Okay I made a registration for a Enterprise rental car for my trip at the beginning of next month. I wasn't really troubled with anything online, and I got my confirmation email just fine. When I was looking at the fine print it says Driver must present ID and credit card at the time of pickup. I have a debit card through my bank, and it has a visa logo, but I still wasn't sure so I decided to call customer service. Alright when I told the lady about my card she said thats fine there will just be a 200 dollar deposit associated with it! I then asked to be transferred to the local Enterprise office and pretty much got the same answer. Of course they will give me the deposit back minus the daily rate, but I'm working on a limited budget. And the worse part about this is, if I hadn't of called and just showed up that day, I would have been in for a very big shock. My total for renting a car for 3 days should come out to about 59 dollars or 73 dollars with tax, not 273! Does anyone else know of any other rental car companies that don't req a deposit?
i didnt know any car rental that didnt have a deposit, they need an deposit insurance bro, so they have an money to use for, if there car came back with an damage.
You could try looking into ZipCars or their more recent competitor, Hertz. I think Hertz may be your better bet as I've heard of deposits with ZipCar also. But, you should be able to find out if you are eligible to drive their cars rather quickly and it will make it easier for you with any future daily or weekly rentals that you may need.
I'm pretty sure that Hertz has a deposit as well. I think pretty much all of them will these days actually. Because of your budget and it not really being a feasible thing for you, maybe call them back and see if you could do a smaller deposit of some sort? Give them your reasons and let them know that you're really not going to be able to rent it at all like that (even if you -have- to, they don't have to know that).
I'm sorry, but that's how it works if you're using a debit card. If you had a credit card or knew someone with a credit card willing to go down there with you then no deposit would be needed. I'm not sure why there is such a difference between debit and credit, but apparently that's just how it works.
The regular Hertz rentals would probably still need a deposit, but they have a new service that doesn't. However, there are some qualifications that they would need to meet. Now, it may not be available in their city, but they should go on the site and see if it is in their city. I think the service is called Hertz to Go. They are the direct competitor to ZipCars, so their service is a little different from the traditional version.
You really want to stay away from Enterprise. They are bad news. I had a terrible experience with them. I have not used them since. I think that's pretty standard about the debit card issue. I looked at several companies and it's always in the fine print. I can understand that if damage is done to the car and you elected not to take the insurance, how would they get paid? It's just an ugly situation when you need to rent a car.
I did not know they required a deposit. That is absolutely outrageous! I know hotels will have a credit card on hold and if you do not call to cancel they will charge you for a night, but that is the only time they would do this.
I think most ( really all) rental car companies require a deposit. Yes, they will hold money from your checking account if you use a debit card. Hotels will do the same. They will hold money from your checking.
National Car Rental does not require a deposit. I use them all the time. I LOVE THEM. They also have a free program (emerald) where you can just go out and take any car from a specific row. For the free program its mid - economy cars but I love just being able to walk out after I get on a plane and take a car without a reservation. Hope this helps.
Can confirm that Hertz requires a deposit but you do get it back. Took a trip out of state and needed a rental car, and since I don't own any credit cards, I had to use my debit. The deposit was a bit higher for me since I'm under 25, but it came out to around $125 or so.
Travels Manager also does not require a deposit. With Travels Manager you just need to fill your requirements and book car or cabs of you choice. If you are also planning then I would suggest for Travels Manager.
In my area there are a few independent car rent places that require a smaller deposit which does help the budget. The deposits are returned fairly quickly it is just the fact that they hold your money and if you don't have a lot of money to work with that can make it really tight for you.
you were lucky. I had a reservation at enterprise for this weekend. they kept texting me to confirm. I called twice and no one mentioned a deposit with a credit card. I also had the same reservation at National as a back up. I use National since they dont charge your credit card more than the amount of the rental. So I thought....When Enterprise told me on the 3rd call I would need 400 security (likes that buys what a tire on a 35,000 car? ) I said I'll just go with National. He told me National changed their policy Sept.1st to the same thing. Not believing him I call National where I always rent. Yep we need 300 security deposit. Remember this is a Visa credit card not a debit. I canceled my cabin. Found out if you don't cancel 14 days ahead you loose..so I lost 300.00 on that. Next morning I get a call from national cause I tweeted it like crazy saying we have your paperwork all ready and no deposit THIS time. Too late I lost $300 already. Then I went to my back-up back-up plan Phillycarshare.com bought out by Enterprise. It used to be $50 or $75 a year period for membership so I went to make a reservation and a new thing popped up saying pick 7.50 hr for 7.50 a month MORE 200 free miles or pay 10.00 a month and pay 25 cents per mile but 4.00 an hour. I'm just an average joe who belonged to phillycarshare for 8 yrs. Emerald club member for 15 years@national. Renting a car is for the 1% ers now. I don't carry a lot of debt don't like credit (thief) cards anyway but got one with a 400.00 limit just for car rentals. I rented every week sometimes 2-4 times a week for whole day 96.00 now they want 10.00 a month more so membership is really 120 plus 50..CRAZY wont pay it. Only NJ NY and Pa drivers. This smacks of discrimination. I'll take uber or lyft or find another way. I have corporate accounts at avis and hertz and budget and still deposits. Nice way to get free interest off other peoples money.
When I rented three cars during an occasion I had few years ago I wasn;t given the option of a non deposit rental. This is how it works then at my locality you are billed a certain amount for a car you intend to rent. The dealership will only let you have access to the cars if you have paid an agreed percentage of the total rent amount. You can't enjoy a no deposit rental service.
