When you pick up a rental car - do they run a check on your license? (restriction, 2013)
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for a rental agency in 1986 and i recall writing down the customer's license # on the contract but not checking the license. when i rented a car 5 years ago from enterprise they did check my license and when i rented from hertz 2 years ago i don't remember if they checked my license but they did a "credit check" from my visa debit bank card which didn't make sense because a bank card does not have anything do do with your credit rating i don't think
but if your license will be suspended in a few days why not get it cleared up before you go. it's probably a misdemeanor and can cause you an awful lot of trouble if you get stopped(possible arrest, jail, etc) as well as collateral consequences(increased premiums, reduced consumer credit, misdemeanor conviction). why make it harder for yourself?
No they don't. Most rental companies, outside of Hertz, don't bother doing background checks. They look at the license to see if it matches your other ID and to see if it has expired. I once got pulled over driving a Budget rental truck because the tags had expired. The ticket was re-imbursed, but it still went on my MVR.
No they don't. Most rental companies, outside of Hertz, don't bother doing background checks. They look at the license to see if it matches your other ID and to see if it has expired. I once got pulled over driving a Budget rental truck because the tags had expired. The ticket was re-imbursed, but it still went on my MVR.
The thing is, you never really know until you get to the counter.
This is an old thread but I have a very similar concern to that of Gman. Back in 2008, I was living in a well known bankrupt socialist state where the cops are really into "revenue enhancement" with their frivolous traffic citations. I got a ticket for a U turn on a deserted street on a Sunday morn. Didn't see the motorcycle cop concealed hundreds of meters away in a traffic cluster. I didn't have a chance to take care of the ticket since my airline departure leading to residency in a foreign country was already scheduled a week or two away. I have since learned via the internet that my license has been suspended and of course Moonbeam and his thugs want many hundreds of dollars to unsuspend it. I have not been back to the US since I left. I now have a vacation planned in a neighboring state and upon arrival I will need to rent a car. I am concerned that if I show my old license to the car rental that they may check it and find out it is suspended and not rent me a car. If I prepay the car rental through Priceline or Hotwire or something similar, will I lose all my money if they reject me? Also, will the car rental agencies accept a foreign DL even though I am a US citizen? Thank you very much.
This is an old thread but I have a very similar concern to that of Gman. Back in 2008, I was living in a well known bankrupt socialist state where the cops are really into "revenue enhancement" with their frivolous traffic citations. I got a ticket for a U turn on a deserted street on a Sunday morn. Didn't see the motorcycle cop concealed hundreds of meters away in a traffic cluster. I didn't have a chance to take care of the ticket since my airline departure leading to residency in a foreign country was already scheduled a week or two away. I have since learned via the internet that my license has been suspended and of course Moonbeam and his thugs want many hundreds of dollars to unsuspend it. I have not been back to the US since I left. I now have a vacation planned in a neighboring state and upon arrival I will need to rent a car. I am concerned that if I show my old license to the car rental that they may check it and find out it is suspended and not rent me a car. If I prepay the car rental through Priceline or Hotwire or something similar, will I lose all my money if they reject me? Also, will the car rental agencies accept a foreign DL even though I am a US citizen? Thank you very much.
Can't you just pay the fine and unsuspend your license? It may be expensive, but worth it to make sure nothing happens and you are legal. From the previous posts opinions were completely varied, I wouldn't take the risk.
I would look on each companies website to see if they take a non US license.
Can't you just pay the fine and unsuspend your license? It may be expensive, but worth it to make sure nothing happens and you are legal. From the previous posts opinions were completely varied, I wouldn't take the risk.
I would look on each companies website to see if they take a non US license.
Absolutly agree. Priceline has the regulations of each company as far as liscense requirements, age restrictions, payment options, etc. In this day and age when they can bring up your driving record in less than five minutes, I certainly wouldn't chance it. That suspension will come up. Priceline will confirm your reservation, but that does not gaurantee you a car when you get to the counter. Ante up, man
for a rental agency in 1986 and i recall writing down the customer's license # on the contract but not checking the license.
I worked for a rental agency in 1976, and I don't think we even asked people verbally if they even had a license. People walk up and ask if we have a car, we give them a rental agreement to sign and hand them the keys. If they don't bring it back, we call the police, who didn't even know anything about suspended licenses. I'm pretty sure I never actually saw a DL, but they'd have to write the number on the form, I guess. Life was easy them.
Once again. Please dont judge. I asked a question. You dont know my situation. Thanks to the other posters for the responses.
G Man
Oh not judging, until you get pulled over for speeding, and your rental car gets towed. Then your 6 month license suspension will be 1 yr+ (and the court costs/fines/fees) and the towing/storage fees the rental company charges to your credit card. Don't pay? Then you face a nice lawsuit for them and you won't be able to pass the credit check next time.
well what happened with your car rental? Just curious
I have never had a problem renting a car.
I have had friends who have been barred by certain agencies as tehy have had some serious moving violations (read that as DUIs and/or reckless driving convictions).
Also, violating rental car agreements can also get you banned from that agency.
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