newbee car rental question

[ktrask]

OK....confession...I've never had to rent a car before, so I'm a little lost in the process.

I've been reading up on the board to get tips, registered for Emerald Club, know where to look for codes etc. But...I do have a question.

When you give your credit card for a rental, how much of a hold do they put on it? Do they put just the rental amount estimate as teh hold on the card, or do they do more?

I ask because DH and I are working on paying off our CC debt, and we only use our debit cards for any charge purchases. I see that isn't allowed for a car rental.

We aren't going until December, so we have time to prepare...I just want to be prepared

 

[goofy4tink]

If you use a debit card, the car companies will usually do a credit check, and then put a hold on the amount of the rental plus a couple hundred dollars. If you use a credit card, it won't be an issue.

We usually rent a car using dh's work credit card. Then, when we return the car, we go to the counter and tell them we want to pay with our debit card, not the credit card we used to take the car. Hasn't been an issue yet.

 

[njmom47]

OK....confession...I've never had to rent a car before, so I'm a little lost in the process.

I've been reading up on the board to get tips, registered for Emerald Club, know where to look for codes etc. But...I do have a question.

When you give your credit card for a rental, how much of a hold do they put on it? Do they put just the rental amount estimate as teh hold on the card, or do they do more?

I ask because DH and I are working on paying off our CC debt, and we only use our debit cards for any charge purchases. I see that isn't allowed for a car rental.

We aren't going until December, so we have time to prepare...I just want to be prepared

We just rented from National last month, and they did not put a hold on dh's credit card. It will be on his next bill (this month).

 

[goofy4tink]

We just rented from National last month, and they did not put a hold on dh's credit card. It will be on his next bill (this month).

Very few, if any, car rental companies will place a hold on a credit card. But if you use a debit card, when you rent the car, they will most likely place that hold there...probably about $200 in addition to the price for the rental. This is why we put a credit card down, when picking up the car, but we go back to the counter and use the debit card to pay the bill.

 

[goofyfigment]

I used my debit card with alamo in October as long as you can show them a return ticket they are fine with you using a debit card. They did not put any hold on the card only the cost of the rental.

 

[a742246]

If you are new to renting a car. Find out from your own car insurance company if you are insured for car rental damage. Also some credit card companies offer this coverage as well. This way you can waive the car rental companies insurance which will save you alot of money.