Yes, you can rent a car with a debit card

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It used to be that it was necessary to have a credit card to rent a car. You might be happy to hear that those days are long gone. All major car rental companies now accept debit cards as security on rentals as long as customers (and their debit cards) meet certain requirements.

Read on to learn the most important things to know when renting a car with a debit card. We’ll also cover which car rental companies accept debit cards and briefly explain their policies, including how much each holds on your debit account as a deposit.

What to know about renting a car with a debit card

Car rental debit card policies can vary widely by location. Even if a car rental company’s general debit card policies are available online, it’s always a good idea to check the specific location’s policies if you intend to use a debit card for your rental.



Prepaid debit cards

Can I rent a car with a prepaid debit card? You can’t use a prepaid debit card to rent a car; the card must must be linked to a bank or credit union account. You can, however, use a prepaid debit card to pay at the end of the rental.

ID and documents

What ID or documents are required to rent a car with a debit card? When renting a car with a debit card, you may be asked for additional forms of identification. At airport locations you might also need to show return travel documents, like a flight ticket or boarding pass.

Credit checks

Is there a credit check if I use a debit card to rent a car? Some car rental companies may perform a credit check if you use a debit card to secure the vehicle deposit, which shows up on your credit report.

Account holds

Will there be a hold on my account if I use a debit card to rent a car? A hold will be placed on your debit card account. This is usually the amount of the rental plus several hundred dollars. These funds won’t be available for use until you’ve returned the vehicle, and sometimes for up to a week or more after.

Premium car rentals

Can I rent a premium car with a debit card? In most cases, you can’t rent convertibles or other premium cars with a debit card.



Prepaid car rentals

Can I prepay for a car rental with a debit card? Some rental agencies don’t allow you to use a debit card to prepay for reservations.

Is my credit good enough to rent a car with a debit card?

While the exact credit scores car rental companies use to assess whether to rent or not are a mystery, it’s pretty safe to say that your credit would have to be very poor to trigger a denial of a rental.

While it’s very rare that a car rental company will refuse to rent a car based on a credit check, be aware that it can and does occasionally happen. Anecdotal evidence suggest that bounced checks and non-sufficient fund (NSF) transactions on your bank account are particularly likely to trigger a rental refusal.

Which car rental companies accept debit cards?

All major car rental companies accept debit cards, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Sixt, and Thrifty.

Alamo

Does Alamo accept debit cards for car rental? Alamo accepts debit cards with a MasterCard, VISA, or Discover logo as security for car rentals. At airport locations, you’ll need to show a return airline ticket. You can’t use a debit card for prepaid rentals from Alamo.

How much does Alamo hold on a debit card? Alamo will place a hold on your debit card account for the amount of the car rental plus $200 – $400 depending on the rental location.



Can I add additional drivers to an Enterprise car rental if I use a debit card? You can only add your spouse or domestic partner as an additional driver on Alamo debit card rentals.

How old do you have to be to rent a car from Alamo using a debit card? Alamo permits renters 21-24 years of age to rent with a debit card with payment of an underage driver fee. You may be restricted to certain car classes depending on rental location.

Avis

Does Avis accept debit cards for car rental? Avis accepts debit cards with a MasterCard or VISA logo at most US locations. Exceptions include the metropolitan NY Tri-State area; Hartford, CT; the Philadelphia metropolitan area; Mississippi; and Louisiana.

How much does Avis hold on a debit card? Avis will place a hold on the funds in your debit card account for at least the amount of the rental, and often more.

What vehicles can you rent from Avis with a debit card? You can rent compact through full-size vehicles from Avis with a debit card. Avis doesn’t allow premium vehicle rental with a debit card.

Budget

Does Budget accept debit cards for car rental? Budget accepts debit cards as security for car rentals at most US locations. You may need to show proof of return ticket at airport locations.



Budget debit card policies vary by location. To see if the Budget office you wish to rent from accepts debit cards for rentals, search for a location, then scroll down to Terms & Conditions and click “Debit Card Policies”.

How much does Budget hold on a debit card? Budget will place a hold of at least $100 on the funds in your debit card account. The amount of the hold may be up to the amount of the rental, and sometimes more. Check the debit card policies at the Budget location you wish to rent from.

How old do you have to be to rent a car from Budget using a debit card? You must be 25 or older to rent a car with a debit card at most Budget locations.

Dollar

Does Dollar accept debit cards for car rental? Dollar accepts debit cards with the VISA, MasterCard, or Discover logo as security for car rentals. The card must be linked to a bank account.

At Dollar airport locations, debit card renters are required to provide proof of return travel and two forms of identification. In addition, Dollar does not accept debit cards on prepaid rentals.

How much does Dollar hold on a debit card? Dollar will place a hold on your debit card account for the amount of the rental plus up to $500.



What vehicles can you rent from Dollar with a debit card? When using a debit card to secure a Dollar car rental, you’re limited to compact through full-size vehicles unless your debit card is in your Express rewards program profile.

How old do you have to be to rent a car from Dollar using a debit card? Dollar permits renters under the age of 25 (20-24) to rent with a debit card but you’ll have to pay an underage driver fee.

Enterprise

Does Enterprise accept debit cards for car rental? Enterprise allows you to rent a car with a debit card that has a MasterCard, VISA, or Discover logo. At airport locations, you’ll also need to show a return airline ticket.

How much does Enterprise hold on a debit card? Enterprise will place a hold on your debit card account for the amount of the car rental plus up to $200 – $400 depending on the rental location.

Can I add additional drivers to an Enterprise car rental if I use a debit card? You can add your spouse or domestic partner as an additional driver on Enterprise debit card rentals but you can’t add any other extra drivers.

How old do you have to be to rent a car from Enterprise using a debit card? Renters 21-24 years of age who pay an underage driver fee can rent a car from Enterprise with a debit card at most locations.



Hertz

Does Hertz accept debit cards for car rental? Hertz accepts debit cards with a VISA, MasterCard, or Discover logo. At Hertz airport locations, you’ll be required to provide proof of return travel and two forms of identification. In addition, Hertz doesn’t accept debit cards on prepaid rentals.

How much does Hertz hold on a debit card? Hertz will place a hold on your debit card account for the amount of the rental plus up to $500.

What vehicles can you rent at Hertz with a debit card? Hertz allows compact through full-size vehicle rentals with a debit card. You can’t rent Hertz’s premium cars or above with a debit card unless you link the card to your Hertz Gold Rewards Plus profile.

How old do you have to be to rent a car from Hertz using a debit card? Hertz permits renters 20-24 years of age to secure car rentals with a debit card if they pay an underage driver fee.

National

Does National accept debit cards for car rental? You can rent a car from National with a debit card as long as it has a MasterCard, VISA, or Discover logo. At airport locations, you’ll also need to show a return airline ticket.

How much does National hold on a debit card? For debit card rentals, National will hold the amount of the car rental plus up to $200 – $400 depending on the rental location.



Can I add additional drivers to a National car rental if I use a debit card? You can add your spouse or domestic partner as an additional driver on National debit card rentals but you can’t add any other extra drivers.

How old do you have to be to rent a car from National using a debit card? Renters 21-24 years of age who pay an underage driver fee can rent a car from National with a debit card at most locations.

Sixt

Does Sixt accept debit cards for car rental? Sixt accepts debit cards as security for car rentals at most locations. You’ll need to show two forms of government ID and a return travel ticket for non-locals or current utility bill for locals. Debit card renters are restricted to certain car classes and local renters cannot rent at airport locations.

How much does Sixty hold on a debit card? Sixt will place a hold on the funds in your debi card account for the amount of the rental plus $200, sometimes more for higher car classes.

What vehicles can you rent at Sixt with a debit card? You can rent vehicles in the compact through full-size categories from Sixt with a debit card. Full-size SUVs are excluded.

How old do you have to be to rent a car from Sixt using a debit card? Young renters 21-24 years of age can rent a car with a debit card at many Sixt locations with payment of an underage driver fee.



Thrifty

Does Thrifty accept debit cards for car rental? Thrifty accepts debit cards with a VISA, MasterCard, or Discover logo. At airport locations, you’ll also have to show two forms of government identification and a return trip ticket.

How much does Thrifty hold on a debit card? For rentals secured with a debit card, Thrifty will place a hold on your account for the amount of the rental plus up to $500.

What vehicles can you rent at Thrifty with a debit card? If you rent a car with Thrifty using a debit card, you can only rent compact through full-size vehicles, unless your debit card is linked to your Blue Chip reward program profile. Thrifty doesn’t allow you to rent premium cars or above with a debit card.

How old do you have to be to rent a car from Thrifty using a debit card? Thrifty permits renters under the age of 25 (20-24) to rent with a debit card but you’ll have to pay an underage driver fee.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes


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