Price Drop ProtectorI want to start with my feeling because it really felt like I got free money this time. I booked my car through QEEQ. I was planning a solo trip to Reykjavik in Iceland and I chose a Mercedes Benz Vito from Icerental 4x4 with automatic and nine seats. The price was not cheap and I was sitting there doing the math in my head and thinking if I should wait to see if the price would go down.
Then I saw a service called Price Drop Protector. It said that if the price goes down later they will book it again for me at the lower price and give me the difference back. In my head I thought this is perfect for me because I am too lazy to check prices every day and I will rent a car anyway. So I just booked it with that service on.
The really crazy part came later on a normal day. I was busy with my own stuff and I did not even think about the rental. I got a message about my booking and I saw that the price had dropped a lot. They had already rebooked my car at the new lower price and the old booking was handled. I also saw that the difference was more than 200 EUR. In my mind it felt like I suddenly had extra travel money in my pocket. I did not argue with anyone and I did not send price screenshots. I did nothing. They found the lower price and fixed everything for me.
At that moment I was really glad I turned on Price Drop Protector. If I did not do that I would just pay the higher price and never know. Now I feel more relaxed and even think my mood will be better when I pick up the car in Reykjavik because I already kind of “won” once. As a solo traveler saving this kind of money makes me feel more safe and more free in my trip.
Price Drop Protector"Do you know you just earned money for nothing" My coworker said this in the office and I thought he was joking. I said I only booked a car in Reykjavik Iceland. Then I opened my email and saw a message from QEEQ about a price change. My booking was cheaper now and I saved around one hundred ninety AED. In my head I just went wow this money comes out of nowhere.
When I first booked the car I did not think much. I just wanted a safe choice for my business trip and a 9 seat van like a Mercedes Benz Vito in Reykjavik so I could take my team around. I later noticed there was a service called Price Drop Protector in my booking. I thought I would not really need it. The price looked fine so I forgot about it.
After some days I saw a new order number and the old one was still there. I got a bit nervous. I thought maybe I clicked something wrong or they would charge my card twice. In that moment my brain started to count if this turned into a problem. Then I looked closer and saw the new price was lower than before. The old booking was changed by them to a cheaper one and the difference would be sent back to me. I was pretty surprised and I thought so someone is really watching the price for me.
What I remember most is that I did nothing special. I just booked like a normal website. Later they found the price went down and they auto rebooked for me. I did not need to cancel and book again. I did not need to talk to the rental company. They just helped me save money quietly. For a business trip this feels very good and my budget is easier to control.
I only wanted my trip plan to be stable. I did not plan to hunt for a deal. Now with Price Drop Protector the cost of my Iceland car is lower for no extra work. For someone like me who travels for work a lot it is nice to have someone watch the price and not waste my time. It just feels great.
One-Dollar FreezeDo parents need to worry about credit card pressure first I did when I booked my car with QEEQ. With kids, flights and hotels already take a lot of credit limit. I was not sure if I should pay a big car rental bill in one go. Then I saw the One-Dollar Freeze option and I felt much more relaxed.
I really felt the effect in the days before the rental. I remember around May twenty sixth in the evening when we were packing. I told my partner I still had not finished paying for the car and I asked if it would be a problem. He thought I needed to pay right away. I opened my email and saw that the rest of the money was already charged automatically. I did nothing and there was no extra fee. I told him we only paid one dollar before and now the system had taken the rest for us. We both felt relieved because we did not need to worry about forgetting to pay or getting hit by a big amount all at once.
If I think back to the booking day I was on the website choosing a small manual car in Reykjavik something like a Toyota Yaris from the morning of May twenty seventh. The page said I could pay 1 dollar first and lock the booking. I even talked to myself and said it feels like I am just holding the spot with one dollar. I chose this option. It said the rest would be charged automatically before the rental started and there was no interest. This no interest part was really important for me as a parent because we already had many costs and I did not want to spend extra money just to make payment easier.
Around June fourth and fifth I almost did not think about the payment at all. I only focused on the kids and our plans. When I think about it this way of paying only 1 dollar first and fixing the car booking is very helpful for someone like me who has to watch the family budget. My credit limit could stay free for other family needs so I felt safer. The whole booking felt light and simple and the payment part was handled in the background. I just needed to take care of my kids and our schedule.
One-Dollar FreezeDo I need to pay a big amount first when I book a car in Reykjavik Iceland? That was my first worry. I was going with my kid. I planned to pick up the car around four in the afternoon on May 2 and return it in Reykjavik around four on May 6. I had already paid a lot for flights and hotels. So I kept asking myself if the car rental would push my credit card too hard. Then I saw One-Dollar Freeze and I started to do the math in my head. Can I really lock a Jeep Renegade or a similar car with just 1 dollar first? I asked myself again if there would be any hidden interest. I read the info a few times and asked myself one more time if there was really no interest. The answer came later when the rest of the money was charged. On my bill it was only the normal rental price. There was no extra strange fee. When I paid the 1 dollar I still felt a bit unsure. I was afraid the car might not be safe for me or the charge later would hit me all at once. Then some time before the pickup day the rest of the money was taken automatically. That day I was packing for my kid and checking the bill on my phone line by line. I felt less pressure because the big amount did not leave my card months before the trip. It only showed up close to the time we really needed the car. For me as a parent who has to plan the family budget this way made my credit card pressure much lower. I booked through QEEQ and for me the whole thing just felt like the money moved step by step and did not eat my whole credit limit at once. That made me feel quite calm.
One-Dollar FreezeWhen I walked out of the airport in Reykjavik the cold wind hit my face and I was pulling my suitcase and suddenly thought I was really glad I only paid 1 dollar first for the car booking. If I had paid everything at the start my credit card would feel very tight. When I booked the Dacia Duster with Icerental 4x4 on QEEQ I saw the One-Dollar Freeze option and I just wanted to try it. I told myself I can lock the car first and then see how my plan goes. In my head I also thought if my trip changes I do not have too much money stuck on my card.
A few days before the trip I started to check my booking details more carefully. I remembered the pick up around that week in the morning and I felt a bit nervous and excited. On the morning I walked out to wait for the shuttle to the rental office I suddenly worried if the rest of the payment was charged already. I took out my phone and checked my card. The payment showed as completed a short time before the rental start and the amount was correct. I felt calm and thought okay everything is going fine.
When I arrived at the Icerental 4x4 lot the sky was a bit gray and the wind was strong. There were many cars in a row and when I saw the Dacia Duster I felt a small sense of achievement. I booked it early and now it was really there. I remembered that I only paid 1 dollar to hold this car and now it was waiting for me. It felt a little funny like I made a wish before and now it came true. While the staff at the counter checked my booking I also checked my card balance in my mind and I knew my credit limit was still okay. I did not feel heavy pressure from this booking.
Back at home when I was planning the budget I thought the car cost would eat a big part of my card limit. At the same time I had to pay for flights and some activities. Because I only paid 1 dollar at the start there was almost no stress in that period. I could keep more limit for things like a flight change or other surprises. I was really happy that I did not choose full payment at once because for a student the card limit is very important.
During my days in Reykjavik when I came back to my stay at night I sometimes checked my card again. I wanted to see if there were any strange charges. I saw only the planned car rental payment and nothing extra so I felt safe. The best part for me was the feeling in my head. I knew the money would be charged automatically before the rental so I did not have to remember a date. At the same time the charge was not too early so my card was not stuck with low balance for a long time.
This whole thing made me remember the payment way more than the car itself. Paying only 1 dollar at first to secure the car felt really friendly for someone my age. When my travel plan is not 100 percent fixed this kind of plan makes me brave to book earlier. I do not need to wait until the last minute and I do not feel so nervous about my card.
AXA Full CoverageWhen I look back now, this claim in Iceland was actually okay for me. The key point is that I had bought AXA Full Coverage. Without it I think I would still be worrying about that money. I booked the car on QEEQ. Around the end of March I picked up the car around March 27 at noon in Reykjavik. It was a Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross from FAIRCAR, an automatic small SUV with four doors and five seats. I returned it around April 2 in the morning in Reykjavik.
The most stressful part started after I returned the car. One day the car got scratched by a third party. The wind was strong and the road side was a bit messy. When I got out to check the car I kept thinking in my head, this is bad, they will charge me a lot. Later the staff at the car rental told me they did not charge me for car damage. They only called road rescue and I just paid that road rescue fee. I was a bit confused. I was worried they might still charge me later and I also wondered if my AXA Full Coverage could really pay me back this money.
I started to look for all my papers. I checked the contract and emails. Then I found the contract seemed not very complete and I got nervous. I was afraid the claim would be stuck on this point. The rental company only sent me one email about the damage on the car. I saved a screenshot of that email. In my mind I kept asking myself if they would accept this screenshot and if I should go back to the rental desk to ask for more papers.
Then I contacted their customer service and explained that I paid only the road rescue fee and that the rental company kept saying there was no damage fee taken from me. I asked if this would be a problem. The people who talked with me sounded calm and it felt like they were checking many things in the background. What I could do was just send more documents. I gave them the contract, the screenshot of the damage email from the rental company, and I explained again that I only paid for road rescue and there was no extra car damage charge on my side.
At one point I saw a notice about canceling the claim and my heart dropped. I thought I clicked something wrong or my files had some big problem. Later they explained to me that the claim had already been reported and told me I did not need to worry too much. Those days I kept checking again and again because I was scared that I missed some step. The insurance side asked for the amount, the currency, photos and also wanted to confirm if there was any other cost besides the road rescue fee. I went through everything and answered all of that as clearly as I could.
I also said that I wanted the payout in GBP because I came from the UK and it is easier for me to use. They passed this request to the insurance company too. That period of time was a bit annoying for me. I kept worrying if the report failed, if the files were not enough or if the claim would drag on for a long time.
When they finally told me that the insurance company had approved the claim I felt much lighter inside. In that moment I really understood how lucky it was that I chose AXA Full Coverage when I booked. It did not only cover car scratches. It also covered this road rescue cost. For someone young like me this is important. When I travel my budget is not very big and sudden costs like this can put a lot of pressure on me if nobody pays it back.
The whole process felt like handing in an exam paper and waiting for the result. My brain ran many crazy ideas in the middle and then I found out I passed and even got some extra points. When I think of those days in Iceland now I remember the strong wind and the amazing views and also this small accident. With this coverage behind me my mind did not break down so badly.
