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Having thought about it, the 12-month policy will cover us for this trip and next year’s so we’ll probably opt for that. I may have been confusing it with the standalone excess policy – until relatively recently we just bought full cover from wherever we rented as the most convenient option (my bad, I know).
Sorry my bad too, missed the GCM ref…………..maybe brain read it as GMC and thought “truck?’
Another question, sorry! Someone posted recently that you don’t now have to generate a driving licence code for car hire, however my Avis confirmation says we need one? Is Avis behind the times, or is it destination-dependent?
I generate a driving licence code for car hire for bookings for UK pick up locations.
I do generate it for Avis UK, as they have text ahead of the rental instructing to – however you are never asked for it.
No idea if their system can ‘see’ it once they have your Driving License number though.I stopped doing it when I swapped to Enterprise.
I never do this for a rental outside of the UK, either.
Thanks – I don’t recall being asked in the past and I suspect the GCM branch staff won’t be aware that it’s even a thing!
Another question, sorry! Someone posted recently that you don’t now have to generate a driving licence code for car hire, however my Avis confirmation says we need one? Is Avis behind the times, or is it destination-dependent?
It’s destination depdendent. The US rentals changed to say it’s not required. But I bet you’ll never be asked for it.
As @TravelStrong and @davefl say I have also never been asked for the DVLA code outside of the UK, and in the UK not always.
I’ve had that on all my recent Avis confirmations for the US and have it on both for the US and Australia later in the year and I will ignore both of them.
According to Hertz ( Avis used to have a list but long gone AFAIK) this is where you need it?: UK, Angola, Bahrain, Balearics, Botswana, Canaries, Croatia, Namibia, Oman, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden and Tunisia,
But they, other than UK, don’t align when you look at local T&Cs via Avisworld, at least the few I could be bothered to look at so I assume it may vary by rental co too?
I love resurrecting an old thread.
So on our recent US trip I felt like I got a pretty good deal with BA Holidays at £264 for nine days for a decent sized SUV with Avis Orlando. I hadn’t realised they had two pick up locations but we turned up at the wrong one. Never mind – the guy was super helpful giving us a choice of cars. We obviously chose badly as I picked a lemon that I needed to change after it decided to restrict power after a couple of days. That doesn’t matter.
Anyway there was the usual discussion of extras and I went for the pre-paid gas as I prefer to avoid filling up on the way back if possible, and declined the unlimited toll option as there was only one day we would be taking toll roads. There was no mention of insurances as I figured British Airways Holidays are pretty inclusive.
Anyway I was asked to initial that I had taken the fuel option and we were on our way.
I did not look at the paperwork. In my defence Avis have always been perfect (for me), I was jet-lagged and probably could not have read the computer print out in my varifocals anyway. But yes I am an idiot.
Needless to say I got ripped off. I was charged $283 after the rental. I like to think I am streetwise so felt like a right tool for falling for this as, duh, I squiggled the piece of paper. I am amazed that these guys can be so flagrant in their behaviour. Every option that wasn’t already included got selected! Including unlimited tolls where we had literally just had a discussion on and explained why we did not need it. I guess I was lucky in a way as most of the options were included with British Airways Holidays.
Anyway, I got an Avis email asking how they did so I told them. They seemed more concerned about the car cutting the engine power and restricting my speed to 30mph on the ramp onto the highway but I told them that I understand that this happens but I was extremely disappointed to have been taken advantage of. I had zero expectations but somewhat randomly I have been refunded $254 meaning that I ended up paying less than half price for a tank of gas. I checked and apparently this is “correct”.
I am surprised and pleased as I can now continue to rent with Avis.
But I will be bringing my reading glasses and using them next time…
Booked F with BA to Washington next summer for our family holiday. 2 adults. 2 children. £3400 + 296,000 points with 2 companion vouchers. Few days there and down to Orlando. Best car hire advice please in Orlando? Always used to use Europcar which would book via Fox Cars (always good with them) and would include FULL insurance. Not working now. Any advice on who to book with that includes full excess insurance ?
Speak to Andy at DFCH, we booked with him last November when we took the granddaughters to the parks in Orlando, he beat the Alamo rate by a couple of hundred dollars! You still end up with a main car hire company, but get the discount through him. Plus if you book and the price goes down you can simply cancel and re book at the new price. You get exactly the same hire as if you booked direct, I use him all the time.
Email is andy@discountfloridacarhire.co.uk
Thought this info from the daily thread was best saved here.
Has anyone any experience of returning a damaged rental vehicle to Avis 😬? OH has scraped one of the alloys on our car in Porto – obviously we are going to hold our hands up when we return it but I’m now a bit worried that they’ll charge an extortionate amount for repairs and we’ll have difficulties getting reimbursed by our (separate) excess cover.
I’ve read some terrible reviews of car hire companies in these circumstances, though they tend to be about the likes of Goldcar!
If you chose full cover (booked on an Avis UK site/BA etc) then they likely not bat an eyelid. I’ve scraped many an alloy and never been charged.
If you booked it without anything apart from CDW, then it’s not an issue. That’s why you bought excess cover. Refurbishing an alloy only costs around 100 quid or less.
I’d rather walk than use Goldcar by their reputation 🙂
Your car hire excess insurance should pay out. Though in terms of wider rental tips, the recent policy I took out from cover4rentals specifically excludes ‘any claim for vehicles rented from greenmotion’ – so always need to read the policy inclusions etc.
Thanks – I just took the standard cover for a BA Holiday as we have an annual policy due to renting 3/4 times per year. Just worried that we might suddenly find ourselves being charged for all sorts, along with the damaged alloy! We’ll take photos/video of the whole car when we return it but I imagine it can be difficult to challenge after the event.
@NorthernLass. All our rentals this year have been with BAH/Avis with separate annual cover. We’ve had issues with alloys recently. If you haven’t already, look at any photos you took at start of rental and damage recorded on signed rental agreement. We were not charged for any damaged alloys this year as they had all been damaged previously on the same wheel, but not necessarily in the same place. Do check your policy as some require extra cover for windscreens, tyres etc.
I’ve never had a “bad” experience with Goldcar in respect of damage. I’ve had a VERY long queue to get the car and for this reason only, would avoid in future. They are obviously super-pushy about extra insurance that basically doubles the price but that’s just how the business works.
I’ve bought a Goldcar car back with a scrape and been charged appropriately. Fair.
I’ve brought a Goldcar car back with a scrape and had it completely ignored.
I’ve been issued a Goldcar car with quite bad damage *that I failed to notice and was not on the form* – abject stupid error on my part, late at night, dark car park, tired – and heard nothing about it on return.
I’ve had ALL MANNER of sharp practice/outright fraud from Avis, but never about damage. Always extra charges, currency conversion shenanigans, denial that prepayment had taken place, double-charging, chaos and lies – but straight bat about damage even in rural Brazil.
Good to hear. It’s a fairly new car and the alloy is a bit of a mess 😬.
@LD27, we always check and photograph the car before we drive it away but have never actually had any issues with any car hire company.I don’t know if it’s a coincidence but Avis seem less “pushy” when it’s a BAH booking 🤷♀️ I tend to pick Avis over Budget on these because even if the price is a bit higher, the free second driver makes it a much better deal.
Our annual policy is with Bettersafe, who seem to be well-regarded.
@TooPoorToBeHere Ultimately it matters little where you rent from as they’re all franchises and local mamnagemnt run each differently.
I can recount stories of Enterprise (who didn’t pick me up) and then marked all the existing damage on the form upside down, so when I dropped it off at another location a 2 hour argument ensued about the “damage” I’d caused. Then after 2 hours when I threatened to call the polce he mysteriously noticed that all the damage had been recorded on their system 3 months previously.
Next day my rental was Avis which was as smooth as silk despite the car looking like a herd of bufallos had played football with it, even the roof was scratched to pieces. Not a word said when I dropped it off 1500 miles away.
Hertz – Dont get me started about dangerous cars, stinky cars, sharp practices like charging for an upgrade after I managed to swap out a car after 600 miles with a nail in the tyre and dodgy brakes. (they refused at 4 locations to do anything about it as they had no vehicles). Read about all the Hertz renters and even non-renters who have been arrested and jailed over the years by Hertz USA.
I don’t know if it’s a coincidence but Avis seem less “pushy” when it’s a BAH booking 🤷♀️ I tend to pick Avis over Budget on these because even if the price is a bit higher, the free second driver makes it a much better deal.
I think you’ll find if it’s a BAH booking you have full coverage for stuff like that by default. It’s a while since I did a BAH, Cyprus. Only place in Europe I ever got a speeding ticket. What a faff that was trying to pay it.
@NorthernLass QQ – if you are fully Plat’d up, doesn’t that come with the car hire cover (ie no need for other cover)? I was kind of hoping that our Platinum card would compensate for not needing to tick any other boxes when we next have to rent a car on hols but looks like you have another third-party policy?
Btw – I once kerbed my own car’s (black) alloys and used a black sharpie to fill in the scuff and it’s hardly noticeable now. The one and only time I’ve had to parallel park in the past few years, in a quest to get as close to the kerb as possible! Good luck with the fix.
We are on a break from MR cards!
@davefl, nope, excess is 2,700 euros 😱. I noticed it starting to go crazy for European car hire about 10 years ago and it’s just gone up and up since then. Hence we started getting a separate annual policy.BUT after all that the bloke just shrugged when he saw the scrape and my end of hire email says we just owe 24 euros for cross border fee and tolls, so maybe there is some sort of extra cover I hadn’t noticed 🤷♀️
@ukpolak, I don’t want to sound sexist but someone insisted on trying to squeeze into a totally inappropriate on-street parking space instead of just finding a bloody car park 🤦🏻♀️😂I was “that guy” insisting on parking in the village (kerbing wheel) rather than at the station and paying a few £. Never again.
Tbh after my experiences on the Costa del Sol (eg Ronda centre) parking of late, even covered car parks are mega tight and squeezy on the continent. I didn’t see a single car without some kerb rash or scuffed corner bumper and an absence of “premium” brands presumably as bumps and scuffs are common place so why bother with a decent car. It kind of reminds me on NYC where folk drive with what look like rubber floor mats hanging over number (license) plates, as people actually use adjacent cars as guides to nudge in to when parking. I’d be fuming!!
Agreed – there was an underground car park for guests at the apartment complex we’ve just stayed at in Spain; the spaces were tiny and someone had parked a large motorbike sideways across the far end of the bay next to ours, hanging over the dividing line, with a BMW X5 parked behind it!
We survived Ronda a couple of years ago, but managed to get a ticket for driving in a taxi lane in Granada in February; apparently even the locals aren’t aware of this alleged taxi lane and often fall foul of it themselves 😂
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