AutoEurope - please help me understand
 

We got a quote from AutoEurope for a car rental through Europcar. Do we pay the entire amount of the voucher in advance? What happens when we pick up the car? Do we pay a deposit?

You pay ther entire amount through AutoEurope. When you pick up the car you just show your reservation number and documentation then you get the keys. Easy as pie!

Hi klt,

Autoeurope guarantees the price in USD. You can pay a deposit and pay the rest when you pick up the car, or you can pay the whole thing in advance.

If you do the former, they will refund any amount over the quoted price if it turns out that the exchange rate has gone against you.

Also check their sister site http://www.auto-europe.co.uk/

Depending on the GBP/USD exchange rate, it could be cheaper than the US site.

((I))

It varies by country. In Ireland, I just paid the requested deposit and the remainder when I picked up the car.

In Italy, Autoeurope requested the entire amount up front. Be advised that you are required to take their mandatory insurance which should be included in the price (that's why it's so expensive).

Read your contract fine print very carefully. There is also a dollar or two per day driving tax that I had to pay when I picked up the car. ((b))

I used AutoEurope last month for a rental in the UK. I paid in advance so when I picked up and dropped off, I was charged nothing. However, about a week after returning home a charge appeared on my credit card for £35. I called the US office to see what that was, and they said it was a licensing fee. I looked again at my voucher and it did state that what I paid did not include that fee. Not a big problem, through, I would use AutoEurope again.

I don't understand going through AutoEurope to rent from Europcar.
I have negotiated twice with Europcar directly and got a better price than I could get anywhere else.

My normal approach is to check Hertz, Avis, Autoeurope and Europcar. Sometimes for a laugh I throw Sixt into the mix.

I then take the best offer. I rarely do business directly with Hertz and Avis because Autoeurope usually places me with one or the other but at a better price. My 2 contracts with Europcar have been in circumstances when its price was the best of the 4.

Europcar, in Switzerland at least, is not a rental contract broker, but an agency with real cars. AutoEurope as near as I can tell is primarily, if not exclusively, the sales agent and contract negotitor for any one of several companies.

Last month in Interlaken, I rented from Hertz through an Autoeurope contract. But Europcar had the best rates I could find. The problem was that the Interlaken office of Europcar no longer existed, and the closest one was in Thun. There was not enough difference in the rental fee to make riding the train between Thun and Lauterebrunnen n worth the cost and inconvenience.

It all worked out, however. The Lupo I rented had seats like a park bench, but I got a/c without paying extra for it.

Several times a year I rent from Europcar through AutoEurope. I always pay less than what I'd pay renting directly from Europcar. Each time I show up in the Perigueux Europecar office the sales clerk tells me what a great deal I've gotten from AutoEurope.

So maybe it's different in different countries, but AutoEurope has consistently given me lower prices than anyone else.

For France I usually pay about 2/3 upfront and the rest upon return of the car.

I did rent a car through AuroEurope. I got the best price, big difference of price (I did check with Hertz, Avis, etc.)
I go to France, so I checked three sites for AutoEurope : Canadian, US and France to see which one gives me the best rate (taking in consideration the exchange rate) and on the French site I got the best deal from all three sites.

As for other companies Avis, Budget, Hertz, the prices are 40% more expensive compared with AuroEurope.

Yes, they charged my credit card the whole amount on the voucher the same date I confimed the reservation.

Like St Cirq, I rent at least two cars each year from AutoEurope. Last year, I rented four cars.

I think it's best to pay the entire amount up front. If you pay some later, you will be charged in Euros on you're CC, so you'll get a 1-3% currency conversion fee added on. I use my FF card for renting in USD, so I get miles.

When you pick up the card, they will also want your CC for any small taxes, or if you fail to bring the car back on the required date. Use the same CC you used to rent the car so the CDW Insurance won't be a problem (another story)

One of the main reasons I rent from AutoEurop is because I'm dealing with a US company if I have any problems. If you rent from Europcar and have problems, you will deal with a representative in France.

Just last week I got my final bill from Europcar. They made a big mistake. Seems they processed someone elses final "check in" info against my rental. I returned the car on July 2 in Avignon. My final invoice said the car was returned on June 28 it Tours. The guy who's papers were erronously processed against my rental, left the car with an empty tank of gas - which I was charged for. I called AutoEurope & they refunded the amount of the gas charge immediatly over the phone. They said that they would contact Europcar & tell them about the mistake and that there is probably some poor guy who Europcar still thinks is driving around a car in France well past is return date. If I had to deal with Europcar directly in France, I probably would have gotten nowhere - which happened to me about 12 years ago when I was erroniously charged with a tank of gas.

Stu Dudley

This spring it was better to pay after than to pay upfront. I rented a car from CRX with a quote of 494€ for 19 days in France, pre-paid, which cost me $630. I rented a car from Thrifty with a quote of 540€ for 19 days in Hungary which cost me $587 paid at the end of the rental. The advantage to Autoeurope is that the cost is fixed, but their quote for Hungary was much higher.

I just rented a car through Autoeurope in southern France and completely prepaid the amount on a CC. I didn't pay a single thing when getting or returning the car, but I think there was some 500 euro "hold" on my CC or something like that. I used my platinum CC for the insurance.

I have compared various companies, including Europcar directly, and always get a better rate through Autoeurope. I also like using them for the reasons Stu mentioned above; if any problems, it would be a whole lot easier to straighten out.

Now this company was Europcar again, and I returned the car 7/1 at Valence (love that TGV station and great for auto return, easier than others I've used). They were a little casual at Europcar about the paperwork, as usual, and the guy just told me everything was fine/okay, etc. (no damage, filled with gas), I could go. However, I insisted he sign the paperwork saying that everything was okay to give me, and he did.

I just got a copy of the final bill from Europcar in the mail, not sure why, it showed zero balance. However, they had my address completely messed up so it's lucky I received it, and that's another reason I would prefer dealing with Autoeurope in case of problems. They had my correct address from Autoeurope, but changed it around some, dropped the zip code off or put it in the street address, etc.

We've used AutoEurope twice now, in Spain and in France, and were happy both times. We felt we got a particularly good deal from them in France last year.

<b><i>BUT:</i></b> We will shortly book our rental car for Italy in September, and the quote from Nova Rental on the web came in WAY cheaper (&quot;http://www.novarentacar.com/&quot;). Does anyone have any idea why? Are we missing something? (It was &quot;ira&quot; on this forum who recommended we get a quote from Nova Rental).

For our 13-day rental, mid-size sedan, manual transmission, AutoEurope quotes $1,236 (Italy is WAY more expensive than France, due to the mandatory insurance in Italy). But Nova quotes 663 euro, which at $1.20 per euro comes to $796. That's about 2/3 of the AutoEurope quote, a substantial saving of $440. We've tried smaller cars, 14-day rentals, and other variations; there is still a similar price difference.

Anyone know what's going on here? The rentals seem to cover the same things: the car, unlimited mileage, full insurance, and VAT. Perhaps I need to call AutoEurope, and ask them. But even if they decide to meet the Nova price, I'll be inclined to try Nova, which is offering the lower price up front.

- Larry

Don't know why, but I received a better rate from Hertz for my upcoming French rental than what was quoted by AutoEurope. It's maybe a good idea to contact a few vendors just to check out the competitive rates.

Hi justretired,

One of the good things about AutoEurope is that they offer to beat your best quote.

Call them and see if they will meet the quote from Nova.

If they can't they will tell you why.

It's usually a matter of details in the insurance.

((I))

Autoeurope will provide you with a cell phone for a $40 shipping fee. Then you are only charged for minutes used from what I understand.

Larry,

Depending on where you are going in Italy, you might try a round-trip starting in Nice. I heard, and others might be able to confirm this, that you can rent a car in France and take to Italy without paying extra. On the other hand, the rental I had in Hungary specifically ruled out Ireland, Italy and Israel.

Thanks, all, for the suggestions. We will shop around a bit, and I'll let you know what I find out when I call AutoEurope.

RonZ, we already have a cellphone that we use in Europe, and I've got an Italian SIM card, still valid, that my sister used on a recent trip.

Michael, interesting suggestion to rent a car in Nice. We actually thought of starting in France, but in the end decided to fly in and out of Milan. All our accomodations have now been booked, so the trip has been layed out.

- Larry

&gt;Autoeurope will provide you with a cell phone for a $40 shipping fee. Then you are only charged for minutes used from what I understand. &lt;

Unfortunately, they put a $500 hold on your CC in case the phone is not returned.

You're much better off buyin g a $49 phone from www.mobalrental.com

((I))

Ira:
I took your advice and got a quote from AutoEurope in the UK and they were alot cheaper. Since they quote as GBP instead of USD, does it matter when I pickup car or use my credit card or do they know the difference. It was almost $200.00 cheaper for same car, days etc.
Thanks

Susy878, I just booked through autoeurope.co.uk as well, since it saved me about $50 for a 3 day rental. Since the car rental company charges in Euros for rental in France, and autoeurope is billing me in GBP and I am paying in USD, I assume I'm losing on the exchange somewhat, but I doubt it will equal the $50 saving.

And all you need to pick up the car is the voucher/confirmation, which says &quot;paid in full&quot;. Your credit card will be charged in GBP and then converted to USD (or whatever your home currency is.)