And even if they did, I wouldn't trust it (I've been burned before). The Amex insurance might cover it if picked up in NI, but if your accident was in the Republic.... Unfortunately, your only option is to buy it with the rental. Super CDW is highly recommended.

Be certain to ask how much your deductible is with CDW and theft only. Ours was 2500 euro.

If you intend to rely on insurance coverage from a credit card, be sure to ask the rental provider how large of a dollar/euro hold they will be applying to your card for the duration of the rental, since you won't have use of those funds. Also understand that in the event of a loss, you will likely be working backwards to recoup funds from the card provider after you pay for that loss, as opposed to simply telling the rental provider what happened and walking away to continue your vacation, as you could pretty much do with their coverage and super cdw.

My suggestion is that Ireland is not (yet?) the place for this, and you should bite the bullet and get the insurance package, buying the deductible down to zero, because…wait for it…Ireland is hard on cars.

"They will supply you with a letter saying so"

Kaeleku, I had a letter. But when I had an accident and they denied the claim, they knew I wasn't going to sue them for a $500 repair - so I was stuck with it. And to use credit card insurance you must refuse rental counter insurance, which leaves you completely vulnerable if they don't do their part. As I said, I have been burned before.

Concur with Nancy - our experience last year was the same. Rather than leave the issue in doubt just bite the bullet and get the coverage. Doesn't really cost that much for the peace of mind.

Even if your credit card offers coverage, I understand that the car rental company can still require you to buy their coverage in Ireland.

Biting the bullet and paying (admittedly a lot!) for the CDW is well worth it, in my opinion. You will almost certainly scrape or be scraped by something, no matter how good a driver you are. Knowing you can simply over the keys at the end and walk away is worth it.

I recently screwed myself up in the US with a rental car, I failed to find and note a chip in the windshield (noticed it at first stop light 10 miles out).....by the time I brought it back, crack was spread all the way across windshield......of course I had to pay for it....

The rental agency Gemut has some great info on this problem. (Gemut is an auto rental broker, just like Auto Europe, that is based in the U.S.We usually use one of these brokers. We like the fact you can read the complete policy here)

"Another purchase option that offers better rates than those offered by car rental companies is Travel Guard's $9 per day CDW and Theft coverage. The deductible is $250. Other travel insurers have similar policies.

Overseas car rental brokers, such as Ireland-based Nova, offer rates that include CDW and theft, albeit with a large deductible or "excess." In order to reduce the deductible to zero they will sell you additional insurance. With such overseas companies there is also the problem of resolving, at long distance, post-rental issues such as billing errors and credit card overcharges."

http://www.gemut.com/car-rentals/rental-car-tips-and-advice/922-avoiding-unwanted-cdw-charges-on-european-car-rentals.html

When we were in Ireland I bought a supplemental policy thru a EU insurance broker that I found thru www.moneymaxim.co.uk. I put the wrong fuel in our car and had to pay to have it drained, etc. They gladly refunded my money when I got home and submitted my claim. They require you to buy a policy prior to your purchase of the auto rental, and they refund your money: ie. you have to pay up front.

Lastly, have you checked the rates and coverage offered by Dan Dooley, a local Ireland rental agency. There have been great reports about their honesty and coverage. IMHO, Hertz is the last agency I would rent from.

Still pondering this question myself. I did a lot of research today thinking I'd figured it out, but now reading all this I am in doubt again. I called 3 of my CC companies and 2 of them completely covered the car if I waive the CDW, the 3rd does not insure in Ireland. If an accident were to happen, do they charge your credit card and you have to work to get the charge refunded? I have letters of coverage and will read the fine print. I've read that it's easier to deal with an American-based Car Rental Co if something was to happen. See the comments here ending with my recap of today's credit cards' policies.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/ireland/driving-out-of-dublin-renting-a-car

If you buy travel insurance, look at that. I just bought a Diver's Action Network policy (recommended by many on this forum) Premium Plan. Only $92 for 3 weeks, partly due to my advanced age. YMMV. Covers up to $25,000 for damage, loss, theft, etc.
Says: "RENTAL CAR COVERAGE
If you rent a car while on your Trip and the car is damaged while in your possession due to collision, theft, vandalism, windstorm, fire, hail, flood or any cause not in your control, or the car is stolen while in your possession and not recovered, we will pay, up to the amount in the Schedule, the lesser of:
a.
the cost of repairs and rental charges imposed by the rental company while the car is being repaired; or
b.
the Actual Cash Value of the car."