Next time you’re planning on renting a car abroad, make sure that you’ve minimised the chances of losing your money by following these guidelines.
If you’re considering traveling to another country and hiring a rental vehicle, you may have heard that delayed flights can cause you to lose your rental, and the money that you paid for it. Unfortunately this is a common occurrence, and one that’s difficult to avoid. Next time you’re planning on renting a car abroad, make sure that you’ve minimised the chances of losing your money by following these guidelines.
Know Your Contract
Although many rental agencies have a clause in their contract stating that late arrival (by an hour or more) may cause you to lose your vehicle, some don’t. Pay extra attention to the fine print in your contract before you sign, and if you don’t like the way anything sounds, it’s within your rights to ask for a change to the contract before signing. If they don’t allow changes, find an agency that doesn’t penalise you for a late flight. They may be few and far between but they do exist, and you’ll be happy that you did the extra work if your flight ends up being delayed.
Take Advantage of Your Credit Card
Paying for your rental with a credit card is often necessary, but depending on the card that you have it can also be a great way to ensure that you have extra protection when renting. You should be able to avoid accidents by staying up to date on your driving knowledge through online driving practice tests – click here to take some – but having a bit of extra coverage doesn’t hurt.
Not only do many cards offer additional insurance against damage or even theft of the vehicle, but using your credit card can offer extra protection if the rental company charges you for fees that are outside of your contract, as you’ll be in a position to dispute the fees and (hopefully) get your money back. Basically, using a credit card to pay for your rental puts more control in your hands, so that you don’t have to stress about getting in an accident, or companies not following the contract you made changes to.
Fill Out Your Form
Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you’ve filled out the entire renters’ form. If you don’t have your flight number yet, consider waiting to rent until you do. Often times there will be a space for your flight number if you’re renting from an airport agency, and they will bring delayed flights into consideration before tacking on extra fees or worse, not letting you get the car you paid for. Protect yourself by paying extra attention to the form you’re filling out, or else you could regret it later on.
Traveling is an amazing and worthwhile experience, but it does open you up to some inconveniences, especially when it comes to booking a car hire in advance. Protect against losing money by following these guidelines, and you’ll have a much less stressful experience.
