Actually it's very much the norm to block a retainer on the card when you rent a car in most of Europe. The amount can vary depending on the rental company, th

Actually it's very much the norm to block a retainer on the card when you rent a car in most of Europe. The amount can vary depending on the rental company, the type of car and - obviously - the location and is usually an amount between 1'000 and 3'000 Euro. It's usually the amount of the deductible if you break the car. Some hotels will do that too. The amount is released after you return the car, but during the time of rental it's deducted from your card limit. E: clarification