eirecar car rental in ireland

They are wonderful. I have used them almost every time I have flown to Ireland. I have always found their rates to be the best, as well. The US number is a recording, but the contact person always calls back promptly (I believe her name is Anne). She is the one who told me that, though their policy is for you to bring the car back empty, if you bring it back full instead they will refund the initial fuel charge on the rental. This can be a moneysaver depending on how much gas you end up buying. I would not hesitate to rent with them again.

You know, I've shopped extensively for rentals and always wind up with Enterprise. I seen and heard others claim Hertz, ICR, and others, but Enterprise had - not sure lately - an internet special that no one could beat/ I suppose it changes all the time and is competitive.

Enterprise is only at Dublin or Cork, so if Katherine is flying into Shannon, the nearest office is in Limerick. I just got quotes from both Enterprise and Irish Car Rental, and Irish Car Rental's was better. In addition, Enterprise appeared to have no automatic transmission cars available. I'm sure the situation changes all the time, but I'm still sold on Irish Car Rentals.

Thanks for the helpful info on rentals. Is it best to arrange the rental in advance of the trip? What is the latest info on the price of fuel in the republic? And, sorry, one last question this time, Can I rent in Dublin(my port of entry) and return in Shannon, without paying a penalty?

Yes, you can rent in one city and return in another -- that's what I usually do. There is no penalty involved. I would book as soon as possible so that you have the widest choice of cars, etc. There is no penalty for canceling a reserved car, so you might as well book now and keep watching the prices. If you come across a good deal closer to your trip, take it. If not, you've at least got your car reserved. And fuel is running upwards of $8.00/gal now, but you'll find that the cars are much more fuel efficient than here.

I didn't see anything indicating a Shannon arrival, nor a desire for an automatic, but if you go to enterprises' website, there are quotes for midsize autos per week that a bargain. Like I said, shop on-line and look for specials. THey change all the time. Tourism is down and there will be some great deals. When I was there last, ICR wasn't even close to the other deals out there.

I was merely trying to point out that Enterprise's options were more limited than Irish Car Rental. And yes, as I said, things do change all the time.

If you're looking for an Irish company with really cheap rates, I suggest you try http://www.arguscarhire.com/. It's a broker car rental site, which means they offer you the cheapest rental prices for hundreds of car hire suppliers at locations all over the world. The rates that they offer are always all-inclusive so you know exactly what you're paying.

This is great info for me too! I will be flying into Shannon in September. I wonder if the agencies listed include Super CDW coverage?
thanks.
And Katherine, have a GREAT trip. I love Ireland!

Also check with autoeurope.com, a consolidator that finds you the best rate from among the agencies with which it has contracts. If you find a better price on your own, AE promises to either match or beat it. Call their US toll-free number to ask about specials that might not appear on their Web site.

I just booked a reservation with Irish Rental Cars using my World MasterCard. According to everything I've read, the World MasterCard should allow you to decline CDW coverage when renting a car in Ireland. Has anybody used a World MasterCard with Irish Rental Cars and declined CDW? If, so did you have any problems when you rented the car?

I didn't use that particular MasterCard, but I did decline the CDW with Irish Car Rentals with no problem. (At the time other MasterCards also covered car rentals in Ireland.) HOWEVER -- in spite of my having checked repeatedly to make sure I was covered and make sure I followed the rules to the letter, when I had a small accident MasterCard decided I wasn't covered after all and refused to pay. Irish Car Rentals even tried to help me battle MasterCard, but in the end I had to pay for the damage. If you decline the CDW, as you are instructed to do by MasterCard, you are at their mercy. I won't trust credit card insurance again, as a result. But as far as Irish Car Rentals was concerned, they did not hassle me about declining the coverage at all.

Nancy, what was MasterCard's argument for not covering your damages?

Before my trip I talked to the MasterCard people several times. With each call they looked up my account information and told me that I was covered. My accident was about a $400 repair. MasterCard refused to pay because, they said, my credit LIMIT (not my available credit) wasn't high enough. It was more than $5000, and the card was empty (except for the cost of the rental -- about $100). When they looked up my account each time, they knew my limit -- if it was a problem they shouldn't have told me I was covered. But the argument doesn't make sense anyway, which is why Irish Car Rentals tried to help. I got the feeling that no matter what my credit limit was, they still would have said the same thing, and I had no recourse because I had turned down the CDW.

It is a good idea if your credit card company says you are covered to have them send you an e-mail stating specifically that you have coverage and what it includes.

Nancy, that's terrible! Did MasterCard finally pay up, or did you have to pay yourself? I can't believe they would do something like that!

Pat, I had the documentation, and I met every qualification. I verified with them before my trip. In the end it meant nothing, since they came up with the credit limit excuse after the fact. It wasn't the credit card company that refused to pay, it was MasterCard itself, through their insurance company. And I did end up paying the bill myself. MasterCard never paid. I might have had some legal recourse, but why bother for a $400 bill?

My American Express provided coverage. I called them to verify because I've heard some many stories, and also pulled out my credit card agreement, which had it there in black and white.

I've heard similar horror stories about MC, VISA etc/

Steve, did you have an accident and find out whether they actually did cover you? I had a black and white agreement, too, and several phone confirmations. Didn't do me any good in the end.

All of the rental car websites that I've looked out state specifically that they only accept insurance provided by a World MasterCard. I haven't seen any that say they will accept American Express card insurance.

Well, Larry, I hope it works out OK for you. I'm just a little gun-shy now.