freaking about car rental
 

I'm starting to freak out a little about the car rental issue. Here's my problem. Neither my wife or I have a credit card (just debit cards), and I understand that a c.c. is necessary to rent a car - so, I am planning to use my company credit card (in my name). I have not cleared this with my company and I have an e-mail in to Budget asking if we can pay in cash and to clarify if there will be ANY charges to the card. A hold should be fine, but if there are any charges to the company card that could be big trouble for me. It's really my only option since we are leaving in a couple of days. Anyone have any insight into this?

Since you don't have insurance coverage of a credit card I assume you are buying the CDW through Budget? Do you have a deductible that would be automatically charged in case of any incident?

When we rented a car in the UK they added a charge for ~$35 for tax. We did not know this charge was coming but we later found it in the fine print that they will chage after the fact. If using your company card will cause you trouble then I think it's not worth the risk.

Here are a couple of options, I don't know if it will work:

1. Call and apply for a credit card by phone. Explain the situation and ask if they can Fed Ex your card.

2. If there is no time for that, ask a very close friend or relative to authorize you on their account. You won't have a card in hand but Budget could call Visa/MC and verify you are an authorized user.

Good luck, I would be nervous about this too, especially since you haven't cleared this with your company.

In some places, and this can vary by company or even the agent, I've rented cars using only a debit card. This included Italy and Scotland. When doing that I make certain I have purchased the top line insurance with as low a deductible as possible ($0 preferred). I have used AutoEurope for multiple rentals and did the debit card through them without a problem.

I would NOT consider using a company credit card without first clearing it. That could open up a whole can of worms for you, including the possibility of criminal charges at worst.

dave

>I would NOT consider using a company credit card without first clearing it. That could open up a whole can of worms for you, including the possibility of criminal charges at worst.<

Agreed.

((I))

If you are proposing to pay in cash they will ask you for a significant security deposit. (Part of the reason for the CC is that they can charge thousands against it if there is damage. They can;t do this with a debit since who knows what's in your account). You can;t reserve with a company card and then walk in and try to pay in cash. If you're going to pay in cash you need to tell them up front and find out what kind of deposit they will require.

(Last summer some tourists in front of me on a car rental line had their CCs maxed out due to holds from hotels etc - and had to put down $1500 in cash- on top of the cost of the rental - before they could have a car.)

You need to contact you rental company to get this straightened out right away.

triskelion, I don't mean to be unkind and the following is spoken with concern. Is there a reason you didn't you clear this with your company? Can you still do that before you leave? This sounds like a very risky move on your part to use a company card without permission, and it's a little sad you are waiting until the last minute to look into other alternatives.

I see you are going to Ireland which is indeed best explored by car so I won't suggest other modes of transportation. I do hope you can get a credit card in time for your trip or find some other solution to your problem. I would hate to think you could lose your job or be severely reprimanded in a situation like this. So if there is ANY way to avoid using your company card you should go that route.

I sincerely wish you luck in getting this resolved in time for your trip.

You might try booking through autoeurope.com. It's a completely pre-paid rental (you get a voucher that you hand to the rental car office), and you can certainly pay with your debit card. If you get the full insurance, then you're protected against damage the car suffers.

I think this is your best path forward.

travelhorizons,

It's not true that autoeurope.com covers what you state.
There is a better than even chance that they (the rental car company) will charge a security deposit and Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is NOT included unless you pay up-front for same.

Ireland is a PITA when it comes to rental cars. Good luck

Unfortunately, even w/ Autoeurope - one will have to show a credit card.

"<i>I see you are going to Ireland which is indeed best explored by car so I won't suggest other modes of transportation.</i>"

P_M is right but in your situation you really don't have that option. Unless you get a credit card in your own name, you are sort of out of luck. You would be absolutely nuts to use a company cc w/o authorization.

There are ways to get around Ireland w/o a car. Kids too young to rent, folks w/o a driver's license, those too freaked to drive on the left - people manage every day. Forget about a car (unless you do get a cc in time) and plan your itinerary by bus and train.

To do otherwise could have horrible consequences that could dog you (serious debt, lost job/or suspension, etc)

You say a company credit card but I'm not sure what you mean. I have a company credit card, but the bills come to me and I have to pay them. I file for my expenses and then use that money to pay the bills. The company never sees the bills (unless I would reneg on them) and I can charge anything I want to it.

If you mean a credit card that goes directly to the company and is paid by them - then it would be madness to charge personal bills to it.

nytraveler: "<i> I have a company credit card, but the bills come to me and I have to pay them. I file for my expenses and then use that money to pay the bills. The company never sees the bills (unless I would reneg on them) and I can charge anything I want to it.</i>"

My business credit card worked the same way -- however using it for personal use was a firing offense. They <i>might</i> not find out about it -- but they do spot audits/check records w/ the cc issuer so the chances of eventually discovering it are pretty good. Using the company's AMEX as my personal cash float would lose me my job. I had to sign a 'contract' to that effect when my card was issued.

Your company may be different -- but from the OP's post it definitely looks like personal use is not allowed by his firm.

Triskelion,

I have been in management a long time, and I strongly urge you to please not use your company credit card on this trip.

I had a colleague who did this, and he was written up, had his credit card confiscated, and his name was tarnished around the office thereafter. In fact, he was almost fired, but since he had been with the company for several years, he kept his job--barely. This, even though he had promptly paid all of the personal charges on the card out of his own pocket.

You acknowledge that you will be in big trouble if any European charges appear on your card. If you present that card at the rental counter, there is always a possibility that an erroneous or miscellaneous charge may show up,even if you pay in cash, and despite any verbal assurances Budget may give you to the contrary.

Take a look at the Alamo website. It appears they will accept a debit card in Ireland. Good luck to you.

http://www.alamo.co.uk/rentalpolicies/740/uk/DEB/

travelhorizons,

In my first post I mentioned an unexpected charge, that came from AutoEurope.

Well, it depends on the company. We don;thave any specific rules about not using the card for personal expenses. I wouldn;t - just to keep the book keeping straight - but it certainly wouldn't be cause for prerimand or dismissal - unless you didn;t pay it.

I have also used a debit card with companies which said on their website that a credit card was needed. I didn't say anything - just handed my card over - and the people on the desks didn't bat an eyelid.

Like janisj, at my company we have to sign a statement that we will only use our American Express card for business purposes. That's why my colleague was almost fired when he used it for personal purchases.

Since the OP said "if there are any charges to the company card that could be big trouble for me", I assume his company has a policy against using the card for personal expenses.

I agree that company policies vary. For example,I don't pay my company credit card out of my own pocket. I simply submit an expense report and the company pays it. I can and do access my account online to make sure the charges are accurate and to check to see when payment has been made.

I suppose I could pay out-of-pocket and submit a request for reimbursement, but I see no advantage to that. Either way, the company has access to my account, and like the OP, personal charges would mean big trouble.

Triskelion, if you are still out there, please let us know what you decided and how things turned out. Wishing you the best.

At our company, we can use the card for personal expenses provided we indicate they are personal and we pay for them ourselves. The statement is sent directly to the user. My former boss had to use the company credit card for a personal item. When he submitted his expense statement, he did not include personal expenses (per company policy) however ensured that he sent a cheque to AMEX to cover them. So in a nutshell at our company as long as you don't try and expense personal items or use the card for dubious purposes (i.e. certain cafes in Amsterdam!)you can use it for personal expenses. I would check your company policy on use of credit cards.

Check with your company policy regarding usage of company credit card. This is the only choice I can see when it comes to that issue. If worst comes to worst, then what can you do? You will need to talk to the car rental company whats the best way to handle your situation, no credit card but have debit card and cash. Maybe they can suggest something. If not, then, you will really have to come up with cash money ( a lot) to be able to rent a car. Reagrdless, of what you will and can do, my feeling is that better to shell out the cash than losing your job due to something so simple that you could have check in the beginning with your company.

Thanks for all of your comments; I was beside myself on how to handle the credit card situation. As it turned out, I did contact my boss, explained the situation and she gave me the OK to use the company card for the hold. *relief*. For all of the horror stories I had read about rental cars in Ireland, my experience ultimately was simple and uneventful. We opted for the super insurance (of course) and were able to pay the entire amount on the debit card.
I was so afraid of hearing "no" from my company that I forgot it pays to just be honest and things work themselves out.

I'm glad it all worked out, thanks for the update.