Renting a car - can I use a debit or VISA debit card

[Flowers]

Enterprise web site says no debit cards to reserve the car, only to pay the final bill.

My bank card can be used for debit and credit, even though it is all deducted from the same account.

I am very hesitant to get any type of credit card. just do not want it.

Anyone have any experience on this?

And why the heck do they want a credit card anyway? to charge damage of somesort to your car?
??? then how much would the secured/unsecured card have to be for ?

[lrprn]

Some car rental companies will accept a debit card, although grudgingly.

Here's 12 tips for renting a car with a debit card - http://www.creditcards.com/credit-ca...-card-1268.php . Also here's a link that goes through each major car rental company explaining their policies for using debit cards - http://www.bargaineering.com/article...ebit-card.html

The big PITA issue you will face using a debit card is the 'hold' the car rental place will put on your account and could keep in place days or even weeks after you return the car. It could be hundreds of dollars, so you have to make sure you have enough in your account to cover that until the 'hold' is released.

Good luck - sure hope everything works out for you, Flowers!

[justbroke]

As written above, some even "hold" an additional $100-$250 when it's a debit card. Be prepared that they will pre-hold the entire rental cost, tax, fees, recovery fees, surcharges, and then the $100-$250 (or more).

My experience is only because I am an "elite" member of various frequent renter programs, so that may be the reason for a smaller holdback.

[Flamingo]

I am a Plus member at Enterprise and just rented a vehicle last weekend to drive to see my oldest daughter and her family. On the Enterprise counter was a large printed document stating what they require as to using a debit card at Enterprise. You can use a debit card; there are certain restrictions. We have a Visa and Mastercharge since discharge and I just utilize that cause it gets paid in full. They put a $400+ hold on your card when you rent a vehicle right there before you leave. If you utilize a debit card and have that hold, you could have checks bounce or have purchasese denied if you are not careful. Prior to renting, call the local agency where you would rent a vehicle and ask what their requirements are for using a debit card. I think the most major one I have seen is that you cannot take the vehicle out of the state in which it is rented.

[oldhack]

As others have noted, virtually ALL of the car-rental companies will accept a debit card, but with some 'hold' of funds.
In that case, it's good to know your bank's policy regarding such holds. The major national banks, for instance -- Bank of America, Regions, FifthThird, et al -- will probably honor them for the maximum time allowed. My very large (as in, too big to be swallowed up by even the national players without hiccups) local bank, however, simply ignores holds as long as my accounts are in good order, and I have no history of defaults (and, I have an overdraft credit line, too).
Thus, when I had an out-of-town, vacation auto accident two summers ago which left my car disabled, I used my debit to commence and pay for a month-long rental without ever disabling any portion of my cash-in-account beyond actual charges. Same has been true with cruise line charges while at sea.

[Flowers]

I think what I will do is get a Capital One credit card (I am pretty sure they will approve me), then use that as a deposit for the car or whatever "holds they want to roll car off the lot. Pay at the end with the debit.

[Keebler]

We recently rented a car for a week using a debit card and I think it was even Enterprise if I recall.

I called ahead to the airport counter at our destination and got the details of what they required and it wasn't too much different than everyone has been saying. I get the impression that every location has their own requirements.

There WERE a couple of suprises. First, the "hold" wasn't a hold at all. They charged my card for the full rental amount PLUS an additional $103.14 and the whole amount was deducted from my checking account. The additional $103.14 deposit was refunded to my account about a week later.

I know the difference between a credit hold and a charge and this was clearly charged to my account and refunded.

The other weird thing is the vehicle they gave us. I've rented cars plenty of times before and I know the usual pattern. Usually, they rent cars they buy in bulk from US manufacturers. They've usually got a fleet of similar age cars with low miles.

The car they rented us was a KIA with almost 40,000 Miles on it. I noticed the mileage and realized that it was more than I'm used to seeing. It had no shortage of wear and the clerk took un unusual amount of time to document all the wear and tear. (Which I don't mind because I don't want to answer for damage I didn't cause.)

As all of this was happening, I looked around the lot and saw what I would normally expect. Rows and rows of identical cars with only color as the difference. The weird part was how there wasn't a SINGLE other KIA vehicle anywhere on the lot.

I think I probably got "speacial treatment" because of my debit card.

Everything worked out fine in the end and it wasn't a big deal. Not too long after the trip I finally got approved for a Hooter's MasterCard with a high enough limit that I won't need to use the debit card for car rentals again.