The funny thing is that the part I remember most is just a tiny moment. One day I checked my banking app and saw a small refund on my credit card. I froze for a second and my first thought was that something went wrong and they charged me and then sent it back. My kid was making noise next to me and I could not even think clearly where this money came from. When I tapped the detail and saw the car rental words, I slowly understood that this was about the Price Drop Protector I chose when I booked with QEEQ.
In my head I asked myself if they charged me wrong and then fixed it. Then I answered myself that I never complained and never called anyone. After so long with a child, my brain is always full of little things. For a moment I even thought maybe I remembered the price wrong. So I opened my old emails and found the booking and compared the numbers. When I saw the price, it finally made sense. The same car was cheaper later and they rebooked it for me with the lower price and sent the difference back to me. I sat on the sofa and my daughter asked me why I was smiling. I told her that mum just earned a bit of extra money.
To be honest, when I booked the car on the site I did not really expect this service to save anything. That night my kid was already asleep so I finally had some time to choose the car. We were planning a trip to Gran Canaria in Spain around the middle of July. I liked a small automatic car. A Hyundai i10 size felt just right for a family with a child. Four doors and four seats and space for one suitcase and a stroller and all the small kid stuff. I remember that my plan was to pick up the car around July 19 at noon at Gran Canaria and return it around July 26 at noon. I left the time a bit loose because with a kid you never know about wake up time and meals and toilet breaks.
In my head I kept asking myself if I should add this price drop thing. I wondered if it really helped and if it was just some kind of trick. Then I answered myself that it was not so expensive and it gave me one more layer of safety. If the price went down I would not lose out. As a parent I just try to save money where I can because there are always surprise costs with a child. So I clicked on the option with Price Drop Protector. In my mind it was more like a test. I did not take it very seriously.
Later I forgot about it completely. Every day my questions were things like if my kid ate enough or if I should buy a new swimsuit or if I packed enough sun cream. There was still more than a month before the trip. I sometimes thought about the car I had booked but the questions in my head were about seat space and the trunk and if the stroller would fit. I never thought about the price again.
So when I saw that refund of a bit more than six pounds my brain asked another question. Does this small amount even matter. Then I thought again and answered that yes it does. I did nothing and I still saved it. After becoming a mum my idea of money changed. Even a few pounds can mean a sandwich at the airport or a small box of fruit for my kid. For a parent traveling with a child this is very real.
I still remember the short text about Price Drop Protector on the page. It said that if the same car dropped in price later they would check and rebook and send the difference back to me. At that time I was thinking if this would really happen or if the price almost never drops. This time I got my own proof. I never called. I never sent any email. I did not even open the site to check. The money just showed up again in my account. It felt like someone was watching the price for me and I could just focus on my kid.
As a parent I now ask one main thing whenever I book anything. Will this make my life easier. Can this help me worry less. For car rental of course the main thing is that the car is safe and has enough space. But this kind of small function that checks the price and sends the extra money back fits very well with how parents think. I almost never have a long block of time to sit at a computer and check many different prices again and again. My kid will always call me for water or say she lost a shoe. My thoughts get cut off many times. In the end I often just book when I see a price that looks okay because I am scared something else will grab my time again.
When I finally understood where the refund came from I felt very relaxed. It was not about the total amount. It was because they did what they said they would do. I did not have to fight for it. I did not have to know many rules. It felt like someone answered the big question for me. What happens if the price goes down. The answer was simple. You get back the part that belongs to you.
I told my husband about it. At first he thought I made a mistake. He kept asking if I was sure they did not charge me wrong first. I opened the emails again and showed him the two prices. I was a bit proud when I showed him and said that this was because I chose the price drop protection that day. He laughed and told me to tick it again next time I book a car for him. In my mind I thought that next time I book with them I will probably still choose Price Drop Protector because now I have seen with my own eyes that it really works quietly in the background while I am busy taking care of our child.
For a parent who travels with a kid this small surprise is enough. I do not need some huge discount. I just need to know someone is watching the price for me. That feeling alone already makes me calm.
Let me complain first. I really thought this car booking was just full price and done. When I later saw the final cost was lower than when I booked, my first thought was that they charged me some extra fee. Then I checked the details and realized it was Price Drop Protector working there.
I booked the car on QEEQ because I was traveling alone and needed a car in Houston. I planned to pick it up around nine in the morning on June twenty first and I made my budget based on the price I saw that day. I did not think the price would drop later. I just told myself to lock the car first since it was a Ford Bronco from Budget and I really wanted to drive it.
After some days I suddenly got a notice that some money would be sent back to me. I laughed a bit and said to myself that even car bookings now can become cheaper after I book. Then I read it again and saw that the same car became cheaper later and they booked a cheaper deal for me and sent the difference back. I did not do anything on my side. I just kept my plan to pick up the car on June twenty first and return it in Houston around seven in the evening in early July.
It felt like someone quietly put money back into my pocket. I had already accepted the first price and moved on. Then I got back a few dozen pounds and for a solo traveler that really helps. I just kept thinking that it was good I chose this service at the start. Otherwise I would pay more money for the same car and the same time without even knowing it.
So the funny part is that I booked the same little car in Madrid and it ended up cheaper than at the start and I actually saved some money. That was really not what I expected. One day I was just checking my email and I saw a new confirmation from them. My first thought was that something went wrong and I was like maybe my booking got canceled. When I opened it I saw it was because I chose Price Drop Protector when I booked. Later the price for the same Fiat 500 automatic went down and they rebooked it for me and gave me the price difference back. I did not do anything myself and I did not call anyone. They just fixed it. I could see the new order number and I checked the prices. It was only a few dollars but it felt like I suddenly had a bit more travel money. I came to Madrid alone and my budget is pretty tight so this small amount means I can get a couple more coffees. I even told my friend that I just booked a car and some days later it became cheaper on its own. He thought I was joking. I also feel this kind of auto saving is quite nice. I do not get that bad feeling that I booked early and lost money. The car is the same and my plan is the same but because QEEQ watched the price for me I kind of earned some extra money for nothing and that made me feel very relaxed.
I have to say first that I really saved money this time and it felt super easy.
I booked my London car with QEEQ earlier. I planned a trip in the middle of July. I would land in London around the night of the thirteenth and pick up a Peugeot 208 the next morning at about eight thirty. Manual small car. I thought it was good for the city. When I booked, I looked at the price for a while and I was thinking maybe it could drop later, but I was already thinking for days, so I just booked it and stopped worrying.
Some time later I saw a new booking email. Then I found out it was because of Price Drop Protector. My old booking was changed to a cheaper one. Same car group. Same pickup and return place. Just less money. I checked the numbers. It saved me a bit over 112 AUD. That is like a big part of my food budget. I was really surprised because I did nothing. I just made a normal booking before.
The nice thing was that the new booking was already confirmed. I did not need to choose the car again or change the times. My plan to reach London on the thirteenth, pick up the car on the fourteenth in the morning and return it around the twenty third in the early morning stayed the same. My schedule did not get messy at all. I was a bit worried that this kind of auto save money thing might have some problem. Like maybe it turns into an on request booking or the price changes again at the counter. But they handled everything and I just wait to pick up the car.
I am a young person and kind of on a student level budget so 112 AUD is a lot for me. I wanted to be careful with every dollar. Now it feels like I suddenly got a small bonus out of nowhere. This service feels very real to me. Not just some words on a website. It really helped me spend less.
How did that extra money just show up in my account? I stared at the bank alert on my phone for a second. My trip was the same. Same Alamo car in Ajaccio. Same dates. But my balance was a bit higher. Then I remembered I chose their Price Drop Protector when I booked.
Let me jump back. That day I was alone in front of my laptop. I checked the pick up time at Ajaccio airport again and again. Around the evening of July 16. Return about a week later in the early evening. I travel alone and my budget really matters. I kept doing math with euros and Polish zloty. I looked at that Peugeot e2008 automatic and I really wanted it. At the same time I felt my wallet hurt a little.
On the booking page that extra service caught my eye. It said if the price went down later they would rebook the same car for me and give me the difference back. My first thought was “Will the price really drop”. Then I thought it does not cost me extra effort. It is like opening a small umbrella over my money. I clicked confirm. The email came fast and I wrote the order number in my notes.
After that I just stopped thinking about it. Life went on. Stuff from school. Things at home. Trip prep. I had no chance to watch car prices every day. One night I was on my phone and saw a new confirmation email. It said my booking was confirmed again. I thought I had clicked something wrong. Then I looked closer. It was still the same Alamo Peugeot e2008. Same time and place. The price was lower and the difference was already sent back to me in PLN.
That moment felt pretty cool. I did nothing. My plan did not change. It was like the same car suddenly had a discount. For a student who plans trips alone this money is enough for one night in a simple hostel or a decent dinner. I could picture myself sitting on a street in Ajaccio at night ordering one more drink and not counting every coin.
I did not need to talk to their customer service. I did not have to explain anything. It all just happened quietly in the background. For someone traveling alone this feeling that they help you save money without you doing anything feels very safe. That night when I booked on QEEQ and ticked that little box I was really giving my future self a bit more space.
I felt pretty happy about it to be honest. I woke up and saw a new email that said my car booking got cheaper and they rebooked it for me and gave me a refund. I asked myself if this was real. Did I read it wrong. I checked again and saw it was because of Price Drop Protector and I saved about seven or eight dollars. The money was not huge but I still smiled because it was like free money.
I came to Madrid for business. I planned to arrive around June 22 in the afternoon and pick up the car on June 24 around two in the afternoon and then return it in Madrid around July 3 in the afternoon. When I booked the car I just wanted things simple. The model was fine so I confirmed it. I did not think much about if the price would go down. A few days later they found the price dropped and changed my booking to a cheaper one and sent the difference back to me. I did not do any extra steps. I just waited for my trip as normal.
As a business traveler I care about budget but I do not have time to check prices every day. This felt like someone was watching the price for me in the background while I focused on meetings and emails and then suddenly told me that I saved some money. It was only around seven dollars but the surprise was nice and it made this rental feel more worth it.
