Book early for summer says Holiday Autos Car Hire

Just received a flyer from Holiday Autos saying "Book early for summer"

If your summer holiday plans include a hire car then don't wait a minute longer before booking.


Popular destinations in Spain, Italy, France and Portugal sell out fast. Pick your car today from a great range at everyday low prices starting from just £7 a day.

The sun is out today for once and it is easy to reach their easy to us website. Just follow this link  Summer cars are still available, book before they all go.


They also have deals of the days. Totady is 10% off Poland car hire. There is an important football on in Poland tonight, it might be the time to book your car hire and see where Sunday's pecial location might be.

Odyssey car hire insurance products are currently discounted

Odyssey car hire excess insurance products are being discounted to customers who buy through dedicated links at either the jml-insurance.co.uk site or insurance4carrrental.com site.

The arrangement will be effective till the end of June 2013.

Europe 31 European Excess Cover - Euro Odyssey which normally costs £39.75 is reduced to £39.00. (€48.10 to €47.19)

Daily Odyssey - Daily Car Hire Insurance that normally costs £3.99 can be yours for £3.89 (€4.83 to €4.71)


World Odyssey - Worldwide Car Hire Insurance costing £59.99 has been reduced to only £51.00 (€72.60 to €61.72)


Finally the Worldwide Odyssey Family & Partners 31 Cover for 2 policy holders costing £99.99 has gone down to £95.00 (€84.70)

To find out more follow this link

PS you might want to tell your friends about it as well if they are off on holidays or business and hiring a car.

2 Car hire Excess Companies mentioned in Mirror article today

Two of the car hire excess insurance companies that advertise on the insurance4carrental.com car hire + site have been mentioned in the "Mirror's" article appearing on the 24th June 2012.

The article "Hire... or lower. How to cut car-hire costs" in the Money - Personal Finance section of the newspaper was again highlighting the presure that car hire hire customers are put on to buy car hire excess insurance at the point of collection.

According to the article's Case Study -  Linda Winder saved herself from paying excess cover twice by reading the small print on her car rental contract.

Linda paid £169 to hire a Toyota for a week in France in May with Advantage. Through the broker CarDelMar, she spent an extra £30 to avoid the €1,000 excess.

“When I arrived to pick up the car the rental company tried to sell me its

excess waiver cover,” she said. “But I explained I’d already bought this from

the broker.


“They said this cover wasn’t anything to do with them and they couldn’t tell me what it did and didn’t include.

“They still wanted me to take out their cover at €10 a day.



“Luckily I had all the details with me and it showed my original cover was perfectly adequate.”



Linda, 33, of Warlingham, Surrey, who works in public relations, added: “It would have been very easy for me to pay for the cover twice as there was quite a lot of pressure being applied.”

The article went on to say "One alternative is to buy a ­policy from an independent excess-waiver provider. These tend to provide more comprehensive cover at a much lower cost.


For example, Protectyourbubble.com charges £2.42 per day, or £38.03 a year, for its car hire excess insurance which includes ­windscreen damage, and ­iCarhireinsurance.com charges £2.99 a day or £39.99 for annual cover."  (Read The Mirror article Here)

I think we will be seeing much more of these warning and experience from renting articles in the next few weeks.

Last week The Guardian covered this subject and it was featured on this blog site and also by Directflights.com.

If you have had bad experiences, please let us know by filling in the comment section below or emailing us here

Just found insurance4carhire on the Jazz FM website

Just found a feature on the insurance4carhire.com on the Jazz FM website.

Being a regular listener to Jazz FM, but not such a regular visitor to their website unless I am not in the country and want to listen on line, was surprised to see this there.

Anyway they say "Everyone who rents a car needs to have car rental insurance. For many customers this is something they leave to their hire company to deal with on a rental-by-rental basis but there is an alternative – annual car hire insurance.



insurance4carehire.com Car hire insurance offered by a rental car company normally includes cover for Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft, but you are still liable to pay the first portion of the repair or replacement costs (aka the excess or deductable). The excess amount on insurance for car hire typically ranges from between £500 and £1,600, so if your excess is £500 and someone drives into the back of you causing damage of £750, you will have to pay £500. In comparison, Insurance4carhire covers you against the entire excess fee, for damage to the roof and undercarriage of the car plus the windows and tyres."

Remember Insurance4carhire the Annual Europe insurance will cost you £49 per year or £65 for the annual Worldwide. Want to save some money on those prices?

Something we can't broadcast on radio or TV, but here - just follow this link and you will only pay £39.20 for the £49.00 annual Europe policy or £52.00 for the £65.00 Annual Worldwide policy, now that ir a really great deal.

With that sort of saving you could use that money towards buying yourself a brand new digital radio and listen to Jazz FM. It is now a national station and if you have never heard it before tune it before you drive off on holiday.

Another 5 Ways to Avoid Getting Ripped Off on Your Car Hire

It is most definately that time of the year with The Guardian in the UK running a couple of articles last Friday (June 15th) about avoiding being ripped off (they had ten ways to avoid it) and now "Directflights.com" has one "5 Ways to Avoid Getting Ripped Off on Your Car Hire".

Their five suggestions are:

1. Shop Around - 2. Don’t Get Sold Worthless Insurance - 3. Don’t Get Ripped Off on CDW Waiver - 4. Bring Your Own Extras - 5. Know Your Company’s Fuel Policy. All very good advice that can be found on their site Here

When we established the insurance4carrental.com site we put together a very comprehensive "Advice on Car Hire - Van Hire - Motorhome Hire" page and have been adding more to this from personal experiences and from the market.

We have also created a quick list which is shown above. Find out more at the advice page Here

No doubt there will be more articles of a similar sort appearing in the nexrt couple of weeks.

If you have any personal recommendations or experiences of hiring a car, please reply on this blog.

Car Hire Excess Costs Consfuses Consumers

iCarhireinsurance.com have just released a Press Release - "Confusion Over Hire Car Excess Costs Consumers"

The news release dated 20th June 2012 says "The true extent of consumer confusion surrounding excess waivers sold by car rental companies has been revealed in new research. The survey, carried out by YouGov on behalf of iCarhireinsurance.com, found that only 29% of hire car drivers knew what car hire excess was and one in five (19%) mistakenly believe they can only buy it from the rental company.


Excess cover is one of the most important considerations when hiring a vehicle, as driving without it can leave consumers vulnerable to hefty charges of up to GBP 2,000 if the car is stolen or damaged, even if it's not their fault. Low cost, fully comprehensive independent policies are available if drivers buy in advance, but those that find themselves at the rental desk without cover have to pay an average of GBP 17 a day for a rental company policy.


The survey found that;


-- A sixth of hire car drivers (16%) bought it to be on the safe side even



though they were not sure what it covered.


-- More than a quarter (28%) thought car hire excess protected them from


having to pay for damages, when unfortunately protection from rental


desks often does not include damage to windows and tyres.


-- 4% believed that excess cover protected them from charges such as


speeding tickets and parking fines.


-- A sixth (16%) admitted they were surprised to be offered this cover at


the car rental desk as they assumed it was included in the price.


-- While 6% admitted they bought because of pressure at the rental desk


with 5% stating they were actually 'scared' into buying it.


Ernesto Suarez, founder of iCarhireinsurance.com said, "Our research has highlighted a worrying lack of knowledge about this form of protection. Rental desks seem to take advantage of this and can 'scare' drivers into buying their expensive and limited cover. Our policies can be bought online for only GBP 2.99 a day, or GBP 39.99 a year, so for excess insurance that covers ALL of the car, without any of the confusion the message is simple - Buy before you fly"



The research was carried out online by YouGov between 18 / 04 / 2012 and 20 / 04 / 2012 amongst a panel resulting in 2,058 UK Adult respondents, of which 994 have hired a car.  Source Halo Insurance/iCarhireinsurance.

iCarhireinsurance.com advertises its car hire excess insurance products and van hire excess insurance products on the insurance4carrrental.com website  Visit their page HERE

Meanwhile on the iCarhireinsurance blog today (20th June 2012) there is a headline "The Guardian Recommends iCarhiresurance.com"

The Guardian outlined 10 top tips for making the most of your car hire in an article written by Miles Brignall. The article appeared in the paper on the 16^th June. We reported on this on this blog http://carhireexcessinsurance.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/10-ways-to-avoid-being-ripped-off-with.html last Saturday.

The iCarhireinsurance team have also mentioned another Guardian report on the 15th June "Car hire – it's too cheap - Car hire companies are undercharging – but then making their profits by forcing renters to buy insurance policies" by Patrick Collinson. 

He is off to Ireland later this month and looks like he has been caught by a similar car hire salesperson as I have done on a few occasions. (see this article ) He says "Last time the polyester-uniformed saleswoman almost dementedly pushed the "super collision damage waiver" deal, which would have cost more than the car hire itself. Didn't I know how dangerous the roads in Ireland are, how I might easily have a scrape and end up with a bill for £800 to cover the excess? When I flourished my independent cover (see step 3 in today's guide) she turned nasty. She said it wasn't "accepted" in Ireland (utter nonsense). And if I didn't buy the super CDW, she'd have to pre-authorise thousands of pounds off my credit card. Another lie, but a good one to frighten people at the start of a holiday when they know they'll need their card."

See this article in full at The Guardian website Here

10 ways to avoid being ripped off with Car Hire according to The Guardian yesterday

With the summer holiday season in full swing very soon, a seasonal topic for travel writers appeared in yesterday's edition of "The Guardian". A feature "Holiday car hire: 10 ways to avoid being ripped off".

Miles Brignall lists the 10 important issues.

1)  Buy the basic package only - don't buy all those car hire add ons. He suggests using online brokers like Holiday Autos and don't buy their excess insurance. I am in full agreement here, however the one area of insurance I personally buy, is when I make a booking through Holiday Autos is buy their inexpensive cancellation waiver. After having to cancel a couple of booking with Holiday Autos, I find this is very sensible.

2) Bring your own satnav and child car seats - A subject that a lot of the travel writers include. Sat Nav is fairly easy, as these units are small, but a couple of child seats on a budget airline? Apparently this can still work out a lot cheaper than renting from the car hire company, especially if you are hiring a car for a couple of weeks.

 3) Save £100 by buying excess insurance - The car hire excess insurance companies are always reminding us that you can save a lot of money if you buy from an indepenent. I personally buy an annual policy and even if you are going for a week an annual policy can work out a lot better value than even buying low cost daily policies out in the market place. When you go to the car hire collection desk, they will normally try and sell you this and their policies are a lot more expensive than through the independent specialist insurance companies.

Unfortunately the car hire company staff are often under a lot of "Head office" pressure to sell you these and I have even been told (like many others) that the excess insurance that I have won't cover their vehicle and that I MUST buy their one. Don't let them do this. The Guardian aricle mentioned iCarhireinsurance and insurance4carhire. Interesting when I followed the link which looked like an affiliate link to insurance4carhire that the price of the Annual Europe came up at £49, whereas if you went into the insurance4carrental.com advertising site and followed the easy route through to insurance4carhire and click on their link here   you will find you can buy the £49.00 annual product for just £39.20 and the Annual Worldwide that normally costs £65.00 for £52.00 so it is well buying through that discounted route.

4) on the list was  "Ignore the sales patter at the collection desk" - I touched on this subject in 3, above where sales staff try and sell you their insurance. As I have been caught after physically telling them I didn't wanht their product and then being told to sign, "here, there anmd there" etc and finding on my next credit card bill car hire company's insurance, I have started writing on the form "No excess insurance". To date have not tried it on one of those electronic pads that a lot of car hire companies are starting to introduce.

5) Check the fuel policy, the mileage and other extras - Again very important, if they charge an admin charge for refilling, which most do, make sure you fill it up yourself. Also if renting a diesel car make sure you put diesel into the vehicle. It can be costly if you get it wrong. I have heard rumour that one of the car hire excess insurance companies might be introducing this into their cover which would be good. Always retain receipts as the check in people might want to see them. Also in the past some people have tried putting water into the tank instead of fuel. Keep fuel receipts for quite some time after the rental has ended in case you have problems.

According to The Guardian's article " A growing number of firms (for Spanish rentals in particular) now insist on a full-to-empty fuel policy on rentals of more than three or four days. You pay for a full tank of fuel and then bring it back empty, which is fine in theory, but if you aren't using the car much you'll end up paying for three-quarters of a tank of fuel you didn't use.


Renters on the small Spanish islands report it being impossible to use a full tank of fuel. Even the big firms now adopt this policy. The only way round it in Spain for those on a week's holiday is to go for a series of short rentals."

6) Note all damage, and video or photograph the car - Not always so easy on a dark wet night, however do check that the car is full, why is there a dent under the boot area that has not been noted etc. Practically everyone carries a mobile now and the majority can take still and video photos, so if in doubt take pictures. Whenever possible before you go away from the depot get any changes signed for.

Another problem you can get is a smelly car. They normally stink of polish and there is a tendancy to even polish the plastic by the pedals which can make driving a car you don't know harder. Although most car hire companies have no smoking signs in the vehicle, not every smoker takes notice. I personally rented (or attempted to rent one) earlier this year, that as soon as you got in, it stank. So had to go back to check in desk and say we were not having that one!

7) Photo the car on return and keep the paperwork -  Article states normal things a renter should do, including taking photos (good idea if the car is not being checked in) and keep all paperwork for a while later, like I said in section 5 above. Also check that credit card statement. Quite often if you have your own excess insurance your card will be debitted (it helps a car hire operator's cash flow) so you want to make sure the correct amount has been re-credited to your card. You do have to allow for fluctuations in exchange rates, but not if they have added on a refuelling charge or that excess insurance you did not want. 

8) Keep an eye on your credit card statement - I covered this in 7 above looks like this could often happen and this advise is featured at advice on car rental (or van / Motorhome rental on the insurance4carrental site

9) Fight any additional charges - easier said than done with some car companies from personal experience! The Guardian says the credit card company might help, unfortunately could not when I was "ripped off". 


10) So which car hire company do you go with? - The Guardian's advice is shop around - One company they say they don't get many compaints about is Holiday Autos.

So that is the end of The Guardian Aricle - You can read it here

If you are looking for car hire / motorhome hire / van hire, car hire excess insurance / motorhomehire excess insurance / van hire excess insurance / minibus hire excess insurance or travel insurance, take a look at those products being advertised on the insurance4carrental.com site

Car hire excess insurance site reminds visitors to be ready for 2012 London Olympics visit

With less than 42 days to go till the start of the 2012 London Olympics, insurance4carrental.com is reminding visitors to arrange their car hire, car hire excess insurance and travel insurance now.

To see this Press release click on link below

http://www.insurance4carrental.com/Car_hire_excess_insurance_Olympics_2012_PR_June_12.htm

Sizzling Summer Sale from Holiday Autos Car Hire

After one of the wettest Aprils on record and a very miserable June in Britain and Ireland you now need to be tempted to head to the sun. Although the English hose pipe ban was lifted in many areas of England from midnight last night the temperature forecasts for next week in the south of England are not very good.

What better idea and head off to a warmer climate for a few days to put some solar energy into topping up your batteries?

Holiday Autos have a sizzling summer sale on. You can save up to 20% on car hire in selected summer destinations for any duration; just book before 17th June 2012 for picks-ups until 30th June 2012.

This sounds like a great idea from Holiday Autos who are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year.

To find out more visit Holiday Autos website Here you can't miss the Sizzling summer sale with great photos (none of them showing the rain) on the top right hand side of thei page.

iCarhireinsurance.com in the Sunday Times Again

iCarhireinsurance.com the car hire excess insurance and van hire excess insurance company was in the Sunday Times earlier this month.

According to iCarhireinsurance.com "The Sunday Times choose iCarhireinsurance.com yet again to feature as the company to buy car hire excess insurance from.

Its brilliant cost saving holiday feature, 'Plan ahead to avoid travel rip-offs', on 3 June 2012, advised readers on how to avoid those hefty charges on everything from flights and car hire to currency and insurance, saving a family £800 if they planned ahead.


In order "not get stung by steep excess fees" which "can be as high as £1,000", it told readers not to buy the rental companies' excess waiver insurance at "up to £20 a day" and instead to "buy excess waiver cover before you go" from iCarhireinsurance.com.


Sunday Times example - To rent a car for two weeks in July from Barcelona airport the excess would be £800. "It would cost £15 a day or £210 for the trip to waive it through Alamo. However, iCarhireinsurance.com will cover the excess for £2.99 a day or £39.99 for an annual policy."

Want to know about iCarhireinsurance.com? Of course you must, then take a look at their advertisement page on the insurance4carrental.com site HERE

After all with all the wet weather about, you might be thinking of taking a break in some hot destination and hiring a car. It is usually much better value buying your car hire excess insurance from a company like iCarhireinsurance.com than from the car hire company. You can save lots of money.