Renting a Car

[jherron]

If this question has been asked before I apologize.

My husband is going out of town on a business trip and will need to rent a car. His company has given him the money for it, but he will have to rent the car using his debit card as the rental place doesn't accept cash transactions. One of the stipulations of using the debit card is that the rental place is going to run a credit check. Will the fact that there is a bk on his credit report prevent him from renting a car? What does your credit have to do with renting a car?

Thanks in advance!

[Licoriceky2]

My husband and I recently ran into this issue. Prior to August, I truly did not believe there would be an issue.

We to drove to South Carolina for vacation. My idiot, texting husband, rear ended the back of a truck. The accident rendered us without my SUV for three days. First car rental place did not have any vehicles. Second rental place, would not rent to us on a debit card and without an "in state license". Hertz WOULD rent to us on a debit card, HOWEVER they would do a "Credit check". When I told her we had filed for BK two months prior, and would we "qualify", she literally laughed at me and told me to have a nice day. Short of the story - some people may not have an issue rentiing a car, especially if they are flying into an airport, but our experience was that renting a vehicle after filing BK is problem. Hope this helps!

[garyp15]

Does anyone know the solution to renting a car without a credit card....most car rental agencies won't accept debit cards. ....or if they do, they hold out a large security deposit.

[Pandora]

I've never had an issue with renting a car with my debit card - perhaps it depends on the card/bank? I know some cards are listed as strictly "DEBIT" on them - while others (like ours) can be ran either way and do not state "Debit" on it. It may just be whatever your bank allows; ours does both.

[debtinohio]

I rent cars with debit cards all the time (mine says "debit" too, they know when they run it regardless), most recently @ Hertz in NYC last week. They put the standard extra $150 hold on it anyway. I keep an extra $1000 in the account unwritten into my balance as an "overdraft" so I don't care about holds like that.

[walkthaplank]

A debit card tied to a real checking account should not give you any issues as long as you have enough money to cover any hold they put on the card. I rented a car from Hertz (who says they run credit checks with debit cards) in Chicago less than two months after my 341 hearing. There are OTHER debit cards which are the pre-paid types that they will not accept. Have him make a backup reservation at a place that does not do credit checks just in case, that is what I did. When I got out to the Hertz car, I canceled my backup res. My mom who was with me (and didn't know we are in BK) thought I was nuts having a backup reservation. I told her "You never know, sometimes they over book and then we'd be stuck with no car"

[walkthaplank]

Sorry to bring back an old post, but new relevant info. I was out of town this weekend and needed to rent a car. This time using Hertz, using the same debit card I have used in the past they told me they had to run a credit check in order to rent the car. I had checked my credit prior to the trip, so I knew it was likely not going to be an issue and it wasn't... but it could have been. So I don't know what the criteria is, but they have both NOT run credit checks on me and HAVE run credit checks, same company same card... go figure. Have a back up plan!

[chrisdfw]

I rented with debit cards in the past, but lately there seemed to be more mentions of credit checks and extra holds, so I got a secured card. Put up the deposit, got the card, no problem now.

[papie]

Enterprise does not do credit checks, but they will put a $100-$200 hold on your debit card. It is immediately released when you return the car. Make sure you completely clear the amount with them before giving them your card. I've had them give me one hold amount over the phone, yet try charge me extra when I get to their office. I always have to remind them of what they tell me over the phone and they always honor it.

However, most Enterprise airport locations won't take debit cards unless you can show proof of flight.

I often depends on the individual office because many companies allow the offices to make their own rules.

All of the other places in my area...Hertz, Avis, Budget, etc....I've had issues with...they have large holds ($300+), do a credit check, or just downright don't take debit cards.

If he is going to travel often you may want to get a secured credit card. No one will know it's secured and it will be treated as a credit card. If you don't want to go there, I've kept a "travel" checking account. So, if a hotel, rental car place, gas station, or restaurant messes up the holds or charges, or God forbid my card number is stolen, they won't be tying up all your money in your checking account. Now that I really don't have any credit cards since bankruptcy to fall back on, it's a good security blanket not to keep all my money tied up in one account while I'm on the road.

[johnjan2009]

This is a nice forum about renting car since I worry I may ran into trouble soon I thought about getting secured credit cards like papie mention just for the sake of renta car/ hotel reservation. However, can someone confirm this is allowed while you are still in chp13 plan?Just completed 341 meeting days back... I appreciate any feedback since only card i have on my wallet is visa check card..

[jetsfan2010]

I have rented a car twice since filing last month...no issues
just standard 150 hold enterprise both times

[FishersMike]

I just rented a vehicle today as I was involved in accident a few days ago. Enterprise says their policy regarding debit cards is to CHARGE the deposit and it is not just a hold. They said that they will pull the money out of your account right away and then when you return the car they will give you a refund. They said only time they do just an authorization/hold is if it is a credit card. Apparently their system knows if it is a credit or check card. But they are very nice and accommodating.

[pro3434]

We had our car break down in Florida last summer, and I was able to rent from the Thrifty at the Jacksonville Airport. I used my debit card, and thankfully I had enough money in the bank to cover the hold. Their written policy says you're subject to a credit check, but I think the system just runs the card to see if it's good. I made sure to tell them nothing about my Ch 13, but I sure was nervous waiting for my card to finish running.

[LadyInTheRed]

This is a nice forum about renting car since I worry I may ran into trouble soon I thought about getting secured credit cards like papie mention just for the sake of renta car/ hotel reservation. However, can someone confirm this is allowed while you are still in chp13 plan?Just completed 341 meeting days back... I appreciate any feedback since only card i have on my wallet is visa check card..

I wonder about this myself. I know we are not supposed to incur debt without authorization from the trustee. But, if you get a secured card and use it as security when renting the car, but pay for the rental in cash, you aren't really incurring debt if you didn't charge anything to the card. Even if you do charge something to the card, are you really incurring debt if the card is secured by your deposit? The safest thing to do is check with your attorney.