Autoeurope.com
 

I have read on here to rent a car from Autoeurope.com and pay now and I will not be charged the 3% from my cc comp. I went on the site and the only problem I see is that it does not tell you where you are gettting the car from. How will I know where to go Hertz, Thrifty etc. Or is AutoEurope have there own office. The fee quoted to me was about $60.00 cheaper than from Thrifty. But I did not see tax or airport fee added in. Will I get added surprises when I get to the airport. I am looking to rent from The CDG airport. Can you tell this is the first time I am doing this?

Call them, they have an 800 number, and you pay in $$$, so no CC fees.

Their contract will detail all the fees/extras they charge. Usually the airport fee is rolled into the price. Read the fine print of the contract, or call them and they will detail all fees.

I've rented from them several times, and they are reputable and honest.

They are an agent, so you could get hertz, avis, europcar, or etc. All of these are located at the airport terminal. ((b))

They will <i>eventually</i> tell you who the supplier is - - one thing you don't mention is when is your rental. I have found that more than about six weeks ahead is a bit too far in advance with autoeurope.

They negotiate deals, and they may not have the deal set yet if you are too far in advance - - so they will quote you a rate (they know they can do at least that good) - - but as the time grows nearer, they may offer you a better rate.

And it seems to be very common (in my experience and in that of plenty of others here) that you can get a slightly lower quote from them over the phone.

Surprise charges? They have been reported here, infrequently - - and a certain number of reports have told tales of autoeurope (the USA staff) helping to get those refunded or resolved, once you get home.

I have 10-15 rentals under my belt with autoeurope, and they remain my first &quot;go-to&quot;...

...though I still comparison shop.

Best wishes,

Rex

If you want to know who your supplier is at the time you authorize payment you could use AutoEurope's sister company Kemwell (www.kemwell.com) which sometimes offers lower prices for the same cars from the same suppliers at the same locations.

The payment is fully refundable and these folks, like AutoEurope, are absolutely wonderful to deal with.

We are leaving on Thursday this week. Another silly question is I notice on the car description is say diesel is diesel readily available at all gas stations. And does it cost more than reg. gas. we are a family of 4 having 4 suitcases looking to rent a midsize car. We are all on the smaller size,so that is not the problem the luggage maybe. And do I understand you to say that if I continue with the reservation it will eventually tell me what co. I am dealing with such as Hertz ext. Thanks for your patience with me.

Diesel is readily available all over Europe. it costs less and the mileage in diesel cars is excellent. I have never been <i>promised</i> diesel (sometimes they won't know until the minute you show up). Fear not about the performance of a diesel car in Europe.

Your comfort level in a &quot;mid-size car&quot; will depend on the size of the four passengers. If the combined weight of the passengers is &gt; 550 pounds, I would go up one size (200 + 150 + 100 + 100, for example). And four suitcases will fit in many sedans, if they are 21&quot; rollaboards - - that's the biggest size I recommend for travel in Europe anyway. And each person should still be able to have a small-medium size &quot;carry-on&quot; type bag (the &quot;scrunchier&quot; the better, for irregular spaces).

Don't make the mistake of putting regular gas into your diesel. It could be a disaster for your trip. ((a)) ((b))

You need a &quot;compact wagon&quot; for your needs. Another option is Andy Bestor at
http://www.gemut.com Tel. 800-521-6722

&quot;We are partners with Auto Europe and since, because of our volume, they give us special rates not always offered the general public, we can always match or beat whatever rates you get at their website.&quot;

I've rented from Autoeurope twice and they've always told me right on the quote who the company was, before I even paid. I kind of knew anyway, just because I could tell from the adress I selected for pickup. If you ask for a quote to be sent you by email, not just the one on the website, they tell you the company. There is no obligation at that point.

When you go to the Autoeurope web site, select the car you want, and then click through to the next screen. There (if you look hard enough) you will see the rental agency -- generally Hertz. Avis, or Europcar. That screen comes before you have to put in payment info, so doesn't commit you to anything.

Also, check out auto-europe.co.uk. It is the same company but renting out of the UK office. Quite often you can save a good bit of money by going that route. We have done that a couple of times, and it's worked out well. Right now the exchange rate is pretty good, and we found that a 4-day rental in France was about $80 cheaper for the same Autoeurope car going through the UK.

Of course, if your credit card does charge the 3% currency conversion fee, that will be added on if your original charge in is pounds. I have a Capital One card, which doesn't add any conversion fee.

Diesel fuel costs about 10% less, and diesel cars seem to get about 10% better mileage. (I've no idea why diesel in US costs more, since it's less refined than gas). I've rented two diesels in Europe, which demolished my preconceived notion they had no pickup. Be aware that picking up a rental car at an airport or railstation seems to cost $25-50 more; perhaps a convenience fee. There's often a &quot;downtown&quot; location where you can save the fee if it works for you.

We pre-paid from Canada and we had a much quicker time picking up the car then did the people in front of us who didn't.

We've always used AutoEurope and we've never had trouble finding the address they gave us, getting the car rented, or having any &quot;surprise&quot; fees added on. I have always been pleased with their service and cars.

Our experience with AutoEurope (in France) was excellent. Before booking online I called the 800 number (I think they're in Maine) with a few questions. They were very nice--even recommending a smaller car than I had planned to rent.

Yes, AutoEurope is in Portland, Maine and they have a terrific reputation everywhere. Just call, so you can have all your questions answered. The people there could not be better informed or nicer to deal with.