Hold on a Credit Card for Car Rental Deposit

The hold on a credit card that it used for a car rental deposit, can vary by company and can, for some companies be very specific to which location in particular you're renting from.

I contacted some major car rental companies about their credit card holds for car rental deposit with mixed results. The most specific answers I got were from:

Budget (opens in a new window)

they process a credit card hold of total estimated charges plus 25% or $200, whichever is greater.

So, they have a $200 minimum hold (this minimum hold would only occur if your rental total was $199 or less). In order to calculate the amount held on your credit card if your total rental cost is over $200 just mulitply the amount of the rental costs by 1.25 which will give you the amount of the car rental deposit required.

Dollar (opens in a new window)

They place an authorization (or hold) on the renter's credit card of the total estmated rental charges + 15% or a minimum hold, whichever is greater.

They stated that their minimum holds range between $250-$300 depending on the specific location that you rent from. They suggested contacting the specific city location for more details on their particular policy regarding credit card hold.

Fox (opens in a new window)

They accept only major charge cards for deposit (no debit cards); they accept American Express, Diners Club, Discovery, JCB, MasterCard and Visa.

The credit card used must have enough for a minimum deposit of $150 or the total amount of the estimated charge for the rental -- whichever is more.

Payless (opens in a new window)

The hold on a credit card for the car rental deposit will be the total amount of the rental estimate plus an extra amount for deposit. The extra deposit amount will vary by location. Renters must find out the amount from the rental location directly (it can vary from an extra $200 to $350 or more - depending on location). You can find local payment policies online when researching rates on their website.

other, not so specific responses I received, included:

Enterprise:

They referred me to their website:

Enterprise.com (opens in a new window) states:

The actual deposit amount can vary based on the approximated total cost of your rental. This cost is based on the size of the vehicle you are going to rent and how long you would like to have the vehicle.

If you need to know the exact amount of a deposit required for your rental, your best bet is to contact the specific location you want to rent from directly.

Alamo, Avis , Hertz, National and Thrifty (open in a new window)

Gave no specifics as far as car rental deposit or the hold on a credit card.

All reps from these companies stated that the deposit amount can vary by your age, car type and location and suggested that you contact a location for the specific city or town that you would be interested in renting in, for more details.

All of the rental car companies did tell me though, that a cash deposit requires a much larger deposit than when you do the hold on a credit card.

*Note: Car rental companies can modify policy at any time; I make every attempt to maintain up-to-date info, but always check with an individual company to verify any policy. See: Disclaimer

Related Pages:

Car Rental Credit Identification

Car Rental Deposits

Using Debit Cards to Rent a Car

Debit Card Rental Policies

Image Credit: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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