car rental with a debit card

[sdoll]

we are renting a car on our upcoming vacation. We are going cash only. I would prefer to rent my car with our debit card vs. our credit card. Is it possible to pay with debit but put the hold on our credit card? I hate the thought of our money being on hold for the duration of our vacation.

 

[OneThree]

we are renting a car on our upcoming vacation. We are going cash only. I would prefer to rent my car with our debit card vs. our credit card. Is it possible to pay with debit but put the hold on our credit card? I hate the thought of our money being on hold for the duration of our vacation.

I believe it depends on the car rental agency. Budget allows you to pay with cash/debit after holding with a credit but they make you jump through hoops first to "pre-qualify" weeks in advance. It would probably be easier to set aside the cash for the rental car, use the credit card to reserve/pay and then take the cash and pay off the credit card charge.

Good luck!

 

[tiggergal15]

I'd call the company you are considering renting from. There is a process and they will still put a large hold on your card anyway. Call and ask their policy and process and go from there.

 

[angierae]

In 2013 I rented with Alamo at MCO. I used my debit card. They did put a cash hold on the card and I can't remember exactly but I'm fairly sure it was under $200. I just budgeted for it.

 

[Ladyhawke]

we are renting a car on our upcoming vacation. We are going cash only. I would prefer to rent my car with our debit card vs. our credit card. Is it possible to pay with debit but put the hold on our credit card? I hate the thought of our money being on hold for the duration of our vacation.

Yes, Enterprise does this - or used to years ago when we had a credit card. Our credit card had a yearly fee, so we had canceled it and started paying things totally with our debit card, since pretty much, everywhere else will take debit cards as a "credit card," even airlines.

Enterprise didn't care HOW we paid in the end, just as long as the transaction goes through. You could even put a hold on the car with one credit card, and then later pay it with a different card.

But, you might want to call the Enterprise location where you will be renting the car from.

 

[POOHsie]

Just a memory from about 1990 when we lived in Miami. I was mostly using my Debit Card then, but I had a CC with a low limit. DD5 and I were going to WDW for the weekend. I had an older car, so based on an ad in the paper, I arranged a rental from Enterprise with my Debit Card. When I arrived to pick up the car, I was denied the rental for insufficient Debit Card balance. I was flabbergasted, and I asked them how much hold they put on my card. They told me $1000! I didn't have that much extra in my checking account. After all, this was 25 years ago.

My first thought was our trip was ruined. Then I gathered my composure and drove down the street to another agency. There's lots of them in Miami. I got a car right away, reasonable price, minimal hold, and we were off. I thought later -- what if I had enough to cover the extra 1K, but didn't realize how much Enterprise had held from my account? I had planned to use the Debit Card for all our WDW trip expenses -- hotel, food, gas. Those trip charges would have been denied, for sure, after Enterprise got through overcharging me. I've never been back to Enterprise since.

 

[scrapquitler]

If you are concerned with the hold amount, why not just use the credit card instead? If you pay the balance of your bill before the payment due date, you don't get charged any interest, so I don't see an advantage to using the debit and risking having a hold put on money you might want to access during your tip.

 

[NinaBella]

If you have a Gold or Platinum credit card, you will want to use that credit card. The Gold and Platinum credit cards provide extra insurance coverage if you rent the car with it. Call the card company (or google) for more details. I can save you money in the long run if you need to file a claim.

Personally, I think the Collision Damage / Loss of Use Waiver is worth it. This coverage protects you if the rental car is damaged and needs repairs. Basically, if the rental car company can't rent the car out because it has to go into the shop for repairs, they can charge you a daily fee for every day they can not rent the car to a new customer. The Collision Damage / Loss of Use Waiver protects you from their daily fees for them not being able to rent the vehicle to the next customer.

http://thepointsguy.com/2015/07/credit-cards-that-offer-primary-car-rental-coverage/


http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-card-benefits/rental-car-insurance/

 

[Ladyhawke]

If you have a Gold or Platinum credit card, you will want to use that credit card. The Gold and Platinum credit cards provide extra insurance coverage if you rent the car with it.

I've learned from a friend's past experience to never count on this. He had rented a car and didn't take the rental insurance. Unfortunately, he also didn't have the type of credit card to give him extra insurance through the credit card company. He had parked the car in a lot, thinking it would be quite safe there. Unfortunately, a person in the spot in front of his car didn't see his car and accidentally backed up into his car's bumper and then drove off.

When he dropped off the car at the rental agency, of course they noticed the minor dents & scratches. That's is what they DO when you don't take their insurance. They NOTICE EVERYTHING. If the car was his own and he brought it into any repair shop, it probably would have been $200-$500 to fix. Since he hadn't bought their insurance for the mere $15 a day, where he could have walked away free & clear, the rental company charged him $2000. And YES, he did have to pay the whole thing. They chased him for months as he didn't have the full amount. $15 a day was peanuts in comparison to the $2000. The rental company probably didn't even fix the bumper as it really was very minor and didn't hinder driving. It was cosmetic damage.

When DH and I went to rent a car of our own several months later, and they asked us if we wanted the Collision Damage / Loss of Use Waiver for the extra dollars per day. I looked at DH and he said, "Remember what happened to Jeff?" I paid for the rental's insurance.

I don't know what the credit card companies actually pay out or how much or when. I wouldn't want to be stuck with the balance for something that wasn't clearly explained & covered in the fine print. I also don't want to get stuck in a maze of red tape and paperwork as I try to get my credit card company to pay out, but for some reason they are dragging their heels, saying they lost our file, need more proof, etc., no matter what their fine print promises. Meanwhile the rental company is coming after US. When we're done with vacation, I want us done with vacation. Not on some new "journey" we hadn't counted on.

 

[jedijill]

I've learned from a friend's past experience to never count on this. He had rented a car and didn't take the rental insurance. Unfortunately, he also didn't have the type of credit card to give him extra insurance through the credit card company. He had parked the car in a lot, thinking it would be quite safe there. Unfortunately, a person in the spot in front of his car didn't see his car and accidentally backed up into his car's bumper and then drove off.

When he dropped off the car at the rental agency, of course they noticed the minor dents & scratches. That's is what they DO when you don't take their insurance. They NOTICE EVERYTHING. If the car was his own and he brought it into any repair shop, it probably would have been $200-$500 to fix. Since he hadn't bought their insurance for the mere $15 a day, where he could have walked away free & clear, the rental company charged him $2000. And YES, he did have to pay the whole thing. They chased him for months as he didn't have the full amount. $15 a day was peanuts in comparison to the $2000. The rental company probably didn't even fix the bumper as it really was very minor and didn't hinder driving. It was cosmetic damage.

When DH and I went to rent a car of our own several months later, and they asked us if we wanted the Collision Damage / Loss of Use Waiver for the extra dollars per day. I looked at DH and he said, "Remember what happened to Jeff?" I paid for the rental's insurance.

I don't know what the credit card companies actually pay out or how much or when. I wouldn't want to be stuck with the balance for something that wasn't clearly explained & covered in the fine print. I also don't want to get stuck in a maze of red tape and paperwork as I try to get my credit card company to pay out, but for some reason they are dragging their heels, saying they lost our file, need more proof, etc., no matter what their fine print promises. Meanwhile the rental company is coming after US. When we're done with vacation, I want us done with vacation. Not on some new "journey" we hadn't counted on.

Why didn't he turn it into his personal auto insurance?

Jill in CO

 

[Ladyhawke]

Why didn't he turn it into his personal auto insurance?

Jill in CO

I have no idea. Maybe they didn't cover the whole thing? Or he didn't have the kind of car insurance to cover that kind of rental car damage. I just remember he was quite upset for being on the hook for it.

 

[kristenrice]

I booked a one-way rental with Alamo from TPA to the Car Care Center at WDW this past April. I used my SWA Visa to book the reservation, even though I wanted to pay with my debit card. We drove from TPA to the resort, I dropped off the family and returned the car. I told the attendant that I wanted to switch my form of payment and he directed me inside to the counter. It took about 5 minutes for the agent to take my credit card off the invoice and replace it with my debit card. I would not hesitate to do it this way again...I get the benefits of the rental insurance through the CC (should something happen) and if all goes smoothly, I can pay with the debit card upon return.

 

[sharona]

I would use a CC, assuming you have one. Using a debit card for anything other than an ATM opens your bank account to fraud. Yes you would eventually get any fraudulent withdrawals refunded to you but it is not instant and can be a huge inconvenience. With a CC, if your account is compromised you do not have to pay the charges while they are investigating your claim.

There is no difference in cost to you to use the CC, just pay it off when you get the bill so you don't pay any interest.

 

[SharonZ]

I would guarantee the car with a credit card and change the payment to your debit card upon return of the car, if you're not pressed for time. Why not just use the credit card and make the payment on your credit card when you return home?