Frequently Asked Questions

If you have received a reservation number (e.g. 4321-1234-ZA-1), your rental car has been booked and confirmed. There is nothing left for you to do but collect it.

You will need to have the following when collecting your car:

• Credit card in the driver's name
• Valid driver's licence

If you have pre-paid for your car rental you will need to produce the same credit card that you used for the rental as well as the pre-paid voucher (unless stipulated that no voucher is required).

International visitors to South Africa will need to produce a valid passport as well.

You can pay online or at the rental counter when you collect your vehicle, using a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners and hybrid cheque cards (debit card are not accepted).  If you have paid online, please don't forget to bring the same card you made your booking with when you collect your rental car.

At the rental counter we simply hold an authorisation amount on your credit card which will only be debited for the final amount once the car has been returned.

When collecting your rental car, Avis will hold an authorisation amount over and above the estimated rental cost on your payment card for the duration of the rental. This hold will cover the rental charges, refuelling, additional kilometres, contract fee, waivers and any additional services selected. This will reflect as an authorisation hold on your payment card, no funds are taken from your account. The average holding amount (excluding the rental cost) is R2,800, but this may vary according to your specific rental.

When the vehicle is returned we will debit the rental amount due and send a notification to your bank to release the hold. 

If you are renting over a weekend an additional 'weekend authorisation' will be held for the duration of the rental as follows:

• Coast Branches - R3,500 (on all car groups)
• Inland Branches - R7,500 on Car Groups A-E and R10,000 on Car Groups F-N

The additional weekend authorisation will be waived for all Avis Preferred members or upon presentation of a valid airline boarding pass. 

Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, North-West Province, Limpopo and Mpumalanga rentals

If you are renting a vehicle from one of the following branches, whether during the week or over a weekend, a new authorisation hold of R10 000 will be held on the payment card, over and above the standard authorisation hold taken for each rental. This authorisation replaces the weekend authorisation mentioned above.

• Amanzimtoti
• Ballito
• Bethlehem
• Bloemfontein Airport
• Bloemfontein Downtown
• Centurion
• Durban Downtown
• East London Airport
• East London Downtown
• Empangeni
• Greenacres Downtown
• Harrismith
• Hoedspruit
• Isando
• Jeffreys Bay
• King Shaka International Airport
• Kingwilliamstown
• Kokstad
• Krugersdorp
• Ladysmith
• Lanseria Airport
• Lephalale
• Mafikeng
• Margate
• Menlyn
• Midrand Grand Central Airport
• Mthatha
• Musina
• Nelspruit
• Newcastle
• OR Tambo International Airport
• Ormonde
• Phalaborwa
• Pietermaritzburg
• Pinetown
• Polokwane
• Port Alfred
• Port Elizabeth Airport
• Potchefstroom
• Pretoria Downtown
• Richards Bay
• Rustenburg
• Sandton Gautrain
• Secunda
• Soweto
• St Lucia
• Sunninghill
• Thohoyandou
• Tzaneen
• Ulundi Airport
• Umhlanga
• Vereeniging
• Vryburg
• Vryheid
• Welkom
• Witbank

This applies to all rentals and will only be waived for Avis President Club members or upon presentation of a valid airline boarding pass.

What is a valid boarding pass/e-ticket printout?

The rental must take place on the same day as the flight for the boarding pass/e-ticket to be considered. The name on the boarding pass must be the same as the name of the renter. 

Authorisation Amount Explained

When collecting the car

• Avis requests your bank to reserve a temporary authorisation hold against the funds of your card.
• Your bank will usually present this as a pending transaction that reduces the money you have available to spend.
• This might appear as a debit on your statement, but it is not. 
• No funds are debited from your bank account.
• This temporary authorisation hold will be the estimated cost of your rental (including a security authorisation and any extras accepted) less any amount paid in advance. An additional location specific / weekend authorisation hold may apply. 

When returning the car

• Once your bank account has been debited with the invoice amount, the temporary authorisation hold will be released by your bank. 
• As this was a temporary authorisation hold and not debited, the release will not be shown as a transaction on your bank statement, instead your available balance will increase. 
• The time to release the temporary authorisation hold is dependant on your bank, and in certain instances it may take up to 30 days before it is released.

Please contact your bank for any authorisation hold queries. 

Please Note: Your bank account could reflect two amounts before the temporary authorisation hold is released. The initial temporary authorisation hold as obtained at vehicle collection and the actual debit for the invoice amount

The Avis Brand Ambassador will offer the following additional options when collecting your rental car:

• Personal Accident Insurance
• Windscreen and Tyre Damage Waiver
• Super Waivers (if you have not booked on super waiver inclusive rates already)

While we recommend purchasing these they are not mandatory.

We will do our utmost to meet your request however we cannot guarantee a specific vehicle make or model.

If you have prepaid for your rental and cancel the booking a cancellation fee will be charged as follows:

• At least 3 complete days before 'pick up'  - The lower of (i) the full amount you have paid us, or (ii) R450.00.
• Less than 3 complete days before 'pick up' - The lower of (i) the full amount you paid us, or (ii) 3 days' worth of your booking.
• On day of 'pick up' or if you do not cancel and fail to show-up - No refund. We will retain the full amount.

If you have chosen to pay for your rental when you collect your vehicle there will be no cancellation fee if you cancel before 'pick up' but should you fail to collect the vehicle without cancelling a 'non-cancellation' fee of R500.00 will be charged.

Avis Prestige

Please note - if you have booked an Avis Prestige vehicle the following cancellation fee's will apply:

• Cancellation or amendment to check-out date and check-out date less than 7 days before the check-out will attract a cancellation fee of up to 50% of the confirmed rental.
• If your rental is confirmed within the cancellation period, the full charges will be applied if cancelled.
• Once a rental is in progress, the full number of days booked will be charged if the vehicle is returned ealier.

Yes, all you need to do is contact Avis and we will extend your car rental to the date and time advised. When extending a rental an additional authorisation will be reserved on your credit card straight away for the extra costs.

If you have been in an accident you need to take care of yourself and your passengers first and foremost. If there are any injuries please contact emergencies services straight away.

When you are able to please call the 24 hour Avis Roadside and Emergencies call center on 0800 001 669 or +27 11 387 8432 to report the accident. We will provide assistance with emergency services if required and arrange for the vehicle to be towed.

Standard procedures need to be followed with all accidents, please take all the details of any third parties involved and report the accident to the police. We also recommend taking photos of the accident to assist with your claim.

Unfortunately, with the nature of any vehicle, mechanical faults do occur from time to time.

If your rental car happens to break down please call the 24 hour Avis Roadside and Emergencies call centre on 0800 001 669 or +27 11 387 8432 where agents are on standby to assist you.