QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
BEFORE YOU BOOK
DURING YOUR STAY
DRIVING IN PORTUGAL
GENERAL QUESTIONS
About A22 Tolls Electronic Payment
How to pay A22 tolls if you drive an Algarve Car Rental car
The payment of tolls on the A22 or Via do Infante in Algarve is a major concern and is not easy for non residents. That's why all the Algarve Car Hire cars delivered by Yor Car Hire in the Algarve and booked using our booking form for Algarve are equiped with the electronic transponders for automatic payment of the A22 tolls.
The transponder does not need to be pre-booked as it will be available on arrival for all the clients that wish to have it.
All rental cars have the transponders and are connected to the license car number. They can't be removed from the car.
How can I have a transponder to go legally into the A22 road?
The transponders are available on arrival for all the clients that wish to have them; they do not need to be pre-booked.
How much will cost the transponder?
The transponder will have a cost of 20 euros, cash payment, and it already includes 15 euros of passages in it. For minibus car models will have a cost of 30 euro, cash payment, and includes 25 euros of passages in it.
I know in advance, these initial 15 euros will not be enough for my journeys. How can I add more money?
On arrival should you choose to add more money to the transponder, our representatives can recharge it with a minimum of 10 euros and multiples of 10 euros, which will be added to the initial 15 euros.
I have started and finished my holidays and I did not spend the initial 15 euros. Will I get a refund?
Unfortunately no. Any amount left to use will not be possible to refund as we do not have that facility as well.
In case I decide not to use the A22, what will happen?
You need to provide the 20 euro for deposit, anyway, on collection. In case you did not use the A22, we will refund the 20 euro.
What happen if I lose the transponder or return it damaged?
The company will charge 57 euro + Vat for the replacement of the new transponder. You must not take the transponder from the car, as the cameras in the motorways will identify the car with the plate number, and will consider as a crime, punish by the European Law.
About the Security Deposit
What is the Security Deposit?
The Security Deposit is a pre-authorization requested on your credit or debit card upon delivery of the rental car.
This deposit is to ensure that the car is returned in perfect condition and to cover damage or loss caused by events not covered by accident insurance.
What is the amount of the Security Deposit?
The amount of the Security Deposit varies depending on the rental car group and the insurance contracted.
The amount of the Security Deposit is 1.250,00 Euro for cars from groups A to D, 2.000,00 Euro for groups E to F1 and 3.500,00 Euro for groups G to O.
The amount of the Security Deposit is reduced to half or to about 1/3 when the customer contracts Super CDW or Super CDW + SPI.
How is the Security Deposit processed?
Upon delivery of your rental car your card is issued to the payment machine and a pre-authorization is requested for the Security Deposit.
This amount never leaves the customer's account to pass to our account. This amount remains in the customer's account but is available to us in case it becomes necessary in case of any abnormal situation not covered by the insurance or the car is not delivered to us in perfect condition.
What if I don't have a credit card can I use a debit card?
If you do not have a credit card you can use a debit card for Security Deposit but in this case contracting Loss Insurance is mandatory (SCDW + SPI)
What if I already have an insurance?
If you already have accident insurance on your credit card or subscribed to a foreign insurance company and you think you have automatic coverage in case you have an accident, this is not the case.
No insurance company accepts participation in an asset that it has not insured. Therefore, if you have an accident with a car for which you have not paid accident insurance, you do not have the possibility of having your participation accepted with an insurance company as you do not have insurance. This is clear.
But you have insurance that you took out in your country and you think it should be taken out in case you have an accident with a rental car in Portugal. And you think well.
If you take out SCDW or LDW insurance with us, we will take out the insurance and the damages will be covered.
If you do not want to take out our insurance and you have an accident, we will charge the deductible for the car you rented. In order to be reimbursed by your insurance company we can issue an invoice based on which your insurance company will pay you the reimbursement.
How long does it take to get back the Security Deposit?
After the car is delivered in perfect condition and all the checks are made in the presence of the customer we have to wait 3-4 days for the toll report to check if there are any tolls to pay. At that time we charge your card for tolls in case there are tickets that exceed the amount paid with the tranponder and proceed to cancel the pre-authorization on your card, so this value is unlocked.
The exact time it takes to unlock this amount depends on the banks or companies that manage the various cards, not us. The only thing we can do is give orders through the payment machine for the unlocking process.
Important note:
Some customers ask us the questions:
"When are you going to return the Security Deposit?"
or
- I cannot find on my statement the return of the Security Deposit.
These questions are not correctly formulated because:
- We cannot return a value we have never take.
- You will not find on your statement the return of this amount for the reason that it was never taken from your account. At the time of unlocking the pre-authorization the Security Deposit amount will simply be available again for you to use but it never left your account.
Is my drivers license valid to drive in Portugal?
The driving licenses of citizens of countries subscribing to the Convention on Road Traffic and/or the Convention on Traffic Circulation to which Portugal is a signatory are authorized for driving in Portugal.
Convention on Road Traffic, celebrated in Geneva on 19.09.1949, entering into force in Portugal on 27/01/1956 and the Convention on Traffic Circulation adopted in Vienna on 8 November 1968 (approved by Resolution of the Assembly of the Republic no. 107/2010, DR I, no. 178, of 13/09/2010.
Countries subscribing to one of the conventions:
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile, Congo, Ivory Coast, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic , Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Vatican, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka , Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tail India, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
If your driving licence is not in the Roman alphabet (i.e. if it is in Arabic, Greek, Cyrillic or Chinese), you are required to bring an International Driving Permit and your domestic licence. For driving licences from countries not part of the international driving licence treaty, an official translation of the licence must be presented with the original licence.
When renting within the EU, customers who do not hold a driving licence issued by an EU/EEA country or Switzerland must also present an International Driving Permit along with their domestic licence.
If you have any question that is not answered here, please send us a message and we will respond you as soon as possible.