Wisecars.com Review

About a week ago, I booked a trip to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. When I travel, I usually like to rent a car, and I rent a car almost every time I travel.

I’ve booked car rentals using various different services such as Hertz, Enterprise, AVIS, Budget, and other car rental places that are not part of the airport car rentals. I usually go with something like Turo as it is quick and convenient, but the only problem with it is that Turo mostly has a large selection of availability inside the United States; anything outside of the states is limited with options and sometimes with no results.

This time, I decided to book a car rental for one week using something I’ve never used before: Wisecars.com. The website seemed pretty legit; it looked good, had good prices, so I decided to make an online reservation for my convenience.

The Booking Process

Their website is super friendly; you just type in the dates you will need the car rented, and results will appear.

I ended up booking a Hyundai Sonata for a total of 7 days.

Once you are at the checkout, you will be presented with two options before booking the car. Option #1 is your regular booking, which includes free cancellation for up to 48 hours, a road licensing fee, and the ability to drive the car with unlimited mileage.

Now, option #2 is the premium package, and basically, the difference between the standard package and this is that the premium package gives you a Collision Damage Waiver. On their website, they say, “The Collision Damage Waiver limits your responsibility for any damage to your car’s bodywork. The most you would pay is your Damage Excess – this waiver would pay the rest.”

I ended up picking the Option #2.

They also try to upsell you with this once you select the premium option. I don’t think this is necessary, as the only time you would need something like this is if you can’t make it on the flight, miss a flight, decide that you no longer want to drive, or, God forbid, have some kind of medical emergency.

You can also choose this $35 package they offer, which basically gives you protection in case there is an unexpected accident, such as losing keys, a damaged tire, or any other minor problems that might occur during your rental period.

I ended up adding this to our package.

Our total came out $723.80

Right after providing the payment details and completing the payment. I received the email titled: “Wisecars Rental Reservation Confirmation for Saint Thomas Airport, US Virgin Islands.” Along with my booking number.

On the bottom of the confirmation email there was disclaimer.

Follow up email after the confirmation featured “Important information”.

Wisecars is a 3rd Party Affiliate Website

Based on the provided information in this email, I detected that Wisecars was not the direct provider of the rental car but rather a third-party source or intermediary. This conclusion was drawn from several key points from the important information email:

1. The mention of “some suppliers” having extra requirements suggests that Wisecars works with multiple car rental providers, indicating its role as an intermediary rather than the direct rental service.
2. The advice to consider buying the car rental company’s waiver if a collision damage waiver is not included in the reservation further implies that Wisecars facilitates the booking with car rental companies but does not directly offer these waivers itself.
3. The instruction to contact the car rental company in case of being late for pick-up indicates that the final rental agreement and vehicle provision are managed by the car rental company, not Wisecars.

I felt that overall tone and content of the information provided from Wisecars sounded as more as an advisor or facilitator of the rental process, guiding me through the steps and considerations of renting a car through another company.

48 Hours Before Arrival At The Saint Thomas Airport, US Virgin Islands

I received an email with a subjectline: This is your Budget reference number

There I clicked the “ACCESS YOUR VOUCHER HERE” a text featured on the blue botton above in the screenshot.

Instructions for pick-up and drop-off

Pick-up info – Terminal

Your rental car is provided by Budget

Cyril E. King Airport, Charlotte Amalie West, St. Thomas, 00802, Virgin Islands (U.S.)

Supplier reference number

Business hours on pick-up day: 08:00 AM – 07:00 PM

Supplier’s note

• COUNTER: Inside the airport terminal in the baggage claim area.
• CARS: Cars are on airport property within walking distance.
• RETURNS: Follow signs to rental car return. Park in any Budget space, return keys and contract to rental counter for check-in.
• AFTER-HOURS RETURNS: Park & lock the car. Place the completed contract & the keys in the key drop box. The key drop box is located in front of the counter inside the terminal. Remember to take your personal belongings with you.

Arrival At St. Thomas Cyril E. King Airport

First of all, I want to emphasize that I was in line for about more than 2 hours. Every other car rental brand, such as Hertz or Avis, was taking care of their customers very quickly. And there were hardly any lines people were waiting in for those brands. Budget, on the other hand, had such a long line that those who were in line in front of me and behind me started to have their wives buy them some cocktails, and went through a few cups before arriving at the front desk.

Additional Fees by Budget

Despite me booking a Hyundai Sonata and receiving a confirmation, Budget representatives told me that they would have to give me a different car, a KIA that looks similar to Hyundai Sonata.

I didn’t make a big deal about it as I needed a car. So, I ended up agreeing.

Even though I booked a car with everything I would need, they made me pay for a deposit of $100 and $299 for standard insurance that covers the collision. They told me this was absolutely necessary and didn’t matter if I had paid for the car beforehand; I had to pay. They also mentioned that once I returned the car a few days later, I would get my $100 credited back to my credit card.

I felt that this was not right. I think Wisecars should have mentioned that there would be these additional fees in detail, instead, they said, “additional fees may apply.”

Overall Review of Wisecars.com

I wouldn’t say that I got scammed booking on Wisecars at all, but I did have a mixed experience with both Wisecars and Budget. I don’t think there is anything wrong with using Wisecars to book the rentals with; everything is pretty straightforward and super user-friendly. However, my experience revealed that Wisecars operates as a third-party intermediary between customers and car rental providers, which in this case was Budget. This distinction became clear to me through follow-up communications and the terms outlined in the email confirmation after the booking was made.

Upon arrival at the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, customers faced a significantly long wait time at the Budget counter, compared to other car rental brands which were moving way quicker. Despite having a confirmed booking for a Hyundai Sonata, Budget informed me of a vehicle change to a similar model, a KIA, due to availability issues. And unexpected fees were imposed at the time of pickup, including a $100 deposit and $299 for standard collision insurance, despite the prior payment and the selection of a comprehensive insurance package through Wisecars.

I personally felt that Wisecars should have been a little more transparent about the potential for additional fees charged by the car rental provider instead of featuring a vague statement like “additional fees may apply”. Along with a little more transparency like, there might be longer wait times, and possibilities of vehicle substitutions should be clearly communicated. I am giving both Wisecars and Budget a “3” star rating out of 5 stars.