what vehicle to rent since CC does not cover trucks

[DiverDebbie]

Upon double checking that the CDW is covered by our credit cards, I discovered than none of them (yes, have several for various reward programs) cover pick-up trucks or 4WDs. This may not be the case for American policies, but fellow Canadians, I hope you realize this?!So, do we just suck it up and pay the insurance for a pick-up, or rent something else? In Maui we just had a car that could hold 4 tanks and gear in the trunk. We bought a tarp to keep sand and water off the bottom, but it was a bit of a hassle.
Any other thoughts as to what to rent?

 

[AnnV]

I got a amex for this very reason. If you upgrade to the AMEX premium insurance for $24 then you are covered for a truck atleast this is what the AMEX rep told me.

 

[wwguy]

Most of the Bonaire car rental companies don't recognize CC insurance. By that I mean that if get in an accident you will have to pay the car rental company directly before you leave the island, and then work out reimbursement from your CC later for this expense. Some rental companies (like Telerin for example) will let you waive their $12/day CDW coverage if you have the Amex CC coverage, but you will still be directly and immediately responsible for reimbursement as mentioned above. Some other rental companies require you to purchase their CDW policy regardless of whether you have CC insurance. You'll need to inquire about unique CDW requirements, and if/how CC coverage applies, for each rental company you get a quote from.

 

[DiveMaven]

We suck it up and just buy the insurance from the rental agency. There's nothing better than a pick up truck for shore diving Bonaire. Not only do you set your gear up on the tailgate, but you don and doff it there as well....saving your back a lot of stress and strain. It's also nice to lay in the bed of the truck (or sit on the tailgate) for your SI.

oh yeah, and keep in mind that standard transmission is the norm down there. Automatics will require a specific reservation in advance and cost more.

 

[jimw]

Once upon a time on Bonaire, we rented an old VW bus that said Dive Bus on the side. It worked very well for shorediving. Not sure if anything similar is now available, but SUV's are available as well as trucks, etc. We have used Amex as well.

 

[diversteve]

AB rents SUV's with tank racks in the back. $32/36 per day. + 19/day for full coverage if your CC doesn't cover SUV's either.
AB Car Rental Bonaire - Our fleet
The automatic is 4WD if you plan to drive up into Slagbaai Park. We rented that same Hyundai shown in Curacao, worked pretty well. You can sit on the back deck to gear up and ours had a sliding back cover to hide the gear when not diving.

 

[DiverDebbie]

Thanks for all th replies. I checked with AMEX through the bank and they didn't know anything about coverage for trucks, and suggested I contact the partners (of the insurance policy) I did, and they didn't know either and suggested I contact the bank. <sigh> I did check the certificate of insurance for all my cards and they range from not covering "off road vehicles" to an explaination about not driving off paved roads, to a better one for one of my master cards describing that SUVs are covered if they aren't driven off road. Interesting. We did have a Visa that just didn't cover rental vehicles at all in Costa Rica. One really needs to read their policy closely for rental vehicles.
Anyway, I agree DiveMaven about the convenience of pickups for diving. They are particularly handy around here for cold water diving when your gear weighs so much more with all that extra lead. Super handy to gear up off a tail gate. We'll probably just get one and have the freedom of using a MasterCard instead...if they take those? <sigh> Renting a vehicle is a necessary evil of travel. I hate this part.

 

[DeputyDan]

We always get the insurance through the rental agency.
I have had two occasions where the rental car received serious damage and both times there ware no issues and no problems with paper work but both times I had insurance with the rental agency.

 

[wwguy]

Here's the link to enroll for American Express Premium Car Rental Protection. Note that it includes coverage for "luxury vehicles, SUVs, and pickup trucks."

We pay the Amex fee of $24.95 once for our 3 week rental. We maintain the Amex coverage in addition to the rental company's CDW policy, for the reasons mentioned in my previous post. We also consulted with our local insurance agent before purchasing the rental company CDW. His advice was that $12/day CDW coverage for a pickup truck in a foreign country was "priceless".

 

[Oldbear]

While this thread was about renting a car in Mexico there might be some useful information that applies to Bonaire.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/mexico/440830-renting-car-mexico.html