If you’re renting a car in Costa Rica, the most confusing thing is the car rental insurance as every car rental agency in Costa Rica sets their own names, regulations and policies for insurances.
And yes – there is a mandatory car rental insurance that everyone must take in when renting a car in Costa Rica.
This post will be breaking down our partner Adobe Rent a Car’s car rental insurances as we have a partnership with them to offer our readers a Costa Rica car rental discount and extra benefits.
This post has affiliate links which we may earn a small commission from if you choose to purchase, at no extra cost to you. Listed prices are quoted in USD and are estimates. More info: Disclosure
Adobe Rent a Car Insurance
Read our experience with Adobe Rent a Car to see why we partnered with them!
In this post, I’m going to break down how Adobe Rent a Car’s insurance works, including which one is the mandatory insurance, which one can be declined, and which ones are 100% optional.
Below are the insurance options Adobe Rent a Car offers online.
Liability Protection (PLI)
The Liability Protection is what most car rental companies call their mandatory insurance. This insurance cannot be removed or declined.
What it covers:
- Coverage up to $20,000 USD in 3rd party damages with a 20% deductible*. It also has a coverage of 3rd parties not in the car (i.e pedestrian) up to $100,000 USD with 0 deductible.
- Liability Protection does not cover vehicle damage.
* All Mytanfeet readers have 0% deductible on Liability, up to $20,000 USD as one of our benefits.*
This insurance costs from $13.50 – $25 USD + tax a day depending on the vehicle.
Car Protection (LDW or CDW)
This insurance covers damages of the rented car in an accident, collision or roll over.
In case of total or partial theft of the rented car, the Car Protection also covers any financial losses due to the theft.
Declining Car Protection Insurance
You can use your credit card car rental insurance to decline this insurance.
In order to decline, you need to present proof of coverage from your credit card company stating that the credit card will cover the damages.
The letter needs to have the credit card company logo letterhead, the last four digits of the credit card being used and the name of the credit card holder.
Check with your credit card company to see if they will cover this insurance including but not limited to factors such as number of passengers, type of car and number of rental days.
For example, my Chase Sapphire credit card offers car rental insurance and I can use it to decline the Car Protection insurance for up to 30 days per contract.
I just call my credit card company to get the coverage letter and I present that to Adobe Rent a Car to remove Car Protection Insurance.
Important: Car Protection does NOT cover vandalism, road side assistance, tires or towing. The deductible is $1000 USD +13% tax and does NOT cover any 3rd party damages.
If you decline Car Protection insurance and use your credit card insurance and get involved in an incident, Adobe will charge you and then provide all the paperwork you might need in order to get reimbursed by your insurance company.
If you do not have a credit card that offers car rental coverage, then you must take Car Protection Insurance. Third party insurances are not accepted.
Extended Protection (SPP)
The third option, the Extended Protection is 100% optional. The Adobe representative will ask you once if you wish to get Extended Protection but you are completely free to decline it.
You can decide to add it when you make the reservation but you can decide not to get it when you collect the car.
Or you do not have to get it now when you make your booking online and you can decide later when you collect the car if you want it.
The Extended Protection Insurance covers:
- The 20% deductible of the Liability Protection so your deductible is 0.
- Covers vandalism, windows, damaged tires (NOT flat tires), road assistance 24/7 and tow truck.
- 100% of damages including 3rd party up to $2 million.
This costs around $20.50 USD with tax included a day depending on the vehicle.
If you are declining Car Protection Insurance, you cannot get Extended Protection.
In these cases, the Adobe agent will ask you in person if you want the next insurance which is only offered in person – not online, the TPW.
TPW (Third Party Waiver) In Person Insurance
If you decline the Car Protection insurance and are purchasing ONLY Liability Insurance, the Adobe agent will ask you if you would like to purchase an insurance called the TPW.
This TPW insurance is 100% optional. This insurance is offered ONLY by the Adobe agent in person – not online.
The TPW insurance increases your third party (Liability) coverage to $4 million USD from $20,000 USD. The Liability deductible goes down to $0 USD from 20%.
It is $9.99 + 13% tax USD a day, 100% optional and only offered in person by the Adobe agent when you collect the car.
This insurance will be offered only to clients who decline the Car Protection and Extended Protection and are purchasing ONLY Liability insurance.
Situations Where Adobe Rent a Car Insurance Does Not Cover the Rental
- Driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
- Failure to immediately report a car accident that you are involved in.
- Damages to the car in situations when the driver is not authorized.
- Damages due to driving through rivers, on beaches, through lakes, mangroves and flooded roads (anywhere through water). Anywhere that an official road does not exist.
- Failure to comply with the legal procedure with the insurance company. This includes but is not limited to failure to report the accident to transit police, failure to report the accident and filling out the insurance claim and non-compliance with other legal process requirements.
- Flat tires are not covered under any of the insurances. Adobe gives you the necessary tools to change the flat tire yourself. Then you have go to any one of their offices in the country to get a new tire.
Why Rent With Adobe Rent a Car?
Insurance is Easy to Understand
Like I mentioned earlier, Adobe Rent a Car’s insurances are easy to understand.
Some other car rental companies can have 5, 6, 7 different insurances. That makes it really difficult to understand! And they make seem like the car rental is super cheap.
What you don’t know is that they add the insurance later when you’re about to pick up the car and clients have no knowledge of this, making it feel like a “scam” or at least a bit cheated. Which brings me to my next point.
Full transparency
Since Adobe Rent a Car is a Costa Rican company, they don’t want their clients to have a bad experience with car hires.
They know that many tourists come back to Costa Rica and they want them to rent with Adobe Rent a Car again.
Unfortunately car rentals have a bad reputation in Costa Rica due to the insurances and “hidden fees” by international companies.
Adobe Rent a Car does not add on any last minute taxes, fees or insurances. Their pricing is all-inclusive.
Peace of mind
Adobe Rent a Car is a 100% Costa Rican operated company meaning they know the Costa Rican laws inside and out.
As they have been operating for nearly 30 years, they know how the system works through and through and all their employees are very well vetted and knowledgeable.
I hope this posts clears up any questions you have any Adobe Rent a Car insurance.
Don’t forget to get our Costa Rica car rental discount and extra benefits!
You can read this post “Costa Rica car rental insurance” to see how several car rental companies’ insurance policy works if you are comparing other companies.
Read these post below for more tips on driving/renting a car in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
Krista Friebe says
Thanks so much for all your info. I am looking at booking an Adobe car through your widget March 11-28, 2019. We arrive on an Air Transat flight at 4:30 pm on Wed March 11, and it looks like the Adobe office in Liberia closes at 5:00 pm. Will it be a problem getting our car on arrival. I am sure we won’t be out of the airport before 5:00 pm. BTW, one of the reasons I am keen to rent through your widget is because you do such an amazing job with your website. It is a great help to travellers.
Sammi says
Hi Krista! That is no problem, if you are picking up your car when you land at the airport, Adobe will have an agent to pick you up and take you to their Liberia office to get the car. They’ll wait for you to get out of the airport.
Thanks for the nice comments about the blog, let me know if you have other questions.
Maya says
All of your info is so helpful, I thought I would get you to clarify… regarding insurance, if you purchase the extended plan with a 500$ deposit, would that mean that with mandatory liability protection the total deposit would then be 1500$? Thank you in advance for your response.
Sammi says
Hi Maya, if you purchase all 3 insurances, your deposit will be $500 flat. If you purchase only Liability, the deposit is $750 flat. Let me know if you have further questions!
Toby Duffy says
I read on the US State Dept. page about a scam in Costa Rica when someone unknown to you gives you a flat tire and when you drive away and later pull over some “not so good samaritans” pull over to pretend to help you and end up robbing you. Several guidebooks suggest continuing to drive even with the flat tire to a safe place before changing the tire and to ask if the rental companies allow for this damage to the rim if the passengers feel threatened. Would Adobe still charge the deductible for this situation?
Thanks!
Sammi says
With Adobe, if you purchase Extended Insurance there is no charge for tire or rim damages but if you purchase only basic, there is. To be honest this is not a very common scam or occurrence, we have personally never heard of anyone in this situation or any of our readers.
Davis says
Hi, I’m planning a honeymoon to Costa Rica in August. And still debating on getting a rental through your partnership with Adobe or booking private transportation. Ideally, I would like less hassle on my honeymoon because it’s relaxing and it will be our first time in Costa Rica. I have some questions:
– Does Adobe accept Discover Card?
– Do you know if the roads to La Fortuna from LIR are rough enough to require a 4×4? Could we get away with a 4×2?
Thanks for help.
Sammi says
Hi Davis! Adobe doesn’t accept Discovery and the road from La Fortuna to Liberia doesn’t require a 4×4. You can read more about this route here: Driving Guanacaste to Arenal and our Costa Rica honeymoon planning guide for more information!
Frances says
Hi! Just a quick question about returning the rented vehicle to Adobe. Of course the gas tank has to be full but what about cleaning the car? After a 3 week rental there will be some sand and dust in and on the car. Do we need to clean it before returning or will we be charged for cleaning?
Sammi says
Hi Frances! You can just do basic cleaning like get out as much sand and dust as possible but it’s fine if there is some still in it. They will fine clients for cleaning if it’s super bad like if someone smoked in the car (all cars are non smoke and you’re not allowed to smoke in the car), there is like, dog hair all over the place or lots of liquids or food spilled everywhere.
Renee says
Hello, we’ve been enjoying reading your blog! I was wondering if Adobe places a hold on our credit card during the duration while we are renting? I had seen this with other companies putting an $8000 hold, etc until the car is returned. Do they do this as well? If so, do you know the amount? And Thank you for all the tips!
Sammi says
Hi Renee, Adobe does require a deposit. For Mytanfeet readers (if you book through this page here: Costa Rica car rental discount the deposit is $1000. If you purchase Extended Insurance, it is $500. They hold it during the period of your car rental and is returned 24-72 hours after you return the card (for credit cards).
William king says
I rented a car with adobe and I have a flat tire. I did not purchase the extended warranty. How does that work? Do they keep my entire deposit or what?
Sammi says
Hi William, flat tires are not covered by any insurance. What you need to do is change it and if you are unable to change it yourself, you can go to a mechanic or autobody shop and they can help you for very cheap. And then find the closest Adobe office so that they can give you the normal tire and change out the spare. They won’t keep your deposit but you do need to get it changed and taken to an Adobe office.
yeison says
Hello Keith,
Thank you for your comment, the extended protection insurance is an extension of the Car Protection insurance and you need to get both insurances to be fully covered.
Many of our readers use their Credit Card insurance to waive the Car Protection insurance (LDW) and then, they buy the extended protection insurance to by fully covered.By doing this all the damages caused to the car you rented will be covered by your Credit Card insurance and the Extended Protection insurance will cover you for vandalism, tires, windshield and the will raise the liability to $ 4 million dollars.
Thank you for reading our blog and have a good night!
Keith says
when you buy the extended protection the description says that it covers “100% of damages including 3rd party up to $4 million”. As such, this implies that the The extended protection has the car protection (LDW) included in its optional protection price of about $18 a day.
If I buy the mandatory liability insurance and the optional extended protection then I would be fully covered with zero deductible…..correct?
Michelle chalmers says
Hi does Adobe take American Express as a form of payment?
Sammi says
Hi Michelle, yes they do! 🙂