Best Places to Rent a car

There are a number of rather bizarre aspects to renting a car in Costa Rica and we’ve made this variety of methods for selecting a business and navigating the rental procedure.

Numerous Major Bank Cards Aren't Acknowledged

Seems impossible? It’s not.

We started working into this about five years ago as soon as we got the cool brand-new “Sapphire” VISA signature card from Chase bank. It was smooth anodized aluminum rather than plastic and now we had been informed we could perhaps not put it to use to hire a car as it performedn’t possess stamped-in increased relief quantity, name and expiration date compatible with the old-fashioned carbon backup “ca-chunk” imprint kind devices.

For a while we just used another card however now our cards are chip design and not one consist of old-fashioned raised imprint numbers.

Official Policy Budget Car leasing Costa Rica FAQs – “Budget vehicle leasing welcomes cards without [raised] relief? – No. Without exemption in addition to figures need to be raised in the front side of charge card”

It’s not just Budget. We’ve had to get supervisors involved at a number of agencies to hire vehicles without supplying a bumpy quantity credit card. We've yet to own a pre-paid reservation denied, therefore be persistent and you ought to prevail. Ideally within the next several years the automobile rental companies will all modernize…

Airport Tax

Cars hired “from the airport” are susceptible to an extra tax of 13per cent (SJO San José) or 14percent (LIR Liberia Guanacaste) on complete price of the rental.

There are no local rental vehicles available on SJO or LIR home, but if a company picks you up at airport and takes you to their great deal they typically charge the taxation. In order to avoid the trouble and cost we typically just take a taxi to a hotel and have the leasing car delivered the very next day (many companies provide free delivery for nearby accommodations plus it saves united states the taxation plus on a daily basis of leasing fee).

We've maybe not been able to deconvolute the official government income tax plan but we've observed that if we cannot offer a flight number when creating the vehicle reservation and now we do just take a taxi towards rental company there’s often no taxation.

For a-two week getaway it may cost $150 additional to lease “from the airport, ” so it’s really worth asking your agency. The tax are often enforced if you rent an automobile at (or near) among domestic airports or landing strips whether you’ve taken a flight or otherwise not.

Choosing a car – 4WD?

99% of the destinations that tourists see don't require 4WD and a lot of of this SUVs designed for rent aren’t with the capacity of negotiating real 4WD terrain anyhow.

Although needing 4WD to travel around Costa Rica is certainly not one, there are a couple known reasons for leasing an SUV. Initially, the larger tires and much more significant suspension system could make the trip more comfortable on poorly maintained gravel roadways and second, bigger SUVs tend to be dramatically safer in a collision.

When you yourself have dreams of a forest off road expedition there are many places to get it done. You are able to lease a 4WD and buy zero responsibility complete protection but there’s a catch-22. The protection is void if you get 4-wheeling.

Leasing agreement fine print typically states that you will be physically and exclusively responsible for all damages in the event that you drive through streams or standing water, on beaches or drive on any roadway that may damage the car. You’re in addition restricted to national highways and formal paths (although many of those include the preceding risks). Some well-known tourist destinations are impossible to achieve without breaking this rule (Ostional, Drake, Carate, Monteverde) therefore you’ll either have to get across your hands or request shuttle transport.

Some leasing agreements particularly prohibit journey to Monteverde nevertheless highway department is working on the road therefore’s scheduled to-be paved by belated 2014… or… 2015… er… uh… or… maybe… 2016…

Obtaining the Most Readily Useful Bargain

The very first thing you need to know about getting a reasonable rate in Costa Rica usually 50per cent or maybe more of this expense are concealed in required charges or “insurance.” The situation has actually enhanced, however, if you reserve a “sounds too good to be true” .95 a-day rate on the net you will find yourself spending even more.

The second thing to know is the fact that there are enormous variants in prices both eventually and between companies. We generally begin 6-8 months ahead of time, make a reservation after that check back 2 or 3 months. If there’s a significantly much better rate we make a new booking and cancel the original one. Perform in 2-3 months.

Third, rentals tend to be significantly more high priced in Costa Rica than the crazy discounts you’ll find in the U.S. (we only paid $12.95 on a daily basis for the full dimensions from north park airport, seriously). If you’ve found a mid-sized SUV for around $50 a-day, including every little thing, in high period, you can probably stop looking because you won’t do better.

We’re frequently renting for 5-15 days at the same time so hunting for ideal price is surely really worth our while. Our last price (all-in with all insurance coverage etc.) for a 7 traveler Toyota Land Cruiser (Prado) when it comes to thirty days of January 2016 $1, 433 or $334 per week. We had quotes as high as $6, 347 along the way.

Frequently promotions, discount coupons, discounts, airline things as well as other promotions try not to use in Costa Rica. Browse the fine print.

We advice and employ Alamo (intercontinental business agency, great prices, brand new cars) and Vamos (local agency, good rates, excellent customer support, slightly older fleet). We’ve rented from almost every agency in Costa Rica that two are demonstrably best.

Debit Cards Price Double

Dual could be an exaggeration in many cases but utilizing a debit card in the place of credit cards for the local rental car deposit might cost far more.

Agencies that accept debit cards for deposits typically require that you buy the optimum available damage waiver protection plan ranging in cost from $22 – $48 per day. The price of this policy may go beyond the expense of the rental and can even be declined when utilizing a charge card but maybe not with a debit card.

Some agencies do not accept debit card deposits under any circumstances. No companies accept cash or traveler’s inspections for deposits while some need them for payment.