credit card & car hire deposit

liamhana

Hi, I'm going to spain soon & have booked a car for a week. The contract requires I leave a credit card deposit of 800 with the desk at the airport, which will be returned to me afterwards if the car isnt damaged.
Fair enough, but i've heard so many horror stories of people checking out their credit cards on their return to find that a whack of cash has been removed & the reason why is 'damage' spotted after you left...

I was thinking, that rather than use my normal credit card to deal with this, I might buy an 02 money card top it up to 800 & give this to the car hire company, at least then I wont be worried about my normal cc getting stung in 2 months time etc.

Any advice!?

ted1

Get zero access insurance. Then you can't get charged . Where and with who are you renting the car?

liamhana

zero access insurance ? off who?
girona airport & renting via argos with europcar

BuffyBot

Prepaid cards stand out like a sore thumb for the most part, and you run the risk of it not being accepted.

TBH in all the rentals I've been involved with, I've never been "stung".

ted1

http://www.doyouspain.com/formulario.asp?idioma=EN

Most the ones I checked here offer zero excess. Meaning you won't be stung.

Rascasse

When you check out the car they walk round it with you and note down any pre existing damage. You then sign that. When you return the vehicle they walk around it again and note any new damage. You will be told there and then if they will be keeping the deposit, not months later.

The only reason that your card will be charged after you return the vehicle is if your don't fill the car up with petrol (unless its a return empty deal - they'll tell you if it is), or if you get a speeding fine.

I've only had an extra charge once and that was for not returning the car back with the tank brimmed. The charge was less than €10.

Toots

Just an FYI, a lot of car hire companies won't accept pre paid credit cards for security deposits. I was in the queue behind a couple who had this exact problem last summer. In the end they had to ring someone in their group and get them to come to the rental desk and use their normal credit card so they could get the car.

murphaph

Car hire is the most problematic thing credit card companies deal with. Scams are common place. Always request a damage sheet, mark it up with every tiny mark. If they say "no marks under two inches are to be recorded" then get them to hand write that and sign it. Take photographs with a current newspaper of any marks on the car. In 99% of cases when they see you're not a mug you simply won't be targeted. They pick on people who sheepishly take the car and say nothing. I always bring a pocket torch in case the car is in an underground car park. Once you are thorough you'll find scratches on every panel and hub cap in most cases. Once your damage sheet is full of pure existing damage they find it impossible to find new stuff and prove it's not the same.

A guy in Italy tried to scam me once by absolutely insisting that I should give him my only copy of the damage sheet lol. He went mad when I told him I'd email him a copy from home but he wasn't getting mine. I took the extra precaution of cancelling my credit card that time as it was so suspicious and I did a google for the company involved.

I now always stick to hertz or similar and always get fully comp insurance with no excess. I still make sure they see me carefully checking the car though.