Your customer account says the deposit was released, but you cannot see any money on your bank account? In most cases nothing is wrong. What you see depends on how the deposit was provided at pick-up.
"Released" is usually not a bank transfer
For most customers the deposit was never actually withdrawn from your account. It was blocked (reserved) on your credit or debit card. Releasing it means we cancel that reservation - no money is transferred, because no money was taken.
Important: Many banks do not show this as a refund like "+ 800 EUR". They simply remove the blocked amount from your pending transactions. So if you are looking for an incoming payment, you may find nothing - and still have your money back. When in doubt, ask your bank about the status of the pre-authorization, not about an incoming transfer.
What to expect, depending on your card
Credit card (Visa / Mastercard, Amex in the USA)
The amount was blocked at pick-up. After the release, the block disappears from your card - there is no incoming payment to wait for. Some banks take a few days to show the block as removed.
Debit card - amount was blocked
Same as the credit card: the reservation is cancelled, no transfer happens.
Debit card or EC/Girocard - amount was debited
Some debit cards and all EC/Girocards cannot block an amount, so the deposit was actually withdrawn from your account. In this case you will receive a real refund. This can take up to 6-8 weeks. The sender on your statement is Adyen / roadsurfer - check for that name, not "roadsurfer" alone.
Not sure which case applies to you? Your bank statement from the pick-up day tells you: if the amount was actually withdrawn back then, you are in the refund case; if it only appeared as reserved/pending, you are in the release case.
When is the deposit released?
- No damage found: immediately after the incoming damage check, 24-48 hours after return.
- Damage found: our experts need 5-14 working days to review it; the deposit stays blocked until the review is complete.
- In any case, the deposit is released no later than 30 days after collection.
You can follow the current status anytime in your customer account: Check the status of the deposit
When should you contact us?
Get in touch if:
- your deposit was debited (not blocked) and more than 8 weeks have passed since the release, or
- your deposit was blocked, the status shows released, and your bank confirms the pre-authorization is still active more than 10 days later, or
- your bank requires proof from us: our support team can export a confirmation from our payment system showing that the release or refund was executed. You can share this document with your bank.
Still need help? Just ask Lea, our chat-based AI assistant. Lea helps you right away and can open a ticket for our customer service if needed.
Tip: asking your bank about the pre-authorization first is usually the fastest way to clear things up - most "missing" deposits are blocks that were already removed.