no credit card, visa debit card only for National rental car HELP!

[deelovesdis]

hello, I want to rent a car at MCO with national. I am an Emerald Aisle member and have rented in the past with a regular credit card. I no longer have one,I only have a Visa logo debit card.

What do I do?> Has anyone else had to deal with this? Can I prepay ?

HELP!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Did you check National's website for rental policies? Chances are they address this issue; I know Alamo does. If you're renting from Alamo with a debit card, you need proof of round-trip transportation.
I don't think prepaying would help - you'd still need to show a credit card, if National's policy is different.

 

[disneyldwjr]

hello, I want to rent a car at MCO with national. I am an Emerald Aisle member and have rented in the past with a regular credit card. I no longer have one,I only have a Visa logo debit card.

What do I do?> Has anyone else had to deal with this? Can I prepay ?

HELP!!

The rules for a debit card with a MC or Visa logo are on the site. I suggest you print them out for the agent to read. Sometimes they are totally unaware of the rules.
Also, you will have to do something about your profile because it does contain the information about your credit card that you no longer have.
You cannot put in your debit card info. The rules cover that also.
I think you have to have a credit card on file to use the EC.
I also think you need to call the EC and find out what to do.

 

[deelovesdis]

The system at national took my credit /debit card info. I called National and they said I needed to show them my roundtrip air ticket and a utility bill, she said without the utility bill forget it.




Dee

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oh, wow, THAT'S interesting! I can see why, though - it more likely proves that you live somewhere else. Otherwise, for the price of a couple of round-trip tickets (I'll figure out how later and edit this post - or maybe I won't, don't wanna give anyone ideas) someone could "acquire" an almost-new, low-mileage vehicle...

 

[disneyldwjr]

The system at national took my credit /debit card info. I called National and they said I needed to show them my roundtrip air ticket and a utility bill, she said without the utility bill forget it.

Dee, perhaps that agent needs to read what National has on their site.
Also, it states that if you try to use your debit card in your registration it will void your rentals.
From their website:re debit cards: When renting in the U.S., debit and check cards may only be used in conjunction with proof of a round trip travel ticket (airline, cruise ship or train) at time of rental.

A debit/check card is considered to be any non-credit card bearing the Visa or MasterCard logo.

Any other non-credit card without the Visa or MasterCard logo is not accepted.

For pick-ups in the United States, without proof of roundtrip ticket, debit or check cards are only accepted when returning the vehicle.

A credit card in the name of the renter must be presented at the time of pick-up.

However, the rules for a cash rental require a utility bill.

I am truly amazed at the amount of misinformation comes from these agents since they started to outsource the Customer service to places like India.

 

[deelovesdis]

so are you saying i cannot rent a car with a debit card? what do i do? i do not have a credit card, i did read the policy, but it was confusing, so i called national, and the agent told me it was ok, now what would i do??

 

[Corryn]

I know how you feel!
About eight years ago, we did not have credit cards. When we decided I would stay home while the kids were babies, we cut them up and cancelled them so we wouldn't get into trouble. When I went back to work we were so used to the cash thing, and I used my Debit for Everything!

I made reservations Months in advance and there was never anything said by the rep. that Debit cards were not accepted. We went to the rental counter to pick up the mini van at our local airport to drive down to Disney (you know, with Unlimited Mileage!) Me and DH get to the counter that morning and they tell us, Sorry, you need a Credit Card!
After going bonkers (not getting nasty) for a couple of hours (!) and explaining we were picking the kids up from school to drive down to Disney, they finageled and they set us up with the same van, same unbelievably low rate with a different rental company in the same terminal who DID accept Debit Cards. Those customer service reps were wonderful! Different Companies but they all worked Together to Help Us Out!
At the time, Debit cards weren't really as popular as they are now.

I would scour the web and see who Does Accept Debit Cards. You might not get the same rate, but hopefully you will get the rental.
Good Luck!

 

[PooohBear]

I have rented several times through Alamo with a debit card and never had a problem, so if you are worried about it, switch to Alamo !

 

[Blueberry]

I have rented three times with a debit card from National at MCO, no one ever asked to see a utility bill or anything other than my DHs driver license. I would not worry over it, but carry a copy of a utility bill with you..just in case. It was fairly recently we rented from them in May, so unless policies changed drastically since then.....do not worry...

 

[disneyldwjr]

I have rented several times through Alamo with a debit card and never had a problem, so if you are worried about it, switch to Alamo !

it is the same company with the same rules.

 

[disneyldwjr]

so are you saying i cannot rent a car with a debit card? what do i do? i do not have a credit card, i did read the policy, but it was confusing, so i called national, and the agent told me it was ok, now what would i do??

Where did you read that you cannot do that? IF EC took the debit card info you should be fine. You know, this is all very well explained on the web site.
And, it will be more accurate than calling someone at National.

 

[msinformation]

I have a friend who was dealing with this issue recently. She was moving and had her car completely break at the same time, so she had no way to get around and run her last minute errands.

According to her, yes the rules at most (if not all?) rental companies prohibit you from using debit cards if you don't have a round trip air ticket to/from that location. I think there was also a significant deposit required. BUT, after discussing it with the agent she was able to convince them to rent her a car for a few days. Of course, I wouldn't count on finding an agent who will do that.

She finally moved last week and had to rent a car in her new location as well. She did find a company who rents with debit cards, but you have to pay a VERY large deposit, and there may have been some other restrictions. I'm sorry I don't know what company that was. (If I can get a hold of my friend I'll ask!) You might want to try exploring the company websites to see if any mention such a policy.

 

[PooohBear]

it is the same company with the same rules.

Sorry but that's not true, the rules are not the same, I have rented from both and had a MUCH easier time renting with Alamo, at National I was asked for other "proof" with my debit card, with Alamo I was asked for nothing else for "proof"

 

[Happy vacationer]

We rented through National and used Emerald Aisle at the end of July at MCO. I had entered my visa debit card info in my profile when I made my reservation and when we presented the card at the gate we had absolutely no problem. Now Nick Hotel was a different story, they would only recognize it as a debit card but National ran it through as credit (which my card does work both ways but either way still comes out of my checking). I even got the 1 free day for paying with my visa card.

 

[mzlee]

I rented with Alamo just recently (Aug 06) with a visa debit card and had no problem. Although I purchased through Priceline, which also stated that proof of a round trip ticket may need to be provided, the agent only asked for my driver's liscense and visa debit card.

 

[disneyldwjr]

Sorry but that's not true, the rules are not the same, I have rented from both and had a MUCH easier time renting with Alamo, at National I was asked for other "proof" with my debit card, with Alamo I was asked for nothing else for "proof"

Well, if you read the rules on both web sites, they are the same. Perhaps you ran into an agent that did not know the rules, which many do not.
I have also rented from both, have printed the exact rules from the two sites and have had NO problem with either.

From Alamo:
Debit Cards


When renting in the U.S., debit and check cards may only be used in conjunction with proof of a round trip travel ticket (airline, cruise ship or train) at time of rental.

A debit/check card is considered to be any non-credit card bearing the Visa or MasterCard logo. Any other non-credit card without the Visa or MasterCard logo is not accepted.

For pick-ups in the United States, without proof of roundtrip ticket, debit or check cards are only accepted when returning the vehicle. A credit card in the name of the renter must be presented at the time of pick-up (unless city specific exceptions apply as stated below.)

All Alamo locations in Manhattan do NOT accept debit cards at the time of rental. They are accepted at the time of return only

Alamo locations in Canada will now accept debit cards for payment at the time of rental if the debit card was issued in the U.S., and if the renter has proof of round trip travel.

Debit cards that are issued in Canada are not accepted by Alamo at the time of rental or return.

Alamo locations in Canada will now accept debit cards for payment at the time of rental if the debit card was issued in the Europe, and if the renter has proof of round trip travel.

U.S. travelers cannot use their debit cards at European locations.


Debit cards are not currently accepted in South Africa, Latin America & Caribbean locations

For city specific exceptions to the Debit Card Policy, please click on the appropriate link below.

From National:

When renting in the U.S., debit and check cards may only be used in conjunction with proof of a round trip travel ticket (airline, cruise ship or train) at time of rental.

A debit/check card is considered to be any non-credit card bearing the Visa or MasterCard logo.

Any other non-credit card without the Visa or MasterCard logo is not accepted.

For pick-ups in the United States, without proof of roundtrip ticket, debit or check cards are only accepted when returning the vehicle.

A credit card in the name of the renter must be presented at the time of pick-up.

However, the rules for a cash rental require a utility bill.

The way I read this, they are the same.
We are discussing policy, NOT personal experiences.

 

[disneyldwjr]

We rented through National and used Emerald Aisle at the end of July at MCO. I had entered my visa debit card info in my profile when I made my reservation and when we presented the card at the gate we had absolutely no problem. Now Nick Hotel was a different story, they would only recognize it as a debit card but National ran it through as credit (which my card does work both ways but either way still comes out of my checking). I even got the 1 free day for paying with my visa card.

Its funny that some will be accepted on your profile and some won't. I believe it is the way it is coded.
All debit (with Visa or MC logo) cards regardless of how they are used are zipped out of your checking account. The purpose of a debit card is to be able to use it as a charge or direct debit. Personally, I think they are GREAT.

 

[tracys2cents]

Supposedly National and Alamo are the same company, in most locations they share the same desk space, even the same employees running the desk, they hop from one computer to the other. I've heard people say that they've shown up with a National reservation, couldn't use a debit card, but were told to move three steps down because they could use it with Alamo!

 

[tracys2cents]

deelovesdis you should be fine since you have a VisaLogo debit card. You just need to show proof of round-trip air ticket.....so bring a printout of your e-ticket with you. Your boarding pass will only have the one-way info on it.