AXA Full CoverageThat day in Tromsø in Norway the sky was kind of grey blue and I was standing in the Hertz car park looking at a scratch on the front bumper of the Toyota Yaris. What was my first thought. My heart sank and I only thought this is going to cost a lot of money. Then I remembered I had bought AXA Full Coverage when I booked and I felt a bit better and told myself maybe it is still okay.
How did I damage the car. I was just moving the car in a small street. There was some ice on the side. I turned the wheel a bit late and the car softly touched the corner of a wall. The sound was not very loud but when I got out I saw a clear scratch. I was a bit shocked. I took photos and kept asking myself in my head. Should I go to the counter first. Should I call someone now. In the end I took all the photos I could and kept the papers the rental staff gave me then I went back to the hotel to sort everything.
A few days later I was already back home and this thing was still in my mind. Would the claim be very hard. Would I have to wait a long time. The answer was different from what I feared. The customer service contacted me and said my documents were complete and I only needed to confirm the amount and the currency. I checked the numbers like they asked and sent the confirmation back. What would happen next. I thought there would be many rounds but they told me quite soon that the insurance side had already agreed to pay.
When I heard that I really felt a big relief. At the counter when they blocked a high amount on my card I was worried that if anything bad happened the pressure would be heavy on me. So this time AXA Full Coverage really helped me a lot. For me the claim was just prepare the papers confirm the numbers and then wait for the result and it was approved in full. There were no strange excuses and no extra trouble. When I think back I feel that choosing this option when I booked with QEEQ saved me from a big bill.
AXA Full CoverageI am pretty glad now that I added AXA Full Coverage when I booked the car with QEEQ, because this whole thing would be a lot more painful without it. When I finally got the message that the insurance claim was approved, I felt a big weight leave my chest first, then I started to think back to what really happened. By the time I saw the email from the insurance side, I was already back in the UK and working again for a few weeks. The email said they would pay for the damage from my rental in Norway. I stared at the amount and all the English emails and my mind went straight back to that cold winter in Oslo. I had flown in from the UK for meetings. The trip was tight. I picked up the car around midday, I remember it was about January 29th, 2026, at the Oslo location. The rental company was Hertz and they gave me a Volvo V40 with automatic transmission and five seats. The car looked fairly new. For a business trip this car felt just right and not too much. I even thought it would just be a few days of driving and then I would return it with no problem. The real trouble came on the day I was supposed to return the car, around February 1st. It was early morning and I walked out of the hotel and saw a thin layer of ice on the ground. The temperature was very low and the car windows were covered with frost. I always thought my driving was safe enough, but at one junction the wheels slipped on the ice and the car started to slide a bit. The speed was not high, but the car still hit the side barrier. When the car stopped, I was sitting in the driver seat with sweat on my hands. I got out and saw clear scratches and dents on the side of the car and the front bumper was a bit bent. My first thought was that this was going to cost a lot of money. The sky was still grey and the street was quiet with just a few cars passing by. I drove the car slowly back to the Hertz return area with my mind counting how much they might charge me. At the return point, the staff checked the car very carefully. They walked around the car with a flashlight, took photos and wrote notes. I stood nearby and felt like I was waiting for an exam result. They only told me there would be a damage fee and that the final amount would be decided later by their main office. I could only nod. At that moment I was really thankful that I had paid extra for AXA Full Coverage. I kept telling myself that at least some of this could be claimed back. When I got back to the UK, the hard part really started. First I saw a big charge on my bank statement with the name Hertz and the number was not small at all. Then I checked my email and found more messages from the rental company with damage invoices and details. They listed car damage and road assistance and some other items and the numbers made my head hurt. I slowly put all these documents together. As a business traveler, I do have a budget, but a sudden cost like this still hits hard. I began to contact their support and asked about the insurance claim. The whole process was not simple. It was more about small details and careful work. I rented the car in Norway but live in the UK and my bank account is in the UK, so I had to give IBAN and SWIFT and also confirm the currency. At first the IBAN I gave was said to be invalid, so I had to check my bank paper again and match every part. They needed photos, proof of the charge, the damage invoice and all the accident information. I sent what I had step by step. When something was missing they told me and I tried to fill the gap. For someone who works full time, this back and forth is tiring. On weekdays I had meetings, so I had to use my lunch break or evenings to fill forms and send files. During those days I answered emails while also trying to figure out which exact amounts were charged to me and if road assistance and damage were both in that number. Even though I had AXA Full Coverage, I did not feel relaxed until I knew for sure that they would pay. The good thing is that they kept moving the claim forward. Once I finally uploaded all the needed documents, not long after that I was told that the insurance company had agreed to pay. This sentence meant a lot to me. I felt that all the time I spent on uploading files, checking bank details and explaining the situation was worth it. In the end, most of the damage and related costs from that accident in Norway were covered by AXA Full Coverage, so the pressure on me became much lighter. Looking back, if I had not bought this extra insurance, I would have had to carry all that cost alone and I would feel terrible about it. Also, dealing with a foreign rental company, different banks and exchange rates is very hard without help. Even though there were some moments where I had to correct information and add more documents, at least there was a clear claim result and things went in a better direction for me.
AXA Full CoverageWhen the claim was approved I finally felt free and relaxed. I felt this rental trip was scary at some point but still safe in the end. Around late February I booked a car in Tromso Norway on QEEQ. I remember I picked up the car on about February 22 at 10 in the morning. It was a Toyota Corolla Touring or a similar car from Avis. It was automatic and had five doors. The space was enough for me and my friend and all our bags. The first few days were fine. The roads were okay and I drove very carefully because the weather changed fast sometimes. Then one day something went wrong and the car got some damage. The rental counter charged my card first. I was very nervous at that moment and I worried the claim would be very hard. I returned the car on about February 29 at around 5 in the afternoon. After I gave back the car this thing stayed in my mind all the time. When I went back home I prepared all the documents and applied for the AXA Full Coverage claim that I had bought. The problem was that I did not keep clear photos of the car damage and the person who would receive the money was not the main driver. It was my friend who traveled with me and his bank account is in Thailand. I was really scared that they would reject the claim because of this. After I sent the documents the customer service told me that the papers were okay. They only needed me to confirm the payee information and the currency. I wanted the payout in USD so it is easier for my friend to receive and change the money. They helped pass this to the insurance company. We talked a few times and I fixed the bank account number and address and all the details. I also confirmed the currency as USD. Some time later they told me the claim was successful. They explained the amount to me and my friend got the money in his account without a problem. When I think about it now I feel that without AXA Full Coverage I would need to talk to the rental company by myself about this damage and payment. It would be so hard with the country difference and the bank and money issues. This time there were some small troubles but I still got the payout in the end and even in USD just like we asked. That made me feel pretty good about their insurance service.
Price Drop ProtectorThat day I was looking at flights and thinking if I should drive by myself in Tromso. I saw a rental offer from QEEQ so I just booked an Alamo Toyota Corolla Cross for early April. I planned to go alone to Norway to see snow and the sea. When I paid I was still worried about my budget. This trip already costs a lot. I just closed my eyes and pressed confirm. A bit later I was checking my email and I suddenly saw a new confirmation. The order number was different. I thought I made a mistake and booked twice. I got a bit scared and opened it fast. Then I saw that I had chosen their Price Drop Protector service. The price went down and they helped me rebook the same car with the lower price. Same pick up and drop off in Tromso, same Alamo car, still from the first days of April to around the fourteenth, just cheaper now. I compared the amounts. It was more than 270 RMB difference. For me as a student that means a few more hot meals in Norway. I did nothing and it felt like some extra money just appeared. It was a small surprise. At first I did not really trust this kind of price drop and auto refund thing. I thought it was just some ad slogan. Then I saw the new order and the lower price for real. My mood changed. My budget felt lighter at once. I remember that moment clearly. Outside the window the sky was still dark. My phone screen was bright. The email notice popped up. I sat at my desk and checked my trip notes and looked at the numbers again and again. I made sure it was really cheaper and not my eyes playing tricks. The feeling of saving money without doing anything was very real. It was like someone was watching the price for me in the background. I travel alone so I am careful with money. I want to save when I can. This time I did not need to refresh prices every day. I did not need to do math to save one or two coins. I just quietly saved a big part with no extra work. That made a deep mark on me. There was no big problem and I did not even talk to customer service. It was just me and my screen and my surprise and a breath of relief. When I think that if the price changes again they will still help me watch it I feel more calm. For someone who travels alone this kind of quiet money saving feels more useful than any fancy ad. It makes me feel that they are pretty reliable.
Price Drop ProtectorLet me complain first. I really thought renting a car in Tromso would be super expensive and I was ready to get ripped off a bit. I booked the car through QEEQ. It was a Toyota Corolla Cross with Alamo. Since it is Norway and near the Arctic Circle I just wanted to lock a car first. The price looked a bit high but still okay so I did not think too much.
My plan was to go to Tromso around early April. I would pick up the car on something like April 3 in the afternoon and return it around April 13 before noon. About ten days on my own. Just me driving slowly around. The funny part came later when I was not even thinking about the booking.
One day I was checking my email and I saw a message about the price of my order. I thought it was spam at first. When I opened it I saw that I had chosen a service called Price Drop Protector when I booked. I honestly did not pay much attention to the name before. It was cheap so I just clicked it. The email said this service checks if the price drops for the same type of car and then changes my booking to the lower price and gives the difference back to me.
My first reaction was doubt. I thought maybe it was some trick with many hidden rules. The email said I saved a good amount of euros. I went back and checked my old booking record. The numbers matched. The difference was real. It was not some points or coupon. I really paid less money. At that moment I was a bit shocked because I did nothing and somehow I just earned money back.
The strange thing is I never felt any change in the booking process. On my side the order still showed the same pick up time and return time. Same car group. Same airport location in Tromso for pick up and drop off. Only the price became lower. What I could feel was only two things. The car was still there and my trip plan did not change. I just spent less. As a solo traveler going to Northern Europe this was pretty awesome because I could use that saved money for better food or maybe a small local tour.
When I thought about it later I knew that without Price Drop Protector I would never keep checking prices by myself. I would not sit there and search the same car again and again to see if it got cheaper. I also hate changing bookings because I am always scared of extra fees or losing the original car. Reading long English rules makes my head hurt too. This time they watched the price for me. I only got the result in an email. This kind of passive saving is very rare for me.
Another thing I liked was that I did not need to talk with customer service to argue about money. I did not have to send screenshots or prove where I saw a lower price. In the past with other sites I had to find a cheaper offer first then fill forms and wait. It felt like writing a report. This time I just booked once and then focused on my trip. When the price dropped they did the work and I just paid less. It felt like some invisible helper was looking for a better deal for me.
I am flying to Tromso alone and I plan to drive by the snow and the sea. I already feel nervous and excited. Now my budget suddenly feels lighter so my stress is lower. I even opened my budget sheet and did the math again. The two hundred plus euros I saved can give me a better room for a night or two with a nicer view. For someone like me who still thinks like a student and counts every euro this price difference is real happiness.
The whole story is simple but kind of funny. At first I booked with a mindset of it is fine as long as I get a car. Later the price went down and they changed it for me without any trouble on my side. I will still just show up in early April at Tromso airport to pick up my car as planned. I do not need to explain any price change to the desk staff. As a solo traveler I feel like I saved money and also saved a lot of energy. This experience was pretty rare in a good way.
One-Dollar FreezeAt first I saw the One-Dollar Freeze on QEEQ and I kind of wanted to complain. It looked too good to be true. I thought there would be some hidden trick later. I was going to Tromsø in Norway with a lot of luggage and I planned to rent a car for about a week. For me as an overseas traveler my flight and hotel already took a lot of money. If I paid the full rental amount at once my credit card would feel very tight. So I decided to try this plan.
When I booked it showed I only needed to pay 1 dollar first. I watched my bank message very carefully. It really only charged 1 dollar and the rest of the money did not go out right away. I felt much more relaxed. I did not need to worry about my card limit at that moment and I did not need to lock all the money so early.
I arrived in Tromsø on February 20 in the evening and planned to pick up the car at Avis at 10 am on February 21. The night before I checked my credit card bill. The full rental amount was charged already and the number was the same as the price I saw when I booked. No extra strange fee. I felt this plan was real and clean. No interest tricks. It just moved the real payment time closer to my travel date.
When I went to the counter to get the Toyota Corolla Touring I was pushing five big suitcases and I was already tired. But I felt calm because the money was already paid at the normal price. I did not need to stand there and think about card swipes or exchange rates. For someone like me who flies a lot this way of paying 1 dollar first then auto charge later makes the pressure on my credit card much smaller. I also do not need to freeze a big amount of money months before the trip.
For me the whole thing was very simple. First I used 1 dollar to lock the car. Then I just waited for the trip. Close to the start date the rest of the money was charged automatically. I did not need to do anything in the middle and I did not see any extra interest or strange charge. As a traveler dragging huge bags all the way to Norway this kind of easy payment plan really fits me.
