EconomyBookings

EconomyBookings sells access to other companies' fleets. It is a booking intermediary: you compare rates across suppliers here, pay some or all of the money here, and then sign the actual rental agreement at a counter that belongs to someone else. The assumption baked into the product is that you are price-shopping across a wide supplier list and are willing to take whichever counter that produces. If that describes your trip, the breadth is genuinely useful. If you want a particular brand's service standard at the desk, you are shopping for a supplier rather than for a marketplace, and a broad aggregate list is the wrong tool.

What the network covers

The platform lists more than 180 countries and over 20,000 rental locations, drawing on a supplier pool it describes as 600-plus. The names in that pool are a deliberate mix: Sixt, Europcar, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, National and Alamo sit in the same results as budget-tier operators including Thrifty, Dollar, Budget, Goldcar and Green Motion. That mix is the point. The cheapest line in a search is frequently a local budget brand rather than a major, which is why the excess and deposit terms below matter more here than they would on a majors-only site.

The operating company, Booking Group, was founded in Riga in May 2008 and put the first version of the site online in 2009. It publishes its own numbers rather than leaving them vague: 890 supplier partnerships, more than 10 million customers helped, over 232,300 customer reviews received, and 3,000 bookings a day at its recorded peak (checked August 2026).

The deposit, the excess and Full Coverage

This is where a cheap headline rate turns into a real cost, and the site is unusually direct about it. At pick-up the supplier blocks an amount on your credit card covering the excess plus fuel, and releases it within seven working days if the car comes back undamaged. That hold requires an international credit card: the site states plainly that cash deposits, Maestro, Switch, Visa Electron and debit cards are not accepted for it. Turning up without one is treated as a No-Show, with no refund.

Standard CDW and theft protection are usually included in the rate but exclude the things that actually get damaged: windscreen, glass, wheels, tyres, undercarriage, interior, personal possessions, towing charges. The Full Coverage product is written against that exclusion list, naming bodywork, roof, undercarriage, windscreen, windows, mirrors, locks, wheels, tyres, hubcaps, engine, clutch and battery, plus towing costs arising from damage, to a maximum of 1,700 EUR or the local-currency equivalent. It does not cover negligence such as drunk driving, misfuelling or off-road driving (checked August 2026).

How the money moves

Car rentals can be paid three ways: partial prepayment with the balance settled at the counter, full prepayment, or Pay on Arrival where nothing is collected at booking. Most drivers aged 21 to 70 are accepted, with young-driver and senior-driver fees applied outside 25 to 70.

Refunds and savings flow through an E-Wallet rather than straight back to your card. Cancel more than 48 hours before pick-up and the full amount is credited as BookingCredit; you can spend it on a future booking or request a withdrawal to your original payment method free of charge, processed within 30 business days. The Price Drop Rebooking service uses the same channel: if a fully prepaid rate falls before the 72-hour mark, the booking is rebooked at the lower price with dates, locations, supplier and car class unchanged, and the saving arrives as BookingCredit valid for two years. A separate Last Minute Cancellation product can be bought to preserve a refund inside the 48-hour window, though it is void within one hour of pick-up and its own cost is not refundable (checked August 2026).

Who it fits

EconomyBookings suits a traveller who is comparing on price across a deep supplier pool, holds an international credit card in their own name, and wants the excess question solved by one add-on rather than argued at a desk. The 48-hour cancellation rule and the published Full Coverage limit make the downside knowable before you book, which is the main thing a budget-tier rental usually lacks.

It is a weaker fit if you want the refund to appear back on your card without a withdrawal request, or if you are travelling somewhere the majors barely operate and the cheapest realistic option is a family-run local firm. Those are different products rather than worse ones, and they are covered by different platforms.

What you are buying

The reason to book here rather than at a counter is that three separate risks get priced and settled before you travel. The deposit hold is explained in advance, the excess can be closed with a single add-on carrying a published 1,700 EUR limit, and the cancellation rule is one number rather than a per-supplier variable: free refund more than 48 hours before pick-up. On a budget-tier rental, those three unknowns are usually where the real money hides.

Breadth over uniformity

The supplier pool is wide on purpose. Majors such as Sixt, Europcar, Hertz, Avis and Enterprise appear next to budget operators like Goldcar and Green Motion across more than 180 countries and over 20,000 locations. That is what lets a search return a genuinely low number, and it is also why you should read which supplier won before you confirm.

Flexibility on how you pay

You can prepay in full, pay a deposit and settle the rest at the counter, or pay nothing until arrival. Fully prepaid bookings are watched by the Price Drop Rebooking service, which rebooks you at a lower rate if one appears before the 72-hour mark and credits the difference. Refunds and savings arrive as BookingCredit in an E-Wallet, withdrawable to your card free of charge on request (checked August 2026).

Who should look elsewhere

If you carry only a debit card, the counter deposit rule here will block you, and a platform built on local operators such as Localrent, where part of the fleet requires no deposit, is the better route. If you want one rental brand's service standard in every country, Auto Europe works the same broker model but with a majors-only partner list. And if you need a support desk awake at any hour mid-rental, note that support here is published as 24/5. Choose EconomyBookings when the deciding factor is price across a deep supplier pool with the excess and cancellation risk closed in advance.