Gone are the days when you can’t rent a car without using your credit card. Yes, today, that is absolutely possible.
However, since this is still a paradigm to many, you may still encounter difficulties in renting a car without using your credit card. Most car rental companies will see you as a greater risk when you are not using your credit card, aside from the fact that they won’t be able to bill you for additional fees such as fuel and damage charges.
Without a valid credit card, they have no way of knowing if your credit is good or not.
But then again, it is possible for you to rent a car without using your credit card. Here are some of the things that you need to expect in the process:
1. Don’t expect too much
You must understand that just because a company is willing to accept a debit card as a form of payment, that doesn’t mean they will accept yours. So, ask the rental company if your particular debit card is acceptable to them. Fortunately, modern banks have a linking system that connects them all, so, you might not encounter any difficulty in this regard. However, prepaid debit cards are usually not accepted.
2. Be prepared to give a deposit
If you are using your debit card, the rental company will probably ask you for an assurance in the form of a deposit or down payment. Normally, the amount will be on top of their normal rental rates.
The company only asks for this amount to answer for any extra fees such as damages and extra insurance that you may incur in the process of using their vehicle. But don’t worry. If nothing bad happens, they will refund you this amount in full when you return their car.
3. You need to scout around
Don’t assume that all rental companies such as Hertz and others have the same rules. There are companies that allow their customers to use cash or their debit cards to purchase their services. It pays to search for these companies if you don’t want to use your credit card or your present one is already maxed out.
4. Wait till they check your credit
There is no way the rental company can know your credit standing but to check your bank account. They need to do this in case the car you rented from will be involved in a mishap. Naturally, they need to know if your bank account can handle all the financial consequences.
You will have no problem with this background check if you have a good credit standing and a clean driving record.
5. It may take some time
Not using your credit card for car rentals has also a downside to it. You may need to wait a little more time before your rental application is approved. But you won’t mind this extra waiting since you are requesting for special accommodations, right?
You must understand that the system of most car rental companies is geared towards the use of credit cards. So, if you are requesting for a special treatment, you should expect special processing.
6. Prepare for a standard car
When you request for another system procedure, you should not expect that all the options will still be open. In fact, you should be prepared to be given just an ordinary, and safe vehicle, but certainly not a luxury car. Car rental companies want to reduce their risks therefore your options will be limited to relatively cheap and smaller cars.
