Renting a Car without a Credit Card

I know in the US car renals can use debit cards on some rentals. But it will depend on the rental company.

For international car rentals I would check on their websites and see if a debit card can work. I would also try calling the customer support number and checking with a live person. It may mean a lot of calls or web surfing but it should give you an idea of what kind of cards will or wont work.

Because the laws, rules and fine print are different for a debit card than a credit card I would also ckeck with your bank. I know some online companies in genreal will not accept debit cards because these differences.

You may need to get an international drivers license(get them from AAA office). Yes you can drop off in another country BUT there are usually extra fees for renting a car in one country and dropping it off in another country. It will depend on the company and the time of year you rent the car.

I hope this helps.

As always, check with Andy at Gemut.com for answers like the ones you need. He is the expert in car rental IMHO. After you explore the website, call him for the best information and advice. He can tell you what you can do and how much it will cost.

We did something similar in 2011 and unless things have changed since then, you will need a special sticker, purchased at or near the Swiss border, to drive in Switzerland. There will be tolls. We usually pay those with cash, but naturally, you have to have the right amount of change and get in the correct lane.

Germany, Switzerland and France all come together near Basel. You might be able to drop the car back in France near that area. It would be about a 90 minute drive from Lucerne. We did something similar only we drove from Annecy and dropped the car (rented in Stuttgart) over the border in Lorrach, Germany to save the big cost of returning it in a different country. We flew out of the Euro Airport which is actually in France.

I use AutoEurope when I rent cars there. They are a consolidator based in Maine. You pay them, not at the rental counter. They have an 800 number, so you could call and ask them about the use of a debit card.

I'm not sure if you are required to have an International Drivers Permit (IDP) to drive in France or Switzerland. I always get one when driving in non-English speaking countries just to be on the safe side. You get it at AAA, and it costs about $15. If you don't provide them with a passport sized photo they will take it there for you for another $10 or so.

As far as renting in France and returning in Switzerland, you should be able to do so. At a big price. My brother rented in Germany and dropped in France, unaware they would charge him for that convenience. I think he had to pay 400€ extra. I would find some way to return it in the original country. If you are flying into France and flying home from Switzerland it would be less expensive to rent two different cars.

Even if you prepay you will be required to provide a credit card at rental counter, in your own name. Sometimes they take a debit card, but the amount of money they hold can vary from a few hundred dollars to many thousands. I only wanted to use debit cards a few years ago and the amount of trouble and uncertainty it caused made it not worth it. Sometimes they will tell you one thing on the phone and when you get there it is a different story. There are now signs at some rental counters (Orlando for one) that if you only have a debit card they will run a credit check before giving you the car.

We try to be debt free as well, but it is true that the car company will place a hold on the card. So we have a credit card for travel expenses. I think they placed a hold for 800.00 on our card. The only thing we put on our credit card was the car rental, because I needed what was in the bank for the rest of the trip and I didn't want the hold on my debit card. It might be a good idea to get a separate card for the rental car. Just a thought, once back you can pay the card off and close the account.

This is one time when a credit card is very useful if not critical. While you may have personal reasons for not using a credit card, unfortunately the rest of the world is built around credit cards. If the rental company will accept a debit card, and that is not a given, they will put a huge hold on the cash in your account and will be slow to release it. The same can happen when using a debit card at a gas pump. Over time that could be significant. A debit card is great for obtain cash in Europe but has a number of negatives if using for routine purchases in Europe. If your concern is not being able to control your spending with a credit card, then get a credit card for the trip and toss it in the drawer when you are home.

Dropping a car in another country generally is very expensive and not recommended.

This question has come up before, and I remember specifically a case in the UK. A couple of rental agencies there did explicitly say they would accept debit cards, even from North Americans. But it seemed to be the exception, not the rule. So for France and/or Switzerland, you will need to check around and pay very close attention to fine print and speak with persons that have good authority. And just because an agency will accept debit cards from EU residents does not mean they will do so for non-EU residents.

As you may be aware, it is much harder for rental agencies to place charges on a debit card after the fact, such as for damages or for traffic fines. If there is not enough money in the account to cover the charges, the agency is out of luck. To account for that, some places require extensive paperwork or even checking credit reports, others will place substantial "holds" on funds in your account. This issue is further complicated by the fact that you are not an EU resident and there is little they can do to hunt you down later if the account had insufficient funds.

I will also point out that most of us here strongly recommend against using debit cards for point of sale purchases while traveling abroad. Fraud can and does happen and you have far greater protections with a credit card than with debit cards. And if someone steals your card info and drains your checking account, you are left without any means of funding until it is all straightened out and your account is replenished - which can take several days or even over a week. Europe does tend to be a cash friendly society, so you can mostly avoid using the debit card other than for the ATM, but keep this in mind when planning how much cash to have on hand.

If you have cash in the bank to cover your trip, why not use a credit card for large expenses and repay the whole thing in a lumpsum payment when you return? Your bank account will be protected, and there will be little or no added expense in using the credit card this way.

Many/most foreign rental car places have signs on the counter saying no debit cards.

I've no idea what the implication is for those with no signs.

Thanks all. I see it is better to obtain a credit card and use that just for a car rental and gas if we decide to go that route. I appreciate the input.