I have to say it first. For this business trip the thing that bothered me most was the payment pressure for the car. I booked a Chevrolet Equinox with Budget through QEEQ. I planned to pick up the car around the afternoon of June twenty seventh in San Diego and return it in Los Angeles on the morning of July nineteenth. The trip was quite long and I was thinking about company reimbursement and my credit card bill date. My mind was a bit stressed. When I saw the One-Dollar Freeze option I suddenly felt much more relaxed. When I placed the order it only charged me 1 dollar. I even talked to myself like “Is that it? Only this much?” I checked the order a few times to make sure I was not wrong. The rest of the money would be taken automatically closer to the start of the rental. During that period my credit card did not feel heavy and the bill was not pushed up at once. For someone like me who travels for business and also cares about cash flow this feeling is really important. When I arrived in San Diego and walked to the Budget counter I was still thinking about the moment when I made the booking days before. That day I had just finished a video meeting and I was tired. I was worried if I should pay a big prepayment right away. When I saw I could just pay 1 dollar first I clicked confirm without much thinking. In my head I said “I just lock the car now and they will take the rest later.” This way is very good for people like me whose schedule changes all the time. At pickup the staff at the counter helped me with the paperwork. I got the key of the Equinox and looked at the car. It looked fine and I felt that my trip was under control. Because I did not push a big amount on my card at the start I still had space on my card when I booked hotels or changed flights. I did not need to worry that every payment might hit the credit limit. I remember telling a colleague “For this rental I only paid 1 dollar first. It did not hurt at all when I booked it.” He thought I was joking. Then I showed him a screenshot of the order and he believed me. During the trip there were a few changes in my plan and I was not too nervous. I knew the car cost was locked but my card was not heavy from day one. While I was driving between San Diego and Los Angeles for meetings and airport runs sometimes I thought about that one dollar. It felt like a small symbolic move and the real burden was moved to later. Closer to the return date I got a notice from my credit card that the rest of the money was charged. By then my work on the trip was mostly done and I knew this charge was normal. When I saw it I just felt “Okay it is time to pay now.” I did not feel shocked like I would if I had paid the full amount at the start. For this whole rental the part I liked most was that I could lock the booking with only 1 dollar. It gave me time to arrange my cash flow and I did not have to carry a big pre charge while flying around for work. For a business traveler like me who often changes plans this kind of low pressure and later charge style is much more comfortable than paying everything in one shot.
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