Hertz Car Rental Question

Personally it could work in your favour, there are so many posts on other travel forums about charges taken from the credit cards of hirers for non existent (or already existing when they picked up the car) damage.

While they may not accept that card, they are covered. When you rent a car, they put a hold on a certain amount of money on your card to make sure they get paid. (If you logged into your account you might see it as a "pending" charge.) That starts a transaction. When you return the car, they can still charge the card even if expired. And you are liable for those charges. You agreed to all of it when you sign the rental agreement. It's in the fine print.

But you would be better to have another card they can use instead. Just in case.

Thanks for your answers!! I've been scouring the Hertz website for clues (all it says is a valid Credit card), but I'll call today. I'm mainly nervous since we leave in a week and a half and am not sure if that's enough time for a new card to be sent to us. Thanks!!

I ran into a similar problem last year. The card I use for travel was expiring the month I was traveling. I gave them a call and they renewed it a month early when I explained I was going on a month long trip overseas. Give them a call.

I just spoke with Hertz and they said that as long as the credit card doesn't expire the month of travel, we will be good. Thanks again for your help!

I rent from Hertz exclusively, both personally or when traveling for work. I've never had a problem.

However, I always do a walk around and make sure any damage is recorded in the system. I have also taken photos just to make sure. I don't know if it has spread outside the US, but many places in the States take photos of the car as part of the rental package.

Driving in the UK is, of course different, but it doesn't take long to adjust. One thing to keep in mind is that most road signs only list the next town or village, so you need to know all the towns on your route. With GPS, this is not a problem.

Have a great time!

Thank you for this! This was going to be my next question. This is our first time renting a car and we want to make sure we have our bases covered. We also made sure to get an international drivers permit as well

Most definitely take your cell phone out and photo your rental when you receive it and after you’ve driven it and returned it.

Before I ever leave a rental car facility I’ve done that. I’ve also made sure the radio, heater/AC works, the seat is adjusted, brakes work, checked where the spare is located, and asked for an emergency number ( I always use Hertz and want a local number as well. If there’s a business card I’ll grab it.)

On one sojourn to the Cotswolds from Heathrow my new ( said on 12 miles on the odometer) when I left the N. Perimeter Road at LHR. Long story short the clutch gave out ( and do not try to blame me. Learned on a clutch and have a Jeep with one). Called Hertz from where I was staying in Winchcombe and they made arrangements for me to ride along as the vehicle was towed to Cheltenham and then to be dropped off at a teeny Hertz office where I was the only customer and got the only rental there.

It worked out brilliantly and Hertz did not charge me for the original rental and gave me the lowest price on the replacement vehicle.

Hertz Gold Membership is worth it IMHO.

This is great advice!! And no blame from me for the clutch :) we are really excited to be renting the car. Is it worth it to have the GPS included or is downloaded google maps enough?

Yes, as long as the card is valid during the time of rental, there will be no problem.

Even if there is late billing for whatever reason those charges will still be billed to you and you will be responsible for paying them as valid charges. While it is true you will not be able to use the expired card for any truly new transactions, the auto rental company has an authorization they can add the additional charges to. All this is stated in your cardholder agreement with the card issuer (maybe not all that clearly, but it is there). This is also why closing a credit card account to avoid charges from any merchant will not work if the card was valid at the time of the transaction (not saying in any way this applies to this question or that you would have even thought of doing this).

That's exactly what the person on the phone told us as well, which made me feel much better. Funnily enough, when I called, the agent was like, "yes? Why wouldn't the card work?" Ha. This is wonderful advice!

This is great advice!! And no blame from me for the clutch :) we are really excited to be renting the car. Is it worth it to have the GPS included or is downloaded google maps enough?

No, car rental GPS is a rip off. Hertz are also the only company that I have encountered who actively remove the onboard SD card containing the map data (on those units that utilise SD cards) and try charging the daily rate of an actual GPS unit to place it back in the car despite it coming as standard with the car and requiring no additional expenditure unlike a standalone GPS unit. It's nothing short of a rip off and one that I didn't expect from such a reputable company, I have experienced it in the US, Spain and France so it's certainly not country or franchise specific, it appears to be a global company policy.

Downloadable Google maps are more than sufficient.

Gross. Good to know. Thank you!

To the best of my knowledge, since English is the main language in the UK, an IDP isn’t needed, unless your driver’s license is in a language other than English. I use my GPS from home, but also have downloaded maps for offline use to get to those places not in my GPS. On my trip to Wales last spring, we got lucky and the vehicle had a built in GPS. Since it was with the car, there was no additional charge. That was Avis. With the CC thing, although not an issue, maybe your new one will arrive before the trip.

As long as you opened the rental contract with a valid card, they can continue to charge until their heart’s content even if it’s expired or the card is canceled. There will be something in the rental agreement and or your credit card agreement for this.

So, any parking tickets or traffic tickets that come in a few months after the rental will be charged to the card.

Perfect! That's really good to know!! Thank you.