Driving in USA on holiday

InchicoreDude

I am going to Boston or a week in September and would like to hire a car over there.

Would my Irish driving license suffice for this? Or do I need to do something else?

ProudDUB

A valid Irish drivers license is all you need, along with a credit card.

Novella

Yup, I recently rented a car in the US and my Irish driving licence was fine. I think as long as the licence is in English, they're okay with it.

MadsL

InchicoreDude wrote: »

I am going to Boston or a week in September and would like to hire a car over there.

Would my Irish driving license suffice for this? Or do I need to do something else?

Are you over 25?

InTheTrees

You'll need a credit card as well.

In the wind

On a related topic, try carhie3000, I recently hired & I they were very cheap.

InchicoreDude

MadsL wrote: »

Are you over 25?

I am

rockonollie

Yes, Irish license is fine......especially in the areas that have lots of tourists visiting.

You may read about an international drivers license, but that's really a tool for translating foreign licenses into english so isn't really required for the irish

anne burnell

irish licence is fine in the US.... my husband used it last year in Florida.... But if you are going to Boston you really dont need a car,(car parking is very expensive) the whole city is accessable on the T.. for $15 for a week unlimited travel...We used it when we were there last year and found it super..

InchicoreDude

anne burnell wrote: »

irish licence is fine in the US.... my husband used it last year in Florida.... But if you are going to Boston you really dont need a car,(car parking is very expensive) the whole city is accessable on the T.. for $15 for a week unlimited travel...We used it when we were there last year and found it super..

Yeah, I know. I lived in Boston during a J1 summer a few years back so familiar with T etc. However, I am just flying into Boston. Will be spending most of my time outside Boston where public transport isnt the best.....

Days 298

MadsL wrote: »

Are you over 25?

Can I ask what the implications of being under 25 driving in the states?
I'm guessing trouble around renting the actual car rather than the licence being accepted.

InTheTrees

I didnt think you could rent a car anywhere if you're under 25. Europe or US.

Driving is fine though. most americans get their license at 16.

spideog7

InTheTrees wrote: »

I didnt think you could rent a car anywhere if you're under 25. Europe or US.

Driving is fine though. most americans get their license at 16.

You can rent in the US there's just an extra fee per day.

yer man!

Also if you're taking any toll roads in mass, bring cash if the car has no tag. They don't accept cards at the toll booths.

.danindudlin

The T is now $18 a week! Ripoff

If you're spending some time in Boston first and then going exploring, look at hiring a car from a none airport location. Its usually way cheaper! If you go to kayak for example, make sure its set to Boston, MA not Boston Logan. I usually save lots by picking the car up in the city and avoiding the airport surcharges!

If you've never hired a car in the US before, be aware of the insurance costs! Most companies will charge you $20 - $30 for insurance per day - Most residents here can waive this by using their own insurance or like me, if they book by their banks credit card, that has car insurance cover. I always made the mistake that the day rate was what was quoted and forgot about insurance!

If you book through hotwire.com, they offer you a cheap insurance option or something like $9 a day vs $20.

goz83

InTheTrees wrote: »

I didnt think you could rent a car anywhere if you're under 25. Europe or US.

Driving is fine though. most americans get their license at 16.

Fine in europe too, but the extra daily charge makes it a big off putting. Once you are over 21 its grand with most rental places, but they all have a young driver charge for under 25s

ferretone

InTheTrees wrote: »

You'll need a credit card as well.

Has it absolutely got to be a credit card or is visa debit ok?

yer man!

ferretone wrote: »

Has it absolutely got to be a credit card or is visa debit ok?

Some will take a visa debit but there's a substantial hold put onto your account, I'd highly recommend a credit card, a lot of them will give you car insurance included too.

InTheTrees

ferretone wrote: »

Has it absolutely got to be a credit card or is visa debit ok?

Different States and different companies have different rules. Some will not accept a debit card however much is in the account. Minnesota I know wont.

goz83

ferretone wrote: »

Has it absolutely got to be a credit card or is visa debit ok?

Make sure you have a credit card. Most will not accept debit cards and the ones who do, would probably be the ones costing you more. Most rental companies put anywhere between €300-€1000 on your credit card as a security deposit.

I just booked a car for 3 days in Spain and they will be holding €300 on my card. Thankfully, the rental is only costing me €32 plus fuel, but has a return full policy on rentals up to 3 days

I might be driving a polo though

InTheTrees

I had a hell of a time getting Budget to rent me a car using a debit card. And tey were the best out of all the major's who flat out refused so I was glad they made the effort to check on me but they did everything from calling my bank to calling my workplace to verify who I was. I was also able to produce some mail with my name and address on it. Oh and I had my own insurance details. but it was still really difficult. And i live in the US.

SO if you have to use a debit card. Call the company and ask them. And if they say its okay then call the local state office that you will be actually getting the car from and check with them too just in case. Sometimes those nationwide call centres can be "incomplete" in their local knowledge.

Stojkovic

A Debit Card is fine once it has the word VISA on it.

InTheTrees

Stojkovic wrote: »

A Debit Card is fine once it has the word VISA on it.

No. It. Isn't.

A visa debit card is still a debit card.

(Its almost like you didn't read the last few posts.)

Stojkovic

InTheTrees wrote: »

No. It. Isn't.

A visa debit card is still a debit card.

(Its almost like you didn't read the last few posts.)

You're right.
I got bored reading yours

ProudDUB

Stojkovic wrote: »

A Debit Card is fine once it has the word VISA on it.

No it's not. If you live in the US, renting a car is very, very hard if you only have a debit card. It is virtually impossible if you are a foreign tourist & you haven't prepaid for it with a travel agent.

There are a couple of companies (Enterprise & Budget) who will let US residents use a debit card as long as they can provide a very hefty deposit up front. They also need to provide personal information that can be verified such as social security number, personal references, details of their own American car insurance policy on their own car, their US employment, proof of US address etc etc.

The car rental companies can (and will) use that info later on, to track down US residents and come after them if they owe them money for damaging their car. A tourist from a foreign country can just hop on a plane back home & flip the car rental company the bird with no consequences. So the odds of a car rental companies handing over cars worth thousands of dollars to people who may only have a couple of hundred bucks in their bank account are between slim and none.

If you are in a shop/restaurant and you want to pay for a bill using a debit card, it will work just as well as a credit card as long as it has the Visa or Mastecard logo on it. However, renting a car and paying for a burger are two very, very different things.

Novella

I agree. I rented a car in the US in June and I needed a credit card to do so. They put a hold of $300 on it. A Visa debit would not suffice.