Car rental prices in Costa Rica are reputed to be very high, and end up costing more than your hotel. This used to be the case, but not any more. There are ways to get a bargain despite the usual high rental car prices.
First, shop around for rental car bargains for Costa Rica There are the standard car companies, like Hertz and Avis that can be booked through their websites, or even the discount travel outfits like Orbitz and Travelocity offer some bargains. Just go to their regular websites and look for deals.
Check the local Costa Rican car rental establishments like Mapache, Eurocar and Adobe, to see if they have the best bargain on prices for the car you want. Some of the rental car places don’t all have the same type of full service websites as the larger companies, so you’ll need to send them an email and they will respond with their rates and answer questions on any discounts.
Travel companies like Costa Rican trails offer good rates, but their real deal is the self- drive package. A car rental, plus vouchers for hotels is a great travel bargain that can cost less than a car alone. This amounts to a large discount. But you need a sense of adventure- you can only book these great discount hotels the night before you arrive. At the hotel. http://www.costaricantrails.com/
Last year the cheapest company found after much searching was Avis http://www.avis.co.cr/. This year it was Dollar http://www.dollarcostarica.com/
.Keep in mind that it all depends on dates and type of car, and the pickup location.
If you rent at the airport there is a $12 a day additional airport tax. You can get around this by renting from an office right near the airport. Last year we took a rental car to the location, only to find out that they will pick you up at the airport and drop you off again when you return. Just ask.
If you are taking Costa Rican insurance coverage from the rental company, it does not matter who you rent from, just search for the total lowest price including insurance. Be sure to check on the types of insurance coverage, the cost, deductible, and additional fees.
In the past, you were required to take all the insurance from the rental company because most US insurers did not cover Costa Rica rentals, and the insurance your credit card company may provide was not acceptable by the rental companies in Costa Rica, like even if they were US companies. This was a Costa Rican government owned insurance regulation.
This year things have lightened up- in the wallet sense. Costa Rican rental agencies now accept US credit card insurance, with a few caveats. This is where the real bargain on rentals comes in.
1. Check with the rental company in Costa Rica. Some rental cars companies work through rental agents, and then you are not allowed to decline the Costa Rican coverage. You can still get a good bargain thought. Ask and get it in writing if your car company says you can decline the Costa Rican coverage to end up with the best deal.
2. Check with the specific credit card company you are going to charge the car rental to. The insurance info for Costa Rican coverage of a rental car should be on their website- Bank of America Visa is. Other companies, like Citibank, will mail you a written copy of the Costa Rican coverage for the rental so you can figure out how much of a bargain it will be once you tally up all the coverage.
3. Read the coverage carefully. You should purchase supplemental insurance from the rental car company if your company doesn’t cover everything since deductibles in Costa Rica can be $750-$1500 or more. Note that water damage is not covered in Costa Rica, so if you decide to forge that river, keep it in mind what a repair would do to neutralize and bargain or discounted rate.
4. Negotiate. When you call, speak to a rental car company representative in Costa Rica. Phone rates are low, and it is worth the few dollars to negotiate a bargain. They may give you a discount or a free upgrade. Our car rental gave us the extra hours of our last day at half price, instead of charging us for a full day. That was a real bargain. The agents speak perfect English, so that is not a problem.
5. Get your confirmation in writing, with costs and details, just to be sure you understood each other, and that you get the discount that you negotiated.
A few notes about renting a car in Costa Rica. There are always agents at the rental offices that speak English. They won’t try and oversell you, and will help you get a good discount if possible. Due to the road conditions, the aggressive driving and road speeds, you need to be sure you are properly covered with insurance in case the rental car is damaged or stolen. Negotiate your bargain in a friendly, straightforward can – I- have – a better- discount kind of way-no threats or nasty tactics are needed to get a bargain.
The roads have gotten a lot better in many part of the country. For example the road around Lake Arenal, formerly reputed for being a potholed dirt nightmare, was recently paved through a large part of it, and all rivers on the northern side have small cement “bridges” over the rivers, so you don’t have to cross through the river beds- do remember that lots of the bridges are one way, so be considerate. The Costa Rican drivers very politely take turns at the bridges.
Rental car companies are not all open 24 hours and if your flight is delayed you’ll need to take a taxi. That can be a bargain too- sometimes the rental car company will pay for the taxi.
The contents of your car are almost always not covered despite purchasing car rental insurance.
Bringing a toll-free number for your credit card company to the Costa Rican car rental office that they can use to call your credit card company to verify your coverage is essential if you want to save money on the car rental.
Buckle up, and save on your Costa Rica car rental, then sit back and enjoy the bargain.
Reference:
- Dollar Rent a Car- www.dollarcostarica.com/
