When dealing with car rental companies, it is a common belief that they will not accept check/debit cards. This makes sense as many will blatantly refuse to accept them under any circumstance for the first three to five minutes of the conversation. However, after persisting a little bit you will quickly find that they all will accept them unless the franchisee has put their own restrictions on what can be used as a deposit for a vehicle.

While nearly all companies who follow corporate policy accept debit/check cards, many will make you jump through additional hoops. In most cases a credit check (performed prior to you picking up the vehicle) and/or a sizable cash deposit will be necessary to rent a car. These precautions are set in place to help avoid any issues that may arise if the car is returned damaged or otherwise in need of repair.

Generally speaking, when you decide to use your debit or check card as a form or deposit for a car rental you should almost always have about two thousand dollars more than what you will need for the next two to three weeks in your account. Along with the sizable cash deposit (which is generally returned at the end of the rental period) you can also expect the rental company to put a hold on about five hundred dollars or so. If you go in expecting to leave without spending less than five hundred then you should reevaluate if you can actually afford to use your check card. In many cases, most people will find that it will be a much smoother and simpler process if you, or another driver, can use a credit card instead of fighting to use your debit card.