Baja Mexico's double dipper gas scam

Pemex gas stations are a common sight in Mexico - and it's at
one in Los Cabos that this rental car gas scam happened
creativecommons image: mcrael on Flickr

Heading to Baja, Mexico? Watch out for the double dipper gas scam!

Many Americans and Canadians, especially those located on the continents’ west coast, frequently visit the Baja region of Mexico. This is a place increasingly popular for weddings, kite surfing and general rest and relaxation. More frequently, however, it is starting to get a reputation of numerous scams on well heeled tourists.

Most notably is the double dipper gas scam where travelers head to a gas station before returning to their rental car to the airport to find out that their credit card does not work when it is inserted into the processing machine - followed by a demand is required to rectify the bill in cash; albeit in Pesos or US Dollars. More often than not, travelers with limited time before catching a flight assume their credit card transaction did not go through and readily handover cash, sometimes driving accompanied to a nearby ATM machine to make a withdrawal before speeding off to the airport for their flight home.

Fast forward several weeks and the traveler discovers that their credit card transaction for fuel actually did go through, so they paid twice. Then begins a contestation with the credit card company over the disputed charge.

While this scam is not isolated to the Baja region of Mexico, it is safe to say that the best way around this is to put aside cash (in local currency) as your last and final transaction payment before leaving the country. This will mean for future trips you will need to build this into your overall currency exchange at the beginning of your trip.

Related resources:
Beware the gas station scam in Mexico
The hidden cost of car rentals in Mexico
How to protect yourself when renting a car - Advice from IHateTaxis
Are cross-border car rentals possible?
Renting diesel in North America

Renting diesel in North America

By Todd Romaine
A cheaper alternative when renting cars in North America is….DIESEL!

The Diesel engine and fuel were invented by the
German mechanical engineer Rudolf Diesel (1858–1913).
Read about his mysterious disappearance and death.

When most of us think of diesel vehicles, we think of large pick-up trucks with Albertan or Texan license plates rolling down the highway making a lot of noise. The driver possibly wearing a white tank top, goatee and those cheap white framed sunglasses with a Calvin & Hobbs sticker on the back window.

Let’s be honest here, most of us only have limited experiences with diesel. Admittedly, my only experience was when I accidentally filled up my car with diesel at a local gas station. A hundred dollars later at the service station and the issue was embarrassingly rectified.

My short lived conviction at the time that combining gas with diesel resulted in a ‘super fuel’ was short-lived. Not many people in North America drive diesel vehicles, though they are on the increase. Many of us have been deterred by getting such a vehicle because naturally we are worried about the lack of readily available businesses offering diesel fuel. That being aside, people are becoming increasingly cost conscious when it comes to vehicles and especially car rental agencies.

Hertz Car Rental in the United States has been testing out the consumer market to see if people would consider renting a diesel car that has better fuel mileage than a traditional gasoline one. The other selling feature, arguably, is that using a diesel vehicle is better for the environment (using less fuel to get from A to B than a gas guzzler).


If you can't see the Hertz Green Traveler Collection video above, click here to view it on YouTube.

So far, so good, with Hertz locations offering diesel expanding in the USA, and into Canada as well. Hertz markets these cars as part of its Green Traveler Collection.

If you decide to rent from Hertz, and are interested in their diesel fleet, make sure you inquire about their Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Anticipate other rental car agencies to follow suit if there is sustained interest from the cost conscious public.

If you go down this path, make sure you avoid my mistake of turning your brain off at a gas station and assuming gas and diesel are interchangeable!

Related resources

• Hertz Reinvents Newark Airport Car Rental Experience - MarketWatch
• Would You Drive a Clean Diesel Rental Car? Hertz Sure Hopes So - Jaunted
• Accidentally Fueling a Diesel with Gasoline - About.com
• Book your Hertz diesel rental car with IHateTaxis
• How to protect yourself when renting a car - Smart Travel Advice from IHateTaxis

Are cross-border car rentals possible?

Swiss border post in Italy

Thinking of renting a car and traversing across several countries?

Well, it is not always as easy as it seems.

Besides USA-Canada-Mexico, parts of Western Europe, and parts of Southern Africa, there are still many complications with cross-border car rentals that will make things difficult, costly or outright impossible.

Rental car agencies are naturally quite concerned with renting their vehicles for travel in countries that have a notorious reputation of theft or damage and, sadly, this includes a good chunk of the world.

Donegal, Ireland car hire

Even if a car rental agency will let you take a vehicle into another country, it will unlikely be their best make and model.

You may find yourself behind the wheel of a small economy car that has limited functionality to traverse in countries with bad roads. An economy car will likely have issues in countries with lots of potholes and lack nearby logistical support to help out a strained car, leaving you at the mercy of the general public for assistance.

Also, a small car will likely show your belongings more on the backseat as you will be cramped with trunk room and this will again attract attention from possible thieves, carjackers etc.

Rental car plates in Uruguay are
identified by the word "alquiler"

Another thing to think about is do you really want to tell the next country that you are a foreigner and attract unwanted attention? If you are driving from Hungary into Bulgaria or Romania, or from South Africa into Mozambique, you may elicit unwanted attention (“we need to check your paperwork”) in the forms of frequent traffic stops and bribes from the police.

Bottom line, if you can find alternative transportation, such as a train, then this is your best bet. You can always try to rent a car locally for the country in question versus irregular cross-border journeys. However this is not always realistic based on limited infrastructure in some of these countries, so if you need to drive cross-border here are some things to plan for:

• Confirm first and foremost you are permitted to drive to another country. This includes the online booking details as well as asking in person once you are picking up your car 
• You need special insurance to go into another country and this is something the car rental agency will arrange for you beforehand (keep these documents in your glove box and present these to the relevant authorities: highway police, immigration control stops) 
• Make sure you have an international drivers permit – this will avoid the “you are not authorized to drive in country X” accusation (and the accompanying "we need to be paid off in order to let you drive away" bribe)
• Inquire about vignettes, or road taxes, (especially in Central & Eastern Europe) that essentially covers off all toll roads – if you don’t get this figured out you could be in for a nasty surprise when dropping off your car or being pulled over by the police 
• Check out our page on renting How to Protect Yourself When Renting a Car for more tips

Related resources

• International Car Rentals and Car Hires - advice from IHateTaxis
• How to Protect Yourself When Renting a Car
• Do You Need Insurance to Rent a Car?
• Airport Car Rentals and Car Hires
• One Way Car Rentals and Car Hires
• International Driver's Permit (IDP) - Government of Canada

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