car rental--extra insurance

I've never paid that much for a rental and super CDW in Ireland, but you don't say whether you rented an automatic, or how large the car was, or whether you paid for two drivers (they aren't free like they are here). Booking way ahead is the best way to find a good deal because you can keep watching for better deals until you leave, cancelling the first one if you find something better. Sometimes specials can include the super CDW automatically.

You can save money by only renting a standard transmission, and taking the smallest car that can accomodate you and your luggage. You also usually have a choice of level of coverage for the super CDW - higher deductible = lower cost. Take the largest deductible you feel comfortable with.

Continuous comparison shopping is really the only way to catch a good deal on a rental and insurance.

We rented a car in Ireland in June for a week, cost a little over $200. Can't remember specifically what size we got, but it fit 5 people.

We got the regular CDW with the car, the one with the 1100 euro deductible. To cover that, we got another policy through www.dailyexcess.com. The policy was about $60, it would have cost us about 3 times that through the rental agency. We did have to file a claim, and it took about 2 months to get the money, but we did get the full amount.

When we rented the car, I had an email quote that included everything except for a 25 euro airport pickup fee. I double-checked my invoice when I got home, there was a small fee that wasn't on the quote, and the company removed it.

I've also rented a car and not had the full quote up front and ended up paying about $500 more than I expected. I won't do that again. I liked having the quote that said "this includes all fees" so I don't get those unpleasant surprises.

That's good information to know, Maureen. Thanks!