steve654 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I just booked a car from Avis to pick up later this week. I had asked for full cover insurance so if anything happens I am not out any cash. They quoted me and then said I need to give them a 20,000 baht deposit on my credit card. Does that sound right? I thought if I pay for full insurance they would not ask for something like that but I have never rented a car here before so I don't really know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittenKong Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 All over the world the big rental companies will pre-authorise an amount on your credit card as a deposit, just in case. When you return the vehicle they just cancel the pre-authorisation. They do this even if you pay a supplement for zero excess cover. (Zero-excess cover is not normally standard, even if your rental includes a CDW.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve654 Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 All over the world the big rental companies will pre-authorise an amount on your credit card as a deposit, just in case. When you return the vehicle they just cancel the pre-authorisation. They do this even if you pay a supplement for zero excess cover. (Zero-excess cover is not normally standard, even if your rental includes a CDW.) Ah, I see, thanks for the info. Now I will sleep much better knowing this! I asked for full insurance, so when I get there, I will make sure it is zero-excess cover just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KittenKong Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I know that Hertz do top-up zero-excess cover here for an extra 200B or so per day (for a small car), and this covers what the regular insurance/CDW doesnt cover. http://www.hertzthailand.com/EN/Terms.aspx The extra payment is capped to around 3000B per rental, which is good if you rent for more than 15 days. Avis dont appear to do this: http://www.avisthailand.com/EN/renting_guide_info.php#link_2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoli Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I just rented from National Rent-A-Car 2 weeks ago. They asked for a 20,000 baht deposit. I gave them my card, and they wrote down the card number. I had not yet transferred funds from my FCD account to my baht account, and knew there was only 7,000 baht available on the card. No problem. When I returned the car they gave me the slip authorizing the 20,000 baht, but they never tried to activate it apparently. No need to worry about your money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyfez Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Talking about excess policies, if you rent a ca r more than once a year you'll find it much cheaper to buy one of the annual excess policies online. They are not expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmyp Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I rented from a place in Bangkok about 2 months ago, and they wouldn't take a credit card deposit. The deposit had to be 6000 baht cash. When I returned the car 7 days later, I got the full deposit back without any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Robson Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I'm sure it's easier if you have a rental history with the company, otherwise they have to cover themselves against con men! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HidyHo Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Short answer is yes. I've already posted my experience about renting from Avis in this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerryX Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Hi steve 654 I have for years booked cars online through a UK company "FASTCARHIRE.COM" who compare all the hire companies and I have found them to be far cheaper than I can book direct in Thailand. The best deals have been with Budget & Hertz with everything all in. Hired for three months this year, got a Honda City for 650 baht a day all in from Hertz with a 8000 baht hold on my card. Payment is in Thailand. Also Hertz strangely, gave me a further 3500 baht discount when I paid the bill. Worth a look Gerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonmarleesco Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I don't know about the insurance aspect, but B20,000 seems way over the top. There are a number of good local rental firms; one in Wireless Road just opposite Lumpini Park, for example. why not try one of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malt25 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Hi steve 654 I have for years booked cars online through a UK company "FASTCARHIRE.COM" who compare all the hire companies and I have found them to be far cheaper than I can book direct in Thailand. The best deals have been with Budget & Hertz with everything all in. Hired for three months this year, got a Honda City for 650 baht a day all in from Hertz with a 8000 baht hold on my card. Payment is in Thailand. Also Hertz strangely, gave me a further 3500 baht discount when I paid the bill. Worth a look Gerry For what it's worth, I've been using Fastcar for years. A big recommendation from me. Great service & best price. Cheers..... Mal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mango66 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 many clever advises for people which live here for years, I have also a private one in Koh Chang for yours, better prices, never any insurance neede , HE is coming from abroad and just want take the car prompt on airport, if you read all the small and extras, prices almost all the same, like in over 10.000 7-11 shops, there prices also olmost the same; even if you take a full SCDW insurance , not everything is included !! for example Theft ! Most companies still exclude tyals, flooring under car, ....... 20.000,- is for a bigger car, 6.000,- for a bycicle from Honda ! For your safety !! If you want go distance - dont take such a small mini car ! A small one is ok for drive from your hotel to the mall, usually no free parking, except malls, 2 hrs, supermarkets ok; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dotpoom Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Make sure it has a spare wheel. The last time I went home for a holiday I rented a car and discovered when I returned it that for two weeks I was driving around with no spare. Am told since that is quite common...... Always check now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza40 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 In case anyone's interested, there's a car hire place in ChiangMaiLand, 10,000 baht deposit, 800 baht a day, almost new Honda City. Odometer 3000 km. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landslide Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Hi steve 654 I have for years booked cars online through a UK company "FASTCARHIRE.COM" who compare all the hire companies and I have found them to be far cheaper than I can book direct in Thailand. The best deals have been with Budget & Hertz with everything all in. Hired for three months this year, got a Honda City for 650 baht a day all in from Hertz with a 8000 baht hold on my card. Payment is in Thailand. Also Hertz strangely, gave me a further 3500 baht discount when I paid the bill. Worth a look Gerry I have to agree with gerryX. FastCarHire is a secure bet for excellent rates and minimal hassle. I use them a couple times a year for 3 to 4 weeks a time. They will even deliver and pickup to your hotel in Bangkok, if you prefer. Hertz and Budget quotes from them include Zero Excess insurance. Sixt and Thai Rent a Car have a $B5,000 excess applied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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