Are you planning a trip in BlaBlaCar and have you wondered if you can pay outside the application? Careful! This can jeopardize your safety and protection during the trip. Today we tell you the risks and dangers of paying outside the BlaBlaCar application and why it is always better to use the platform to make secure transactions.
BlaBlaCar is a platform for carpooling (car sharing) that has revolutionized the way we travel by road. This application has connected millions of people around the world, offering an economical and ecological option for commuting. However, some passengers choose to pay outside of the app, either for save money or make a better deal with the driver. Although this may seem like a good idea at first, paying outside the app carries certain risks and dangers that can jeopardize your safety and security while traveling.
Scams, fake users, non-existent cars…
There are several dangers when paying a driver outside of the BlaBlaCar app. Some of them are:
Fraud: If you pay outside of the app, there is no way to guarantee that the driver will honor their part of the agreement. They may not show up to pick you up, cancel at the last minute or even not take you to your destination. It may also be the case that the driver has agreed on a trip with more people of the available places. Or that he determines a time to leave, and in reality it is a different one.
Not knowing the real identity: The BlaBlaCar platform makes sure to verify the identity of the driver and passenger. If you decide to pay outside of the app, you risk getting into a vehicle without actually knowing the identity of the driver.
Responsibility: If a problem occurs during the trip, such as an accident, if you pay outside the application, you will not be able to use the protection offered by BlaBlaCar in case of incidents. This could leave you exposed to greater risks. The cars are privately insured, but BlaBlaCar offers additional comprehensive insurance for passengers.
there will be no refund: When paying outside the application, you will not be able to access the guarantees offered by BlaBlaCar. For example, if the driver cancels the trip at the last minute, BlaBlaCar guarantees a refund. If you pay outside the application, you will not be able to access this guarantee. The same happens if you don’t show up or if you don’t answer.
For all these reasons, it is recommended to always use the BlaBlaCar application to pay for your trips and not make payments in cash or by other means outside from the platform. In this way, you will have greater security and peace of mind during your travels.
And if the place costs 0 euros?
Even if the driver has set the price of the seat to 0 euros in the BlaBlaCar application, it is always important to make the payment within the platform to obtain the benefits and protections that it offers. Many of the drivers complain that the app takes too long to transfer the money to them, which is why they look for alternative ways for a more direct payment. If this is the case and you do not trust it, it is best to look for another travel option. There are usually more shared cars traveling in the same direction.
Even if the driver charges you outside of the app, it’s still important to be aware of the risks that were mentioned in the previous answer. When making a payment outside of the app, there is no record of the transaction and you cannot prove that you have paid for the trip. This could result in an unfavorable situation if there is a problem during the trip, such as an accident or if the driver does not fulfill his part of the agreement.
Plus, out-of-app payments are not supervised by BlaBlaCarwhich means that you will not be able to use the guarantees and protections offered by the platform in case of any incident.
