Booking Procedure - Florida and US Car Hire FAQ

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1. Do I need to name all the drivers when we book the car?
2. How and when do we pay for the car hire?
3. What forms of payment do you accept?
4. What paperwork will we receive?
5. How can we place our car hire order?
6. How soon before we need the vehicle can we make a booking?
7. Can I extend the booking once we arrive in Florida?
8. Can you take last minute bookings at weekends?
9. When will my balance payment be taken?
10. My balance has been taken, but for the full amount, and I thought I paid a £25 deposit when I booked.
11. Is it possible to pay the full amount at the time of booking rather than just a £25 deposit?
12. Do I need to include my flight number?
13. The free car upgrade offer does not show on my Order Confirmation
14. Booking the Young Drivers Package with Budget

Do I need to name all the drivers when we book the car?

• No. We just need the name of the lead driver. All other drivers just need to go to the rental desk when you collect the vehicle. It is important that the name you enter as the lead driver on the booking is as it appears on your driving license. You must include your first initial and last name as a minimum.

How and when do we pay for the car hire?

• Full payment is required by 8 weeks prior to the collection date. If you are booking more than 8 weeks in advance then you can just pay £25 deposit to reserve your vehicle at the current price. Your credit / debit card will then be automatically debited for the balance approx 8 weeks prior to your car hire date. If you do not want the balance to go from the same card then just let us know and we can take payment from another card.

What forms of payment do you accept?

• We accept Visa credit / debit cards, Master Card and Switch. Unfortunately we can not accept American Express.

What paperwork will we receive?

• Once your full payment has been received we will send you voucher via email. If you do not have an email address or have difficulty opening the voucher then we can post it to you.

How can we place our car hire order?

• You can order on-line using this site 24 hours a day.

How soon before we need the vehicle can we make a booking?

• You should allow as much time as possible, but for the standard vehicle types we can take a booking for the following day (or even the same day if urgent) within the following times: 9:30am - 5:30pm Monday to Friday and before 10am Saturday (holiday times may vary). We can take bookings outside of these hours but they will not usually be processed until these hours.

  If you make a late booking and we can not get your voucher to you in time, you should explain to the car rental company that you have a pre-paid booking and your voucher has not yet arrived. The rental company will 'swipe' your card on collection and explain that you will be charged at the end of your rental if your voucher is not with them by then.

  Once you have collected your car, email us with your rental agreement number from the paperwork provided. Your order will then be processed by our supplier, and payment taken. Our supplier will then have your voucher applied to your rental to avoid local charges on return of your car.

Can I extend the booking once we arrive in Florida?

• Yes (Dollar only), if you decide to extend your stay then call us or email us and we can arrange an extension. Please give as much warning as possible.

Can you take last minute bookings at weekends?

• We can take last minute bookings at weekends but are only able to obtain your voucher on Saturdays up to about 10am UK time. Any last minute bookings outside these hours would mean that we would have to wait until Monday morning to obtain your voucher which we can then fax over to your pickup location as per the 'What if I forget to take my voucher with me?' section

When will my balance payment be taken?

• If you booked in advance of 8 weeks prior to your booking, you will have paid only £25 deposit (unless you specifically asked to pay in full).

  Approximately 8 weeks before your collection date, our supplier will take your balance from the same card used to take your deposit. This is a manual process, so if it is a particularly busy period it may be more like 5-6 weeks before travel when your balance is taken.

  Once your balance has been taken, your voucher will be emailed to you. If you have not received your voucher by this time, email us on info@uscarhire.co.uk quoting your order number, so we can follow this up. It may be that your voucher has been emailed, but possibly lost in a spam folder.

  If we come to take your balance and we have difficulty taking payment from your card (e.g. if your card has since been cancelled or replaced) then you will receive an automated email from us advising you to provide new payment details. In this event, your car hire booking is still safe, so don't panic!

My balance has been taken, but for the full amount, and I thought I paid a £25 deposit when I booked.

• In most cases, when a booking is made over 8 weeks before travel, our suppliers take a £25 deposit. Your balance is then payable eight weeks prior to collection of your car.

  Occasionally the £25 deposit is not actually taken at the time of booking (for various reasons), so when your balance becomes due, the total amount is still outstanding. The result is that you still pay exactly the same amount overall.

  If this happens, your car is still booked for you even if the £25 deposit was not taken from your card. If you have made a booking over 2 weeks ago and the £25 deposit has not yet been taken from your card, you may contact us by email quoting your order number, then we can arrange for our supplier to take the £25.

Is it possible to pay the full amount at the time of booking rather than just a £25 deposit?

• Yes. When you make your booking, use the comments box to state that you would prefer our supplier to take the full payment now. The automated confirmation you receive will still state that only £25 will be taken, but we will note your comment and take the full payment then issue your voucher shortly after.

Do I need to include my flight number?

• Including your flight number on your booking means that in the event your flight is delayed, then the rental company will know your new estimated arrival time and hold your reservation for you. Many depots are open 24 hours so this is less of an issue, but some smaller locations close late evening or early hours of the morning.

  If your flight is delayed and they have your flight number then the location should remain open until your flight arrives and all bookings have been processed. This still does not guarantee the depot will remain open beyond normal open hours, so if you are very late arriving and you are not able to collect your car as a result, then you would need to make alternate arrangements until your are able to collect your car. In most cases, your airline or travel insurance should assist with associated costs.

  If you do not know your flight number at the time of booking, this is not a problem. You can add this at any time by contacting us with your order number and flight number, then we can add it to your voucher.

The free car upgrade offer does not show on my Order Confirmation

• If you have booked a car with a free upgrade, the car will be upgraded free of charge by the car hire company on collection. For example, if you order a Compact 4 door and are told there is a free upgrade, you will receive an Intermediate 4 Door on arrival. T

  he order confirmation you receive from us will not state the free upgrade. Once your balance has been paid, and you receive your voucher from us you will see the car booked (i.e. Compact 4 Door) but you will also see the free upgrade stated on the voucher too.

Booking the Young Drivers Package with Budget

• If you are age 21-24 then you can save money on the young drivers surcharge. To do this, select Budget on our site on the Gold option with the young driver named as lead driver.

  For an additional £50 per week / £10 per day on top of the car rental cost, this will include the young driver with no surcharge on collection of the car. This is payable with your car rental cost so will be added to the price quoted when payment is due.

  To book, simply do so as normal, then note in the comments on the booking form that you require the Young Drivers Package and agree to pay £50 per week / £10 per day on top of the rental cost.

  The YDP only allows one young driver to pre-pay the fee, so any additional young drivers will still need to pay the $25 per day surcharge on collection of the car. You can have any number of additional drivers age 25+ at no extra cost.

  Note, drivers under the age of 21 must have held a full driving license for at least 2 years at the time of car collection.