H

Helmut Alazem

Costa Rica

March 15, 2026

One-Dollar Freeze

I started with a problem. I really wanted to drive in Costa Rica but paying the full rental at once felt heavy on my credit card. On the QEEQ site I saw something called One-Dollar Freeze and I got very curious. In my head I kept asking. Is it really only 1 dollar now. Will there be trouble later. Then I still chose it. When I booked the car the screen showed the prepaid amount was really 1 dollar. I stared at my phone for a few seconds and asked myself again. Is it really this simple. That night was just normal. I sat at my table at home with Costa Rica travel notes open beside me. I suddenly felt much more relaxed because I did not need to use a lot of credit at once. I just needed to lock the car first. Some weeks later I started to prepare for the trip for real. I thought about picking up a Nissan Kicks at San Jose. I imagined that morning around February twenty eighth. The air at the airport is warm. I push my suitcase to the rental counter. In my mind I say to myself. Good thing I only froze 1 dollar at the start. Now I already saved the rest on my card. The rest of the payment was charged automatically before the rental. I did not need to move money around in a rush. One day before the trip I got a message from my bank. The rest of the rental was charged. I asked myself again. Is there any extra fee. Did they charge more. I checked the booking and the payment line by line. The amount was the same as I saw when I booked. There was no interest and no strange fee. At that moment I finally felt safe. This step by step charge was really good for someone like me who needs to watch my budget. When it got close to early March I imagined myself driving the Nissan Kicks on the roads in Costa Rica. The wind comes in through the window and I suddenly remember that I only paid 1 dollar at the start. I feel a bit proud of that choice and also very glad that this payment way exists. I could lock in the car first then arrange the rest of the money slowly. My credit card did not feel so tight all at once.