Need to rent a car for holiday - have no credit card :(

Haggisman

Haggisman

Haggisman

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Firstly, I hope this is the right section, but feel free to move to Motors if that's more appropriate.

So I'm going on holiday in August, and I need to rent a car, however on almost all the sites I've looked at, they specify you need a credit card to secure a deposit. In most cases this has to be the main driver's card too =/

So the issue is that due to financial problems in the past, I have no credit card, so this is obviously going to be a problem.

The solutions I can think of so far are:

- Apply for a terrible card, use it for the deposit, then cancel/cut it up as soon as I get home.
- Call the rental place and see if they will take a cash deposit or so instead.

Basically want some feedback on these, and any other suggestions.

Also if anyone has recommendations for a card I can get? (basically I was declared bankrupt just over a year ago - now discharged)
 
Can you get a shuttle bus or taxi to certain places on the holiday, might cost you abit more but least then you dont risk having an acident abroad and needing to fuel up, avoid drinking so your safe to drive etc.
 
Well, it's a good 100 miles from the airport to where we're staying, for 3 of us its gonna cost around the same to use public transport etc. and take a lot longer. That's not taking into account a couple of trips we're planning.

That being said, I'm looking into it, so it's an option, albeit not the most preferred =P
 
I have never, ever rented a car without having to use a credit card. If they would take a cash deposit it would likely be huge, I think you will be out of luck :(
 
Get a pay as you go credit card ( Mastercard ). Cost about £10 for the card either online or in conviniance stores and then you just top up money on it online with your debit card.
 
Just get a credit card, as long as you pay it off simply having a credit card and using it has no ill effects, if used responsibly they are in fact good for building a good credit rating.
 
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The OP has recently been declared bankrupt. I'm not sure a credit card is going to be easy to come by. Can't one of your friends use their card and they be the main driver?
 
[FnG]magnolia;16853370 said:
The OP has recently been declared bankrupt. I'm not sure a credit card is going to be easy to come by. Can't one of your friends use their card and they be the main driver?
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As an addition to that, I've often had others pay for the vehicle on their card and I've been the main driver. They dont always have to be one and the same.
 
Unfortunately one of us is only 18, and the other hasn't had his licence long enough (yeah, it just keeps getting complicated =P)

I'll give them a ring tomorrow and see how strict they are on it, might be able to use one of the others' cards. *fingers crossed*

Otherwise it looks like I should get on to organising buses/trains =P
 
Haggisman said:
Unfortunately one of us is only 18, and the other hasn't had his licence long enough (yeah, it just keeps getting complicated =P)

I'll give them a ring tomorrow and see how strict they are on it, might be able to use one of the others' cards. *fingers crossed*

Otherwise it looks like I should get on to organising buses/trains =P
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Can you not get one of those prepaid Mastercards?
 
I've been renting a car since February, and it took a long, long time to find a place that lets me pay in cash each month rather than Direct Debit or Credit Card. None of the big name companies would do it, so it ended up being a local company.

However, they still require a Credit Card initially to cover for any theft or damages. I managed to have a sit down with the manager, and he agreed that rather than "freezing" say £700 or whatever the usual amount is, he would just hold the details of my credit card without freezing an amount on it. That's handy, cause the only card I have has a £300 limit which is for emergencies (ie i need a flight home tomorrow or something).

I think you'll be extremely lucky to find a place that will let you use a cash deposit, and it will likely be absolutely huge.

Depending on where you're going... you could look at renting mopeds/scooters. Places like Turkey and Egypt you can rent them pretty cheap, not sure about in locations of "lads" holidays as ive never been. Although, in such places local transport is almost always peanuts.
 
There are also a lot of countries where you have to be 21 before you can hire a car I think or where you need to have had a license for over a year?
 
We're going to Croatia, I'm 26 and have been driving for about 6 years, so I meet all the criteria like that, unfortunately, of the 2 people I'm going with, as mentioned one is 18, and I don't think the other has had his licence long enough =/
 
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