easyCar launches no cancellation fee policy

In its latest bid to help consumers ease the credit crunch, international car rental broker easyCar.com is launching a generous no cancellation fee policy. Consumers can now cancel their car hire completely free of charge within seven days of placing a booking. And even if cancellation falls beyond the seven day limit, for a minimal £7.50 fee, consumers will be offered a cancellation option up to 24 hours before the pickup time and date.

To ensure the company is able to offer the best deals to consumers during these troubled economic times, easyCar conducted a survey into current British holidaymaking habits. The survey reveals that luxury long-haul travel is making way for cheaper Eastern European destinations - Romania now among the top holiday destinations for British drivers, experiencing a +540 per cent growth in car rentals over the past year.

Also enjoying increasing popularity are Norway (+345 per cent) and Finland (+195 per cent), the Czech Republic (+129% per cent), Portugal (+196 per cent) and Israel (+418 per cent): all proving that people are stretching their imaginations as well as the pound when looking at destinations.

Saturday night take ME away!
The easyCar.com survey also reveals a third (33 per cent) of all its holiday bookings are being made at 10pm on Saturday nights – the credit crunch may be changing British social habits, but we’re still dreaming of our holidays.

Nearly half (45 per cent) of Brits admit they won’t let the cold economic climate freeze their plans to head to warmer shores. Instead they are adapting plans to fit in with the recession - 43 per cent are planning to opt for cheaper accommodation and travel, and a cheery 40 per cent agree that taking a less luxurious holiday than usual won’t affect their enjoyment.

We’re also putting more thought into how we source holidays - a massive 84 per cent of us check out deals on up to 10 websites before making a decision on our travel provider, and 79 per cent are using the internet more than a year ago.

easyCar.com CEO Bill Jones comments “While the credit crunch is indeed causing people to think more about how they are spending, it’s not dampening the nation’s holiday spirit. Instead of seeing customers stall their plans to go away, they’re opting for locations that will make their money go further and becoming more adventurous in the process.

“However, at easyCar we also know that people are having to adapt to changing financial circumstances so we’re introducing benefits like our refundable cancellation policy* to ensure our customers are ready for whatever the economy has to throw at them!”

* Terms and conditions apply.