Korea Travel Money Saving Tips – Up to 60% Discount for Jeju Car Rental with KT Kumho
2 August, 2014At an earlier blog post where we shared about our Jeju self-drive holiday experience, we mentioned that we rented a mid-size SUV Hyundai Veracruz at a huge car rental discount of 60% with KT Kumho – 431,700 Korean won for 4 full days of car rental ==> about 108,000 KRW (or US$108) per day. At this post, we will share how we did it.
Step 1: Book your Jeju rental car (for self-drive Jeju holiday) online at KT Kumho
To get this 60% discount off your Jeju car rental at KT Kumho, you must book your car online at KT Kumho website: https://www.ktkumhorent.com/eng/short/short_main.do. Don’t even bother with walk-in rental sign-ups for KT Kumho cars at the airport because they will most likely be fully booked. Book your Jeju rental car online as early as possible before you fly to Jeju especially during peak tourist seasons.
Step 2: Sign up as a member of KT Kumho and enjoy at least 5% discount off Jeju car rental
You will need to sign up as a member at KT Kumho website – just click “Register” on top. The discounts are only available to KT Kumho members – you will need your International Driving Permit ready as you will be required to fill in a field on Driver’s License Info and when you arrive in Jeju, KT Kumho staff will check against this info with your International Driving Permit. Do note that an International Driving Permit is strictly required for car rental in Jeju and even All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) rental! See this blog post for more info on where, how and when to get your International Driving Permit processed within less than a day!
Even without being a gold or double gold member, normal KT Kumho members will already enjoy 20% for Loss Damage Waiver only, 5% for online booking plus 5% for weekday rentals. But if your period of travel overlaps with your birthday month, you enjoy an additional 50% discount on top of your 5% + 5% = 60% off Jeju rental car! That’s how we got our 60% discounts off our Jeju car rental.
Make sure you select Jeju rental reservation at KT Kumho – there are different booking areas for Seoul (and other parts of South Korea) car rental and Jeju car rental. KT Kumho’s website is not very intuitive in this aspect so just take note to always choose Jeju Rental Reservation in order to get prices for car rental in Jeju (which is slightly cheaper than for car rental on the South Korean mainland). You have a wide selection of cars e.g. Compact – Premium – SUV. There is only one branch in Jeju – the one near the Jeju airport (you will take a shuttle bus from the Jeju airport to KT Kumho car rental office).
The booking process is simple – select your pick-up and return date and time and then select vehicle.
Under additional info, select whatever discounts/coupons apply to you and decide if you want to be covered for losses and damages to the car. Your discounted price for your Jeju car rental will then be counted automatically.
Comments (52)
Renting a Car to Drive in Jeju Island and Navigating Jeju Island with Onboard Korean GPS: What to Take Note of for a Safe, Fun and Affordable Self-Drive Jeju Trip | Singapore Travel Blog
3 August, 2014 at 12:21 pm[…] expensive after all – and comparable with cost of engaging a taxi driver. More on how to book your rental car at KT Kumho with a huge discount at the next blog post. For now, let me share on some tips of what to take note of when driving around […]
June
11 September, 2014 at 5:32 pmHi, Your post is very useful ! Just one question, does the birthday discount coupon only apply to the driver with international driving permit?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
12 September, 2014 at 12:39 amyes – only the driver with the international driving permit can reserve a car online and thus the birthday discount coupon only applies to the driver.
Chloe
20 September, 2014 at 1:07 pmHi, regarding to the birthday discount coupon, do i need to select any option under ‘use coupon’ so that i can get a further 50% off. If yes, i couldn’t find any option appears under ‘use coupon’ at my site, what else i need to do to claim my 50% off. thanks!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
20 September, 2014 at 1:22 pmWhen we booked, the 50% birthday discount was applied automatically – we didn’t have to choose from the “use coupon” function. You can try clicking through to just before the payment page to see the total amount – this is where they will tell you how much discount you are eligible for.
Pls ensure that you have signed up for a KT Kumho account and inputted your international driving license and details e.g. your birthday.
If the above doesn’t work, there might also have been a change in policy with regards to the birthday discount coupon – pls check with KT Kumho directly.
Jesphne
29 September, 2014 at 12:09 pmHi! the website states that you have to be at least 21 years old but i will only be 20 years old when i travel korea. will i still be able to rent a car? is there any way that i can check with them?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
29 September, 2014 at 2:54 pmyou might want to use the “Contact Us” link on KT Kumho website to ask. They are very strict in implementing their rules.
Vanessa
27 October, 2014 at 1:47 amHi, using the link given in the website and the instructions guidelines from you, i was given a 70% discount (not sure why), thus am feeling a little skeptical if i had done it correctly. Would like to ask you if there was any other cost that u guys have to fork out upon arrival at the jeju counter in comparison to the price that was shown in the website when u guys booked it? For example the website showed that the booking has been done at 123,500 won thus at the day itself, was there any other hidden cost we need to look out for?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
27 October, 2014 at 8:42 amIf you had also purchased the loss/damage waiver, then you are all set – no hidden costs. You will need to pay for your own fuel and you need to top-up full tank when you return the car. When we booked our Jeju rental car online with KT Kumho, they only held on to our credit card info. When you arrive at the KT Kumho office in Jeju, you will then need to sign for it to pay for the car rental fees i.e. you pay with credit card on the spot not online.
Vanessa
27 October, 2014 at 12:18 pmIs the loss/damage waiver you are referring to is the car damage waiver as stated in their website? If so, yep, i have included it. Is the price stated at the end the final price of one day or is it the price of one day? Cause i can’t believe how cheap it is!! Oh yah.. would also like to ask if during the registration, they ask for ypur contact number but only can select the korea post code?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
27 October, 2014 at 3:08 pmyes that is the car damage waiver I an referring to.
I dont get your question – final price of one day or is it the price of one day? – don’t they both mean the same thing?
I also found your booking very cheap but I don’t know how long you book your car for and the type of car you booked so i cannot comment on price. Mine is 431,700 Korean won for 4 full days of car rental ==> about 108,000 KRW (or US$108) per day for a mid-sized SUV.
I cant remember on the details they asked me upon completion of booking.
Vanessa
28 October, 2014 at 12:51 amI’m sorry. I have meant that during the booking in the webpage, the price stated/given in the end means the cost of the car rental for the whole 3 days trip (which i book) or for just per day charges?
I have book a avante car for 3 days (Sat, Sun, Mon) and returning on tuesday morning. (about 70 hours).
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
28 October, 2014 at 10:25 amI tried to do a similar booking for a hyundai avante – yes the price you stated is pretty much that. As this is a compact car, the price is very reasonable. 🙂 Anyway after our reservation, we received booking confirmation that summarises the details of our booking: Car VERACRUZ (Diesel) ?Rental Branch Jeju ?Rental Date 2014-05-13 13:30 ?Return Branch Jeju ?Return Date 2014-05-17 10:10 ?Discount Rate 60 % ?Loss Damage Waiver 89,300?
?Total Charge 431,700 KRW so for you, just look at the total charge.
Vanessa
29 October, 2014 at 11:58 amThank you so so much!!!! All the information you have provided really helped!!!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
27 October, 2014 at 8:44 amby the way Vanessa – one of our readers have a problem with “check for duplicate id” while registration. did u faced the same problem? http://www.passportchop.com/asia/south-korea/jeju-car-rental-driving-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-60182
A Singaporean Guide to Travel Hacking – Eight Tips to Save Time and/or Money on Airfare, Accommodation, Local Transport, Food, Attractions | Singapore Travel Blog
11 November, 2014 at 10:01 am[…] online for driving tips and how to use the local GPS – we compiled a few tips on our blog on how to book a rental car for Jeju at a discounted rate, how to secure an International Driving Permit for driving in Korea Jeju and GPS coordinates for […]
Ashlee
30 December, 2014 at 12:37 pmHi,
Under Addtional info, I do not have to click on event and member discounts, right?
Pls advise me on the CDW. There is 2 option to choose from : 1. zero excess & 2. W300,000. Which one do i choose?
Thank you very much.
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
30 December, 2014 at 3:20 pmfor my own experience of booking the car thru KT Kumho, clicking event and member discounts didn’t give me any further discount. My birthday discount was applied automatically after i signed up as a member and updated the birthday.
On CDW (Collision Damage Waiver), it depends on whether you want to be covered for that – if so, then pick the 300k KRW one – if not, then pick the zero one. I think what this means is that it covers 300k KRW of damages in the case of collision. I chose the 300k KRW one and if i remember correctly, you will need to top-up a certain amount.
Shaian
30 October, 2015 at 5:14 pmHi! I was just wondering, did Kumho ask to see your Singapore driving license or just the International Driving License? And is it only possible to pay by credit card or will cash be okay as well? Thank you!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
30 October, 2015 at 8:36 pmThey will see both. Pay by cash is ok.
Carmen
3 November, 2015 at 10:10 amHmm.. when i clicked on the KTKumho link it actually brings me to the following:
https://www.lotterentacar.net/eng/short/short_main.do
Do I use this then?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
3 November, 2015 at 9:39 pmyes. i think they have merged with Lotte and Hertz
wen
12 July, 2016 at 3:31 pmHi, im trying click the KT Kumho link to do online booking but it seem like not working. Would you mind share with me what are the exact link for me to try please. Tks
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
18 July, 2016 at 10:43 amhttps://www.lotterentacar.net/eng/short/short_main.do
wen
2 August, 2016 at 12:51 pmTks for replying. However, there is not much choice for car selection on their web. Think have to search for alternative way
SX
23 August, 2016 at 5:27 pmHelloo thanks for all the tips here! It is really helpful. 🙂
I just tried to make a reservation online (thankfully according to your detailed instructions) and see no options to make payment online, or even to input my credit card details. Does that mean that i will have to print out the reservation page and make payment via credit card or cash upon collection?
Hope to hear from you soon!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
24 August, 2016 at 10:12 pmyou can pay via credit card or cash during the collection of your car keys
meiyi
2 September, 2016 at 7:22 pmI see this on their “rental info for foreigners” page:
4. Form of Payment, the contractor need to pay by own credit card at the location (No debit card, cash)
So did they change their policy???
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
8 October, 2016 at 9:22 pmNo change on policy – you pay by credit card on site
Stephy
8 October, 2016 at 1:41 pmHi there,
Thank you for this blog! It has been very helpful indeed!
Looking through their website, it says that you need to be holding an international driving license for at least 1 year prior to renting the car. Is that a new policy or was it the same as before? Because I only plan to apply for an international license 1 month before the trip.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Min
8 October, 2016 at 1:45 pmHi there,
Thank you for this blog! It has been very helpful indeed!
Looking through their website, it says that you need to be holding an international driving license for at least 1 year prior to renting the car. Is that a new policy or was it the same as before? Because I only plan to apply for an international license 1 month before the trip.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
8 October, 2016 at 6:17 pmI believe they mean driving experience of at least 1 year. This is what I found on their site:
ㆍSmall/medium/van of 7 or 9 passenger capacity – Over 21 years of age, with 1 year of longer driving experience
ㆍVan of 10 passenger capacity – Over 21 years of age, with 1 years of longer driving experience
Angie
13 October, 2016 at 11:34 amhi, your blog article is very useful!
Can i check with you, is Veracruz same type as Tucson or Sorento? which one has bigger trunk that you would suggest?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
16 October, 2016 at 9:59 pmI am not familiar with cars – if you need a big boot for 4 big luggages then Vercruz is ok. You have to google the rest to find out
kun
6 November, 2016 at 11:59 amHi would like to check are the cars auto or manual? Is there anyway to indicate preference on the booking website?
Thanks
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
15 November, 2016 at 9:44 pmmostly auto. the auto or manual will be indicated in the car description
yc
15 November, 2016 at 3:40 pmHi, any deposit required when collecting the rental car?
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
15 November, 2016 at 9:40 pmyou will pay with your credit card when collecting the rental car
Huang
7 December, 2016 at 1:15 pmHi, just for your info. I checked with their customer service and received their reply regarding the birthday discount.
This is what I received:
“The birthday discount is available to our member who is international driving permit holder at Mainland location only. Therefore, the birthday discount is not available at Jeju location.”
I think the 65% discount that you received did not contain the birthday discount.
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
7 December, 2016 at 8:01 pmthanks for sharing
DEZ
18 October, 2017 at 2:53 pmThanks Huang for sharing this information!
I was also looking hard to apply the birthday discount and realised there was no difference whether it was with my account (which should have the birthday month discount applicable) or with husband’s account.
It will be helpful if this can be indicated in this main blogpost as I would still be trying hard to look for the difference and the birthday discount without this further information.
HY
17 December, 2016 at 11:16 pmHi. Thanks for your sharing. It is very useful to look at your blog as a guide.
I have just made a booking with Lotte. I din registered as a member as i havent get my IDP and my travelling period will not be my birthday month. Still, the 65% discount was applied. I am very happy now of coz, but still worry whether the booking is actually genuine or i would have to top up the 65% while collecting the car onsite later? Any advice you can give me ya?
Thanks.
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
17 December, 2016 at 11:59 pmThat shld be fine. I have heard that they give 65% discount to anyone now.
HY
18 December, 2016 at 12:10 amWow! That’s great!
Thanks again for your prompt reply.
Joanne
1 May, 2017 at 8:30 pmHi, is it worth getting the CDW in your opinion? i already have travel insurance that covers car hire damage.
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
1 May, 2017 at 8:55 pmHi Joanne
Definitely get CDW for your car rentals anywhere in the world. Most travel insurance cover very limited amount e.g. if you take the lowest tier travel insurance, they only cover about 200 – 400 SGD damage which is never enough when accidents happen. Unless you have a travel insurance that can cover thousands of dollars in damage, i strongly recommend taking Accident Damage Waiver clauses which cover all expenses and charges incurred when accidents happen.
Joanne
3 May, 2017 at 7:53 pmhi i had a read of the insurance conditions and i don’t quite understand it. it says the deductibles are 300,000Won for Jeju local cars and imported cars but it doesn’t really say if this is the max amount to pay if there’s a damage or this is the amount to pay. any idea? Link here for reference https://www.lotterentacar.net/eng/short/short_reward.do
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
3 May, 2017 at 10:13 pmemail them to find out please.
Sabrina
8 May, 2017 at 2:38 amHi! Do you have any idea whats the difference between “General membership Rental Rates” and “Jeju reported rates”? Thanks!
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
8 May, 2017 at 8:12 amnot sure
Kona
4 August, 2017 at 5:07 pmHi, we are arriving at 8pm and leaving at 7.55am. Do you think it is possible? What is the operating hours like?
Thank you.
Zhiqiang & Tingyi
5 August, 2017 at 12:33 amplease check with them directly via email