One-Dollar Freeze"So I only need to pay one dollar now?" I said that to myself when I saw this option on QEEQ. I was planning my trip to Eindhoven in the Netherlands and I needed a car. I planned to pick it up around noon on March thirteenth and return it a few days later in Eindhoven too. In my head I just thought this was really friendly for students and for overseas travelers like me.
The service I chose was called One-Dollar Freeze. When I booked, the page showed that I only had to pay 1 dollar first as a booking fee. When I saw the amount was only that small, I could not fully believe it. I kept thinking maybe they would later ask me to pay everything at once or maybe there would be some strange extra fees.
When I paid, the charge record was very clear. It was just that 1 dollar. After I swiped my card I felt my pressure drop a lot. I told myself that even if my plan changed the loss would not be big. Booking the car like this felt much easier. At that time I was also buying flight tickets and booking places to stay. All the costs came together. If the car rental also asked me to pay the full amount right away my card limit would feel really tight.
Close to my trip date they charged the rest of the rental fee automatically at the time they said before. That day I was packing my luggage when my phone showed the charge. The amount was the same as what I saw before. There was no extra money. I felt so relieved and I thought this way was very good for people like me who need to plan the budget step by step.
For me the most important point was that there was no interest and no strange service fee. The whole process was simple. First I paid 1 dollar to lock the car. Then near the start of the rental they charged the rest. I did not need to remember a pay date and I did not worry that my booking would be canceled because I forgot to pay. I felt they made this part very friendly.
During those days I also checked other platforms. Some of them wanted full payment at once. Some had installments with interest. After comparing I felt even more happy that I chose this way. My credit card limit is not very high. If a big amount was frozen at the start then I would be very nervous when I booked hotels or train tickets later. With this plan I only paid one dollar at first and they charged the rest before the trip. So I could use my money for other things and my trip budget was more clear.
When I arrived in Eindhoven to pick up the car I felt quite calm. All the payments were already done before so I did not need to stand at the counter and swipe my card again and think about exchange rates. When I think back to this booking the thing that stayed in my mind was not the car itself but this payment plan and the light feeling it gave me. For a student traveling abroad having less pressure from the credit card really gives me more space to enjoy the journey.
One-Dollar Freeze"Only one dollar to book a car" I saw this on QEEQ and I kind of did not believe it. I was planning to stay alone in Tenerife for a while. In my head I kept counting all the costs. Flight, place to stay and daily spending. My credit card limit already felt a bit tight.
Then I clicked on this service called One-Dollar Freeze. In my mind I was thinking if they ask me to pay the full amount at once later maybe it will be a big pressure. A few days later I opened my booking again. I saw the car company was TURISPRIME and the car was a small manual Hyundai i10. I felt calm because the car was already reserved. On the bill I still only saw that one dollar paid first. In that moment I relaxed. I felt I did not need to bring out a big amount of money right away.
In the week when I was going to Tenerife I started to worry a bit again. I asked myself if the rest of the money would be charged in a strange way or maybe overcharged. I checked my credit card statement a few times. The charge was the amount I expected and there was no extra interest. The pressure on my card became much lower. I was even a bit glad that I chose this way. If not I would probably keep thinking about that big payment for weeks.
Around the start of March I arrived near the airport to pick up the car at TURISPRIME. It was about the afternoon of the third around two. When I walked on the street in Tenerife I felt pretty relaxed because the money part was already settled. I did not need to worry if my card would be declined at the counter. When I did the paperwork I felt like everything was already set and I just needed to take the keys.
There were one or two times when I checked my credit card limit again. I saw that for a long time only a small part of my limit was used. I could still keep money and limit for other plans. It felt like I gave myself some buffer space. I usually feel a bit nervous when I spend money. This time the payment was split and there was no interest so my mind was much more at ease.
On the return day around the afternoon of the seventeenth close to five I parked the car back at the Tenerife return point. I looked at the bill and thought that I was really glad I locked this car with just one dollar at the start. Maybe I would not even book it if I had to pay a lot at once. For someone like me who travels alone and needs to watch the budget this way of paying only a small amount first and keeping the pressure on my credit card low is really helpful.
One-Dollar FreezeLet me complain first. As a business traveler I always have to pay big deposits and it gives me a headache. When I booked a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited group in St Thomas I was thinking do I really need to block so much money on my card at once. Then I saw a plan called One-Dollar Freeze. My first question was is it really just one dollar. Second question was will they charge some weird fee later. I told myself I only know if I try. So I paid that one dollar first. I was a bit nervous and thought maybe there would be many steps but the booking went through fast and nothing extra popped up. Time jumped to mid March. I went to pick up the car around the afternoon of March 14 and I returned it around noon on March 19. During the time before the trip I almost did not touch this booking. In my head there was still a small question. When will they take the rest of the money. Will my card suddenly show some crazy bill. A few days before pickup I checked my credit card. The rest of the rental cost was already charged automatically. The amount was the same as the price I saw before and not one dollar more. I even did some simple math. There was no interest and no strange service fee. For me it really made the pressure on my card smaller because my credit limit was not locked all at once. As a business traveler I ask myself is this way safe. I think it is fine. I ask myself will I use it again. My answer is yes. I only used my finger once at the start to pay that one dollar and after that they handled everything. The payment was spread over time and I could keep my card more free for other costs. When I stood at the Budget counter in St Thomas to do the paperwork I felt relaxed because the payment part was already sorted. I did not need to stand there and calculate. This one-dollar hold style really stayed in my mind and I remember I could do it on QEEQ.
One-Dollar FreezeFirst I have to complain a bit. When you travel with kids you have to pay big money for everything. Flights and hotel and tickets for places. My credit card always feels very close to the limit. Renting a car is also something I must do. On a place like Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands it is very hard to move with a child and luggage without a car. I was ready to pay a big amount again. Then I saw on QEEQ that I could use One-Dollar Freeze and only pay 1 dollar first to book the car and the rest would be charged later. I felt my whole body relax. I want to start from the end. On the day I returned the car it was around March 19 around noon. The sun was a bit strong but the wind felt nice. I drove back to the Saint Thomas return location. My kid was sleepy in the back seat and everything went very smooth. At that moment I remembered when I booked this Budget Nissan Kicks. I was so unsure back then. As a parent I must book everything early. I was afraid that if flights or plans changed I would have too much money stuck in bookings and feel a lot of pressure. Those days I kept doing numbers in my head and my credit card limit was close to the edge. When I was choosing the car on their site I liked this small SUV with automatic gear and 4 doors and 5 seats. It was perfect for a family and also for the stroller and bags. I was thinking that they would take a few hundred dollars right away. Then I saw the One-Dollar Freeze option. It said I only need to pay 1 dollar to lock the booking and the rest will be charged before the rental starts and there is no interest. I really did not believe it at first. I read the info many times. When I saw there were no strange extra fees I finally clicked confirm. On the payment page the 1 dollar amount looked so light. It felt very different from those usual big prepayments. My mind was much more calm. There was still some time before pickup. I still had to work on the visa papers for my kid and buy flights and book hotels. Money was going out in many places. Because the car booking only took 1 dollar at the start I felt I could breathe. My credit card was not fully blocked by one payment. Later closer to the trip I got the charge notice. The amount was just what I saw before with no extra random fees. Everything was simple. When we arrived in Saint Thomas it was around the afternoon of March 12. At the counter the worker checked my booking and my license and it was done very fast. When they brought out the car I looked at the trunk and I was happy with my choice. The stroller and suitcases and my kid’s small backpack all fit inside. My child kept asking if this was our car and it felt like we had a small family car for some days. For a parent like me the biggest feeling is that the money pressure is not so hard. I did not need to block a big rental amount on my card one month before and then worry if I still have enough for hotel and flights. I could pay step by step. The money for the car came out closer to the start date. When we were on the island in Saint Thomas my mind was more on the beach and the roads and my kid’s safety. I was not still stressed about some huge payment in the past. During the whole trip the car part became the easiest thing. It was because I only paid 1 dollar first to hold the car and then just waited for the automatic charge with no interest or strange extra cost.
One-Dollar FreezeMom did we really get the car with just one dollar payment my daughter asked while she leaned on my arm and looked at my phone. I nodded and checked the confirm page again. I was also a bit surprised.
It was close to the middle of February. I was packing stuff for our Florida plan and I kept thinking about my credit card limit. In the past when we traveled the rental payment was always a big number at once. When the bill came I felt a lot of pressure. This time I was on QEEQ and I saw One-Dollar Freeze so I looked at it again and again and wanted to try.
I chose a car in West Palm Beach. It was a Hyundai Venue from Budget. A small SUV that fits our family of three. When I clicked to book I was not very sure because our pick up would be around February nineteenth at noon and it still felt a bit early to pay all the money now. Then I saw the part that said I only need to pay 1 dollar first and the rest will be charged before pick up. I felt much more relaxed in that moment.
I was sitting at the kitchen table. There were kids books and snack lists on the table. I showed my husband the phone and said look it really only charged one dollar. The message from the bank also only showed that number. There was no big hold on my card. It felt very light. I felt I had more room on my card and I could plan other family costs first.
A few days later I opened the booking again. Everything looked fine. Confirm info was clear with the car type and the time in West Palm Beach. I knew that when we go to pick up the car around noon the payment would already be finished and I would not stand at the counter doing math with my card in my hand.
For a parent who travels with a kid this means a lot. I do not need to pay a big amount at the start and my mind feels calm. There is no interest problem and no extra stress on my credit card. I just focus on my child and our plan. This One-Dollar Freeze idea is really friendly for someone like me who needs to watch every part of the family budget.
Dedicated customer serviceThe air outside Alicante airport felt a bit humid and I walked with my suitcase toward the lights of the parking area. I was pretty excited because it was my first time renting a car by myself in Spain. I booked it on QEEQ so I could travel more freely. That night it was around February 21 close to 11 pm when I went to the CLICK RENT counter to pick up the Fiat 500. The place was kind of quiet and only the counter lights were bright. I thought it would be just normal paperwork. Then the staff told me I had to pay an extra 55 EUR because it was an out of hours pickup. My mind just stopped for a second. I thought this is a new cost and I was not ready for it at all. I remember checking my emails and the confirmation on my phone. I frowned at the screen and still could not find a clear note about this fee so I felt really unhappy. But if I did not pay I could not get the car so I used my card and inside I kept thinking this feels a bit unfair. When I returned the car in the evening around February 23 that feeling of being charged extra was still there. I sat in the airport waiting area and sent a message to the platform. I explained that I was charged 55 EUR for an out of hours pickup and the front desk did not really remind me clearly. I thought this kind of problem would be very hard to deal with. The customer service contacted me and sounded very serious and patient. I felt that someone was really trying to help me. During the next days I was busy with other things and sometimes I almost forgot about the 55 EUR. In my head I even thought if I do not get it back maybe I just accept it. But they kept following up. They asked me about the exact time and the amount and told me they would talk with the rental company. A couple of times when I had nearly put it out of my mind I got new updates from them saying it was still in progress. At that moment I was a bit surprised and I felt like I was being looked after. It was not just go talk to the rental company by yourself. It felt more like someone was standing in front of me and speaking for me. After some time the customer service told me the rental company had agreed to refund the 55 EUR. When I saw the message I really let out a long breath. The bad feeling in my chest was finally gone. I checked my bank card and saw the refund record and then I fully felt that this Dedicated customer service really worked. When I think back to that night at the counter with the sudden extra fee and my anger and awkward feeling and then later having someone follow up step by step and keep checking with the rental company I feel like I was not alone in this. As an overseas visitor in Spain language is not always easy for me so this feeling that someone stayed with my case from start to finish was very important.
