What are the requirements to rent from Thrifty?
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Licence: To drive a Thrifty rental vehicle, drivers must be in possession of a full, unendorsed driving licence which they have held for at least 2 years prior to the commencement of the rental. Licences must be produced in person at the Thrifty location at the time of collection. Drivers must be in possession of their licence at all times when driving the vehicle. If a driver has any endorsements on their license, they must contact our Reservations Department prior to booking as there may be restrictions on renting. Failure to inform us of endorsements will result in the driver being refused the vehicle and forfeiting any deposit taken.

Licences must be from the country of permanent residence. Holders of UK, US, Canadian, Australian and all EU member states are NOT required to supply an International Driving Permit (IDP). International Driving Permits where required, MUST BE accompanied by the original domestic licence of the driver. This is clearly stated on the international permit. An International permit presented without the domestic licence, will not be accepted.

It is a legal requirement that the driver must have both the card and the paper part of their UK license. Where the paper part is missing, the rental agent will be required to contact the DVLA to confirm that there are no endorsements on the license.  In the event that we must contact the DVLA, an administration fee of €11.35 will apply to the rental.  We can only contact the DVLA within their standard hours of operation (please see http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/).  Where we cannot contact the DVLA, we accept no responsibility for a failed rental.

Driver Experience: Drivers must be eligible to hold a drivers licence for 7 years at the commencement of rental to drive groups A/B/C/J/K. For groups D/E/F/L, drivers must be eligible to hold a drivers license for 9 years, while for groups H/N/O/P/R/RA/R7/RA7/S/T/TA, drivers must be eligible to hold a license for 11 years.

This information must be received in advance of your rental.

Credit Card: The main driver must be the holder of a major credit card which they must produce on arrival. A credit card is required for the excess/deductible and additional charges such as extra drivers, fuel, parking fines etc. We accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club. Payment must be made with a credit card as we do not accept cash, debit cards, electronic cards or the credit card from a third party. At the time of rental, there must be sufficient credit on your card to cover all charges including the excess/deductible amount.

Failure to produce your licence or credit card will result in you being unable to pick up your car. You will also be unable to receive a refund for any deposit taken. We will not be held liable for any cost incurred by you if you are unable to pick up your car as a result of failing to produce the above items.

What do the online rates include?
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Thrifty's online rates are inclusive of VAT, third party insurance, collision damage waiver insurance, theft protection insurance, unlimited mileage, 24 hour roadside assistance and road map. Rates are based on 24 hour rental periods.

If you have chosen to waive our CDW insurance, you must hold either a US issued World MasterCard or Canadian issued Gold/Platinum Visa/MasterCard and provide WRITTEN PROOF that the card has relevant coverage for THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND. If a relevant card and cover letter are not produced at time of commencement of rental OR you have chosen an exclusive rate, and do not hold a credit card that will cover you for CDW insurance, you will be charged for CDW on arrival at the local daily rate. Only US issued World MasterCard or Canadian issued Gold/Platinum Visa/MasterCard can be used to waive CDW coverage. If you have any queries, please check with your issuing bank before your arrival to see if you are covered in the Republic of Ireland.

If the customer chooses to rely on their credit card for coverage an administration fee of €17.03 EUR will apply. This administration fee covers liaising with your card holder to establish cover and processing claims with the card holder and supplying relevant information on rentals.

What is not included in the rates?
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Thrifty's online rates are exclusive of:

- Airport/Location surcharge
- Excess/deductible
- Processing fee of €7.20 per rental
- Additional driver surcharge
- Driver Safety Assessment Surcharge (where required)
- Optional insurance coverage
- Optional equipment (child seats, GPS, mobiles etc)
- Fuel
- Traffic Fines/Toll Charges

What is the airport surcharge?
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All vehicles collected at an airport location are subject to surcharge of €28.

What is the premium location surcharge?
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All vehicles collected at our Dublin City or Cork City offices are subject to surcharge of €28.

What is my excess / liability in case of damage?
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All vehicles have an excess / liability amount as follows. At the time of rental, there must be sufficient credit on your card to cover all charges including the excess/deductible amount.

Can I have additional drivers?
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Additional drivers can be insured on all vehicle groups and must satisfy the same licence and age conditions as the main driver and assume the same responsibility for the rental vehicle. A maximum of 4 additional drivers is permitted on all groups except Groups H, O, P, R7 & RA7 where a maximum of 6 additional drivers is permitted.

To drive a rental vehicle, drivers must be in possession of a full, unendorsed driving licence which they have held for at least 2 years prior to the commencement of the rental. Licences must be produced in person at the Thrifty location at the time of collection. A daily charge of €9.08 applies per additional driver per day.

Please note unauthorised drivers are not covered by our insurance and are prohibited from driving the rental car.

What optional coverage do you provide?
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Super Damage Waiver Insurance (SDW)
This is our excess/deductible waiver insurance that reduces your excess/deductible:

Protection Plus (PP)
This option is only applicable to those who have chosen an exclusive rate. PP covers you for items that your credit card will not cover for i.e. tyres and windscreens.

What is your fuel policy?
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All rentals for 4 days and over will be charged locally for a full tank of fuel upon collection and should return it empty.  No refunds will be issued for any unused fuel.  Clients who do not purchase fuel in advance will be charged a refuelling surcharge if car is returned with less than a full tank.  Our desk agent will provide more details on collection of the vehicle.  No compensation will be given for fuel charges if a free upgrade to a larger car is given

How do I pay the toll along the M50?
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Drivers of vehicles using the M50 between junctions 6 and 7 will pass through a barrier free toll. Payment for toll charges incurred by car rentals crossing the M50 toll bridge will now be paid by Thrifty Car Rental and directly charged to the rental.For more information please see the eflow Leaflet aimed at car rental customers in PDF format. This information can be found at all of our rental locations and applies only to the M50 Toll Bridge.

It is important to note that if you cross the M50 Toll Bridge and post pay the toll, you will be charged twice. Thrifty Car Rental have no way of knowing who have paid tolls.

Toll Charges
	Car	€4.50 (including €2 Administration charge)
	Vans	€5.50 (including €2 Administration charge)
	Large Vans	€6.60 (including €2 Administration charge)

If you have any questions about toll payments, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Can I book a specific car?
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Unfortunately Thrifty Car Rental cannot guarantee a specific make or model of vehicle however the vehicle you will be provided with will be from the vehicle category reserved. If upon collection of the vehicle you believe it is too small for your requirements, you can upgrade to a larger vehicle (depending on availability) the cost of which can be paid locally.

Can I travel to Northern Ireland?
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If travelling to Northern Ireland, there is a fee of €34.05 per rental. Vehicles may NOT be taken off the island of Ireland.

What is the maximum amount of time I can stay in the same car?
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For tax reasons, you cannot stay in the same car for more than 30 consecutive days. If your reservation is for longer than 30 days, you must change into a new vehicle at some stage during your rental. Please discuss the best time for your change over when you collect your vehicle.

Can I return my car to a different location?
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One way rentals are allowed between all branches – please see chart below for one way drop off prices.  One way rentals to Belfast International Airport are no longer permitted.

When is a booking confirmed?
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Your reservation will be confirmed when availability has been checked, you have received a reservation number and a deposit has been taken from your credit card.

What is Thrifty's deposit/cancellation policy?
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Once availability has been confirmed, 60% is charged. Cancellation Insurance can be purchased for €5 per week. If Cancellation Insurance has been purchased, and you cancel at least 24 hours before your pickup time, all charges less the Cancellation Insurance will be refunded.

Where Cancellation Insurance has not been purchased, reservations cancelled at least 24 hours before your pickup time will incur a 15% cancellation fee. Cancellations less than 24 hours from the pickup time will result in a loss of your deposit.

Do I need to provide flight information?
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For all airport collections, you must provide us with the correct flight number and arrival time when booking your vehicle. If this information is not available to you at the time of booking, you must provide us with it at least 5 days before your arrival date. If we do not receive this information in time, we cannot take responsibility for a failed rental.

Do you offer an out of hours service?
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The drop down menu on our booking page will show the last available time for collecting a car from the selected branch on the selected date.  If you wish to collect a vehicle after this time, please contact our central reservations office BEFORE making your booking – telephone +353 1 8441944.  Any out of hours reservations are on a request basis only and if accepted will incur a fee of €60 which is payable on arrival.

Do you provide baby seats and booster seats?
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Baby seats and booster cushions are available on request and should be booked when reserving your car. Our baby seats are forward facing and are suitable for children aged from 9 months up to 4 years depending on the size of the child (9kg - 18kg). Our booster cushions are suitable for children aged from 2 years up to 8 years. Both are charged at €6.81 per day (maximum charge of €47.67 per seat).

Do you provide GPS units?
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GPS units are available for 10Euro per day or 50Euro per week and can be reserved when making your booking online.