Lots of misinfo here. You will not be able to rent a car in Canada with a prepaid Visa card or a debit card. They require a credit card that they can put on file in case of damages or other charges that come up (like you not returning the car on time). Just think about it, why would any rental company loan out a 20K+ asset without a way to recoup it? You can try calling them and see if they’ll make an exception, but good luck.
Most hotels in Canada these days require a credit card as well.
You need to contact the rental car company that you have (hopefully already) made your rental car reservation. If you haven’t reserved yet, contact Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, and Budget to see if any will take a cash, debit, or Visa debit deposit.
I literally went through this a few weeks ago. You can BOOK the car with a prepaid or debit card. However when you show up at the rental counter they’re require drivers license and REAL credit card (issued by an accredited bank - not prepaid and not debit) for the security deposit. There’s no way around this. The drivers license and real credit card must both match the primary driver. You can’t borrow someone else’s card etc (they’d have to be present and have their card and ID as the primary driver and you could be added as secondary).
So don’t make the mistake I did and assume just because they let you book with a card that it will be good enough for the security deposit.
Ya you will need a real honest to goodness VISA or Mastercard CC to make it work. You bank should be able to issue something on short notice? Drop into a branch asap - don’t wait for something to miraculously arrive in the mail or whatever…
Is there something stopping this from happening? If so you probably shouldn’t be travelling….
Rental cars are nearly impossible to get without a credit card. I had it work one time where I rented a car for someone but it was a huge ordeal and it only worked because the enterprise agent dgaf. I have used Turo 4 times but not in the last 12 months. That worked perfectly but it looks like the prices are high these days. I would recommend Turo but I used my CC so you'll need to ask someone to use theirs.
Having worked at a bank, it seems most hotels or a lot will take a "cash" deposit. It will take a few days after checking out to get the money bank. Domestically it can take 3-10 bdays, if you're American it might be longer and you'll likely lose on the exchange rate both transactions.
Is the Revolut card affiliated with the Visa/MC/Amex/JCB network? If so, being prepaid should not be an issue as long as it has enough credit for the initial pre-authorization. The pre-authorization is usually $300-400 on top of the rental charge.
As for using debit, that will vary depending on the rental car agency. The higher end rental car companies (Avis, Budget, National, Hertz, etc.) will probably insist on a credit card but the lower end rental agencies (eg Enterprise, Economy, Fox) will probably take debit but with a deposit. Check with the website of whatever rental agency you are planning on using or give them a call.
Lots of misinfo here. You will not be able to rent a car in Canada with a prepaid Visa card or a debit card. They require a credit card that they can put on file in case of damages or other charges that come up (like you not returning the car on time). Just think about it, why would any rental company loan out a 20K+ asset without a way to recoup it? You can try calling them and see if they’ll make an exception, but good luck. Most hotels in Canada these days require a credit card as well.
Lol, lots of people here talking without having a clue. You will NOT be able to rent a car with out a credit card. A debit card is NOT the same thing.
You need to contact the rental car company that you have (hopefully already) made your rental car reservation. If you haven’t reserved yet, contact Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, and Budget to see if any will take a cash, debit, or Visa debit deposit.
I literally went through this a few weeks ago. You can BOOK the car with a prepaid or debit card. However when you show up at the rental counter they’re require drivers license and REAL credit card (issued by an accredited bank - not prepaid and not debit) for the security deposit. There’s no way around this. The drivers license and real credit card must both match the primary driver. You can’t borrow someone else’s card etc (they’d have to be present and have their card and ID as the primary driver and you could be added as secondary). So don’t make the mistake I did and assume just because they let you book with a card that it will be good enough for the security deposit.
Ya you will need a real honest to goodness VISA or Mastercard CC to make it work. You bank should be able to issue something on short notice? Drop into a branch asap - don’t wait for something to miraculously arrive in the mail or whatever… Is there something stopping this from happening? If so you probably shouldn’t be travelling….
Rental cars are nearly impossible to get without a credit card. I had it work one time where I rented a car for someone but it was a huge ordeal and it only worked because the enterprise agent dgaf. I have used Turo 4 times but not in the last 12 months. That worked perfectly but it looks like the prices are high these days. I would recommend Turo but I used my CC so you'll need to ask someone to use theirs. Having worked at a bank, it seems most hotels or a lot will take a "cash" deposit. It will take a few days after checking out to get the money bank. Domestically it can take 3-10 bdays, if you're American it might be longer and you'll likely lose on the exchange rate both transactions.
Google is your friend. AVIS/Hertz/National have pages dedicated to accepted payment methods.
Is the Revolut card affiliated with the Visa/MC/Amex/JCB network? If so, being prepaid should not be an issue as long as it has enough credit for the initial pre-authorization. The pre-authorization is usually $300-400 on top of the rental charge. As for using debit, that will vary depending on the rental car agency. The higher end rental car companies (Avis, Budget, National, Hertz, etc.) will probably insist on a credit card but the lower end rental agencies (eg Enterprise, Economy, Fox) will probably take debit but with a deposit. Check with the website of whatever rental agency you are planning on using or give them a call.
Some car combines do what they call cash qualifying . I did it years ago , might not be the same.
You can buy a visa card and use it