So You Think You Can Rent a Car?
Planning to rent a car in Costa Rica? Whether it is for a holiday trip or just a regular weekend getaway with friends, you should be sure first whether you are qualified to rent a car or not. Your plans might be changed drastically if you expect you can rent and finds out you can’t.
Are you qualified to rent a car? This question is important because you may think you are qualified and then finds out that you aren’t. Car rental companies have terms and conditions that they use to gauge qualifications of potential car rental customers. These terms and conditions differ for each rental company but for general terms they are almost the same.
Age, Credit History, Driving History
For instance, car rental companies require a particular age range for potential car rental customer. Most car rental companies require a minimum age of 21 to be able to rent a car. This is their way of protecting their cars. Young drivers are quite risk takers and they usually drive so fast. To avoid damaging the car, rental companies prefer 21 years up drivers.
What some car rental companies do is charge renters additional surcharge if they don’t meet the minimum age requirement. There are also special cars that can only be rented to much older customers (on the notion that the older you get, the more careful you are on the road – which is not always the case, isn’t it?) On the other hand, most car rental companies would not let their hot cars be rented by senior citizens.
Most car rental companies will require a credit card. They will get your credit card details so that just in case you don’t return the car or something happens to the car, they can automatically charge your credit card. Car rental companies also perform credit history check of their applicants. They have to establish the fact that the applicant will be able to pay the rent.
Your driving history will also be checked. Do you have any previous charges like over speeding? This will affect your qualification of being a successful car rental applicant. No car rental company will entrust their car to someone who can’t control their driving.
Renting a car requires a procedure and you have to meet the qualifications. You see, even if you reserve online or pay your rental fee in advance, it doesn’t guarantee that you can rent a car in Costa Rica. So before you even book or reserve a car to rent, make sure first if you are qualified.