Support - Help Centre

Planning your journey +
How to book? +
You can hire a vehicle from Thrifty by visiting the homepage and choosing your pick-up location and dates, then follow our quick reservation process to complete your booking.
What do I need to bring with me? +
You will need a current, valid drivers licence, held for a minimum of one year and any necesssary internation drivers permits. If the driver has been disqualified from driving in his/her own country, he/she will not be able to rent a Thrifty car.
Passport and/or ID card. A photocopy is not acceptable.
A credit card, in the name of the renter, to cover the cost of the hire and pre-authorisation amount plus the credit card you booked with (if different). Cards must be in the driver's name.
How do I find the location? +
We recommend that you familiarise yourself with the branch location and opening hours before your journey. Your confirmation email will include the pick-up location information, including the address, opening hours and key contact details.
What are the age restrictions? +
Age restrictions depend on the destination country. Please see Rental Qualifications and Requirements during the booking process for information specific to the destination country. At Thrifty we ask for your age up front so we can tell you if a young driver surcharge applied. In most cases, the driver must be at least 25 years old and hold a clean driving licence for at least 1 year prior to pickup. In most cases, if you are under 25, you will be required to pay a surcharge.
Can I rent a car in one location and leave it in another? +
Yes, you can pick up your vehicle from one location and return to another. However, please note that a fee might apply for this service, which will be specified at the time of booking.
What forms of payment does Thrifty accept? +
The booking must be made under the name of the renter (renter = main driver who picks the car up = guarantor with his/her own credit card), using a credit card in the renter's name. The same credit card must also be presented upon collection of the vehicle, as a guarantee.
Is the example type/model of car quoted to me guaranteed? +
No. Thrifty can only guarantee to provide cars of similar size and specification within the group reserved. The exact type/model is subject to availability and will vary by location.
What do I do if I need to change anything on my booking? +
Click the "Manage Reservation" tab at the top of the content area.
Before you set off +
Does the car come with a full tank of fuel? +
Thrifty rates do not include fuel. Thrifty vehicles are usually provided with a full tank of fuel and must be returned with a full tank of fuel, or a local refueling charge will apply.
Please refer to our Fuel Purchase Option (FPO) policy. For convenience, you may purchase a tank of fuel from Thrifty at the time of rental, at a price that is competitive with local fuel stations. This method eliminates the need for you to refill the tank before returning. Please, be aware that we are unable to give a refund for unused fuel. Please check availability of FPO at time of pickup of the car.
Whats the cancellation policy? +
If you made a pre-paid reservation and cancel no later than midnight 2 days before the date of your scheduled pick-up we will refund your reservation in full. If the cancellation is made after this time and before the scheduled pick-up time, we will refund your prepayment as per the Cancellation Policy.
If you cancel a pay at location reservation, you can cancel free of charge right until the day of collection with no fee or penalty incurred. However, if you fail to pick up your car without cancelling, a No Show/Lost Rental Fee. You can find the amounts in the Terms and Conditions.
Do you pre-authorise my card when I collect the vehicle? +
Yes, to ensure the security of your rental, a pre-authorisation on your credit card will be made at the time of collection. This pre-authorisation is calculated based on the approximate cost of your rental including a possible late return, a full tank of fuel and an extra amount if you wish not to avail of our SuperCover excess waiver.
What happens if the car I booked is not available? +
Thrifty will provide a vehicle in the next available group at no extra charge.
Want to save time at the counter? +
Use our Online check-in service and register your driving licence information before you get to the Thrifty location.
What Insurance and Waiver options are there? +
During the booking process we will show you what is available for the destination you are going too. In most cases, we have Collision Damage Waiver, Theft Protection, SuperCover and Personal Insurance.

Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) Optional Extra
Collision Damage Waiver reduces your liability to us if the vehicle is damaged (other than due to theft, attempted theft or vandalism) to an excess amount. Without CDW you are liable to pay the full cost for any damage incurred up to the value of the car. The CDW excess will be reduced to zero if you purchase SuperCover.

Theft Protection (TP) Optional Extra
Theft Protection reduces your liability to us in the event of loss of or damage to the vehicle due to theft, attempted theft or vandalism to the amount of an excess. The TP excess will be reduced to zero if you purchase SuperCover.

SuperCover (Full excess waiver) Optional Extra
SuperCover will waiver your limited liability with Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft Protection (TP). Essentially SuperCover gives you full protection against the cost of damage caused by collisions and theft with no excess to pay.

Personal Insurance Optional Extra
Personal Insurance provides cover for you and your passengers against death, injury and medical expenses arising if you have an accident in the car and against loss of or damage to personal possessions contained in the rental vehicle.
What Fuel options are there? +
Prepay for a full tank
You pay for a full tank upfront (although no refunds are given for any unused fuel). This is commonly referred to as our Fuel Purchase Option (FPO).

Return with a full tank
If you fill up the tank before returning your vehicle, there is no fuel cost to pay provided this is done within 10 miles of the drop-off location.

Thrifty refill the tank on return
If you don't have time to fill up the car on return and have not opted for FPO, we will charge you a price per litre to fill the tank plus a service charge for re-filling the tank for you.

Prepay for a full tank
You pay for a full tank upfront (although no refunds are given for any unused fuel). This is commonly referred to as our Fuel Purchase Option (FPO).
What Extras products are available? +
We offer a number of optional products and services that you can reserve online or ask for at the location upon pick-up (subject to availability). When making a booking we provide a list that is available for that destination which is payable when you get to the location. In most cases, we offer:
Additional Drivers
Additional drivers can be added to your rental. All drivers must be present when you collect your vehicle and will require a full driving licence and an additional form of identification.We apply a standard fee per additional driver to cover the additional insurance costs.

Baby/ child Seats
Baby, infant and child seats can be added to your reservation for the junior travellers in your party.Seats can be booked in advance during the reservation process and payment will be taken at the pick-up location.
What payment options are there? +
We offer the following payment options online:
Pay now
You can access our cheapest rates by paying now online. You will be charged for the standard rental rate and any additional fees relevant to your selection. Optional extras selected during your reservation will be charged at the pick-up location in the local currency.

Pay at location
If you prefer to pay at location all charges including the rental rate, any additional fees relevant to your selection and optional extras selected during your reservation will be charged at the pick-up location in the local currency.
What is NOT included in the rate? +
Personal Accident Insurance (PAI), Super Cover/ Super Damage Waiver (SC/SDW), Additional Drivers, Fuel, Child Seats and any other ancillary service/product. These items are payable directly to Thrifty at the rental counter.
What if I return the vehicle late? +
It is important that you return your vehicle as close as possible to your reserved drop-off time, or you may be charged for an extra day's rental. Your return location may allow a limited grace period but this is entirely at its discretion.
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FOR RENTALS IN ITALY - from 15th Nov to 15th Apr many cities in specific Italian regions are required by law to restrict rentals to only those vehicles equipped with snow chains or winter tyres. To comply with these regulations, Thrifty equipped vehicles with snow chains - the price is included in the rental charges as Winterisation fee. Hence, for these vehicles there’s NO NEED TO BOOK snow chains as Extra.

IMPORTANT: Please check the rate details of your quotation on the right of this web page to verify if your booking includes Winterisation fee before booking snow chains in Italy.