Car Hire in Nice without a VISA card?
May 12th, 2004, 09:12 AM
#1
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Car Hire in Nice without a VISA card?
I am looking for somewhere in or around nice that will offer car hire without a VISA card for security. I tried to order a VISA but it's not going to arrive on time (I fly on the 15th). Any help would be massively appreciated. Cheers.
May 12th, 2004, 10:00 AM
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If its just Visa that's a problem I can't imagine that the major car rental companies wouldn't let you use AmEx, MasterCArd, Diners etc.
If you mean can you rent a car without a credit card - I can;t imagine anyone is going to trust you with a car worth $20,000+ without security. (I once worked with someone who had filed bankruptcy and needed to rent a car - he had to provide a very large cash deposit - I think in excess of $5,000 - before they gave him the car.)
If you mean can you rent a car without a credit card - I can;t imagine anyone is going to trust you with a car worth $20,000+ without security. (I once worked with someone who had filed bankruptcy and needed to rent a car - he had to provide a very large cash deposit - I think in excess of $5,000 - before they gave him the car.)
May 14th, 2004, 05:43 AM
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Holiday Autos take Switch and Visa debit cards that don't carry the "Electron" logo. www.holidayautos.co.uk
May 14th, 2004, 05:50 AM
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I wouldn't use a debit card to rent a car -- they could put a security hold on some of your funds, and that would be taken out of your checking account. Rule of thumb, never use debit card for hotel reservations or rental cars, even if it has the VISA logo on it. 
May 14th, 2004, 06:03 AM
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We occasionally used a U.S. bank debit card with a MC logo on it to rent a car (from Avis and Europcar). Never had a problem (knock wood). Using a regular Visa is best, but if Tom really needs to rent a car, a debit card with a Visa or MC logo will work with many European car rental agencies.
May 14th, 2004, 06:15 AM
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Using a VISA Debit card to make a purchase or pay for a hotel/restaurant bill is OK. The funds come directly out of your checking account.
If you use a credit card to rent a car, the majority of the car dealers will put a hold on a certain amount of your funds as a security deposit. You're not charged for it, but it is a hold in case you damage the vehicle. If you use a VISA Debit card, that "Hold money" will come out of your checking account. It will be put back in when the hold is taken off, but who would want to go thru that hassle? Same for making a hotel reservation and giving a VISA Debit card to hold the room.
flanneruk -- Nope.
If you use a credit card to rent a car, the majority of the car dealers will put a hold on a certain amount of your funds as a security deposit. You're not charged for it, but it is a hold in case you damage the vehicle. If you use a VISA Debit card, that "Hold money" will come out of your checking account. It will be put back in when the hold is taken off, but who would want to go thru that hassle? Same for making a hotel reservation and giving a VISA Debit card to hold the room.
flanneruk -- Nope.
