In Part 1 (see: http://pangean.org/european-car-rental-issues/ ) we went through some of the insurance considerations that apply to car rentals in Europe. As mentioned in that post, there are some differences between renting a car in Europe and renting one in North America. Foremost among those is the issue of holds and deposits.
This Pangean has never been asked for a deposit or a hold while renting a car in North America. It could just be luck or the location or the timing, but we’ve never been asked for an extra-ordinary payment to secure a deductible or the cost of the vehicle. We’ve rented cars in Hawaii, Nevada, California, and Arizona and in none of those instances has the rental agency imposed a hold or deposit requirement for anything more than an amount to cover incidentals. However, the experience in Europe, especially during the several rentals we had booked for our October 2016 trip, was very different. Although the policies varied from country to country and even from agency to agency, all required some form of security.
Unfortunately, the holds can be very significant: 500, 600, 1000, 5000 Euros or even up to the cost of the vehicle itself. The other unfortunate aspect is that the holds may not automatically drop off immediately upon return of the vehicle. Due to banking and credit card policies the holds may linger on for several days or even weeks.
The bottom line for holds and deposits:
- Contact the agency and specific rental location prior to your trip to determine their policies for holds and deposits.
- Obtain the statement on holds and deposits policies, and the amount, in writing.
- Plan ahead and have sufficient room on the credit card you will be using for the rental (this will likely be the card with the best insurance coverage attached to it). Remember that the credit card used for the hold or deposit must be in the name of the driver.
- If you are planning on multiple rentals, plan for even more space on the card to allow for holds that don’t immediately refund.
- If possible try to obtain a refund for the deposit on the spot when you return the vehicle.