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The essentials in three lines

  • At Carsalis, no payment is requested on the website: you never enter your bank card details online.
  • The booking is made via WhatsApp or email, then paid by bank transfer, or on arrival in cash or by card (+ 5%), subject to approval at confirmation.
  • No deposit, no card pre-authorisation: no sum is held on top of the hire price.

You've found the car you need for your holiday in Agadir. When it comes to booking, a hire website asks you for a card number, immediate payment, sometimes a sum held “as a guarantee”. Paying up front on a foreign website, without having seen the vehicle or spoken to anyone, is not reassuring. There is another way of doing things. In Agadir, car hire without online payment is possible. Here is how it works at Carsalis, based on our own terms and conditions.

What “without online payment” really means

On carsalis.com, there is no checkout process. You won't find a bank card form or a “pay now” button. Our FAQ says it in one sentence: no online payment is required. You never enter your bank details on our website, neither when you make your request nor afterwards.

In practice, the booking starts with a message. You write to us on WhatsApp at +212 648 291 116 or at info@carsalis.com, with your dates, your pick-up location and the type of vehicle you want. We reply about availability and the rate, usually within a minute. Payment comes afterwards, by the agreed method. No amount is charged automatically.

Why online payment often comes with a sum held on your account

To gauge what you are avoiding, look at the usual mechanism. As a rule, an online car hire payment goes hand in hand with a card pre-authorisation, also known as a card hold. The hire company asks your bank to hold a sum on your account. This sum is not debited, but it is no longer available to you. According to Propulse by CA, Crédit Agricole's online banking offer, this hold often lasts between five and eleven days, and can reach thirty days depending on the merchant's terms.

This mechanism requires a bank card, a sufficient limit and some patience when you return. If you are travelling with a debit card or a low limit, that is exactly what you are trying to avoid. At Carsalis, there is no deposit and no card pre-authorisation. No sum is held on top of the hire price, which you know before you confirm.

The booking, step by step

The process takes four steps. It is the same at Al Massira airport or at your hotel.

Step one: the request. You tell us the vehicle you want, the departure and return dates and times, the pick-up and return locations and, if you are arriving by plane, your flight number and landing time. Step two: our reply. We confirm whether the car is available and at what rate. Step three: the documents. You send us on WhatsApp a copy of your passport, both sides of your driving licence and your phone number, so that the contract can be prepared before you arrive. Step four: payment, by the method agreed at confirmation.

At none of these steps are you asked to pay on a web page. Everything happens by message, with a real person replying to you.

What you still need to prepare

Booking without paying online does not mean booking with nothing at all. The main driver must be at least 21 years old and have held their licence for two years. A second driver is possible, for an extra charge. Your valid European driving licence is enough: Moroccan law 52-05, in its article 2, allows a foreigner on a temporary stay to drive with a valid foreign licence for a maximum of one year. An international driving permit is not a legal requirement for a licence written in Latin characters; some countries recommend it.

Delivery is free in Agadir: Al Massira airport, hotel, city centre or home address. For Marrakech, Essaouira, the Souss region and Taroudant, a surcharge of 60 € per journey applies. The rate quoted at confirmation includes unlimited kilometres, civil liability (you have third-party insurance) and 24-hour assistance. What may be added on return is written in our hire terms: fuel not returned at the departure level, cleaning if the car comes back with sand or rubbish, a full day charged beyond two hours' delay without letting us know.

What this changes on the day you arrive

On the day, no sum is held on your card before the keys are handed over. The contract has been prepared from the documents sent on WhatsApp. If you have paid by bank transfer, all that remains is the check-out inspection and the signature. If you have agreed to pay on arrival, payment is made when the vehicle is handed over, at the amount quoted.

After that, the rules are the same for everyone. A hire day is 24 hours. Fuel is returned at the level recorded at departure. Fines received during the hire are paid by the hirer. None of this goes through a card pre-authorisation: we talk it through with you, as we have done since the very first message.

The three ways to pay for your hire

We accept three payment methods. Secure bank transfer is the one we prefer: it avoids any handling of cash on your arrival. We send you our bank details with the availability confirmation; the booking is firm as soon as the transfer is received. European bank transfers are accepted.

The other two methods are used on arrival, subject to conditions. Cash is possible if it was approved at confirmation. Bank card is too, with an additional 5% bank fee. In every case, the payment method is agreed before you arrive, not improvised when the keys are handed over. That is what makes car hire without online payment possible in Agadir: an agency you can reach and written terms.

Payment method When Condition Fees
Bank transfer Before arrival, after availability is confirmed Preferred method, European transfers accepted No surcharge on our side
Cash On arrival, when the vehicle is handed over Subject to conditions, to be approved at confirmation No surcharge
Bank card On arrival, when the vehicle is handed over Subject to conditions, to be approved at confirmation + 5% bank fee

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to pay a deposit to secure the car?

No. Carsalis does not ask for a deposit or any form of security payment. With a bank transfer, the booking is confirmed as soon as it is received. If payment on arrival has been agreed, the booking is validated by message at confirmation.

Can I pay in cash when I arrive in Agadir?

Yes, subject to conditions: this payment method must be approved when your booking is confirmed. Say so when you make your request.

Is it less safe to book without paying online?

For your bank details, it is the opposite: no card details pass through our website. You are dealing with an agency established in Agadir since 2008, and you receive written confirmation before paying anything at all.

Sources

Written by the Carsalis team, in Agadir. We have been hiring out cars from our agency at 4 Bis rue Moulay Driss since 2008. What you read here comes from our own hire terms and from what our customers ask us every week on WhatsApp.

A question about your hire in Agadir? Write to us on WhatsApp at +212 648 291 116, or use our booking request. We usually reply within a minute, and we tell you honestly whether the car is available or not.

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