American citizen booking car on UK website
 

I am finding a MUCH cheaper car rental price on Auto Europe UK than on Auto Europe US. I called and the US said they just can't match the UK price. They warned me though that I may have a hard time picking up the car once I get there since I am not a British citizen with a British passport. Has anyone heard of this or has anyone in the US booked on a UK site?

I found the same thing as you did, and booked a car with them in Nimes next week on the UK side of the site. I don't expect any trouble as my address matches my passport!. Besides, it is just a voucher for Europcar and its Autoeurope that should have a problem, but apparently doesn't. For some reason, they prefer payment in pounds sterling- OK fine! I believe others have done this and had no problems.

I will let you know next week.

Rick

Thanks. So you are a US citizen booking on the UK site. It didn't seem like a problem to me either until the US phone person I was dealing with mentioned it. And now I am nervous to do it, but the price with conversion and credit card charge is just soooo much better. I appreciate your prompt response.

Well, I booked it just fine, and the voucher didn't come back with a skull and crossbones on it. I have a contract with Auto Europe at 156 UKPounds that they must be happy with. Presumably, they have a contract with Europecar for something that they must be happy with. That's the way it should work. I can't see why the Europcar people should have a problem as long as I have a license and credit card etc. I'm sure others have experience, but you can always book with AutoEurope and cancel with no problem.

I even called Auto Europe in Maine (their UK desk) and had them change my drop point. They didn't seem to have a problem. I don't understand the two-tier system. Reeks of the Soviet Union..
Rick

Thanks for posting this and please DO report back as to what occurs.

If you phone AutoEurope on the continent, they even tell you which country to set as your home country on the website to get the cheapest rate (Portugal or Belgium when last I checked). In the European Union, trade barriers are illegal, but of course prices can be different in different countries -- so if you live in Germany and want to "buy" a product from AutoEurope Portugal, there is nothing stopping you. As the U.S. is reputedly the country of free trade, I can't imagine you not being allowed to buy elsewhere cheaper. I rent from AutoEurope almost every week. I live and rent in Paris, but on the website, my home country is set as Belgium, with AutoEurope's blessing. I'm renting a car on Friday for 10 days and paying a grand total of 211.10 euros, taxes, insurance and unlimited km included.

Just for the record, I usually have a choice between Europcar, National or Budget for the cars I get in Paris. The various renters' names are not mentioned on the website, but I know from experience that when they offer a Renault, it is Europcar, if it is Citroën, it is National, and if it is Opel, it is Budget. Of course, the car that you are actually given is rarely the brand that you have chosen. I've been given a lot of Kias and Toyotas lately. Fine with me...

Kerouac-

Sounds good to me. I opted for UK simply because my French wasn't quite up to the task, but I think setting one's home country to France or Spain worked just about as well as UK. However, on the UK side I got a slightly better car class ( a 4 door compact). Every time I played with it I got a different answer until I got one I liked. What are they thinking? at AE?

Rick

Kerouac,

I am trying to rent a car in Italy, for my family of 4 with 4 suitcases- 1 23" and 3 22". What size car do you think would accomodate the luggage and keep it hidden? Would a Passat or an Alfa 159 be okay? Intermediate or larger? Thanks for your help. It sounds as if you have a lot of experience with this.

Neglex

I usually rent smaller cars. But the various websites (not just AutoEurope) have information and often 3D representations of the various cars to give you an idea of things like trunk space. This said, you should take all of your (valuable) baggage into your hotel room anywhere in Europe, even if it is a pain.

Try this site too. We used them in France. They were great and much cheaper than Auto Europe.

http://www.fastcarhire.com

Hi J,

I rented a car from the AE UK site 2 years ago. They charged me in GBP. I picked the car up in France.

No one cared how I made the rental.

I suggest that you call www.gemut.com.

Andy arranged for me to get the rate listed on an AE site from another country without having to take the CDW, a major savings if your CC offers insurance.

((I))

Hey thanks! For our Spain trip the British site was the cheapest I've found. Cool!

Thanks for your help. You are all wonderful. I will let you know what we decide.

Also check out the Canadian website. Cars are generally notably cheaper than on the US website and on a par or cheaper than the UK site.

Plugging in dates for April for a rental in France gives a slightly lower price on the Canadian website over the UK one.

Ireland was cheap and in English too.