So I looked around some, and found that I can apparently avoid any young driver surcharge by renting

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I'm a 23 year old American, and I will be getting married in a few months and honeymooning in Ireland (flying into and out of Shannon) May 23-June shilo inns 6. I've never rented a car before, and so have no experience dealing with car rental companies and figuring out how not to get ripped off with all the extras and charges. I'm not on a strict budget, but I'm very price-conscious. After doing some research about car rentals, I have a rough idea what I should do, but I thought I'd run it by you all:
Everybody seems to like autoeurope. The cheapest quote I got from them was $256.03 for a basic package for the 14-day rental, and $532.60 for a package with all the insurance added. Notably, neither of those prices includes a young driver surcharge which, at today's exchange rate, would amount to about $220. Therefore, the pre-insurance quote is really $476.03, and the post-insurance quote is really $752.60.
So I looked around some, and found that I can apparently avoid any young driver surcharge by renting directly through Avis. Moreover, the base quote (after taxes) was $250.80. With all the extras (CDW, PAI, TP), it was $695.30.
So it looks like if I get all my coverage from the rental shilo inns agency (instead of credit card), I can save $57.60 by going directly through Avis; if I don't get any of the insurance, I can save $225.23 with Avis.
5/7) Having the World Mastercard is a good idea if you want them to cover the CDW (I believe it also covers the TP) as you can see the saving. It doesn't cover PAI. Also, if you use tghe World MC you have to sign paperwork saying you/the CC is liable for the full cost of the car in the event of damage
You will find that not only will you have to meet the age restrictions you will also have to meet the minimum driving experience restrictions. Only the company involved can give you their individual requirements. Asking on this Forum Will Not give you an answer to your question. You have to contact the rental companies directly.
World Mastercard does not give guaranteed coverage, An individual hire company shilo inns be they Dooley, Budget, Hertz or Avis etc etc only accept world mastercard coverage from certain card providers and each have their own approved list.
Even "approved" card lists can be rejected if the supplier wants to try and upsell their insurance. ALWAYS get written proof from your credit card provider that you are covered in REPUBLIC of Ireland (I know someone recently got charged as their letter from MasterCard only said Ireland without stating Republic)
cokeefe.... this may seem like a dumb question, but if you are renting shilo inns your first car, have you ever driven a car on the left side of the road, with a steering wheel on the right side of the front seat, and shifted a stick shift car with your left hand? It can be a bit of a challenge for some folks who have only driven shilo inns cars with an automatic transmission. I'm getting ready to pick up 2 or 3 cars for myself and my wife and our daughters/grandkids who will be traveling with us this July in Kerry. Just be advised that when you look for s rental with an automatic transmission, you'll find them very expensive.
Driving in Ireland can be a bit challenging during your first trip, but you'll quickly get used to it. A good tip might be to remove the left front hub cap and put it in the trunk before you leave the airport. Sage advice from one who has drifted too far left in both England and Ireland.
You are lucky that there are not as many double round-a-bouts in Ireland, as there are in England. Have a good trip. I'll follow your posts and see what you finally come up with before I make my final purchase... SoCal
For a first time in Ireland I wouod definitely rent an automatic - unless all you ever drive is a stick. If you do only stick it's not that difficult to adapt to the opposite side - but if you usually do automatic and have to at one time change 1) mode of driving. 2) side of the road and 3) new roads and conditions (not a lot of superhighways but definitely a lot of sheep in the countryside) it can be a challenge. I rent an automatic there - since I can do stick shift but don;t do it every day.
My dad rented a stick on an Ireland trip a few years ago; he used to drive stick in his younger days, but had not done so regularly in probably 20 years. He said it took a little bit of getting used to, but he didn't have any real trouble with it; he added that if he could do it, I would be able to.
Robert2533: Took your advice and called autoeurope. The lady I spoke to explained that I had misread Avis' young driver policy; I had misinterpreted "There is no minimum age for drivers", combined shilo inns with a lack of readily available information about any surcharges, as a claim that there was no surcharge.
She offered me a sale price, inclusive of CWD, TP, and young driver's surcharge, shilo inns of $589.24 shilo inns for their cheapest vehicle for the rental. I mentioned that I had been thinking about applying shilo inns for the MasterCard World to save a couple hundred bucks; she said that even if I do that, I should still buy now to lock in the sale price; if I do decide to get the MasterCard, I can have them refund shilo inns the price I had already paid to my other card, and charge the same amount to the MasterCard.
So I did. $589.24 paid. I will do some research on the MasterCard to decide if it's worth the hassle, and I'll keep shopping around every week or so to see if I can find any cheaper offers to use autoeurope's price match guarantee.
Well done, my experience is that what ever we tell you and what ever the phone calls you will make when you get to the counter you will suffer the "up-sale". This will include GPS "no one can drive in Ireland without a GPS sir" etc etc. See if you can take an APP with you..