When you rent a car, the rental company will typically place a hold on your credit or debit card. This hold will be for the amount of your rental plus an additional amount to cover any unforeseen charges, such as returning the car without filling up the gas tank. If you’re using a credit card and aren’t close to your credit limit, you might not even notice this hold unless you frequently check your account. You’ll likely see a pending charge, but the final bill won’t be processed until after you return the vehicle.
However, if you’re using a debit card, things get more complicated. That’s because you won’t have access to the funds that are covered by the hold until it’s removed from your account, which can take several days. Furthermore, rental car companies may put a larger amount on hold for debit cards than for credit cards. This is because a credit card can charge you up to your credit limit, while a debit card can only take what you have in your bank account. Therefore, they want to ensure they can cover the full cost of the rental if you keep the car for longer than planned.
We’ve listed the rules for the major companies’ debit card policies. However, we have to update the list because Hertz and Dollar (which are part of the same company) have changed their policies.
Previously, Visa credit and debit cardholders were exempt from the hold.
The above incremental hold will not be applied to established Express members cards with a VISA credit or debit on their profile.
However, as of April 13, 2023, that’s no longer the case.
We’ve updated our Visa credit and debit card authorization to include holds for $200 and $500, respectively, plus the cost of the rental, effective April 13, 2023.
In addition, locations will do a soft credit check if you’re paying with a debit card.
Specific to debit cards, we will determine qualifications via a soft credit check, which does not impact your credit score in any way. We’ve made this decision based on best practices to help ensure we can continue to provide you and your loved ones with a seamless experience.
If you’ve been using a Visa card, like the Sapphire Preferred, to pay for your car rentals at Dollar or Hertz, don’t be surprised to see a hold on your account that hasn’t been there before.
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