Alamo with a debit card

[Bowen9475]

Are you able to pay for a rental car through Alamo with a debit card? On their website I have found information that both says you can and that you can't.

 

[thumbalyna]

i asked them this directly last year and their response was just as confusing. I was told it depends on the person who is working the counter when you arrive, sometimes they will do a credit check to determine if they need to place a higher hold on your card. I told them since this card is attached to my bank account this is something i would need to know prior to arriving, they told me there was no way to know ahead of time. I also had family members use their debit card and the only person who asked to see the card was at the gate on the way out of the parking garage.

 

[momto2inKC]

We have done this several times with no issues. Just like paying with a credit card, no deposit is taken. They do a 'hold' on the exact amount of the rental and when you return the car the payment is processed.

 

[goofy4tink]

You can rent through Alamo, without a regular credit card, if you have proof of round trip flights. This is the main reason I use Alamo. I no longer have a regular credit card, only a debit card. So, now I just show them the r/t itinerary and I'm good to go.

 

[gmeh1]

You can rent through Alamo, without a regular credit card, if you have proof of round trip flights. This is the main reason I use Alamo. I no longer have a regular credit card, only a debit card. So, now I just show them the r/t itinerary and I'm good to go.

You are absolutely correct regarding this. I will add, proof of round trip transportation via bus, train or plane is acceptable. I do it every day and we only place a hold on the amount of the rental and we do NOT do a credit check, that is something Dollar and a few others do.

 

[GirlDreamer]

That's weird, in 2009 there was no way I was allowed to use my debit card. Even though I had rented cars there several times before. It was really upsetting as I had booked time off from worked and had planned a weekend in Miami. And money was really no issue, I just didn't have enough money on the credit card, and as that card was Norwegian I couldn't just transfer the money either.

 

[gmeh1]

That's weird, in 2009 there was no way I was allowed to use my debit card. Even though I had rented cars there several times before. It was really upsetting as I had booked time off from worked and had planned a weekend in Miami. And money was really no issue, I just didn't have enough money on the credit card, and as that card was Norwegian I couldn't just transfer the money either.

As I said, proof of round trip transportation needs to be shown and FL residents cannot pay for car rentals in FL with a debit card unless they have proof of a round trip. Alamo and National have always had this rule..... well, at least since the late 1990's. Before I worked there and lived in FL, I rented from them often and always used my debit card.

 

[goofy4tink]

Back about 3 or 4 years ago, we had to rent a car. Alamo, at MCO, gave us the very best rate...hugely less than everyone else. So, we booked a car service to get us to the Swan, and then back to MCO again. I had to go to SW and print out my return itinerary before Alamo would rent to us....and of course, I had to go to the SW counter since I couldn't do that at a kiosk..huge pain in the rear end. Took forever. But....if you have that r/t itinerary to show, you're good to go.

 

[lylone]

As a previous Employer of Enterprise and Budget, I would never use a debit card for a car rental. Since a debit card is tied directly to your checking account, it can be an accident waiting to happen. I have seen MANY customers who no matter how you explain to them that there will be a hold on funds in their checking account, they don't seem to understand. And then once the rental is over, it can take days for the hold to come off. The delay on the hold coming off is not the rental company's fault but the creditors procedures that are in the way.
I would definitely use a credit card. If you don't carry a credit card when you traveler it may be a good idea to get one. I have a small $500 credit limit on one just for car rentals and ordering items on line.
Debit cards can be very convenient for your use, but it is also very convenient for others to steal your numbers and use as well.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

As a previous Employer of Enterprise and Budget, I would never use a debit card for a car rental. Since a debit card is tied directly to your checking account, it can be an accident waiting to happen. I have seen MANY customers who no matter how you explain to them that there will be a hold on funds in their checking account, they don't seem to understand. And then once the rental is over, it can take days for the hold to come off. The delay on the hold coming off is not the rental company's fault but the creditors procedures that are in the way.
I would definitely use a credit card. If you don't carry a credit card when you traveler it may be a good idea to get one. I have a small $500 credit limit on one just for car rentals and ordering items on line.
Debit cards can be very convenient for your use, but it is also very convenient for others to steal your numbers and use as well.

It's not even about holds, but incidental damages and other issues, it's one thing to tie up credit if something goes wrong, but your cash, completey different.

I would NEVER recommend renting a car with a debit card, EVER.

As a personally close example, my sister-in-law rented a car last September and something happened with the deposit and it kept applying a deposit on her debit account. Now granted, the deposit/hold would naturally fall off after a few days, but what happened was for a few days, it locked out every available dollar from her checking account. Now, she didn't have any checks/debits that needed to be processed during that time, so she was fine, but for a few days, she really had zero access to her cash.

 

[GirlDreamer]

I don't own a credit card and will never get one. So I'll have to use my debit card, but that's alright, I have different accounts I can use, so it's no biggie. Does anyone know how much they usually hold on your account though? Don't want to risk loosing a rental due to not having the right amount of money in the right account

 

[gmeh1]

I don't own a credit card and will never get one. So I'll have to use my debit card, but that's alright, I have different accounts I can use, so it's no biggie. Does anyone know how much they usually hold on your account though? Don't want to risk loosing a rental due to not having the right amount of money in the right account

I can only speak for Alamo, they hold the exact amount of your rental.
And, they don't put a hold on the account until you drive out with the car.

Other rental companies have their terms listed on their websites.

 

[gmeh1]

As a previous Employer of Enterprise and Budget, I would never use a debit card for a car rental. Since a debit card is tied directly to your checking account, it can be an accident waiting to happen. I have seen MANY customers who no matter how you explain to them that there will be a hold on funds in their checking account, they don't seem to understand. And then once the rental is over, it can take days for the hold to come off. The delay on the hold coming off is not the rental company's fault but the creditors procedures that are in the way.
I would definitely use a credit card. If you don't carry a credit card when you traveler it may be a good idea to get one. I have a small $500 credit limit on one just for car rentals and ordering items on line.
Debit cards can be very convenient for your use, but it is also very convenient for others to steal your numbers and use as well.

While this is good advice, some people do not want a credit card. Credit card numbers are very easy to steal also. Both cards (if you read the terms) offer pretty much the same protection. I know mine does.
Budget does things differently than Enterprise. Comparing their terms is like comparing Apples to oranges. Bottom line, read the terms before you commit.

 

[momto2inKC]

I don't own a credit card and will never get one. So I'll have to use my debit card, but that's alright, I have different accounts I can use, so it's no biggie. Does anyone know how much they usually hold on your account though? Don't want to risk loosing a rental due to not having the right amount of money in the right account

They've only ever held the actual amount of our rental. And like gmeh1 said, it's not put on your card until you are there picking up the car.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

While this is good advice, some people do not want a credit card. Credit card numbers are very easy to steal also. Both cards (if you read the terms) offer pretty much the same protection. I know mine does.

Legally there is a big difference between a credit card and debit card and protections legally provided are much better on credit cards. Credit card numbers are no easier to steal than debit card numbers and credit is much easier to replace than cash in a debit account linked to a debit card.

I never understood people's aversion to credit cards, they really are the best tool to use for many transactions.

 

[Fire14]

I had to use Debit card once at Alamo CCC and I just showedf my return airline interary.