We rented a car for our European travels through car rental broker AutoEurope. We prepaid for the rental and got a "voucher" to take to the third party car rental company. It lists the total price, notes our payment of that amount and gives a balance due of $0. At the rental counter, the car rental company asked to scan our credit card for security, in case we damaged the car, and we were surprised to see that they actually made a $1,200 charge to our card. Okay... Then after we are home, having returned the car full of gas and in perfect condition we find another charge, never once discussed with us, against our credit card for a "fee" AutoEurope now says was not included in the voucher price. I had made the reservation by telephone and was never advised that there was an additional fee that was not included in the price quoted, yet our credit card was charged $45 for "airport rental surcharge". When I called Auto Europe, the surly customer service agent said that fee is described in the fine print of the voucher, which voucher, of course you don't see until after you have paid in full. I have no idea why that fee would not be included in the price quoted, but I am sorry now that I didn't deal directly with a car rental company instead of a broker.
Be forewarned to make them quote all charges that will be made to your credit card for your rental.

It's common knowledge that there is a surcharge to pick up a car from an airport location. I've rented more than 100 cars from AutoEurope over a 25-year period and never once encountered an agent who didn't advise me of that fact. So I'm guessing yours is a unique experience.

Hi M,


>they actually made a $1,200 charge to our card.

This is standard, especially if you have declined the CDW.

>...our credit card was charged $45 for "airport rental surcharge".

It would have been unusual if you hadn't been charged extra for airport pickup.

I am surprised that AE did not tell you about the pickup fee. They have always told me about additional fees that I would have to pay.

>I am sorry now that I didn't deal directly with a car rental company instead of a broker.<

It is highly likely that you would have had the same problem, and paid a higher price.

Thanks for the heads up.

My Autoeurope contract contains the following line:

"Rental excludes location surcharge of approx. £17 + VAT for rentals commencing at any airport"

This was a UK rental.

We have found that there are far fewer "surprise" charges dealing with AutoEurope than directly with an individual rental agency. I think you always pay airport charges and taxes in addition to the AutoEurope contract, although most times these charges are estimated.

Was the $1200 charge credited? That was a hold which the rental agency places on your card for security and which should be credited when you return the car undamaged.

Sorry for the miscommunication you encountered. I usually look online at all the details, then call with additional questions, then book online when I'm ready. Never had a problem.

I would be pretty sure that wasn't a $1200 charge, but a hold on your credit card. That is so if there is damage to the car they will have at least $1200 credit line still available to cover it.

The same thing can happen w/ other rental agencies (even in the States) or when you book/check in to a hotel.

I was once surprised in Portland that a store wouldn't take my credit card. Turned out my hotel room had put a 'block' on it during my stay. Luckily I had 2 cards. However, that would be inconvenient on a 3-week European trip. That once was the only time I've ever had it happen.

I agree with St. Cirq--have been informed--even on the website--of an airport surcharge.
When they "charged" our card for the security, the agent said that they just hold the slip and don't run it unless there is a problem. Tear it up upon return.

Autoeurope is a brokerage service working with a number of different well known rental agencies across Europe. Budget, Europcar, etc. Within these agencies, many are franchises within their countries, meaning policies may diverge further. In booking cars, especially if a border crossing is involved, I've noticed that the final restrictions can vary quite a bit depending on which car and which location I choose for a pickup because the renting agency will have changed based on those choices. For example, when choosing a car from AE's website, if I picked up a Ford Focus at a hotel on the Buda side, I could take the car across the border into Romania as long as I brought it back to the same location. If I rented the same model on the Pest side, I couldn't. If I had chosen the airport, I could but the fees for doing so would have been much higher.

Generally Autoeurope is not making these policies and they change enough that very often AE will state additional fees in the final contract or at least warn you that there may be additional charges payable at the time of rental. I've not yet had a situation where a hold on a credit card was not required (on ANY rental, AE or not). I've also found that when the contract states that additional fees may apply, I've been able to call their toll free number and have them find out what the fees were - they just weren't able to "computerize" those figures. They've been very easy to work with in my experience and very flexible in finding us the right deal.

The same happened to us - we were charged a $40+ fee after we returned from our trip. The "fee" was for "rail station pickup." But, in fact, it WAS in the fine print on the autoeurope voucher, I just didn't read it.