Hire car without credit card in Europe.

I'm looking to hire a car in Spain next month but don't have a credit card so the lovely 25 quid deals don't seem to be available to me. The only crowd I've come across that don't look for a deposit is Centauro. Does anyone know if there are others or a site that can filter by whether or not a credit card is required?

monkeybutter

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm looking to hire a car in Spain next month but don't have a credit card so the lovely 25 quid deals don't seem to be available to me. The only crowd I've come across that don't look for a deposit is Centauro. Does anyone know if there are others or a site that can filter by whether or not a credit card is required?

Surely it's easier to just get a credit card

w211

Even if you get the credit card, please check does they accept the other country ones. Example some of Irish car rentals accept only Irish credit cards - what a stupid way to do the business.

vandriver

I use indigo car hire in the UK.You could ask them if they cover Europe

moby2101

I got burned by a Hertz using my Usual AIB credit card a couple of years ago, claimed for 1200 for damages that were caused by one of their reps. It took forever to sort out so I swore never again.
I use indigo all of the time in Europe with a skrill pre payed credit card. Never an issue.
They will take a deposit payment of around 300 -500 and it will be returned to your account within 3 days.

monkeybutter

monkeybutter wrote: »

Surely it's easier to just get a credit card

I have one with a limit of 500 quid and last time I tried to increase it to 600 they said no. So there's that. :P

tcawley29

w211 wrote: »

Example some of Irish car rentals accept only Irish credit cards - what a stupid way to do the business.

Do you just make this stuff up as you go along or something?

I know for a fact that Budget/Avis, Sixt and Enterprise/National have no problem with foreign cards.

colm_mcm

I used malagacar a few years ago without a card or desposit.

coylemj

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm looking to hire a car in Spain next month but don't have a credit card so the lovely 25 quid deals don't seem to be available to me. The only crowd I've come across that don't look for a deposit is Centauro. Does anyone know if there are others or a site that can filter by whether or not a credit card is required?

If anyone rents you a card without a deposit, it will almost certainly involve you buying their rip-off insurance, that will be the (e.g.) 'platinum' option with zero excess.

There was a thread over in the Travel forum recently where someone booked a car in Spain with a debit card but when they showed up at the desk in the airport, they would not give them the car unless they bought the insurance.

vandriver

coylemj wrote: »

If anyone rents you a card without a deposit, it will almost certainly involve you buying their rip-off insurance, that will be the (e.g.) 'platinum' option with zero excess.

There was a thread over in the Travel forum recently where someone booked a car in Spain with a debit card but when they showed up at the desk in the airport, they would not give them the car unless they bought the insurance.

My 2 days cost £54 in zero excess insurance.

Outlaw Pete

coylemj wrote: »

If anyone rents you a card without a deposit, it will almost certainly involve you buying their rip-off insurance, that will be the (e.g.) 'platinum' option with zero excess.

Yeah, but tbh I would rather pay the rip off insurance than been fighting with a company to try and get a €1500 deposit back for damage I hadn't caused, which seems to be so damn common. Have two friends who had their deposits kept for those reasons.

Here's a site that lists five car rental companies in Spain that take debit cards but only when you buy the extra insurance:

http://www.bravocarhire.com/car-hire-spain-no-credit-card.php

Maybe contact each one and ask exactly how much the insurance will be. Maybe one will be reasonable enough.

coylemj

vandriver wrote: »

My 2 days cost £54 in zero excess insurance.

For less than your two days insurance, I got 12 months excess insurance with AIG. It has a €75 excess which I can live with.

coylemj

colm_mcm wrote: »

I used malagacar a few years ago without a card or desposit.

Because you paid in cash and bought their insurance.

sk8board

w211 wrote: »

Example some of Irish car rentals accept only Irish credit cards - what a stupid way to do the business.

Lol such a factually untrue statement to make
and let’s face it, tourism is the bulk of car rental in Ireland, so an Irish-card only approach would be nonsense.

For clarity, the credit card is required to cover the excess on the car (which is usually €300-1200). They take a pre authorisation on the card at the desk for that amount, so that in the event of an accident you can’t disappear.
Without a credit card your options are limited, but you can reduce the excess to zero by buying the excess waiver locally at the desk (which can be up to €20/day). In that instance you can just use your debit card for the whole lot.

( I worked in the car rental technology world for over 8 years, these question arose on a daily basis).

Charles Babbage

maybe worth checking with a consolidator like Autoeurope.ie.
I had a problem some years ago in the US when the bank cancelled my credit card because of unrelated fraud and Autoeurope were able to switch my booking to someone that would take a debit card.

jmreire

sk8board wrote: »

Lol such a factually untrue statement to make
and let’s face it, tourism is the bulk of car rental in Ireland, so an Irish-card only approach would be nonsense.

For clarity, the credit card is required to cover the excess on the car (which is usually €300-1200). They take a pre authorisation on the card at the desk for that amount, so that in the event of an accident you can’t disappear.
Without a credit card your options are limited, but you can reduce the excess to zero by buying the excess waiver locally at the desk (which can be up to €20/day). In that instance you can just use your debit card for the whole lot.

( I worked in the car rental technology world for over 8 years, these question arose on a daily basis).

This kind of "Mandatory but not Compulsive" insurance that you are "encouraged" to purchase at the desk when picking up the car...it seems to be very widespread, and while it might (or might not) be mentioned in the advert's ( rent a car for as little as €10.00 per day ) its certainly mentioned at pick up time. Why the hell do these rental companies not include it in the advertised pricing, and be done with it? There are lots of reports of rental damage ( and I know that it can happen) but a lot of it is just plain scamming.

vandriver

coylemj wrote: »

For less than your two days insurance, I got 12 months excess insurance with AIG. It has a €75 excess which I can live with.

Do they still require a credit card and pre-authorise the excess?

coylemj

vandriver wrote: »

Do they still require a credit card and pre-authorise the excess?

The answer is 'yes' because if you decline their insurance, you have to pay for any damage (up to the excess) and later claim off your excess policy. The rental companies will not accept any evidence of an excess policy because they can't claim from it.

Having an excess policy gives you peace of mind so you can decline the insurance offered by the rental company but it makes no difference to what happens at the rental desk. If you fell for a bargain price and end up with the cowboys, they will make you buy their insurance regardless. Or zap your card with a huge deposit, then claim that you damaged the car and keep most of it, see post #11.

Europcar in Lanzarote a few weeks ago only put a €300 block on my credit card, even though their excess (Opel Corsa) was €870 and I declined their insurance. It was lifted two days after I returned the car. €99 (paid in advance) for seven days, no hidden charges, no BS.

coylemj

jmreire wrote: »

This kind of "Mandatory but not Compulsive" insurance that you are "encouraged" to purchase at the desk when picking up the car...it seems to be very widespread, and while it might (or might not) be mentioned in the advert's ( rent a car for as little as €10.00 per day ) its certainly mentioned at pick up time. Why the hell do these rental companies not include it in the advertised pricing, and be done with it?

Because they'd get no customers if they did. The low rates they quote are designed to entice suckers who fail to realise that there is no way they are going to be handed the keys of a car for €10 a day. Their pricing model is designed around a prearranged rip-off involving, at best, misleading (at worst, fraudulent) advertising.

jmreire

coylemj wrote: »

Because they'd get no customers if they did. The low rates they quote are designed to entice suckers who fail to realise that there is no way they are going to be handed the keys of a car for €10 a day. Their pricing model is designed around a prearranged rip-off involving, at best, misleading (at worst, fraudulent) advertising.

So the moral of the story is:
Don't attempt to rent a car unless you have taken out your own excess insurance before you leave home. And from reading through these posts, it can be bought at a reasonable cost, it seems. Then let the rental companies "do their worst" with your credit card, and reclaim it when you come back home......? At least that beats having a great holiday spoiled completely when you hand back the car. And if the rental company insists on you taking out their insurance ( or no car ) can you claim it back from your own excess insurance?

jmreire

coylemj wrote: »

The answer is 'yes' because if you decline their insurance, you have to pay for any damage (up to the excess) and later claim off your excess policy. The rental companies will not accept any evidence of an excess policy because they can't claim from it.

Having an excess policy gives you peace of mind so you can decline the insurance offered by the rental company but it makes no difference to what happens at the rental desk. If you fell for a bargain price and end up with the cowboys, they will make you buy their insurance regardless. Or zap your card with a huge deposit, then claim that you damaged the car and keep most of it, see post #11.

Europcar in Lanzarote a few weeks ago only put a €300 block on my credit card, even though their excess (Opel Corsa) was €870 and I declined their insurance. It was lifted two days after I returned the car. €99 (paid in advance) for seven days, no hidden charges, no BS.

This €99 is what you paid for your own excess insurance, before you even left Ireland? And Europcar accepted it... that seems to be the way to go.

coylemj

jmreire wrote: »

This €99 is what you paid for your own excess insurance, before you even left Ireland?

No, €99 was for the car rental, which I paid at the time I booked the car. It was an Opel Corsa five door for seven days. They didn't ask for a cent extra when I picked up the car. I bought a 12 months excess policy online from AIG beforehand for €50 as it was my first time driving in the Canaries. Fuel policy was full/full so no 'gotchas' on that front.

jmreire wrote: »

And Europcar accepted it... that seems to be the way to go.

I mentioned in my previous post that the rental companies don't care if you have excess insurance. Either they accept that you don't want their insurance because (A) you are prepared to take the risk or (B) have your own insurance. Or, if you're renting from the cowboys, they will insist that you buy their insurance regardless.

I've previously rented from Hertz and Europcar in France and Spain with no excess policy. And in all cases, I declined the insurance they offered to sell me when I was picking up the car. And they handed me the keys.

jmreire

coylemj wrote: »

No, €99 was for the car rental, which I paid at the time I booked the car. It was an Opel Corsa five door for seven days. They didn't ask for a cent extra when I picked up the car. I bought a 12 months excess policy online from AIG beforehand for €50 as it was my first time driving in the Canaries. Fuel policy was full/full so no 'gotchas' on that front.



I mentioned in my previous post that the rental companies don't care if you have excess insurance. Either they accept that you don't want their insurance because (A) you are prepared to take the risk or (B) have your own insurance. Or, if you're renting from the cowboys, they will insist that you buy their insurance regardless.

I've previously rented from Hertz and Europcar in France and Spain with no excess policy. And in all cases, I declined the insurance they offered to sell me when I was picking up the car. And they handed me the keys.

Ah yes...now I understand. The reputable one's have the excess on offer, and it's up to you to accept or reject ( and thereby leaving yourself open to any damage that might happen to the car ) But even with the cowboys, is their "compulsory" excess expensive? And I can imagine that there maybe different levels of "cover" to take into account. Your advice is very helpful coylemj, Thank you.

coylemj

jmreire wrote: »

Ah yes...now I understand. The reputable one's have the excess on offer, and it's up to you to accept or reject ( and thereby leaving yourself open to any damage that might happen to the car )

Correct.

jmreire wrote: »

But even with the cowboys, is their "compulsory" excess expensive?

I'm not really the person to ask as I've never bought insurance at the rental desk. But below is post #11 in this thread.....

vandriver wrote: »

My 2 days cost £54 in zero excess insurance.

sk8board

jmreire wrote: »

This kind of "Mandatory but not Compulsive" insurance that you are "encouraged" to purchase at the desk when picking up the car...it seems to be very widespread, and while it might (or might not) be mentioned in the advert's ( rent a car for as little as €10.00 per day ) its certainly mentioned at pick up time. Why the hell do these rental companies not include it in the advertised pricing, and be done with it? There are lots of reports of rental damage ( and I know that it can happen) but a lot of it is just plain scamming.

Agreed - the answer to “how do those guys rent a car in Malaga for €5-10/day?” is they can’t.
However, with so much prebooking online (the traditional ‘walk up’ is barely 5-9% of the market in a busy airport now), the only think that matters is price/day. Then they up sell on fuel and insurance at the desk

vandriver

Just to be clear,my £54 for 2 days was with a reputable company at Manchester Airport (Avis)

coylemj

vandriver wrote: »

Just to be clear,my £54 for 2 days was with a reputable company at Manchester Airport (Avis)

Is that how much you paid for insurance - on top of the rental charge? If it is, you were royally ripped off.

Edit: I just priced a two day rental from Avis UK from Manchester airport so I know the answer.....

To cover all of the £1,000 excess for two days rental on a Hyundai i30 costs £43 or £52 on a VW Passat. Which does not include windscreen cover. Which is included in the annual AIG excess policy. Which costs €49.99 and includes €4,000 cover per rental and a €75 excess per claim.

CiniO

coylemj wrote: »

Because they'd get no customers if they did. The low rates they quote are designed to entice suckers who fail to realise that there is no way they are going to be handed the keys of a car for €10 a day. Their pricing model is designed around a prearranged rip-off involving, at best, misleading (at worst, fraudulent) advertising.

I've rented a car in Ireland several times, and never really paid more than €5 to €8 per day.
Record I got was 21 days rental for €105 which comes as exactly €5 per day.

I always used third party agent/broker like arguscarhire / rentalcars etc... and never purchased anything than absolute basic.

jmreire

CiniO wrote: »

I've rented a car in Ireland several times, and never really paid more than €5 to €8 per day.
Record I got was 21 days rental for €105 which comes as exactly €5 per day.

I always used third party agent/broker like arguscarhire / rentalcars etc... and never purchased anything than absolute basic.

And never had any problems when you handed the car back to the desk?

coylemj

CiniO wrote: »

I've rented a car in Ireland several times, and never really paid more than €5 to €8 per day.
Record I got was 21 days rental for €105 which comes as exactly €5 per day.

I always used third party agent/broker like arguscarhire / rentalcars etc... and never purchased anything than absolute basic.

Cinio, the rates in Ireland are not comparable with holiday destinations like Spain and the Canaries.

Irish daily car rental rates fall like a stone outside peak holiday season and bank holiday weekends.

While in mainland Spain and the Canaries, they're pretty constant all year around.

Like the sunshine.