I was getting a quote today from AutoEurope, and I was told that when I picked the car that the car rental agency would put a 2000 euro hold on my credit card which would be released at the end of the rental. I asked about that several times to be sure I had heard correctly and was assured that this was standard practice. Has anyone heard of this? This was with a prepaid rental taking loss damage waiver.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, United States
864 posts
I've never heard of anything like this in all my years of renting cars in Europe. Where did you say you were taking the car....Gaza, Iraq, some war torn hell hole? There is something very odd about this. Maybe you are under 25 over 75? Can hardly wait to hear what others have to say.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, United States
864 posts
Well I like to learn something new every day. Guess I just never noticed the euro hold on my Visa card since it never became an issue. If your credit limit isn't all that high it would probably be a good idea to rent the car with one credit card and use another for everything else.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9109 posts
Rental car companies have always put holds like this on credit cards; US, Europe...everywhere. Most people never realize it happens because its well within their credit limit. This also means one should never rent a car with a debit card because the hold will be placed on the funds in your checking account. So unless you have a lot of money in your account you could run into some cash flow problems. Same deal when checking into a hotel..they also place a hold.
Posted by
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
That was the practice when I rented from Auto Europe several years ago in France...and it was not released until long after I returned the car, without damage. In fact, I think I was back home before it was released. Carry two cards if need be..
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
Holds are more common than one perceives. Some holds are quick - when you fill your car at an automatic gas pump, they put a US$ 50 - 100 hold then allow you to pump, then charge your actual fuel bill, then release the hold within 15 minutes. A "hold" will not appear on a credit card statement/invoice, just in some online statements while they are in place, usually not identifying who's the "holder". An € 2.000 hold is rather uncommon, unless you are talking of luxury cars like MErcedes, Audi etc. Usually a hold will comprise the rent charge (with all extras you bought) + deductible. If you have pre-paid your rental, the hold will be only the deductible. All companies have this information on their "payment info" or "payment processing" menus on the FAQs/Local Information. Some credit cards allow you to have more holds than your actual limit, but not all.