AXA Full CoverageWhen I think about this trip now, the thing I feel most thankful for is that I chose AXA Full Coverage when I booked with QEEQ. Without it, that 687.26 dollar damage bill would have just broken our family budget. When I first saw the bill, I only had one thought in my head. My credit card is done.
The whole story started at Warsaw when I returned the car. It was around the afternoon, I remember it as about March 16 and close to two o clock. My kid was half asleep in the back seat. I was trying to carry our bags and calm him down at the same time. The ACE staff walked slowly around the Nissan Kicks. Then he stopped at the right rear door. He bent down and started to take a few photos with his phone.
I walked over and saw a scratch on the door. It was not super long but it was clear in the sunlight. He looked up at me and said something like there was damage and he needed to record it. He pointed at my rental papers too. My mind started to replay the last few days of driving in Warsaw. I was thinking about the small streets and the tight parking spots. Maybe I got too close to something while I moved the car. Maybe someone opened a door next to me in a parking lot. I really did not know, so I just kept explaining. I said I did not notice the scratch and I was always busy watching the road and the GPS because my kid was in the car.
The staff was not rude but he was very clear. He said the company would charge for this damage and that it might be a big amount. When I was taking my kid out of the car, he asked me if I had bought extra insurance. My brain suddenly clicked. I remembered that I did buy AXA Full Coverage when I placed the order. I nodded and he gave me a look that felt like he was saying I could try to claim it from insurance later.
The real stress came after I got home. When I checked my credit card bill and saw the 687.26 dollar charge, I felt a strong hit in my chest. My wife looked at the bill and said this money could let us stay a few more nights in Warsaw in a nice hotel. At that moment I felt so glad that I did not try to save money by skipping the insurance.
I opened my emails and checked again to make sure I really had that coverage. Then I collected all the papers about the damage and the rental. To be honest I was still worried. It was my first time to deal with a claim like this, and I was not sure if they would accept it or just say no for some reason. I told my wife that we should just try. If it did not work, then it would just be a hard lesson.
I wrote down everything I knew about the trip and the car. I sent in the documents and then I waited. During this time I was taking care of my kid and also checking my credit card app again and again, hoping to see that money come back. They sent me messages asking me to explain what happened and to share more real details. So I wrote about our days in Warsaw, the roads I drove on, and when I first noticed the staff looking at the scratch. One time I was typing and whispering to myself at the same time. Please approve this. This money means a lot to us.
After some time passed, I finally saw a credit on my card for the same amount. The 687.26 dollars came back. I felt a huge weight leave my shoulders. I told my wife that the claim worked and the money was refunded. Her first reaction was to say that it was really lucky that I bought that AXA Full Coverage. I picked up my kid and walked around the living room in circles. I felt like someone pulled me up when the water was almost over my mouth.
This whole thing changed how I think about insurance. Before this, I always felt it was something I might never use. Now I see it in a very different way. If I did not have AXA Full Coverage this time, it would not just be about losing a big amount of money. The whole feeling of our family trip with a child would be ruined by that bill. For a parent traveling with a kid, having this kind of protection makes the whole journey feel much safer.
Dedicated customer serviceAt first I really wanted to complain. I booked a higher group SUV in Gdansk on QEEQ because I planned to pick up the car early on February 27 with my kid. I thought we would have more space for the child seat and our luggage. When I reached the Budget counter the staff said that type of car was not available. They gave me a smaller group C sedan. In my head I was like so what about the extra money I paid. Is my kid going to sit all squeezed. I tried to talk to the counter staff but they just repeated the same answer. What could I do. My kid was already sleepy and kept asking why the car was not the big one so I had to take the car and leave.
Back at our place I felt more and more upset. I booked a higher group car for a reason. Should I just give up. I looked at my booking and asked myself if anyone could help me speak up. I decided to contact their customer service. The person on the line did not push me to fight with the rental company by myself. They listened to my story and asked me step by step if I had some documents and payment records. I started to feel that they really wanted to help me complain to the rental company and not just brush me off.
In the next days I was taking care of my kid and also working. Sometimes I suddenly thought about this case and wondered if it would just disappear. Every now and then the service team reached out to tell me the latest progress. Sometimes they said they were still waiting for the other side to confirm. Sometimes they said they had pushed them again. I did not really understand what they did inside. I only felt that someone was watching this case for me. I asked myself if I could really handle this alone with the rental company. My honest answer was no.
After some time they contacted me and told me that the rental company agreed to refund part of the money. It was the price difference between the car groups. When I saw the amount I felt something special. It was not like winning a big prize but it felt like someone finally made things fair and clear. As a parent traveling with a kid this kind of follow up means a lot. I did not need to repeat my story again and again and I did not need to argue all the time. I just knew someone was taking care of it for me. That feeling of being looked after is what I remember most from this whole thing.
One-Dollar FreezeTo be honest I started this whole thing by complaining about my credit card again. I had a business trip to Warsaw in Poland and my schedule was tight. I kept thinking about all the costs in my head. I booked a car with QEEQ and chose a Kia Ceed from CARWIZ with automatic gear and 4 doors and 5 seats. I planned to pick it up in Warsaw around the evening of March 22 around six thirty and return it on the 24th around five in the afternoon. That day I was in the office scrolling on the page. When I saw the price I thought here we go again the card is going to suffer. Then I saw an option called One-Dollar Freeze and I really thought I read it wrong. It said I only needed to pay 1 dollar first to lock the car and the rest would be charged automatically before the rental started.
I even joked with my coworker and said maybe I can just use 1 dollar to hold the car and wait for the company budget to get approved. He laughed and said I was too careful. But I really care about cash flow. For business trips I always need to pay things in advance like flights hotels and visas. The pressure on the card gets heavy very fast. I opened the details and read them a few times and I saw that there was no interest and no extra fee. Then I felt safe to click pay. The page confirmed pretty fast and I got the confirmation email soon. I felt much lighter because the car problem was solved and I could wait for the company process without rushing.
A few days later I was on the way somewhere and checking my phone. I saw a message from my bank app and my first thought was maybe a hotel took some deposit again. When I opened it I saw that they had charged the rest of the rental fee. I checked the numbers with my booking and it was exactly the same price as before. There was no extra charge and no strange service fee. That made me feel even more relaxed.
On the day I flew to Warsaw it was already evening when I arrived at the airport. My mind was on the meeting the next day and on the client notes. I did not need to worry about if the rental payment was done because it was already taken care of. I just went with my confirmation to the CARWIZ counter and did the normal pick up. They gave me the key for the Kia Ceed and while I was looking at the car I thought it was really good that I had locked it earlier with just 1 dollar. If I tried to book at that time the price might be higher and I would need to change my budget.
In this whole process the thing that stayed in my mind the most was that 1 dollar at the start. It made the moment of booking so much easier for me. For business trips the company pays the final bill but the feeling when the card is charged is mine. This time I only needed to pay a very small amount at first and the rest was handled later by them. I did not have to watch the dates or worry that I would miss something. There was no extra interest and no random fees.
At one point I even checked the emails and the booking again. I went through each price item and did the math in my head. It matched exactly what I saw on the first day. After that I knew the money side was clear and I could focus on my work. I told my family that now you can book a car with just 1 dollar at first and they thought I was joking. For someone like me who keeps looking at bills because of business trips this payment way fits me well. I do not need a big amount blocked on my card before I even leave home.
When I look back at the Warsaw trip the car worked well for those days. The time also fit my plan. I picked it up on the evening of the 22nd and returned it on the afternoon of the 24th so it matched my meetings. What felt most convenient was that before the trip really started I already had the car reserved with a tiny first payment. Then for the next days I could just work on my slides and meetings without thinking about the payment. When I returned the car the bill was clear and I did not have to wonder if I had been overcharged. The whole thing felt simple and with less pressure for me as a business traveler and that came from using this One-Dollar Freeze option.
One-Dollar FreezeI first asked myself a question. Is it a good idea to pay the full car rental right now. I was booking a car on QEEQ and I planned to pick it up in Katowice in Poland on March 9th 2026 in the morning and return it in Poznan on March 14th in the afternoon. I am still young and my credit card limit is not very high. If a big amount is taken at once I feel a bit stressed. So I looked at the page and I asked myself another question. Is there any way to pay a little first and the rest later. When I saw One-Dollar Freeze I became curious. Is this thing really safe. I clicked to see more and I saw that it means I only pay 1 dollar now as a booking fee and the rest will be charged before the rental starts and there is no interest. I asked myself again. Will there be any hidden fee. Will the counter ask me to pay more money. I thought for a few seconds and felt what they wrote was clear so I decided to try it. I used One-Dollar Freeze to place the booking and only 1 dollar was taken from my card at that time. When I saw my bill I felt much more relaxed because I still had money left on my card for other plans. After a few days I had another question in my head. When will they charge the rest. Will it happen suddenly and scare me. Before my trip I checked my credit card record and saw that they had already charged the remaining rental amount. The number was the same as what I saw when I booked. There was nothing extra so I felt calm. When I arrived at Katowice airport I went to the Alamo counter to do the paperwork. The staff at the counter checked my confirmation and asked for my credit card only for the deposit. The rental fee part was already shown as paid in their system. At that moment I confirmed again in my mind that the 1 dollar first and then automatic charge really worked fine. During the whole process I only cared about extra fees and interest and there were none. I felt much less pressure on my credit card and I did not need to block a lot of limit in advance. For someone young like me this was very nice. For me this experience showed that paying 1 dollar first and letting the rest be charged later is good for people with a tight budget who still want to lock a car early. This part is really useful for students or young people who just started working.
AXA Full CoverageI will start with the problem. On this trip I booked my car through QEEQ and the most stressful moment was when I saw a new dent on the car. I was alone in Warsaw and I had parked the Toyota C HR from Wheego near my place. When I walked around the car I saw a clear dent near the back door. Under the light it was very obvious. My heart just dropped and the first thing in my mind was that this might cost a lot of money.
I had arrived in Warsaw on the evening of February 26 and picked up the car close to midnight. I was dragging my suitcase to the counter and I was actually quite excited when I got the keys. It was automatic and looked pretty new. When I booked it I added AXA Full Coverage. I did not think too much. I just wanted to feel safe and thought a full coverage would help. I did not know that this choice would save me a big amount later.
The moment I noticed the dent I kept trying to remember where it could have happened. Maybe someone hit my car when it was parked. Maybe I got too close to a curb. The more I thought about it the more nervous I became. I stood next to the car for a long time and took many photos with my phone. I felt they were not very clear but I was afraid if I did not take them I could not explain anything later.
If I jump to the return day it was around the afternoon of March 2. I drove back to Warsaw a bit early because I wanted to return the car and then rest. At the return point the staff checked the car. When he saw the dent he stopped at once. He bent down to look at it then stood up and looked from another angle. Then he told me very directly that this would be charged and it would not be cheap. I was a bit shocked. I tried to explain that I was careful when I drove and I was not even sure when it happened. But I also knew in my heart that if the damage is there during my rental it would still count on me.
They quickly gave me a damage form. It was mostly in Polish and some numbers. The only part I really understood was 2400 PLN. When I saw that amount my hands started to sweat. I did a quick change in my head and knew it was a few hundred pounds. As someone traveling alone that was a big pressure. I felt nervous and also a bit upset but at the same time I was glad I had bought that full coverage.
After I went back to where I stayed the pre authorization on my credit card soon turned into a real charge. I saw the charge of about 2400 zloty in my banking app. I stared at that line for a long time and felt quite heavy inside. Then I calmed down and began to collect what I needed because I knew I had AXA Full Coverage and this should be covered.
I put together the damage paper from the rental company the photos I took and also a screenshot of the credit card charge. The photos were really not very clear because the light at the parking place was bad. I worried that no one could see the dent properly and I kept thinking about that. The support team contacted me and asked me to send all I had. They also told me that I did not need to wait for the end of month card statement and that the charge screenshot was fine. That small detail helped me relax because I had been thinking I might need to wait many weeks.
Some time later they told me the rental company had sent clearer photos of the damage. When I heard that I felt much more safe. At least it was not just me trying to explain. The rental company also provided proof. Then they confirmed the claim amount and said it would follow the actual 2400 PLN that the rental company took. I wrote down the number and again changed it in my head to pounds and felt this strong hope that the money would come back soon.
Because I live in the UK my bank details were a bit messy. At first I gave a Halifax account and then I changed it to a Revolut account. They also needed IBAN and the full bank address. When I changed the bank information I was worried I would make things complicated and the payment would be delayed. But they kept checking every detail with me and only moved on after it was clear. I could feel that they were really trying to help me finish this right and not just push the problem away.
When I got the message that the claim was approved and that 2400 PLN would be paid back to me I finally let out a long breath. The feeling of my heart hanging in the air for days just went away. The amount that the rental company took was now coming back from the insurance side. I opened my banking app and when I saw the incoming payment I checked the number again to make sure nothing was missing.
When I think about it now if I had not bought AXA Full Coverage at the start I would have had to pay for this dent completely by myself. I know I would have felt bad about it for a long time. This time there was some stress and some back and forth with the bank details but for someone traveling alone it was a big support. Even when something bad happened in another country I did not have to face it totally alone. There was a clear way to get my money back and in the end it did come back. That experience showed me that this insurance is not just a small extra option. It really stands up for you when things go wrong and it pays back every cent they said it would. For me that is enough to keep choosing this kind of cover with them in the future because I have seen with my own eyes that it actually works.
One-Dollar Freeze"Did you really pay just one dollar?" My husband asked me at Warsaw airport. He looked so unsure. I showed him the confirmation on my phone and said I booked the car with QEEQ. They had a payment way called One-Dollar Freeze. I was also surprised at first. A few weeks before the trip I was at home planning our family time in Warsaw with the kids. I needed an automatic car so it would be easier in the city and around it. I chose a Seat Arona from EXPRESS. It was automatic and for five people. The size was good for two adults, a kid and our bags. But paying the full rental at once made me feel some pressure. We also had to pay for flights and hotel. When I saw the option where I only needed to pay 1 dollar first I felt a lot more relaxed. I just wanted to lock the car now and think about the rest later. That night my child was doing homework next to me. I told him I was booking the car while I filled in all the info. On the payment page it showed they would only charge 1 dollar now and the rest would be taken before the pickup. I stopped for a moment and checked the amount again. There was no word about interest or extra fee. So I clicked pay. A few days later I got a reminder that my booking was all good. I was glad I did not pay everything at once. My credit card did not feel so tight and I could first handle other family costs. When it got close to our flight in mid February I checked my statement. The rest of the rental was already taken. The amount was the same as before and there was no extra charge. When we arrived in Warsaw around midday I went to the counter to pick up the car. The process was fine and simple. I felt calm because the money part was already done. I did not need to stand there with my kid and think about numbers. For a mom traveling with a child this way of first paying just a little to lock the car and not worrying about interest really makes my trip planning easier.
