Car hire abroad

[Michael Morris]

What's the deal here. The excess insurance and pre authorising your credit card is a nightmare.

I have come to the conclusion that the best way to deal with it is not to pay excess insurance up front in the UK because they will still try to bill you for it when you get off the plane.

If you don't take the insurance when you collect the car they will pre-authorise your card with 500 - 1000 €. But if you pay the 80€ excess insurance out there you don't have your card swiped.

I have had money deducted from my card previously for no reason and I've been stressed for a fortnight on other holidays worrying they might rip me off.

Any advice?

[cardiff55]

If in USA use a UK card , not a U.S. Card like I did last year. They deducted $300 from my US account, but I have since used my UK card and they swipe it but nothing reduces your balance and was nev used.

[nugent]

I always find a side street dealer and pay cash.

[Strawberry Picker]

Depends on where you are hiring.

In the US with a US credit card you really don't need insurance because the credit card company will usually be covering you. If you hire with a UK credit card do it through a UK site (comparison sites are good) and it will include full insurance with no excess. Be careful not to buy car hire where you have to pay for a full tank and return empty. It's a rip off.

In Europe a US credit card works the same way as in the US but the rates are ludicrous. Hiring with a UK credit card usually involves some huge excess. If you travel a bit, buy an annual excess policy. There are a few reputable ones out there and it should cost no more than 30GBP for an annual multi-trip policy. If you have to claim, they are good (I have a Chubb policy) and efficient a paying. They will just repay whatever the excess is on the claim. Don't stress about the temp charge on your card, it will disappear pretty soon after your return if nothing happens.

I did try to hire a car in Indonesia last year - impossible.

Just my two pennies.

[Bluemellons]

I hired a car last week in Greece and paid in cash. All they took was my driving license details.�

[BLUETIT]

I always find a side street dealer and pay cash.Hate to agree with Graham, but this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Arfur Europe]

I hired a car last week in Greece and paid in cash. All they took was my driving license details.�Me too. Piece of cake. I even got that new DVLA code just in case but they didn't need it.

[blue matt]

i pre hire the car, normally use " car hire 3000 " http://www.carhire3000.com/

I always pay for the top insurance AND full tank, they e.mail you a voucher, you print it out, hand it over with your licence and away you go, no credit card to hand over, nothing

I always find them competitive, might not be the cheapest but its always under £ 30 quid difference ( and thats for 15 days in orlando )

[Michael Morris]

I hired a car last week in Greece and paid in cash. All they took was my driving license details.�but did you pay cash for their excess insurance?

[nugent]

I hired a car last week in Greece and paid in cash. All they took was my driving license details.�
but did you pay cash for their excess insurance?I didn't read the small print mind.

[blue matt]

I hired a car last week in Greece and paid in cash. All they took was my driving license details.�
but did you pay cash for their excess insurance?
no mate, sign your name and drive.I expect that was due to the car hire guy being a Man Utd fan and when he saw you in your new kit, thought " yea great a fellow utd fan " and sorted you out without any hassle

[nugent]

I hired a car last week in Greece and paid in cash. All they took was my driving license details.�
but did you pay cash for their excess insurance?
no mate, sign your name and drive.
I didn't read the small print mind.ffs mun. http://www.ccmb.co.uk/images/smiley_icons/kev.gif

[BLUEAWAY]

What's the deal here. The excess insurance and pre authorising your credit card is a nightmare.Used it in Italy last month with Enterprise and Germany this week with AVIS and yes both swiped the cards!

[Taunton Blue Genie]

As a great aficiando I have been pretty lucky with car hire so far.

Apart from the usual scam whereby you end up paying more than the headline prices the only problems I have had are:

1. A car hire company in Lithuania hanging on to my deposit for a month.

2. Europcar in Nice deducting money from my bank account a week after I returned. The payment, taken without permission, was supposedly for cleaning the car but all that was in the car when I returned it was a sprinkling of sand in the footwell. I reported them to the relevant ombudsman and got my money back.

3. A Sat Nav that decided to pack up on the first day in Jordan and when I was in a desert with hardly any road signs. I had to make a few educated guesses as the maps available were not fit for purpose. Got my money back regarding the Sat Nav hire.

Otherwise, I have never broken down or had any problems - and I seemed to get away with accidentally driving down a 12 inch step in the car park at the Alhambra in Granada.

One unfulfilled desire is to but a cheap car over here with a month or two left on the MOT (and therefore going very cheaply indeed I hope) and driving it to somewhere like .... Georgia and/or Moldova and passing through most of the remaining countries in Europe that I haven't yet visited and they are all on the far Eastern edge of Europe. And fly back from where it breaks down or at my final destination leaving the car to whoever wants it.

[Vimana.]

I hired a car last week in Greece and paid in cash. All they took was my driving license details.�
but did you pay cash for their excess insurance?
no mate, sign your name and drive.So, back on topic - what is 'the right way' ?!

[Brian]

What's the deal here. The excess insurance and pre authorising your credit card is a nightmare.
I have come to the conclusion that the best way to deal with it is not to pay excess insurance up front in the UK because they will still try to bill you for it when you get off the plane.I've done this twice in France over the last two years - the annual Excess policy costs about £33. I took the policy with me and never had a problem at the check in desk. Made sure I got a receipt of charges before I left the desk when I dropped it off.