Car Rental at the Cancun Airport – a Reality Check

I recently gained some valuable insights about renting cars at the Cancun airport and I believe readers may profit of reading about the lessons I learned.

As a tour operator and homeowner in the Riviera Maya, I rent cars at the Cancun airport quite frequently and I have an excellent experience using Rentalcars.com as my reservation platform.  I do read the terms and conditions of the rental agencies thoroughly, and I find unbeatable prices all the time that let me use the Collision and Damage (CDW) coverage provided by my credit card.  It’s crucial to be sure that they accept your bank’s standard letter because some agencies make this a mandatory requirement you can purchase from them only.

Collision Damage Waiver

My bank’s standard letter confirms that CDW is covered internationally and only lists three exceptional locations where it’s not covered.  Your bank’s Card Benefits department will send you this CDW confirmation and I strongly suggest that you carry a copy whenever you rent a car.

I thought I’d be a seasoned renter by now, but was yanked out of that illusion this time when I intended to pick up my car after a late arrival in Cancun in December 2019.  The rental agency, Keddy (supposedly a daughter of Europcar), the agent was hung up on the fact that my letter said “CDW coverage through reimbursement” (he wanted immediate coverage), and that the country of Mexico was not listed.  During the 2-hour battle inside their mobile office, I had phone calls with Rentalcars.com as well as with my bank.  Both were very supportive.  My bank even emailed that standard letter in Spanish within minutes. None of the various persons I spoke to had ever heard of the case that this standard CDW letter was not accepted.  I tried to get a hold of a manager at Keddy, but was told there is none.  I tried a few numbers I saw on prints, including a cell phone number of another Keddy employee on the agent’s cell phone.  That other (off-duty) employee was understanding the situation and hinted that he would have accepted my CDW letter, but he was unable to change the agent’s mind who happened to be dealing with me.

At one point, when I handed that agent my phone to speak to my bank and Rentalcars.com support staff, I had the feeling he would give in.  But rather than that, he now insisted that I needed extended liability!

Some agencies’ prices on Rentalcars.com are incredibly cheap because they want to attract clients and are playing on the fact that renters will be cooked soft at pick up (after a long flight) and opt for their extended liability and/or CDW surcharges.  By midnight my agent realized that I insisted on what my reservation voucher said (CDW mandatory, but can be provided by renter’s credit card), and they kicked me out!

I live on a rural country road between Puerto Morelos and Leona Vicario, and there was no way to get home after midnight except with a private taxi at an astronomical price.  And even that I would have to find.  Meanwhile, Rentalcars.com had canceled my reservation with Keddy and refunded me.  The agent wouldn’t even rent me a car based on their conditions, including their CDW, because he had entered my name already into their system and was unable to cancel it or generate a second rental contract.  At least that’s what he said.

But Keddy offered me a ride from the remote Terminal 4 to Terminal 2, where the majority of the car rental agencies are located.  The driver made a call to a friend at Firefly Car Rental (who was not working that night) and that friend offered me a small car at 400 pesos (ca. $22 at that current exchange rate).  Upon arrival at the Firefly counter, the rate went up to 500 pesos (ca. $27).  No fuss about any insurance requirements though.  I took it for the first couple of days and worked out 2 other rentals with Rentalcars.com, and they gave me a 30% discount because they saw that I have been reserving my cars with them since 2008.  I spent about an hour on the phone with them in the UK each time I called, but I can say that each time we resolved the matter.   I use Google Voice and pay 1 cent per minute – but it requires a Wifi connection.

After Firefly, I was two days without a car.  The second rental agreement was with Avis in Playa del Carmen.  No fuss, nice professional staff, and a Chevy Beat hatchback that was slightly larger.

Supplemental Liability

After another day without a car, the third rental was with MEX at the Cancun airport, another no-name agency.  I tried to suppress my doubts.  Especially while standing in line and noticing that many of the people in front of me were having heated arguments at the counter.  The waiting line was very long and divided into a zigzag-parcours, like in an immigration hall at the airport or in a bank.

Then it was my turn and this time the rental agent got hung up on the extended liability.  She had no problem with my standard CDW letter.  I made another phone call to Rentalcars.com and handed my phone to a supervisor at MEX.  It turns out that this extended liability is optional, but they try to enforce it upon you with the notion that it’s a requirement of the state of Quintana Roo.  When the MEX supervisor talked to the Rentalcars.com representative over my phone, she said something like “we have to inform the renters of this coverage option through us”.  Interestingly, there is even a form that lets you deny this type of insurance and take your own responsibility in case of an accident or theft!  The wording is trying to scare you, and I would almost doubt that it’s fully legal (eg. overwriting your bank’s CDW procedure and asking for immediate payment from you directly of the amount of their decision).   I got the car after about a 2-hour wait and battle, and I felt a huge relief because I had travelers arriving at Terminal 4 the very moment I was in the MEX rental office, and we had three tours booked over the following nine days!

The fourth rental agreement I had reserved back in the fall of 2019, like the very first one with Keddy.  Because my entire stay in Mexico changed from 10 to 31 days total, I had to break down my rental car into two periods, because the maximum rental period is 30 days. This last agency is called Green Motion – yet another no-name.  I needed another lesson before finally getting it.  “Lo barato sale caro”, we say here in Mexico.  Going cheap makes you pay more in the end.

CNSF Clause

Green motion is located outside the airport, at Plaza Centralia, and a staff member picked me up at the gas station inside the airport after I returned my previous car to MEX.  As I was sitting at the desk with him, the usual happened as with the other no-name agencies.  This time they wanted the country of Mexico listed, and a clause that says that coverage complies with the Comision Nacional de Seguro y Fianzas (CNSF).  This had been their requirement IF they would still accept someone’s CDW coverage through their credit card.  They had stopped doing this though.  (They have been in business for a tender period of three years only).   Now their policy states CDW is mandatory only through them.   My Rentalcars.com voucher stated the possibility of using one’s own with the credit card.  I called Rentalcars.com again, and there was a bit of finger-pointing going on.  Clearly, this “little” detail had been miscommunicated!

I hopped on a public transportation van to Puerto Morelos and took another public transportation van out to my remote home.  Another car-less day.

Before heading out of the phone and Wifi signal though, I made an online reservation for a fourth car starting the following day.  This time with Avis again – and everything went super smooth and professional.  No fuss about supplemental insurances.  I paid $9/day which is still an excellent price and it gives me peace of mind.

Bottom Line

And the moral of this story is: stay with International agencies like Avis or Hertz if you don’t like taking risks!  Or, at least call the no-name rental agencies directly after making your reservation on Rentalcars.com to verify that

1. they accept your bank’s standard CDW coverage letter and whether it has to say “Mexico” and “compliant with CNSF requirements”, and whether there is anything else you should know.
2. extended liability is optional.

If the no-name agency you picked is of the ones luring clients in with ridiculously low prices only to charge mandatory supplemental insurances, you can cancel your reservation with Rentalcars.com right away at no charge and look for a better option.

So yes, I’m calling these guys out and I hope this information is useful for your next booking.

Happy (and smart) traveling!