Car Rental Pre-Authorization 40,000 Thb For Camry?

[JessicaBangkok]

Hello,

I am renting a car from avis in hua hin today and they told me... that they will pre authorize my credit card 40,000 thb for a toyota camry. Is this industry standard protocol from car rental companies in thailand?

Thanks!

[Darrel]

For me Hertz recently pre-authorised 30,000B for a Vios and a Jazz, even with full CDW with zero excess. So presumably it is just a deposit against theft.

[RedCardinal]

varies from company to company. Budget would have blocked 10k or 20k. Thai Rent a Car would block 5k. Can't remember Avis of hand.

Its the norm, although amounts blocked are high here. Note its a pre authorised block and not a charge.

[stingray]

The 40'k is for non recoverable damages or losses. In Europe you pay up to 700 Euro for the same.

Non recoberable damages, for example, are stomechips or scratches, which can not be covered by insuracne in case there is no accedent involved. So when the company have some "booked money", so there is no haggeling about the damages the customer have to pay.

[NanLaew]

I have noticed that if you book direct with Thai Rent A Car, their pre-authorization is in line with the likes of Avis and Hertz at upwards of 30k baht depending on model rented. However, if you book TRAC via fastcarhire.co.uk, the pre-authorization is only 5k baht. Not sure if the same applies for the Avis and Herts via FCHUK as I inevitably would take a TRAC car due to their better pricing.

[Darrel]

Rental quotes obtained today for one day's rental of an economy car in Pattaya:

TRAC via fastcarhire : 1713B not including zero excess CDW

Hertz via fastcarhire : 1758B including zero excess CDW

Hertz booked direct : 759B including zero excess CDW

YMMV

[stingray]

Rental quotes obtained today for one day's rental of an economy car in Pattaya:

TRAC via fastcarhire : 1713B not including zero excess CDW

Hertz via fastcarhire : 1758B including zero excess CDW

Hertz booked direct : 759B including zero excess CDW

YMMV

Car is 882 Baht, (Ecobox) not included exess charge. Deposit is 30'000 Baht. Read the terms:

http://www.hertzthai...m/EN/Terms.aspx

[Darrel]

Rental quotes obtained today for one day's rental of an economy car in Pattaya:

TRAC via fastcarhire : 1713B not including zero excess CDW

Hertz via fastcarhire : 1758B including zero excess CDW

Hertz booked direct : 759B including zero excess CDW

YMMV

Car is 882 Baht, (Ecobox) not included exess charge. Deposit is 30'000 Baht. Read the terms:

Believe me, I do read the terms. I also keep my eyes open.

Try "sizzling price" on http://www.hertzthailand.com/EN/

"Insurance :

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW):

included in rental rates for self-drive rentals, non-waiverable excess maximum of baht 10,000 will apply for all car groups in the event of damage to vehicle. Liability and property damage are cover up to Baht 1,000,000 per person.

Optional

Super Collision Damage Waiver (SCDW):

In case of accident or damages was happened with a car, the amount of Non-waiverable excess will be reduced from THB 10,000 to THB ZERO for all car groups that can be purchased at the time of rental ......"

It's 555B plus 204B for SuperCDW making a total of 759B per day. Zero excess.The deposit (which is not a payment but a pre-authorisation) is cancelled assuming that you return the car on time, damaged or not.

[whatawonderfulday]

40 K is normal for AVIS. and never had a problem with them.

[stingray]

Rental quotes obtained today for one day's rental of an economy car in Pattaya:

TRAC via fastcarhire : 1713B not including zero excess CDW

Hertz via fastcarhire : 1758B including zero excess CDW

Hertz booked direct : 759B including zero excess CDW

YMMV

Car is 882 Baht, (Ecobox) not included exess charge. Deposit is 30'000 Baht. Read the terms:

Believe me, I do read the terms. I also keep my eyes open.

Try "sizzling price" on http://www.hertzthailand.com/EN/

"Insurance :

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW):

included in rental rates for self-drive rentals, non-waiverable excess maximum of baht 10,000 will apply for all car groups in the event of damage to vehicle. Liability and property damage are cover up to Baht 1,000,000 per person.

Optional

Super Collision Damage Waiver (SCDW):

In case of accident or damages was happened with a car, the amount of Non-waiverable excess will be reduced from THB 10,000 to THB ZERO for all car groups that can be purchased at the time of rental ......"

It's 555B plus 204B for SuperCDW making a total of 759B per day. Zero excess.The deposit (which is not a payment but a pre-authorisation) is cancelled assuming that you return the car on time, damaged or not.

Terms and Conditions

You must read all:

http://www.hertzthailand.com/EN/Terms.aspx

Rental Qualification :

Minimum renter age is 21 years.

Must hold a valid Thai driving license or a driving license from a renter’s country of residence (with an English translation), or an international driving license.

Must hold Passport/I.D. Card (Thai Residence only)

Must have valid credit card for deposit amount 30,000 baht during car picked up. The deposit wll be refunded when rental is completed.

No charge is made for additional drivers, however, they must be nominated and have their names entered on the rental agreement at the time of rental.

Insurance :

[stingray]

Have to understand: Why someone sohuld trust to give someone a 700'k vehicle without deposit? Customer could rent it for on week, use it for 2 months, not return and just drop it on the airport when departure. Deposit is everywhere around the world. In US i paid 500 USD in Europe 700 Euro.

[Darrel]

Must have valid credit card for deposit amount 30,000 baht during car picked up. The deposit wll be refunded when rental is completed.

I'm not sure what we are disagreeing on here (I thought it was the rental price and the cost of SCDW), but if you are talking about whether or not the Hertz deposit is an actual deposit then I can answer categorically that it is not, regardless of what the T&Cs say.

The deposit is a pre-authorisation on the card only and if you return the car at the correct time the money does not actually get charged to your CC account at all. In my experience this is industry standard practice worldwide and is why they insist that you have a suitable card at the time of pickup. Of course if you dont return the car, or if you return it damaged without zero excess cover, then they will debit the card accordingly. They can also use the pre-authorisation to cover police fines in countries that apply these to vehicles.

[stingray]

Must have valid credit card for deposit amount 30,000 baht during car picked up. The deposit wll be refunded when rental is completed.

I'm not sure what we are disagreeing on here (I thought it was the rental price and the cost of SCDW), but if you are talking about whether or not the Hertz deposit is an actual deposit then I can answer categorically that it is not, regardless of what the T&Cs say.

The deposit is a pre-authorisation on the card only and if you return the car at the correct time the money does not actually get charged to your CC account at all. In my experience this is industry standard practice worldwide and is why they insist that you have a suitable card at the time of pickup. Of course if you dont return the car, or if you return it damaged without zero excess cover, then they will debit the card accordingly. They can also use the pre-authorisation to cover police fines in countries that apply these to vehicles.

That's what i'm talking about. The amount of 30'k is "booked" on your credit card, therefore it's like a Deposit. If you have no credit card you have to pay it in cash.

BTW there is no way to pay only 555 Baht withour CWD per day for a new car (Vios automatic). This is the daily price is if you rent it for a month. If you rent it just for one day it will be over 555 Baht. I came to 882 Baht without CWD, or does Herz have different prices on different days?

[Darrel]

That's what i'm talking about. The amount of 30'k is "booked" on your credit card, therefore it's like a Deposit. If you have no credit card you have to pay it in cash.

I think the point is that as it's only a pre-authorised amount it doesn't actually limit your other spending (unless your total will go above the card limit). You don't have to find an extra 30 or 40K for the deposit.

BTW there is no way to pay only 555 Baht withour CWD per day for a new car (Vios automatic). This is the daily price is if you rent it for a month. If you rent it just for one day it will be over 555 Baht. I came to 882 Baht without CWD, or does Herz have different prices on different days?

You really can book a group A car (ie Vios) for 555B at the moment using the "sizzling price" promo. The extra super CDW at some 200B/day is entirely optional. And even this extra payment is limited to a certain number of days per booking, so a long rental with that option will cost less per day.

I have had several days (one at a time) at this price over the last month (Vios and Jazz cars), though I did choose to take the extra insurance (it's hardly worth refusing it).