Posted on June 02, 2009 by Fiona Hilliard

This week’s Tip of the Week question comes from the McHugh family who are wondering whether to book their rental car before or after they arrive in Menorca for a family holiday:

Customer Says:

Dear Editor,

We’re travelling to Menorca next month for a family holiday with the kids. We’d love to hire a car on the island and see all the beaches and mountain villages outside of the tourist resorts properly.  However, due to budget constraints we’re not sure whether it would be cheaper and easier just to pick one up when we get there?

The McHugh Family

Editor Says:

Renting a car once you’re overseas can be difficult and expensive because A) you don’t have much time to shop around and B) You don’t have much choice as many of the suppliers on the island will already have reserved most of their vehicles for online advance bookings.  Just to warn you, it is definitely not cheaper or easier to book a car in this way.  As we always advise customers, it’s best to book in advance.  Even if you decide car hire is not for you at the last minute and you decide to cancel your booking, you will find we have no cancellation fee on post-paid rentals, (when the entire amount is due on arrival at the desk) and on pre-paid rentals when you cancel your booking 7 days before pick-up.  If you cancel less than 7 days before pick up, you will not be charged for your rental, but a €25 cancellation fee will apply.  Even on totally prepaid rentals, you will be completely reimbursed if you cancel 7 days or more before pick-up.  Cancelling less than 7 days before pick-up incurs a cancellation charge of €25, but if you cancel less than 48 hours before pick up, we will charge 3 days rental and a card-processing fee in some cases.  Hope this explains our cancellation procedure for you and underlines why you shouldn’t be afraid to book early. 

Got a question for our Tip of the Week section?  Email news@arguscarhire.com and we’ll do our best to solve your problem.