Don't use debit card for car rental

Car used in woman's stabbing rented with husband's credit card
Los Angeles Times, CA -
The license plate of the vehicle was caught on security surveillance cameras and traced to an Avis rental car agency near Fayed's Camarillo business, ...

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I tried searching all the major car rental agencies within a 10 mile radius of my home through their own Web sites, then tinkered with the pickup and ...

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Vacation homes: The bill attempts to crack down on people who avoid taxes by moving into a vacation or rental property to establish it as their primary ...

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Car Rentals, UK - Jul 15, 2008
After he returned his rental car late in the evening at an airport rental facility in Spain, in what he believed to be excellent condition, a customer was ...

BUYINS.NET: OPTR, OPTV, SNCR, TIBB, VLTR, GGLB Have Also Been ...
Trading Markets (press release), CA -
... systems of various travel suppliers, including airlines, cruise lines, hotels, car rental companies, and providers of other travel amenities worldwide. ...

OPTV - SNCR - OPTR

Credit card key to car rentals
Car Rentals, UK - Jul 10, 2008
This, however, is usually not possible, as the majority of car rental firms in the United States, Britain and continental Europe insist that renters pay for ...

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TheCelebrityCafe.com, NY - Jul 9, 2008
My daughter had a Mastercard-backed debit card with money in the bank. She reserved a rental car in Indiana to pick up in Missouri. Everything was arranged. ...

Bail denied for Waukegan man accused of killing wife
Chicago Tribune, United States - Jul 10, 2008
The card was later used at a truck stop in LaPorte, Ind., where police on Monday found the rental car he was driving, the prosecutor said. ...

Accused fraudsters are suspects in Thunder Bay, too
The Chronicle Journal, Canada - Aug 2, 2008
They were charged this week with possession of stolen credit card data after police found information from 381 credit cards on a computer in a rental car ...

EYE IN THE AISLES
Monterey County Herald, CA - Jul 24, 2008
Automated DVD rental kiosks, such as Illinois-based redbox, are being installed at supermarkets and fast-food outlets, luring customers away from other ...

Relationship marketing of services?perspectives from 1983 and 2000 -
LL Berry - Journal of Relationship Marketing, 2002 - haworthpress.com
... account by writing a check or using a Visa debit card ... on its airline could receive
first day car rental free when renting from Budget Rent a Car for three ...

[PS] Internet billing service design and prototype implementation -
M Sirbu - 1992 - at.gnucash.org
... Consider a credit card holder going to rent a ... to-face communications as in the car
rental scenario, the ... Since the prototype handles only debit model accounts ...

-
A Seiderman - US Patent 5,850,599, 1998 - Google Patents
... For example, is the user permitted to rent a luxury car ... has his or her company limited
rentals to compact cars? ... lot and receives and signs a car rental agreement ...

Formalizing ODP enterprise specifications in Maude -
F Dur?n, A Vallecillo - Computer Standards & Interfaces, 2003 - Elsevier
... The enterprise policies conditioning the rental of a car are ... Any customer is permitted
to rent a car if (s)he has ... to pay the deposit and the car is available. ...

Information system technology can improve customer service -
GP Learmonth - ACM SIGMIS Database, 1986 - portal.acm.org
... with access to an ATM network through debit-card readers ... such by-product applications
as renting cars or hotel ... A rental car firm uses ATM-like devices to speed ...

Kiosks 21: a new role for information kiosks? -
F Slack, J Rowley - International Journal of Information Management, 2002 - Elsevier
... the pick-up area for rental cars (Los Angeles). ... Competitions, Car hire, Vouchers,
Special Offers, Business news, News ... such as Interflora, or car rental, be able ...

[PDF] Carsharing?Start Up Issues and New Operational Models -
D Brook - 83rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, …, 2004 - carsharing.net
... ways, such as requiring automatic payment by credit or debit card or ... Phrases, such
as ?time share for cars? or ?hourly car rental?, often confuse as ...

A proposal to assess the service quality of online travel agencies: an exploratory study
SA Kaynama, CI Black - Journal of Professional Services Marketing, 2000 - haworthpress.com
... features of plane, hotel and rental car reservation systems ... the standard air, hotel
and car reservation system ... reservations for air, hotel, and cars, these sites ...

Lodging facility automated processing station -
US Patent 5,463,546, 1995 - freepatentsonline.com
... by cash or credit card, or a debit card ... G. Zicker discloses a system for supplying
a rental service provider such as a hotel or car rental service with ...

Electronic Purse Applet Certification extended abstract -
P Bieber, J Cazin, V Wiels, G Zanon, P Girard, JL … - Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, 2000 - Elsevier
... purseappletand twoloyaltyapplets: a frequentyer(AirFrance)applica- tion and a car
rental (RentaCar) loyalty program. The purse applet manages debit and credit ...

Source: Google Scholar

But, some consumers reach for the debit card for higher-ticket items.

"Many people use debit cards for expedience," says Tim Sloane, director of the debit advisory service at the Mercator Advisory Group. "Others, like revolvers, who carry a credit card balance, don't want the balance on their credit cards to grow larger. Anything they don't want to put on credit, they put on debit."

For most companies, accepting a debit card is not a problem. For car-rental companies, though, the customer is driving away with the merchandise, and, unlike a TV, the customer is expected to return it.

Most of the major rental companies require a credit card to initiate the rental, even if a debit card will be used to make payment upon return of the car. And most companies will accept only a co-branded Discover, Visa or MasterCard debit card.

Those companies that do allow a rental with a debit card often put an authorization hold on the debit card during the rental, usually between $300 and $500. Yes, the unused funds will be returned to your account after you return the car, but it might take up to two weeks for the funds to be released back to your account.

Credit cards also have authorization or holding fees. When you use a credit card to rent a car, the estimated amount of the rental will be put on the card but the transaction is not put through, thus the term "holding" fee.

When you return the car and keep the charges on that credit card, the transaction is processed. If you choose to pay with a different card or a debit card, the transaction on the first card is canceled and put on the debit or other credit card. However, it may take time for that hold or authorization on the first credit card to be removed. If you change form of payment, be sure to ask the car rental company to remove the hold.

You should also check with your bank to see if there is a daily purchase limit on your debit card. If the amount you attempt to debit is greater than the bank's limit, your card may be frozen for a period of time.

With all of these caveats, some people may still want to use a debit card to pay for a rental car. If you must put your rental car charge on a debit card, there are the rules of the major car-rental companies, in the U.S., that you should be aware of:

Debit card rules for major car rental companies

	Accepts debit cards?	Major credit card needed for pickup?	Documents besides driver's license needed?	Authorization hold during rentals?	Other rules
Alamo	Yes.	No, but must show round-trip ticket.	Proof of round-trip travel.	No.	Prepaid/gift cards accepted at time of return only.
Avis	Yes, except in certain locations, including metro New York, Philadelphia and others.	Yes.	Second form of ID; name and address must match driver's license.	At its discretion, minimum of $500 and maximum of estimated rental charges.	Prepaid/gift cards accepted only at time of return. May take up to two weeks to release funds on hold.
Budget	Yes, except certain locations.	No, but must show second form of ID.	Second form of ID; name and address must match driver's license.	$300 minimum.	May take up to two weeks to release funds on hold.
Dollar	Yes, but local policies may vary.	Credit check if debit card used to pick up rental.	No.	Yes, estimated rental charges plus 15 percent.	Local policies vary; check policy at rental location.
Enterprise	Yes.	Yes.	No.	No.	If reserving online, must use a major credit card.
Hertz	Yes.	No.	No.	Estimated rental charges plus amount for incidentals.	Prepaid/gift cards accepted at time of return only.
National	Yes.	No, but must show round-trip ticket.	Proof of round-trip travel.	No.	Without round-trip travel ticket, debit card accepted on return only.
Thrifty	Yes, at many locations.	Yes.	No.	Estimated rental charges plus 15 percent or minimum amount. Check local policy.	Prepaid/gift cards accepted at time of return only.

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Don't use debit card for car rental