"Did you really get all the money back" my friend asked me recently. I thought for a second and said yes it turned out pretty good for me because I added AXA Full Coverage when I booked with QEEQ.
The story goes back to last summer. I took my kid to Sardinia in Italy. We picked up a Ford Puma automatic from VIAGGIARE RENT at Olbia airport. It was around the morning of August 2 and we planned to return it in Cagliari on August 4 in the afternoon. My kid was talking non stop in the back seat and I was pretty excited too.
On the day of the accident the weather was actually very nice. I was not driving fast and the road was fine. At a small junction the car in front stopped very suddenly. I hit the brake but my car still bumped into it a bit. My kid was scared and started to cry. I was also shocked and my first move was to check if he was hurt. Luckily we were both fine. Only the front bumper and part of the body of the car were scratched and looked quite bad. That was the moment I felt that a rental car accident was not just a story from others.
We called the police and talked to the other driver. Then we waited for the police to make a report. My English plus some simple hand signs in Italian were not great. I kept thinking about how much the damage would cost and if I had to pay everything by myself. When I returned the car the staff at the rental counter were normal. They took many photos and wrote notes and said the bill would come later. My heart was not calm at all. I had no idea how much they would charge me.
After I went back home the real trouble started. For the claim I needed to confirm the report with the police and also get the damage and fee details from the rental company. I had to prepare my passport copy payment records and the invoice for the damage. Several times when I tried to send files it just did not work and I was already busy with my kid. I started to feel a bit annoyed. Later I sent all the documents I could prepare to the customer service and asked them to help me follow up.
At some point the rental company mentioned lawyers and a legal case. Just hearing that made my head hurt. They also said they could not give many files because the case was in progress. I was checking emails while helping my kid with homework. Every new reply could change how much I needed to pay. Sometimes I was really worried that AXA might reject the claim and I would need to pay a big amount by myself.
During this time they kept reminding me that the insurance had a valid period and told me not to wait too long. I understood so whenever I got new documents I tried to send them as soon as possible. When all the possible files were finally sent the insurance side started the real review. That waiting time I kept doing math in my head. If I had to pay all by myself I would need to move our family budget and maybe cancel any trip for the next vacation.
When I got the notice that the claim was approved I felt like I could breathe again. The car damage and some related costs that were inside the cover of AXA Full Coverage were paid back to me. The money I had to pay myself was much less than I first thought. It did not break our daily family spending plan. For a parent who travels with a child this kind of safety feeling is more important than the exact amount of money saved.
Now when I talk to friends about that Italy trip I always say that you really need to look at the insurance when you rent a car. A plan that covers damage theft and also things like glass and tires makes a huge difference when something bad really happens.
This business trip in Seoul was going pretty smooth until a small thing happened near the end. I booked my car on QEEQ. I picked up a Kia K5 in Seoul around the morning of April 28, 2026, and planned to return it on the afternoon of May 5 in Seoul. Since it was a business trip and my schedule was tight, I added AXA Full Coverage from the start. I did not want to worry about insurance.
So what happened? One day I parked the car in a legal street spot and went to a meeting. When I came back, I saw a scrape on the front bumper. A small area of paint was damaged. I had no idea which car hit it. My first thought was “The rental company will charge me a lot, right?” I took several photos and kept thinking about how much money I might need to pay.
When I returned the car, the staff at the rental counter checked the car and saw the scratch. They said they needed to record it and there might be a fee. Their attitude was normal, but I was still nervous when I heard about the charge. I just gave them all the information they needed. At that moment I was really glad I bought AXA Full Coverage. If not, my business trip budget would be in trouble.
After that I saw pre authorization and charge information on my credit card from the rental company. The amount did not look small. My heart sank for a second. Then I remembered I could ask them to help me with the claim. I collected the photos, the rental agreement and other things I could find and told customer service that the car was parked and got hit by someone unknown. I was a bit worried they might say no.
They asked me many clear questions like where the car was parked, the rough time, and if anyone was injured. I answered them one by one. I also wondered if this would be too much trouble and if it would take very long. They kept following up with me and a few days later asked if I had received the final charge receipt from the rental company. I sent it when I got it. For me the whole process was mainly preparing documents and waiting for news.
After some time they told me that AXA had approved the claim and would pay back the amount that was charged, within the policy limit. I felt very relieved at that moment. My only question then was if the money would really arrive. Soon they confirmed the exact amount and when I saw the reimbursement come through, I felt that all the stress before was finally worth it.
Looking back, if I had not added AXA Full Coverage, this damage from someone else hitting my parked car would be fully on me. For a business trip with already high costs, that would be a big pressure. Now I did feel nervous in the middle and I spent some time on the claim, but the loss was covered in the end. For someone like me who often travels for work, this makes the trip much easier on my wallet.
I booked this car on QEEQ for a business trip and I really thought it would just be a simple rental. Nothing special. I arrived in Alice Springs in the middle of March and went to the Avis counter in the late afternoon around the fourteenth to pick up the car. They gave me a Toyota Corolla hatchback, automatic, four doors. It looked quite new and clean. When I booked it I chose AXA Full Coverage, because I travel for work a lot and I felt better if I had full cover. I did not expect I would really need it. The first couple of days were fine. I drove to see clients in the day and parked the car near my accommodation at night. There were not many street lights and sometimes there was strong wind and dust. On the morning of the accident, the sky was just getting bright. I walked to the car with my laptop bag, thinking about my meetings. When I got close, I felt something was wrong. The front bumper looked strange. I walked around the car and my heart just dropped. There were clear impact marks on the front and back. There were scratches on the side. Near the wheel I could see some broken pieces. It looked like another car or something had hit it and then left. I remember just standing there for a few seconds, totally stunned. My first thought was that this would cost a lot of money. My head was full of numbers. I kept thinking this car is not cheap and if I had to pay everything myself I would be in real trouble. I forced myself to calm down. I took my phone out and started to take photos. I took close photos of each damaged area and also a few wider ones with the plate and the surroundings. Then I contacted Avis. Driving the damaged car to them was a very strange feeling. Inside the car it was very quiet and I held the steering wheel very tight. At the counter I explained what I found. Staff went out to check the car. Their faces were serious when they came back. They told me they needed to make an assessment and that the fee could be high and I had to wait for the amount. I was already ready in my head for a scary number. When they finally told me the damage amount, I almost could not believe my ears. It was 5831.77 AUD and they said this was the excess that they charged. They also said the damage was very serious. In that moment I was really thankful that I had bought AXA Full Coverage. Without it this money would hit me very hard. For a business traveler like me this is not some small cost I can just forget. After that my days were full of two things. My work and this claim. I spent my breaks sorting all the photos of the damage. I took clear photos of the papers from Avis. I was also checking with them if I could pay with my husband’s credit card and then have the refund go to his bank account. I did not want to make any mistake with who pays and who gets the money back. My phone and email were always in my hand. Every time I had a free second I refreshed my inbox to see if there was a new message. I sent in all the documents I had and thought it was almost done. Then I was told that some detailed damage papers were still missing. At that time it felt like the car was still under inspection or repair and the full repair report was not there yet. On my side I could only keep asking Avis and wait for more documents. Later I got an email that said the repair was finished but the real situation was that the car was declared a total loss. So the final charge stayed as that 5831.77 AUD. Reading the words total loss gave me a strange feeling. I could imagine the car in a workshop, opened up and taken apart, and it made me feel a bit cold inside. Once the rental company had confirmed the amount and their final decision, all I could really feel myself doing was waiting. I remember the customer service explained to me that the amount was not small and they had to check my evidence and the charge from the rental company. Every day I went to my meetings and at the same time I kept thinking about this bill. I kept doing the math in my head. If the claim failed, I would have to accept this big loss. At night when I came back to my room I would sit on the bed with my laptop and think about how the car was totally fine when I picked it up and now it was written off. It felt a bit unfair and also just tiring. During those days I opened my inbox many times. When I saw a new email from them I opened it right away. I could feel that they were also waiting for answers from Avis and checking details. From my side it felt like the case was moving forward but not very fast. I kept reminding myself to be patient and give it a bit more time. Then one day I finally got the email that changed everything for me. It said my claim was approved and they would pay according to the confirmed amount. I read it twice to make sure I was not imagining it. They showed the numbers and I saw that from the 5831.77 AUD charged by the rental company they would pay out 3840.76 AUD under the policy. I felt a big weight lift off my shoulders. In that moment I really understood what this insurance meant. Looking back at the whole story, it started with a normal pick up in Alice Springs around mid March, then that morning when I found the damage, then hearing that the car was a total loss, then all the photos and papers I had to send, and finally the approval. For me this was not just some small rental story. It was a lesson about risk and protection. If I had tried to save money and skipped the extra cover, I would still be worrying about that bill now. Even though there were times when I was nervous and wished everything could move a bit faster, the most important thing is that the claim was settled and most of the cost was taken care of. Now when people ask me if they should add insurance when they rent a car, the first picture in my mind is that damaged Corolla in Alice Springs and that number 5831.77 written on the paper. That is when I remember the extra box I ticked for AXA Full Coverage and how it stopped that heavy stone from landing on me.
When I think about it now I feel really lucky that I bought AXA Full Coverage when I booked with QEEQ. If I did not buy it this rental accident in New Zealand would hurt my wallet for a long time. I arrived in Queenstown around the evening of April first. The air was very fresh and the mountains still had a bit of snow. At the Ezi counter I got a Toyota RAV4 with automatic gear. The car felt smooth and easy to drive. I was in a really good mood and I even told my friend that this time I chose a very nice car. After a few days I was in a parking area and I was backing up the car. I judged the distance wrong and the right side of the car touched something. I heard a sound and my mind just went blank. I got out of the car and saw clear scratches on the door and the side. It was not a huge accident but it was obvious that it would cost money to fix. My heart sank and I thought I was in trouble because I knew this would not be cheap. I still kept driving but I was more careful. On April nineteenth around noon I returned the car in Auckland. The staff at the Ezi counter checked the car and saw the scratch and called me over. He was calm and professional and told me there would be a damage charge. I started to feel nervous because I know repairs in New Zealand are expensive. When I later saw my credit card charge I almost broke down. The amount was more than four thousand in Australian dollars. It was much higher than I expected. Later the rental company refunded part of it but the rest still felt heavy for me. At that moment I really understood how important that AXA Full Coverage was. I started to collect all the things I could. I saved the damage report from the rental company. I checked my bank records for the big charge. I also found the photos I took of the scratch and the refund records from the rental company. To be honest it was a bit annoying to prepare all of this because I am the type of person who likes to delay things. But this time it was about more than one thousand Australian dollars so I forced myself to do it one by one. The support team asked me to send the photos and the bank statements. I followed their steps and sent what they needed. I do not really understand how insurance works so I just tried my best to give every document I had. At first I was not even sure about the final claim amount. I only knew how much was charged and how much was refunded and that the rest was what I wanted back. They also asked me for some details like my bank information and I went into my online banking to find the SWIFT code and the refund entries. I was a bit worried while I checked every line in my statement because I did not want to make a mistake and lose the money. After I sent all the documents I still felt a bit unsure because the amount was not small and this was my first time to deal with a situation like this. Every time I looked at my credit card bill I felt like this big number was sitting there and pressing on me. Some days later they told me that AXA Full Coverage had approved my claim. They said they would pay me a bit more than one thousand four hundred Australian dollars based on the case I gave them. When I saw this message I felt a huge relief. It was like the tight string in my mind finally became loose. When the money arrived I checked the amount and it matched the part of the damage that I still needed to cover. So in the end most of the cost that the rental company took from me was filled by this payout. I think if I did not buy this insurance that small scratch would become a very heavy problem for me. I am still a young worker and my income is not very high so more than one thousand Australian dollars is a big thing for me. AXA Full Coverage helped me a lot and made me feel that someone had my back. The whole process needed many documents but for me the final payout made all the effort worth it. Now when I look at the photos of the scratch I still feel a bit sorry for that mistake. At the same time I also learned that when I rent a car I should not skip extra protection like this. After this experience I feel more willing to add this kind of coverage again because when something bad happens I know I do not need to face it all by myself.
That night at the hotel in Sintra, I was driving alone and trying to park the car I booked through QEEQ. The entrance to the parking lot was narrow and it was pretty dark. I just wanted to park quickly. Then I heard a scraping sound on the side of the car. In my head I went oh no did I just damage the car. I got out right away and used my phone light to check. I walked around the car a few times. Under the dim light I did not see any big clear scratch so I told myself maybe it was fine. The next morning I drove to Lisbon airport to return the car. I arrived a bit earlier than planned around six in the morning. The rental staff walked around the car. He suddenly pointed at two fresh scratches on the door and said they were new. I was confused and a bit shocked. Were they really that serious. In my mind I kept thinking about the video I took on March twenty fifth when I first picked up the car. I remembered that I did not see these scratches in that video. The staff wrote the new damage on the check in paper and then told me they would charge the maximum damage deductible which was 2100 euros. When I heard that number my heart sank. I felt nervous and also a bit angry but I knew I did hit the side the night before so I could not really argue much. I signed and watched them charge my card. At that moment I just thought my whole trip budget was broken. After I left I checked the photos and videos on my phone and compared the car from the first day. I was pretty sure the scratches were not there before. Then I remembered I had bought AXA Full Coverage through them. I started to hope this insurance could save me. After I went back home I tried to get the official damage report from the rental company. They were very slow and often did not answer my emails. I waited and waited and felt more and more worried. I kept looking at the 2100 euro charge on my bank record and asked myself what if I never get this money back. Later I finally received the detailed repair report. It said the repair cost was a bit over 1700 euros plus tax and the total was exactly 2100 euros. I collected all the papers. I had the rental contract the charge slip and the damage report. Then I sent all of them in the way their side asked for. In my head there was still a big question. Would they really pay. The amount was not small and I was dealing with this all by myself so it felt stressful. Their customer service told me they were following up with the insurer so I just kept checking my email from time to time. For a few days I kept asking myself the same thing. Will this claim be accepted. Will they suddenly say it does not meet some rule. When I finally got the message that the claim was approved and AXA Full Coverage would cover this damage I felt a huge relief. It was like a heavy stone in my chest was gone. For me 2100 euros is a lot of money. At first I thought I had to pay it all by myself but in the end the insurance took care of it. This whole story made me really feel the value of that coverage. I still remember the scraping sound at the parking entrance in Lisbon very clearly but at least this time the financial hit was not as scary because the insurance was there to back me up.
I booked my car with QEEQ and chose a Hyundai Avante from Rainbowrent. I picked it up around the afternoon of April 28th 2026 in Jeju and planned to return it on the morning of May 2nd. At first everything was fine. One day while I was driving on the island the tire suddenly had a problem and I had to stop on the side of the road. The wind was strong and I just stood there next to the car not really knowing what to do. I called a tow truck.
When the tow truck came the driver worked fast and took the car away. My mind was a bit messy at that time so I only got a small receipt from the tow company. I kept thinking it was lucky that I bought AXA Full Coverage because this tow fee might be very high if I had to pay all of it myself. When I went back to my place I took photos of the receipt but I was still worried that it might not be enough for the claim.
Later the customer service team contacted me and said they would help me with the claim and asked me to send all the things I had. I checked my phone and my bag and found that I really only had that one tow receipt and no contract or any other paper with the plate number on it. I even wondered if I should try to call the tow company myself but I was afraid of the language problem. They told me they would ask the rental company for the contract and also reminded me that photos of the tire damage would be helpful.
After some days they asked me again if I had any photos of the car damage. I realized I only took pictures of the tire so I sent them the two photos I had. During those days my feelings were a bit mixed. I kept thinking about how helpless I felt waiting by the road for the tow truck and I also kept thinking that if the insurance did not pay because my papers were not complete I would lose a lot of money. I kept checking my messages because I did not want to miss anything.
Then they contacted me and asked me to confirm the tow fee amount in US dollars. When I saw that number I felt a big relief because it meant the claim was moving forward. I checked the amount carefully and confirmed it. After that I was told that the claim was being settled. At that moment I really felt that buying AXA Full Coverage was a very good choice because the tow bill alone would have hurt my wallet a lot.
