One-Dollar FreezeI have to complain a bit first because when I checked my bill later I saw that I had only paid 1 dollar at the start and I thought something was wrong. I booked my car in Heidelberg in Germany through QEEQ and I made the decision pretty late maybe on the night of February 11 for a pickup the next morning. I was worried it would lock a lot of money on my card. Then I saw they had One-Dollar Freeze. It said I only needed to pay 1 dollar first and the rest would be charged automatically before the rental started. I am a visitor from Australia and my credit card limit is not very high so paying just 1 dollar to lock the booking made me feel much more relaxed. I chose a Volkswagen Polo automatic with SIXT because a small car is easier to park in Germany. When I placed the order the charge on my card really showed only 1 dollar and I checked it several times. Around February 13 in the morning before I went to the counter the rest of the rental fee was charged automatically. There were no extra fees and the price was the same as what I saw when I booked. For me it felt like I could secure the car first with almost no pressure then they took the remaining money from my card when the trip was set. I did not need to do anything and I did not see any interest or surprise charges so this payment plan is very friendly for people who travel abroad.
One-Dollar FreezeIf you can hold a car with just 1 dollar it sounds fake right? I thought the same at first. Then I saw an option called One-Dollar Freeze on QEEQ and I got curious. I kept thinking about my budget. I wanted a small SUV like a Hyundai Venue but I did not want to swipe a big amount on my credit card all at once. So I tried this 1 dollar hold. I asked myself will they really only take 1 dollar. I checked my banking app and it was really just 1 dollar taken and nothing more. I felt my body relax and the pressure in my mind went down a lot. There were about two weeks left before my pick up in Orlando and I was almost waiting for a trick. Every few days I checked my card again to see if there was some extra charge. The answer was no. The bill stayed clean. I knew the rest would be charged before the rental started but it was not taken super early so my credit card limit stayed more open and I could plan other costs. I asked myself is this payment way complicated. For me it was very simple. I only remember paying 1 dollar first then before I started the trip I saw the normal charge come in just like any normal card payment. There were no extra fees and no interest. The main thing for me was I did not want heavy stress on my credit card because of the car. This way made me feel more relaxed. As a visitor coming from the UK and planning many expenses using 1 dollar to lock the car first and then waiting for the automatic charge felt like saving a seat without paying the full ticket at the start. It gave me a safer feeling.
One-Dollar FreezeWhen I made this booking I was a bit nervous because I was going to Los Angeles for business and the schedule was tight in a different country. Then I saw the One-Dollar Freeze option and I felt much more relaxed. I only paid 1 dollar first to lock the car. It was a Mazda 6 level car from Hertz with automatic gear and five seats so it was good for a business trip. The rest of the money was not taken from my credit card right away so my card limit did not feel so heavy in that moment. For someone who travels a lot for work this is really important. A few days later when I was planning my trip I checked again and saw that the rest of the payment would be taken automatically before the pickup date so I did not need to remember any pay date myself. Around early February when I planned to pick up the car in Los Angeles in the morning I checked my credit card around February 4 and saw that they had already charged the full amount. The number was the same as in my booking. There was no extra charge. I just needed to bring my documents and booking info to the Hertz counter. I also need to do expense reports for my company and if a big amount is charged too early my credit card feels very tight. This time it felt much lighter. I could book my flight and hotel first then just wait for them to charge the car fee automatically. There was no interest and no strange fee. For me this payment way gave me some buffer time and I did not worry about my card bill before the trip so I could focus more on my meetings and work papers.
One-Dollar FreezeWhen you travel alone how do you not max out your credit card at once. That was the first question in my head before I booked a car in Florence. I ended up placing the booking with QEEQ. My actual rental started around February 11 in the morning at about nine when I walked to the Europcar desk in Florence to pick up the Mercedes Benz Vito for nine people. On the way there I kept thinking that I only paid one dollar before and the car was already reserved. It felt a bit unreal. Then I remembered it was because of the One-Dollar Freeze plan. When I first made the booking my budget was pretty tight and I saw I only needed to pay one dollar first to lock the car. I thought this was perfect for me right now. I was a bit worried about some hidden fee or strange charge but during the time before the trip I did not see any extra cost. The rest of the payment was just taken from my card automatically before the rental started and I did not need to click around or do anything. I remember walking through the streets of Florence with my luggage on the way to the rental office and I did not feel nervous. My credit card limit was not under big pressure and it felt like things were already arranged for me. When I drove the car back to Florence and returned it on the evening of February 13 I was still thinking that if I had to pay the full amount at the start I might have hesitated a lot. Their way of payment made the pressure much lighter for someone traveling alone.
One-Dollar FreezeI started with a money problem in my head. I saw this Chrysler Pacifica in Washington on QEEQ and I really wanted to book it. But I kept thinking my card limit would get tight again if the full amount was charged right away. I still had other travel costs to pay. I felt a lot of pressure at that time. On the booking page I saw an option called One-Dollar Freeze. It said I only need to pay 1 dollar first to lock the car and the rest will be charged before the rental starts. It also said there is no interest. I was a bit doubtful at first. It sounded too easy and I wondered if there was some trick. Then I thought okay I can just try it. One dollar is not a big risk for me so I clicked confirm. After I paid that 1 dollar I felt much more relaxed. In my mind I already got the car. I could deal with the rest of the money when the trip date got closer. I also thought it was nice because if I waited a few more days to book maybe the price would change. A few days later I went back to check the booking again. All the info for Washington pickup was there. The rental company was SIXT and the car group was Chrysler Pacifica. It was an automatic seven seater. The pickup time was around noon on February seventh and the return was in the morning on February eleventh. Everything looked fine so I felt safe. The car was locked for me and my card did not suddenly lose a big amount of money. When it got closer to the pickup date the rest of the rental fee was charged from my credit card automatically. I only noticed it when I saw the bank message on my phone. I checked the amount and it was exactly the price I saw before. There were no extra strange fees. At that moment I felt that this One-Dollar Freeze really worked like it said. There was no interest and no hidden conditions. For a student like me who always looks at bill dates and credit card due dates this kind of experience is very important. I did not need to block a few hundred dollars on my card for many days. I also did not need to worry that an early big charge would break my spending plan for that month. In those days I even thought that if there was no 1 dollar freeze option I might choose a smaller company with cheaper price and maybe worse cars or I might skip the seven seater idea. With this option I kept the car I wanted and my card still felt okay. My limit did not feel empty in one second. I did not talk to customer service much during the whole process because there was no big problem. The booking stayed there and the info was always correct. That made me feel they were reliable. The thing I remember most is the feeling that I locked a car with just 1 dollar. I kept this in my mind but I did not feel the heavy stress of a big payment right away. For someone like me who flies in from another place it is not only about money. It is also about timing. I want big payments to be closer to the use date. Then my plan is clearer. One-Dollar Freeze fits this very well. I can decide early and fix my schedule but my money does not get tight on the first day. When I talked with my friends later and told them about this booking they asked how I booked the car so early. I told them I only paid 1 dollar at the start and the rest was charged near the rental date. They said this idea sounded pretty good. For me the main feeling this time is that booking became light. It was more like I finished one task instead of I added one more big payment on my card at once.
Dedicated customer service"Mum do we really have a car" my daughter asked while she pulled my coat outside the Orlando airport. It was around the afternoon of 23 December 2025. I was dragging two suitcases and I was very tired. I thought I would just go to the counter and get the car. The first thing I heard was the staff telling me that I had to buy extra insurance for almost one thousand dollars. I was completely shocked.
I told the staff that I already had my own insurance and I had checked it before the trip. The person at the counter kept saying no and said I must buy their insurance or they could not give me the car. I stood there and my two kids were getting restless and hungry. I was really anxious. I tried not to lose control in front of them but I also felt I was pushed to spend a lot more money.
I did not agree to buy that extra insurance and in the end I did not get the car from the rental company. When I sat outside the airport with the kids I felt really upset. I was scrolling on my phone and thinking what to do next and if I would lose all the money. I contacted QEEQ and told them the whole story. I thought they might just say it was my own fault. Instead the person who talked to me sounded calm and kept telling me not to worry too much first.
They asked me what the counter staff said and then asked me to try to put together all my insurance papers. Those days I was looking after the kids and also looking for documents. I was quite stressed. Every time I had something new to send there was someone to follow up with me and check if it was fine. Sometimes I felt my questions were very basic like a student asking a teacher but they were still patient and explained step by step. I could feel that someone was really watching this case for me.
Later they kept sending me updates from time to time. They told me they had passed my insurance details to the rental company and were waiting for a reply. I knew this kind of thing could not be solved in one day. One time I started to think maybe my case was forgotten. That same day I got a message from them saying they were still talking with the rental company. That short update made me feel much lighter. I felt I was remembered and not just a small order thrown aside.
After some time the support person told me that the rental company had decided not to charge me for this booking. The amount that should have been kept by their counter policy was not taken. I just needed to wait for the refund. When I heard that I really felt a big release in my chest. It took a long time but the result was not as bad as I feared at the start.
What I remember most from this whole experience is not one single moment of progress but the way they kept in touch from the beginning to the end. They often told me they were still talking with the rental company. Even a short update made me feel I was not left alone. As a parent traveling with kids I already have many things to worry about. This problem made me very nervous at first but because they kept following my case I felt a lot more safe inside.
Now when I think about this booking again I know the start was not smooth at all. Still I felt that someone on their side was always helping me to talk with the rental company and push the case forward. I did not feel I was fighting alone. For a parent traveling with children this feeling of being taken care of is even more important than getting some discount.
