Car hire - amount reserved on credit card for excess

[suzikettles]

Has anyone hired a car recently and know what's the general amount that you need to have free on your credit card for the excess?

We need to hire a car for 2 weeks in June in France which is not a problem, I'll pay in advance with my debit card.

The problem is that I don't have a great deal of credit on my credit card and limited ability to put money on it before the holiday - I can pay off 3 or 4 hundred pounds which would give me around £500 credit but is that going to be enough? I can't seem to find a straight answer online.

We'll be booking a budget car with someone like Hertz (probably 2nd from bottom in the range). I normally get separate insurance to cover the excess and don't go for the insanely expensive super dooper collision waiver whatsit.

If I do cough up for the super collision blah blah would that reduce the amount they'd need me to have free on the CC?

Won't need the credit card for anything else while on holiday as we'll using the debit card or cash for everything else.

I just returned a hertz car in manchester yesterday after a three week rent of a compact car. I rang hertz beforehand to ask them the same question. They said that all I needed on my credit card was the 550 pounds excess on the insurance. I was a bit worried that I would need to have access to the whole cost of the car.

Just ring them to find out - it may be different in France.

Thanks whodunnit. The excess is shown in Euros for France and is E800, which at the current exchange rate is over £700

Anyone else know if I'd need less on the card if I paid the extra waiver?

Good lord! The excess had to "ring fence" on my credit card with a cheap uk company was £50! I think the time before that (different company) was £150.

Did you pay extra for the insurance though? I think the excess goes down to £150 if you get the super collision thing.

Will give them a phone.

God. Am so stressed about this holiday (that we can't really afford) and so bloody stupid at not thinking of this before.

No, I paid nothing extra. This was for a UK hire though - open ended whilst my car was repaired.

Yes. I think that's probably the difference. It's been a while since I rented a car in the UK but I don't remember having to even think about the credit card thing.

Will throw myself on the mercy of the credit card people too and see if they'd give me a temporary credit increase. I suspect the computer will say no though..