Car Rental Guide

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When collecting your vehicle we would have taken an additional authorisation hold on your credit card, over and above the cost of the rental. This is to cover any additional charges, e.g. fuel, addtional mileage, damage, etc. that may be incurred during the rental. Please note that this is only a hold on your account and that we do not debit the funds from your account. 

As soon as your rental has been completed and your bill finalised we debit the cost of the rental from the amount that is being held and send a automatic notification to your bank to release the remaining funds. This usually occurs within 48 hours of you returning your rental car. 

The timeframe for the hold being released is dependant on your bank, with some banks taking up to 30 days to release the funds. 

Please contact your bank for any authorisation hold queries. 

Please keep in mind: Because this is a authorisation hold that is being released and there is no refund being paid into your account you will not receive a notification from your bank for this transaction. You will need to check your bank account to see if the funds have been released. 

The main driver will need to present the following when collecting their car: 

• A valid credit card or hybrid cheque card in their name
• A valid driver licence

Please note: Car Groups F, G, H, I, J, K, L, N and O require two payment cards when collecting the vehicle. One of the two cards used must be a credit card. This will be highlighted on your booking confirmation. 

Any additional drivers will also need to produce a valid driver licence at time of collection. 

International Driver Licence Requirements

Foreign driver licences will be accepted on condition that: 

1. The licence is in English.
2. The licence has a photo or ID/passport number on it. 
3. The licence has a signature on it. 

In the event that a photo is not present, the ID document or passport with a photo is required for the identification of the customer. The ID/passport number should match the number on the licence. 

In the event that the licence is in another language, an international driver's licence should accompany the foreign driver's licence. No driving permits or certified copies/copies of the original driver's licence, may be accepted. A translated version of the licence, stamped by the embassy, can be accepted when accompanied by the licence. 

International visitors must also produce a valid passport. To avoid complications when collecting a vehicle we advise foreign travellers to produce a driver's licence which has been issued in the same country as their passport. 

We do not accept cash or debit cards for payment. 

We only accept the following methods of payment:

• Credit Card
• Hybrid Cheque Card
• Avis Corporate or Travel voucher (an Avis corporate or travel account is required for this method of payment)

What is a hybrid cheque card? 

• The card must display the MasterCard or Visa logo. 
• The numbers must be raised on the card, the same as a credit card, with the words "Cheque Card" reflected on the back or front of the card.
• Avis will process cheque card rentals in the same manner as a credit card rental. The estimated rental cost and additional deposit will be held on the cheque account for the duration of the rental and charged when the rental has been completed. 

Please note: Avis Namibia do not accept any Cheque or Debit cards. 

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.

You will receive an SMS with a link to download your invoice within 72 hours of returning your rental car. 

Should you not receive the SMS within 72 hours you can download your invoice here. 

If you have hired a car outside of Southern Africa and have not received your invoice please contact Avis Customer Care on +27 11 387 8431 or 0861 021 111 to request it. 

If you have booked your car through the Avis App (while signed into a profile) you can use the app to extend your rental by going to the 'Bookings' tab and following the prompts. 

Otherwise, you can contact the Avis National Call Centre on 0861 021 111 / +27 387 8431 (option 1). 

A late debit of R385.00 would most likely be for a Traffic Fine admin fee.

Because we can only charge the fee when the traffic fine is received from the Traffic Department the debit may occur weeks, or sometimes months, after your rental has taken place. We will notify you about the impending charge before we deduct the fee though.

Please be aware that we charge the fee per offence as an administration cost for having the traffic fine redirected to you. You will still be responsible to pay for the fine with the Traffic Department once you have received it.

Most importantly, you need to take care of yourself and you passengers. 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 centre on 0800 001 669 or +27 11 387 8432 to report the accident. If required we will provide assistance with emergency services, arrange a replacement vehicle and arrange for the vehicle to be towed. Please do not allow the vehicle to be towed by anyone that is not authorised to do so by Avis.

Standard procedures need to be followed with all accidents. Please take down 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. 

You can use a temporary driver licence when producing the following documents with it:

• Receipt for renewal of driver licence. 
• ID Document
• Old driver license (if possible)

The temporary licence and supporting documents will be checked by our risk department to ensure they are valid. This will add time to the check-out procedure and may result in the rental being declined. We recommend that you avoid using a temporary licence unless absolutely necessary.

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 for us to assist you.