Hiring car in UK

Sir Arthur Daley

I am travelling to the UK for a few days, flying into Gatwick Airport, what is my best way in booking a car i.e websites?
Thanks in advance.

rotun

I've found enterprise normally best value.
Good rates on hertz if on same booking as your flights

Sir Arthur Daley

Thanks Rotun, i am getting a better deal on travelsupermarket.com any experience from it?

rotun

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

Thanks Rotun, i am getting a better deal on travelsupermarket.com any experience from it?

Yeah they're good, and you'll not have a bother getting a vat receipt..

Car trawler are ridiculous for that

roadsmart

Well if Arfur Daley can't find a cheap motah in Laaandon............

Sir Arthur Daley

roadsmart wrote: »

Well if Arfur Daley can't find a cheap motah in Laaandon............

If i could why would i have composed this thread?

roadsmart

I don't know, because you have no sense of humour?

Sir Arthur Daley

roadsmart wrote: »

I don't know, because you have no sense of humour?

If i wanted some comedy i would have posted in after hours, i presume my thread is appropriate to this forum?

roadsmart

Well you didn't state that you DIDN'T want comedy so I thought it would be ok.

Relax the fook Arfur, it's only a joke.

Sir Arthur Daley

Very true i did not state that my bad.

Yamanoto

I've heard autoslash can be useful - my rentals tend to be pre-paid by voucher, so I haven't had a chance to try them out yet myself.

They apply all known discounts to your booking to reduce the price, then automatically rebook you if the original price falls. Unless you specifically need a larger vehicle, it's worth booking the cheapest / smallest cars on offer, as you're more often than not upgraded due to that category being oversubscribed.

The rates shown on our website are un-discounted. The way AutoSlash.com works is that once you book, we work to apply coupons and discounts to lower your rate. Our system can very quickly determine the optimal discount codes to get you the lowest possible rate. Many of our customers receive a price reduction in the first 24 hours after booking.

Then we'll re-price your rental multiple times a day. If rates drop or we find a better discount code, we'll automatically re-book you to take advantage of the savings. It's like price protection for your rental. We do all this for FREE!

If you book anywhere else, you'll probably end up overpaying.

http://www.autoslash.com/

Arrow in the Knee

First time renting a car.

What do I need debit or credit card?

To avoid using public transport

Any other suggestions greatly appreciated.

schemingbohemia

Credit card usually, full driver's licence. How old are you? In Ireland it can be tricky hiring a car if you're under 25, not sure about Scotland.

solomafioso

Some sites will let you provisionally book.

Check out https://www.hertz.co.uk/p/car-hire/uk/edinburgh for more info.

But as another poster said, you'll need Full Irish Drivers License and a Credit Card.

I rented a car in the US and they took my Visa debit no problem (that was Alamo).

Arrow in the Knee

I already booked the flight and car rental together 2 weeks ago but I'm just worried as I don't have a credit card when I arrive at the Hertz desk to get the car.

solomafioso

Arrow in the Knee wrote: »

I already booked the flight and car rental together 2 weeks ago but I'm just worried as I don't have a credit card when I arrive at the Hertz desk to get the car.

Did you not have to provide a credit card number when you booked the flight / rental?

From their site:

https://hertz-uk.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/210/session/L3RpbWUvMTQwNDkxNDYwOS9zaWQvbXRoSmNTWWw%3D

Rental Qualifications and Requirements
Published 10/10/2007 03.11 PM | Updated 19/09/2012 09.47 AM

What are the general qualifications / requirements / terms /conditions to hire a Hertz car?

Generally speaking, to rent a car with us, the driver must be at least 25 years old, own a valid credit card and hold a full, clean driving licence for at least 1 year prior to the pickup. Specific conditions and exceptions may apply.

Please click here for more detailed information regarding rental requirements. Enter your pickup location and press "Search", then click on the blue name of your specific pickup office and select the information you need in the drop down menu that will appear.

I'm guessing you booked the car from the airport.

Found some contact details below. Give them a buzz to make sure.

Edinburgh Airport
175 Jubilee Road - Car Rental Centre Scotland
Edinburgh , EH12 9FT
United Kingdom
Show me other nearby Hertz Car Rental locations on a map.
Telephone: 0843 309 3025
Alt. Phone:
Fax: 01895 61 96 18
Email: edinburghairport@hertz.com
Location Type: Corporate
Hours of Operation: (Seasonal Location) Oct-Apr: Mo-Fr 0630-2300, Sa-Su 0700-2300 // May-Sep: Mo-Fr 0630-2400, Sa-Su 0700-2400

schemingbohemia

You'll probably have to either take out expensive insurance or allow them to put a huge hold on your debit card, can you get a credit card in the meantime?

roundymac

I hired a hertz car in Nice. There was a guy tring to hire a car at the same time, no way would they give him one as he did not have a credit card. He'd booked it using his partners card, still would'nt give him a car.

keithclancy

Hertz in Glasgow Prestwick only accept credit card, debit cars are not accepted.

ImDave

As others have said, not likely with a Visa Debit. The odd time you would hear of people getting away with debit card, but mostly when taking the fully comp/no excess insurance and paying for fuel up-front. I would call them to ask if there is any chance however.

R0C

I've been in Edinburgh several times at this time of year and found it impossible to get a car from any hire agency as they were all booked out. Admittedly I didn't book in advance, just turned up [as I do regularly all over the world] but the only place this never seems to work is Edinburgh. Definitely worth booking well in advance if a car is a must for you.

Yamanoto

Haven't dug into the T&C's but something like this may be worth investigating

http://www.citycarclub.co.uk/locations/edinburgh-car-hire

whydoibother

I have done a thorough research on this and got the following results. Now I am sorry I booked my Ryanair ticket and am considering going to the UK by ferry as that way I can take my own car. Please see below as it may be useful to you:

AVIS and Budget accept Irish Visa Debit but demand you have your drivers licence for 3 years. Security deposit depends on the type of vehicle but for a normal sized vehicle its not more than 70 or 90 GBP - values differ when you speak to the branch and/or customer service team.

HERTZ branch in Stansted says they accept Irish Visa Debit, customer service team says they don't. 1 year full drivers license is all they require. Deposit is 300GBP according to Customer Service team, but 200 GBP says branch.

Thrifty are really strange - I rang them twice to make sure they would accept my Irish VISA debit card, I was told all was fine, they would accept it, but for me I have to see it to believe it so I emailed them and asked them, and they replied that they do NOT accept my Irish Visa card because it is not UK based - this contradicts what I was told over the phone. Deposit is GBP 150 and they accept full drivers license as long as I have it for at least 1 year.

Enterprise accepts Irish Visa Debit card in the UK. Deposit is GBP 200. 1 year drivers license.

Greenmotion says in the branch they accept irish visa debt but I have not got that in writing. deposit is GBP 1500 but if you purchase insurance of 18 GBP a day they reduce deposit to GBP 150. This is all over the phone, I do not have it in writing and I find it hard to trust after my experience with Thrifty above outlined where over the phone the same branch says one thing that then they (the same branch) contradicts by email.

Alamo/Europcar accepts Irish debit card, deposit is GBP 250, 1 year drivers license. Again I haven't got that in writing.

After this experience, I am really put off renting a car in the UK... as I am not sure that when I get there they may say very sorry but we cant give you a car because your VISA debit card is not UK based or something else... or they may ask me for a deposit of GBP 1000 frozen on my account which means I will be able to enjoy my holiday as I will not have enough money.

All things considered, I think that if you have a Debit card, the best is to go by ferry and take your own car, it takes longer and is more tiring but you have more freedom. I also checked with my insurance company and they cover me abroad, so I am not yet sure how I am going and even if I will bother going to the UK at all.

whydoibother

I have done a thorough research on this and got the following results. Now I am sorry I booked my Ryanair ticket and am considering going to the UK by ferry as that way I can take my own car. Please see below as it may be useful to you:

AVIS and Budget accept Irish Visa Debit but demand you have your drivers licence for 3 years. Security deposit depends on the type of vehicle but for a normal sized vehicle its not more than 70 or 90 GBP - values differ when you speak to the branch and/or customer service team.

HERTZ branch in Stansted says they accept Irish Visa Debit, customer service team says they don't. 1 year full drivers license is all they require. Deposit is 300GBP according to Customer Service team, but 200 GBP says branch.

Thrifty are really strange - I rang them twice to make sure they would accept my Irish VISA debit card, I was told all was fine, they would accept it, but for me I have to see it to believe it so I emailed them and asked them, and they replied that they do NOT accept my Irish Visa card because it is not UK based - this contradicts what I was told over the phone. Deposit is GBP 150 and they accept full drivers license as long as I have it for at least 1 year.

Enterprise accepts Irish Visa Debit card in the UK. Deposit is GBP 200. 1 year drivers license. I haven't got that in writing.

Greenmotion says in the branch they accept irish visa debt but I have not got that in writing. deposit is GBP 1500 but if you purchase insurance of 18 GBP a day they reduce deposit to GBP 150. This is all over the phone, I do not have it in writing and I find it hard to trust after my experience with Thrifty above outlined where over the phone the same branch says one thing that then they (the same branch) contradicts by email.

Alamo/Europcar accepts Irish debit card, deposit is GBP 250, 1 year drivers license. Again I haven't got that in writing.

After this experience, I am really put off renting a car in the UK... as I am not sure that when I get there they may say very sorry but we cant give you a car because your VISA debit card is not UK based or something else... or they may ask me for a deposit of GBP 1000 frozen on my account which means I will be able to enjoy my holiday as I will not have enough money.

All things considered, I think that if you have a Debit card, the best is to go by ferry and take your own car, it takes longer and is more tiring but you have more freedom. I also checked with my insurance company and they cover me abroad, so I am not yet sure how I am going and even if I will bother going to the UK at all.

whydoibother

I have done a thorough research on this and got the following results. Now I am sorry I booked my Ryanair ticket and am considering going to the UK by ferry as that way I can take my own car. Please see below as it may be useful to you:

AVIS and Budget accept Irish Visa Debit but demand you have your drivers licence for 3 years. Security deposit depends on the type of vehicle but for a normal sized vehicle its not more than 70 or 90 GBP - values differ when you speak to the branch and/or customer service team.

HERTZ branch in Stansted says they accept Irish Visa Debit, customer service team says they don't. 1 year full drivers license is all they require. Deposit is 300GBP according to Customer Service team, but 200 GBP says branch.

Thrifty are really strange - I rang them twice to make sure they would accept my Irish VISA debit card, I was told all was fine, they would accept it, but for me I have to see it to believe it so I emailed them and asked them, and they replied that they do NOT accept my Irish Visa card because it is not UK based - this contradicts what I was told over the phone. Deposit is GBP 150 and they accept full drivers license as long as I have it for at least 1 year.

Enterprise accepts Irish Visa Debit card in the UK. Deposit is GBP 200. 1 year drivers license. I haven't got that in writing.

Greenmotion says in the branch they accept irish visa debt but I have not got that in writing. deposit is GBP 1500 but if you purchase insurance of 18 GBP a day they reduce deposit to GBP 150. This is all over the phone, I do not have it in writing and I find it hard to trust after my experience with Thrifty above outlined where over the phone the same branch says one thing that then they (the same branch) contradicts by email.

Alamo/Europcar accepts Irish debit card, deposit is GBP 250, 1 year drivers license. Again I haven't got that in writing.

After this experience, I am really put off renting a car in the UK... as I am not sure that when I get there they may say very sorry but we cant give you a car because your VISA debit card is not UK based or something else... or they may ask me for a deposit of GBP 1000 frozen on my account which means I will be able to enjoy my holiday as I will not have enough money.

All things considered, I think that if you have a Debit card, the best is to go by ferry and take your own car, it takes longer and is more tiring but you have more freedom. I also checked with my insurance company and they cover me abroad, so I am not yet sure how I am going and even if I will bother going to the UK at all.

Sir Arthur Daley

To give an update i ended up hiring with hertz, i booked the car and paid for it online. Arrived at hertz and filled out the paperwork, they took the 200 pound deposit off the debit card no problem and i paid for excess insurance off them too.
Got the car full of petrol and took it back full, i ended scuffing two alloys on the car i showed them to the attendant and he said since i had the excess cover there was no charge. What would story be if i hadnt i dont know.
All in all it cost €160 to hire the car for 3 days, did alot of traveling and if i had to use public transport i would have spent a fair bit too.
Know your post codes, put them into the sat nav and away you go.

whydoibother

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

To give an update i ended up hiring with hertz, i booked the car and paid for it online. Arrived at hertz and filled out the paperwork, they took the 200 pound deposit off the debit card no problem and i paid for excess insurance off them too.
Got the car full of petrol and took it back full, i ended scuffing two alloys on the car i showed them to the attendant and he said since i had the excess cover there was no charge. What would story be if i hadnt i dont know.
All in all it cost €160 to hire the car for 3 days, did alot of traveling and if i had to use public transport i would have spent a fair bit too.
Know your post codes, put them into the sat nav and away you go.

Did you find things easier than you expected? It's all very confusing to me as I have never done this before... thanks for your input...

Sir Arthur Daley

whydoibother wrote: »

Did you find things easier than you expected? It's all very confusing to me as I have never done this before... thanks for your input...

I did, i was in the same situation as you. Several tabs on the computer open reading through the terms and conditions. Alot of companies it was next to impossible to decipher.
Like what you said some hold 1000 pounds, from talking to a few people since hertz seem to be the best even though they are getting rubbish reviews.
How long are you going for?

whydoibother

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

I did, i was in the same situation as you. Several tabs on the computer open reading through the terms and conditions. Alot of companies it was next to impossible to decipher.
Like what you said some hold 1000 pounds, from talking to a few people since hertz seem to be the best even though they are getting rubbish reviews.
How long are you going for?

just 3 days - thats all - thing about Hertz is branch in Stansted says they accept Irish Visa Debit, customer service team says they don't. 1 year full drivers license is all they require. Deposit is 300GBP according to Customer Service team, but 200 GBP says branch.

Sir Arthur Daley

whydoibother wrote: »

just 3 days - thats all

Where you flying into?

whydoibother

HERTZ branch in Stansted says they accept Irish Visa Debit, customer service team says they don't. 1 year full drivers license is all they require. Deposit is 300GBP according to Customer Service team, but 200 GBP says branch so for me its still very confusing... sorry i did not understand did you prebook online or did you choose car at the airport?

Sir Arthur Daley

I pre booked the car online. I rang customer services too before i left and they said they only accept credit card for deposit. I had another person with me who had a credit card but the person at the desk too the debit no problem.
The deposit by hertz is definately 200 pounds.

Sir Arthur Daley

Do you have anyone going with you that has a credit card or someone over that has that could come to to the airport?

athtrasna

whydoibother wrote: »

I have done a thorough research on this and got the following results. Now I am sorry I booked my Ryanair ticket and am considering going to the UK by ferry as that way I can take my own car. Please see below as it may be useful to you:

AVIS and Budget accept Irish Visa Debit but demand you have your drivers licence for 3 years. Security deposit depends on the type of vehicle but for a normal sized vehicle its not more than 70 or 90 GBP - values differ when you speak to the branch and/or customer service team.

HERTZ branch in Stansted says they accept Irish Visa Debit, customer service team says they don't. 1 year full drivers license is all they require. Deposit is 300GBP according to Customer Service team, but 200 GBP says branch.

Thrifty are really strange - I rang them twice to make sure they would accept my Irish VISA debit card, I was told all was fine, they would accept it, but for me I have to see it to believe it so I emailed them and asked them, and they replied that they do NOT accept my Irish Visa card because it is not UK based - this contradicts what I was told over the phone. Deposit is GBP 150 and they accept full drivers license as long as I have it for at least 1 year.

Enterprise accepts Irish Visa Debit card in the UK. Deposit is GBP 200. 1 year drivers license. I haven't got that in writing.

Greenmotion says in the branch they accept irish visa debt but I have not got that in writing. deposit is GBP 1500 but if you purchase insurance of 18 GBP a day they reduce deposit to GBP 150. This is all over the phone, I do not have it in writing and I find it hard to trust after my experience with Thrifty above outlined where over the phone the same branch says one thing that then they (the same branch) contradicts by email.

Alamo/Europcar accepts Irish debit card, deposit is GBP 250, 1 year drivers license. Again I haven't got that in writing.

After this experience, I am really put off renting a car in the UK... as I am not sure that when I get there they may say very sorry but we cant give you a car because your VISA debit card is not UK based or something else... or they may ask me for a deposit of GBP 1000 frozen on my account which means I will be able to enjoy my holiday as I will not have enough money.

All things considered, I think that if you have a Debit card, the best is to go by ferry and take your own car, it takes longer and is more tiring but you have more freedom. I also checked with my insurance company and they cover me abroad, so I am not yet sure how I am going and even if I will bother going to the UK at all.

It's not UK specific..companies don't like taking debit cards for high risk services such as hotel stays and car hire. If you don't have a credit card you'll need to get used to this.

Sheldons Brain

They are giving you a valuable car, they need some assurance that you will pay the for it. Generally car hire requires a credit card, somone could have a debit card and €10 in their account. Get a credit card or put few thousand Euro in your account and you'll have no problem.

whydoibother

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

Do you have anyone going with you that has a credit card or someone over that has that could come to to the airport?

No, the credit card has to be in the drivers name. It cannot be anyone else's.

whydoibother

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

They are giving you a valuable car, they need some assurance that you will pay the for it. Generally car hire requires a credit card, somone could have a debit card and €10 in their account. Get a credit card or put few thousand Euro in your account and you'll have no problem.

I understand they need assurance that I will pay but I am taking complete insurance that covers every damage so i cannot see why i would need a credit card in that case. They need a deposit and I am willing to pay for it with my VISA debit, no bother, the problem is that on the phone they say they accept my card but then in writing they say they don't. that is my problem.

whydoibother

athtrasna wrote: »

It's not UK specific..companies don't like taking debit cards for high risk services such as hotel stays and car hire. If you don't have a credit card you'll need to get used to this.

I am taking complete insurance which will cover high risks thats what it is for and they can debit that from my card straight away, no bother, the problem is that on the phone they say they accept my card but then in writing they say they don't. that is my problem.

whydoibother

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

I pre booked the car online. I rang customer services too before i left and they said they only accept credit card for deposit. I had another person with me who had a credit card but the person at the desk too the debit no problem.
The deposit by hertz is definately 200 pounds.

Hello again, sorry to be a pain, but could u tell me how long it took them to give you the GBP 200 deposit back? thanks and thats my last question, promise

Sir Arthur Daley

whydoibother wrote: »

Hello again, sorry to be a pain, but could u tell me how long it took them to give you the GBP 200 deposit back? thanks and thats my last question, promise

It was back in my account within 3 working days of car return.

Yamanoto

athtrasna wrote: »

It's not UK specific..companies don't like taking debit cards for high risk services such as hotel stays and car hire. If you don't have a credit card you'll need to get used to this.

I noticed a sign at the Alamo counter in MSP airport last week, advising customers Debit cards are accepted once folks can provide proof of a return journey.

whydoibother

Yamanoto wrote: »

I noticed a sign at the Alamo counter in MSP last week, advising customers Debit cards were accepted once folks could provide proof of a return journey.

Yes, that is true but they also state on their website the following:

Please note: (A) All first time customers who present a foreign driving licence and have a UK address will be required to pay a deposit of £1000.00 (rather than £250.00). (B) All first time customers who present a UK driving licence and have a foreign address must provide a £1000.00 deposit (rather than £250.00).

http://www.alamo.co.uk/helpfulinformation/gb

whydoibother

Yamanoto wrote: »

You don't have a UK address though, nor a UK license, so the above wouldn't appear applicable in your case.

Yes, that is logically correct, but from what I understand it is the "foreign value" in either case outlined in the rules and regulations that seems to warrant a GBP 1000 deposit instead of a GBP 250... because if someone with a UK address + foreign license and someone with a foreign address + UK license has to pay 1000 GBP, then someone with a foreign address + foreign license would make sense to be liable to pay 1000 GBP or more as in this case both contain the "negative value" of being a foreigner...

But I may be wrong... There is a huge discrepancy anyway between what the website says, what they tell over the phone, what the branch tells you over the phone and what the branch emails you...

Hertz says they accept visa debit via email and phone but the website contradicts that... I am going from what I have read here and hope Hertz does accept debit and only takes GBP 200 but even with that I cannot be sure until I get there...

In regards to booking car online because of high/peak season, I find it odd that on the website when I check cars for today I am getting loads of cars available... which makes me think there is no need to book in advance... My thinking is that because there is such a discrepancy, I would like to have the freedom to choose and discuss terms there... Suppose I hire a car relying on what they've told me over the phone and then when I get there they tell me I am mistaken?

I contacted green motion by email this morning, got no reply by noon so I phoned them and was told all was fine, but then i finally got a reply to my email which contradicted what the guy told me over the phone... and both persons whom I have spoken to and emailed work at the same branch... however one says deposit is GBP 150 with extra cover while the other one by email says deposit is GBP 1000 but can be reduced to GBP 500 if I purchase my own insurance from one of those companies who sell daily insurance (difference being that for those insurance companies they don't cover on the spot, one has to pay and then claim, whereas the native extra cover pays the damage on the spot).

I am simply amazed at all the discrepancies and lack of transparence that is practiced by all these car rental companies... It is hard to trust any of them to do what they say when there are so many contradictions and lack of clarity such as ij the above statement regarding foreign address + UK license = 1000 and UK address + foreign license = 1000 and nothing is said for foreign address + foreign license but I would deduce it would be the same 1000 or even more because here the problem is the "foreign" factor, so if we have 2 foreign values, then that should make things even more difficult.

Due to the lack of clarity, I won't even bother wasting more money phoning them tomorrow or time emailing them because from personal experience dealing with over 5 different companies, I understand that things as a clear as mud.

whydoibother

Just to update, I got a car from Enterprise and all went well. Thanks for the inputs. I would not know what it might have been like with another company, I chose Enterprise because of all companies, this was the only one who did not contradict itself. Please see my other posts for details on what I am saying if you're interested.