Car rental with only debit card..... (purchases, credit, credit card)

[PKCorey]

They will take debit but they want so many proof of documents that you live at the address, the credit card is easier.

[cwkimbro]

This isn't the article I ready, but same subject...


https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/y...ds-dollar.html

[K12144]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

This isn't true........at least in the last 10 years, maybe a debit card was unheard of before that. I have a company debit card that has never left me stranded at a rental counter anywhere in the US.

They will nix underage drivers but preventing a driver because they don't have a credit card isn't true.

Well, it has happened to me, so I guess you think I was either hallucinating or I'm a liar?

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Can I ask the obvious... Why don't you just get a credit card and avoid all the hassle?

Not everyone needs a credit card.

[ATLfromJAX]

Have you tried Turo.com - it's the AirBnB for cars.

You rent the car directly from the owners. They set their own prices, like AirBnB.

You might have to pay a deposit, based if you're a new customer, on the value of the car you're renting (luxury), and your "auto insurance" score, whatever that is.

https://turo.com/rentals

[Beretta]

My debit card can double as a credit card. You may want to check and see if yours does as well.

[Saskia Calico]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Can I ask the obvious... Why don't you just get a credit card and avoid all the hassle?

You're kidding, right? That can't be a serious question!

[Saskia Calico]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

This isn't true........at least in the last 10 years, maybe a debit card was unheard of before that. I have a company debit card that has never left me stranded at a rental counter anywhere in the US.

They will nix underage drivers but preventing a driver because they don't have a credit card isn't true.

IME it is all too true.

[K12144]

Originally Posted by Beretta

My debit card can double as a credit card. You may want to check and see if yours does as well.

The problem with this, and the reason I finally broke down and got a credit card even though I don't need one, is one of financial safety. Someone once pointed out to me that if the card is stolen and someone else racks up a nice-sized bill... yes, the debit card has the Visa logo and hence has the Visa protections, BUT, it usually takes time to get that money back. With a credit card you're simply not responsible for paying the bill and it's no big deal if it's 30, 60, 90 days until it's resolved. With a debit card, the person perhaps has just cleaned out your bank account or at least probably spent a good amount out of it, and if it's a long time before you can get that money back, it could be, at best, awkward for you...

(That on top of, if you have few other loans/lines of credit, it'll be detrimental to your credit score which usually affects your ability to get housing {rental or mortgage}, your employment, your ability to secure other credit {or, in this case, rent a car}, etc. I imagine it also could be awkward if, for example, you go to Cancun on vacation, forget to tell your bank beforehand, use your card, they think someone stole your card and ran off to Mexico, and your bank account gets frozen. A credit card could be frozen too, but unless you're using it as your sole means of money, it's not as big of a deal as having your entire bank account unusable...)

[architect77]

Originally Posted by Saskia Calico

You're kidding, right? That can't be a serious question!

Well, it’s easy to get a secured credit card with the big banks.

Let them keep your $300, and they’ll issue you a credit card with a $300 Limit. Higher fees likely but you’re building good credit if you make timely payments.

There are tons of high-fee credit cards out there, and they’ll issue you a card with a $300 limit. When you receive it, the one-time fee for giving you the card could be $150-$200.

But you’ll have a card for instances like these.

[Need4Camaro]

Just for informational purposes given the caveat here seems that its difficult getting a credit card for some individuals...

For those who want / need a credit card but have difficulty qualifying, OpenSky offers a secured VISA card and its guaranteed you will qualify regardless of your credit. It's great for building credit, no annual or monthly premiums but try not to use it, it has high interest. If desperate one could also try First Premier Bank but I wouldn't recommend them, they've been sued countless times for shady practices and they have annual and monthly fees (a monthly fee even if you dont use the card). For unsecure cards, cards hosted by synchrony bank are fairly easy to get credit approved through.