I plan to pick up a rental car in the Republic of Ireland and during our two week stay I do plan to travel into Northern Ireland, but will return to the Republic and I will return the car in the Republic.
Do I still have to pay a fee for traveling into Northern Ireland (or is the fee, only if you want to return the car in Northern Ireland)? I am using Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Have you asked Enterprise?
This is the policy on my reservation
"Cross Border Policy: For vehicles travelling to the U.K., there is an additional charge of 150 Euros plus vat. Please call the branch in advance. Customers wishing to return the car to a different location will be subject to an additional charge."
However, I am a little confused as to whether the charge is to return the car in Northern Ireland or just to travel there.
Just wondering if anyone has done this before and what their experience has been.
We rented from Hertz (via AAA) in the summer of '14. Picked up the vehicle in Galway and dropped it off a month later in Dublin after spending 2 weeks driving thru the North. The only caution or restriction I was aware of was the matter of the international drop charge had we ended our trip in Belfast. There was nothing in the fine print (which I actually read for a change) about any charges for taking the vehicle into NI.
That said, suggest that you read the fine print on your contract very carefully and, if there's any doubt, contact Enterprise to get a definitive answer to your question.
Sounds like two different charges to me, one for travel and one for drop-off. While I was not aware of this practice in Ireland, it is common for some countries of Balkan/Eastern Europe. You should always tell the rental agency all the countries where you plan to drive.
In general cars rented in Northern Ireland come automatically with insurance that also covers the Republic of Ireland, but in the reverse case insurance is often at a supplement. There may be exceptions so always check - Hertz for example allows cars rented in the Republic to be driven anywhere within the island of Ireland at no extra cost.
Out of curiosity I checked the Hertz website, which states that there are no restrictions or extra fees involved in taking the vehicle into NI. Interestingly, however, they differentiate between NI and "mainland UK" in their cross border discussion. Am wondering if the Enterprise policy might actually be similar, ie that the fee only kicks in if you take the vehicle across the Irish Sea.
