Frequently Asked Questions
Driver requirements and responsibilities
When you come to pick up your rental car, please make sure to take with you:
- a copy of your voucher or an eVoucher to show that you have paid for the car;
- the main driver’s credit card with enough funds for the car’s deposit;
- each driver’s valid driver's license, which they have held for at least 12 months (often 24 is a requirement);
- further means of identification, e.g., passport or any other ID the car company needs to see.
Please note that only a full licence held for a minimum of 1 year with no endorsements will be accepted. Some car rental companies may also require an International Driving Permit if you're renting outside your country of residence. Different car rental companies have different requirements, so please make sure you check the supplier’s terms and conditions prior to collection. We will send you your rental voucher 48 hours before your pick-up time.
Only persons listed as drivers on the Car Rental Agreement can drive the car. If you require additional drivers, please include them in your booking request. You may also add additional drivers at the rental counter when you pick up your car. An additional fee may apply and this will be paid at the rental counter (unless specified otherwise on the Wisecars voucher). All persons driving the vehicle must be in possession of their driving license at all times.
If your flight is delayed or cancelled, please call our customer support team or the car rental company as soon as possible. If you have already provided us with your flight details, the car rental company will be able to track your flight. Most car rental companies will hold your car for you for an hour, but different companies may have different policies regarding delays. Wisecars does not accept responsibility and shall not be held liable for any loss, damage or changes to your plans caused by flight delays or cancellations.
If you want to add someone as an additional driver, they will need to be with you when you go to pick up your car. They will need to show their driver’s license, which they must have held for at least two years. If you cannot take them with you when you go to pick up the car, you need to take them back to the counter later on and add them as additional drivers. The car rental company will charge you for the additional driver for the whole time that you have the car. The rules that apply to the main driver also apply to any additional drivers. If your additional driver is under 30 or over 65, please check your car's terms and conditions.
Each car rental company has its own age requirements, but most will rent to people between the ages of 25 and 70. If you're in the 21 to 25 age range, you will likely have to pay a young driver fee. If you're 65 or older, you may have to pay a senior driver fee.
amendments
Manage bookings effortlessly. You can amend your booking information or cancel your booking in a few simple steps. Just scroll down to the bottom of this page and create a support ticket. Fill in your personal information and state what you wish to cancel or amend. One of our helpful agents will be in contact with you to address the request. Read more about making changes to your Wisecars booking here.
Yes. You can upgrade your car before you start your trip. As with any amendments, just scroll down to the bottom of this page and create a support ticket. Fill in your personal information and state your request. One of our helpful agents will be in contact with you to address the request. Read more about making changes to your Wisecars booking here.
Pick-up and drop-off
Wisecars, just like any other car rental broker or supplier, cannot guarantee the specific make or model of the car that you will receive at the rental counter. However, you are entitled to a car in the same category, holding the same number of passengers and with the same luggage capacity as the car that you booked. Our website includes a full description of each car type, including the typical number of passengers and pieces of luggage each can accommodate.
Wisecars is an independent travel broker who does not represent any particular car rental company. Your voucher will clearly state the address of your vehicle supplier. In case of an airport pick-up, it will state whether or not the supplier has a desk in the terminal. Some car rental companies offer the Meet and Greet service at airports (meaning they do not have a counter at the airport and will deliver the car to the airport for the customer). If this is the case, it will be clearly stated on your voucher. You can also find this information in the pick-up and drop-off details.
If you haven't started your trip yet, you can change your drop-off time by amending your booking. Please keep in mind that any changes that you make to your booking will probably change the rental price. If you want to change your drop-off time after you have already picked up the car, you will need to contact the car rental company directly. Wisecars cannot amend the drop-off time once the rental has already begun. If you return your car later than agreed, the car rental company will likely charge you a late return penalty fee.
You can usually pick up your car an hour early, but you will have to acknowledge that it might not be ready before your arranged pick-up time. If your plans change in advance, you can bring your pick-up time forward by amending your booking. However, please keep in mind that any changes that you make to your booking will probably change the rental price.
Fuel policies
At Wisecars, we aim to work only with partners who offer a fair fuel policy, so that you will get no unpleasant surprises with hidden extras. A fair fuel policy means that you will have to return the car with the same amount of fuel that you picked it up with. It is becoming a common practice in many locations that car rental companies implement the "full tank/empty tank" car rental policy. The main issue with that is that the price of the fuel they provide at the counter is hugely inflated and you will pay more for fuel at the counter than you would at the pumps.
A common issue that many vacationers face abroad is unfair fuel policies in car rental. At Wisecars, we aim to work only with partners who offer you a fair fuel policy so that you will get the best deal with no unpleasant surprises. See below for our fuel policy guide, which covers all the policies that are available to you, and offers tips on how to best comply with these policies.
You will be given the car with a full tank of fuel and asked to return it with a full tank of fuel. You will have to leave a deposit for the fuel. The car rental company will block the funds on your credit card until they have checked that the tank is full at the end of your rental. If you do not return the car with a full tank of fuel, you may be charged a refuelling fee and for the missing fuel at an inflated rate.
Wisecars tip
Follow these simple rules and you will end up paying only for the fuel that you have used.
This one doesn't really need an explanation. When collecting your rental car, it will have a certain amount of fuel in the tank, which will be marked on your rental agreement, and you will have to return the car with the same amount of fuel as you collected it with. If have any questions about fuel policies or if you want advice on which fuel policies are available by which suppliers, do not hesitate to contact our customer support team.
Wisecars tip
Always check if the fuel level is the same on the rental car as it is on the rental agreement before you leave the rental office.
Cover and protection
Most car rental companies require the rental car to have Collision Damage Waiver and Theft Protection. Both policies will be either:
- included in the Wisecars package, or
- available for purchase from the car rental company, or
- provided by the customer's credit card company.
The type of cover that your rental car will have will depend on the car rental company and your pick-up location. Information about insurance will be stated in the car’s terms and conditions that are made available to you on Wisecars’s website while booking the vehicle. You can also find this information on the confirmation voucher.
Read our car rental insurance guide for a comprehensive overview on this topic.
Should your vehicle get damaged during your rental, you must notify Wisecars within 24 hours of the date on which the incident took place and no later than 48 hours after the rental period is completed. This information must be sent via email and give Wisecars the relevant details of the incident. Failure to comply with the correct procedure will result in your protection coverage becoming invalid.
To claim one of our Excess Protection products, you will need:
- your rental car’s pick-up and drop-off documents that clearly show the damages subject to the charge by the car rental company;
- photo evidence of the damage to the car;
- proof of repair costs from the car rental company;
- evidence of payments deducted from your payment card by the car rental company;
- an accident report form from the car rental company;
- a police report (if applicable).
Only when all the above mentioned documents are presented and severe negligence is excluded, a refund will be processed. No refund will be made if the damage/accident occurred due to the violation of local traffic rules, breach of the rental agreement, or if any of the third parties involved refuse the settlement of the claim.
Payments, fees and confirmation
In the majority of cases, our rentals include the following: Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), Theft Protection (TP), local taxes and location fees, airport surcharges, road fees and unlimited kilometers. You’ll have to pay for any optional extras (such as child seats and GPS devices), along with young driver, additional driver and one-way fees, when you pick up your rental vehicle. Any additional charges will need to be paid at the rental counter in the local currency. Please keep in mind that inclusions may differ between car rental companies. You will see the full list of inclusions available for your rental on Wisecars’ website when booking the car and you can also find it on your rental documentation.
You will receive a full refund if you request the cancellation 48 hours before the pick-up time. If you have bought the Wisecars Cancellation Protection and/or the Wisecars Protection Package you can cancel with a refund until 2 hours before the pick-up time and receive a refund minus the amount paid for the products.
However, you will not be entitled to a refund if:
- you fail to turn up at the agreed time and date, and/or fail to provide all the necessary documentation;
- your rental is terminated early;
- you fail to provide a credit card or any other required documents in the name of the main driver with enough available funds on it to satisfy the security deposit requirements.
Please check if you provided the correct email address. If you made a booking more than 24 hours ago and have still not received a confirmation email, it is most likely that the email was blocked by the Anti-Spam service of your email account. Please check if the confirmation email is not in the "SPAM", "Junk Mail" or "Unwanted Mail" folders of your email account. If you cannot find the confirmation email, please contact us via our website.
We will send you your rental voucher 48 hours before your pick-up time. You have a guaranteed booking with us and with one of our trusted premium suppliers. Wisecars can email you a copy of your reservation voucher (in PDF or HTML format) after that as well.
Refer a friend program
If you have opened the link with your friend's referral code and logged in to your MyWisecars self-service account, you will receive 15 USD immediately. If you have shared your own referral code at least once, you will get 1% back on your own booking value after you have returned your rental vehicle. If your friends have used your referral code and made a booking, you will receive 2% on their booking value after they have completed their rental.
Your rental credit will expire after 2 years.
Once your friends have opened the link with your referral code and logged in to their MyWisecars self-service account, they will receive 15 USD rental credit if they do not have any previous bookings with Wisecars. Your friends will also receive their own referral code, which they can share with their friends and start earning rental credit as well.
If you have opened the link with your friend's referral code and logged in to your MyWisecars self-service account, you will receive 15 USD immediately. If you have shared your own referral code at least once, you will get 1% back on your own booking value after you have returned your rental vehicle. If your friends have used your referral code and made a booking, you will receive 2% on their booking value after they have completed their rental.
You can share your code in your MyWisecars self-service account via email, Whatsapp, Facebook, or just by copying the code.
Wisecars customer support is available 24/7.