Reply To: BA car hire – recommended?

[sayling]

Let’s be fair, @Alex G/@davfl, the OP said booking via BA Executive – I’ve booked a few Avis rentals through BA, as a member of the Exec Club, but as part of holidays or add-ons to existing bookings. I had no idea about the Avis portal, and it’s possible that the OP hasn’t heard of it either.

It’s definitely something I’ll look into!

If the OP was considering the car through BA/BA Holidays, I would like to add a cautionary note – ALWAYS check that there are no extra charges being levied on return. Be very clear and specific when asking the question – asking if there is anything more to pay is not the same. The agents will tell you there isn’t, but that’s because any extra charges will be taken from the hold on your credit card.

These arise, apparently, from differences between the exchange rate at the time of booking and time of hire. The agent CAN sort this there and then, but often don’t. It can be resolved (best course of action is to contact BA/BAH directly on return), but it’s a pain in the arse.

And watch out for the actual charge to your card, not the extra charge for the hire – you may have incurred currency conversion charges.

Funnily enough, the exchange rate differences never seem to result in a credit – make of that what you will.

There’s a topic on FlyerTalk all about it