Car Rental Hertz

[STARGASA]

Hi All,

Made enquiries about booking car from airport and they are asking for 30,000 baht deposit, is this the normal amount ? previously in the uk you simply leave your card details.

Anyone else have experience of this.

Thanks

[draftvader]

Moved to Travel Forum

[Jay Sata]

When you leave your card details in the UK that covers the deposit.

30,000 baht seems reasonable.

[Briggsy]

This is absolutely correct.

They "block" 30,000 Baht on your credit card. This is standard all over the world.

If you go to a local Thai outfit, they will hold on to your passport instead.

I have used Hertz many times in Thailand and they are very reliable and provide good customer service.

[mogandave]

When I rent cars in the US they they check it, but they don't block the card.

[martin81]

Yes when I rent a smaller category car at Avis or Sixt in BKK they always authorize 20000 Baht on my card and.

Bigger cars may be 30000 baht.

I did not yet have any problems from that but of course if your limit on CC is low then it can be a problem as it may take some weeks before the deposit is released.

[Briggsy]

My experience with Hertz is they cancel the 30,000 Baht block upon return of the car. As I said, I have used Hertz numerous times in Thailand.

[mogandave]

One would hope...

[Jay Sata]

Always worth taking pix of all four sides of the car during handover.

[draftvader]

Always worth taking pix of all four sides of the car during handover.

Pay VERY close attention to wheels if they are alloys (rare in cheaper hire cars) as this is a common area for exploitation.

[Jay Sata]

Always worth taking pix of all four sides of the car during handover.

Pay VERY close attention to wheels if they are alloys (rare in cheaper hire cars) as this is a common area for exploitation.

I agree...take more pictures.

[MaprangHolmes]

Thai rent a car ask for a 5,000 baht deposit. Booked through car Del Mar, 2 weeks car rental all inclusive so I get my excess back if I have an accident £194

[KittenKong]

Always worth taking pix of all four sides of the car during handover.

Even better, take the zero excess insurance option which I believe is still 200B per day. This ensures complete peace of mind.

In total with Hertz I paid less for car + zero excess insurance than I would have paid for the car alone at any small rental shop.

[KittenKong]

Thai rent a car ask for a 5,000 baht deposit. Booked through car Del Mar, 2 weeks car rental all inclusive so I get my excess back if I have an accident £194

Thai Rent-a-Car's T&Cs say this:

12. VEHICLE RESPONSIBILITY

THAI RENT A CAR holds the renter responsible for the safe return of the rental vehicle in the same condition as it was rented, except for normal wear and tear

Unless prohibited by law, a renter may be held responsible for all damages, should the vehicle be damaged in an accident, stolen or vandalized. This is the case regardless of fault.

The renter may asked to pay for the damage up to and including the total cost of replacing the vehicle in case of total wreck or loss

They make no mention that I could see of zero excess insurance.

[MaprangHolmes]

Thai rent a car ask for a 5,000 baht deposit. Booked through car Del Mar, 2 weeks car rental all inclusive so I get my excess back if I have an accident £194

Thai Rent-a-Car's T&Cs say this:

12. VEHICLE RESPONSIBILITY

THAI RENT A CAR holds the renter responsible for the safe return of the rental vehicle in the same condition as it was rented, except for normal wear and tear

Unless prohibited by law, a renter may be held responsible for all damages, should the vehicle be damaged in an accident, stolen or vandalized. This is the case regardless of fault.

The renter may asked to pay for the damage up to and including the total cost of replacing the vehicle in case of total wreck or loss

They make no mention that I could see of zero excess insurance.

You can take out zero excess insurance with car Del Mar.

When choosing any of the below coverage packages, CarDelMar will refund the excess:

Fully comprehensive cover with refund of excess“ (All Inclusive Package)

Fully comprehensive cover with refund of excess, including glass and tyres” (All Inclusive Plus Package)

Terms of Hire Coverage with Excess

Pay special attention to the excess which varies according to the different coverage packages.

A. LIABILITY INSURANCE (TH)

*The limit of liability insurance cover f. bodily injury or death of any third

person is 2 million Baht p. person, maximum 10 million Baht per accident

B. EXCESS/DEDUCTIBLE

*The amount of excess/deductible is 4.280 Baht, FDAR 10.700 Bath

C. EXTRAS

*No extra charges for additional drivers apply.

*Vehicle pick-up and/or drop-off outside normal office hours is on request.

*Drivers receive a free map at the local rental station.

*Delivery to/collection from hotels on request and for free if within city or

station limits of 15km. Otherwise from 321-535 Baht.

*Baby seats for children aged betw. 6 months and 3 years are available

on request for a fee of 107 Baht per day. Maximum; 1,605 Baht per rental.

*GPS navigation system on request and for a fee of 214 Baht per day, maximum

3,210 Baht per rental.

D. LOCAL RENTAL CONDITIONS

*Excess/deductible: 4,280 Baht, FDAR 10.700 Bath

*Deposit only with a valid credit card on the driver's name: 5,000 Baht.

*Minimum age for drivers is 21 years.

*At time of pick-up a valid driver's license from the country of residence, a

valid international driver's permit and a valid passport must be presented.

*Vehicle pick-up and drop-off only with a full tank. Missing fuel

will be charged to the customer's credit card.

*Emergency Assistance of Thai Rent A Car: +66 89 456 7890 or +66 2 318 8888

(24 h availability). In case of puncture repairs, lock outs and out-of-fuel

cases, this will be charged to the renter at the time of service.

*Night driving is not recommended on open roads due to heavy truck traffic.

*In Thailand cars are to be driven on the left side of the road.

E. ONE-WAY RENTALS / CROSS-BORDER TRAVELLING

*One-way rentals are possible on request and for free for a minimum rental

of 7 days; for shorter rentals a charge of 2140-8.560 Baht will apply.

*Cross-border travel is not allowed.

F. FURTHER INFORMATION

*see station information on the voucher

*see terms and conditions of CarDelMar

Edited February 8, 2015 by MaprangHolmes

[KittenKong]

You can take out zero excess insurance with car Del Mar.

You can indeed. Or you can get it from independent insurance agencies which may work out cheaper.

[roamer]

Sixt are in Thailand now and very competitive last time I booked with them providing you book through the Thai site and not your home site.

http://www.sixtthailand.com/

[Tomtomtom69]

Yes when I rent a smaller category car at Avis or Sixt in BKK they always authorize 20000 Baht on my card and.

Bigger cars may be 30000 baht.

I did not yet have any problems from that but of course if your limit on CC is low then it can be a problem as it may take some weeks before the deposit is released.

I don't know about Hertz, but Budget and AVIS block 20,000 Baht for smaller cars and 40,000 for larger cars. This is dependent on the car category you rent. I think that for longer rental periods, they may also block 40,000 Baht automatically, even for smaller vehicles if I remember correctly from a rental of a group B vehicle (the second "lowest" category) that lasted just over a month in December 2012, returning in January 2013.

The blocked amount is usually released within a few days after returning the car, maximum one week but it depends on your bank.

Also, all rental companies will charge your credit card for the full amount of the rental at the time of vehicle pick up. Should you need to make an extension, they will charge your credit card immediately for the extra amount of time you have rented for at the time of the phone call or shortly thereafter.

These practices are in contrast to the practices of these same companies in other countries.

For example in the US, Canada, Australia and European countries, AVIS, Hertz, Budget and other major rental companies will put a hold on your credit card only for the estimated charges plus a bit more. For example, if you rent for say 4 days and the estimated charges are $140, a hold of $200 will apply. For a 30 day rental where the estimated charges are $850, a hold of say $950 may apply. There will not be a separate deposit that is blocked, nor will your credit card be charged for the rental at the time of pick up. Only after returning the vehicle will the hold be unblocked and the correct amount charged to your credit card, including any additional amounts such as extensions to the rental period, fines, tolls etc. (the latter two are usually billed separately). Some companies/locations even accept debit cards for payment of rental charges at the end of the rental; some are even said to accept cash but most only accept electronic payment methods these days.

When picking up a car in Thailand, a passport, Thai ID card or perhaps for permanent residents another acceptable form of ID must be provided, in addition to a driver's licence and of course credit card. In Australia, the US etc. a driver's licence is often enough. Only at some US airport locations might a passport be requested if you present the rental location with a non-US driver's licence (or non-Canadian, non-Mexican in some cases too).

Therefore, to rent a car from a major international or local chain (such as Thai rent-a-car, which uses the same practices as the big international chains) you must have quite a large limit available on your credit card. Even for a short rental, I would not come to rent a vehicle with less than about US$2000 available on my card at the time of the rental, and that's only if renting a lower category vehicle for a short period. If renting for longer periods or a higher category vehicle, then I'd suggest a minimum available limit of around US$4000.

[Tomtomtom69]

This is absolutely correct.

They "block" 30,000 Baht on your credit card. This is standard all over the world.

If you go to a local Thai outfit, they will hold on to your passport instead.

I have used Hertz many times in Thailand and they are very reliable and provide good customer service.

Generally speaking, local Thai operators no longer hold onto your passport. Neither Hiway car rent in Bangkok nor Lanna car rent in northern Thailand hold onto passports, but they do ask for a deposit. However, their deposits, payable in cash or otherwise charged to your debit/credit card and refunded in cash (they can't place a hold, only charge) are only 2000-5000 Baht, depending on the car category and length of rental. Compared to the international outfits their cars may or may not be insured and they tend to be older (only occasionally will you find a newer vehicle available for rent).

In most western countries, your credit card is blocked only for the rental charges plus a bit more and charged at the end of the rental. There is no separate deposit that is blocked, in addition to your rental charges being charged at the time of rental pick up like is the case here in Thailand.

[NeverSure]

OP, I don't know what your own country's consumer protection laws are. I always rent from Avis for some reason. I book the car online from the US using a US issued VISA card. I buy the full coverage insurance. I've never had a problem but if I did, because I paid for the car in advance in the US, and because Avis is an international company, I would simply file complaints with VISA and I would get a refund.

VISA's merchant agreements allow VISA to charge back any charges to the dealer and they will.