How to Rent a Car in Rwanda With a Credit Card

Walking around with cash is sometimes not safe if not most of the time. As a precaution for abroad trips, many people prefer making their payments with card if possible. Unfortunately if you are travelling to Africa, some places only operate by cash. Here is how to rent a car in Rwanda with a credit card.

In the case of Rwanda, most car rental agencies operate by cash to avoid the card surcharges. But if you are comfortable meeting the card surcharges, here is a detailed way on how to rent a car in Rwanda with a credit card.

Research For Car Rental Agencies

The easiest way to search for car rental agencies in Rwanda is doing a google search. Once you have your list of car rental agencies, you can then proceed to screen them. Not all car rental agencies allow car payments. Therefore you must make it clear in your inquiry that you intend to pay your Rwanda car rental using card.

By specifying that you intend to pay by card, the car rental agencies will give you the details of their merchant surcharges.

Compare Prices

You might not have the luxury of comparing services unless you check out the company reviews on TripAdvisor and google reviews. Once you have identified the companies that meet your criteria, you can then proceed to compare the rates per day. This can help you understand whether the company simply covered up the surcharges in the daily rate or they are genuinely offering you a good deal.

Confirm Your Reservation

In order to confirm your car rental reservation in Rwanda, most car rental agencies will send you a payment link that allows you to make payments using your card. Some companies ask for merely $100 as down payment while other will ask you between 10% and 30%.

Once you make the down payment, you will get a reservation confirmation from the car rental agency.

It is important to note the some companies require you to pay a security deposit even though the car is comprehensively insured. This is because some malicious individuals damage the cars intentionally so that they can redeem the insurance policy. Unfortunately, it is not possible for the insurance company to restore the car to its actual former state.

In order to reduce the chances of malicious clients damaging the car, Rental agencies in Rwanda sometimes ask for a security deposit that is refundable once you return the car in proper working condition. Normal ware and tear is expected, it does not mean that any damage will amount to the car rental agency holding you security deposit.

It is always important to discus all these details with the car rental agency before confirming your reservation with them.

Payment of the outstanding Balance

Payment of the outstanding balance is done often at the start of the trip. If you are paying by card. There are often two options. The first option is using the same link that you made the down payment with. The second option requires the car rental agency to have a POS machine which might not be available sometimes in car the company has several clients starting the same day.

It is important to note that car rental agencies often require you to cover the card surcharges which range between 2% and 5%. This has to also be agreed upon when you are making your reservation.

Return of the Vehicle

In case the car rental agency puts a hold on your card because of the security deposit, it is always lifted once you return the car is sound condition. Renting a car in Rwanda using a credit card is relatively more expensive than paying cash however the benefits of paying by card which also include the personal insurance cover should not be overlooked at the expense of finding a cheaper deal. To know more about how to rent a car in Rwanda with a credit card, get in touch with us.