Many car rental companies will immediately deny that they accept debit cards as a way to secure a rental from them. They will say that they cannot do it because of the limitations of the card and just generally try to detour you from pursuing the idea of renting a car on a debit card. However, with a little persistence it is possible for you to get them to admit to accepting debit cards. In many cases they only do this because debit cards are still tied into the credit card companies and there are still options that they can pursue should you breach the rental contract or severely damage the car.

Nevertheless, just because they will accept debit cards, it doesn’t mean that they won’t make you work to have them accept it. In many cases you will be required to leave the debit card information, through which they will place a hold on a sizable sum of money through your bank account (effectively rendering that money useless to you until you return the car) and they will often times require a cash deposit. These holds and deposits can range in size from a few hundred dollars to nearly two thousand, depending on the company and its particular policies.

In order to avoid some of this mess it is important to shop around for the best deals you can get from various companies. These deals will allow you to spend the least amount of money and receive the least amount of hassle for your rental experience. In some cases, you may even be able to forego one of the holds/deposits that others require as insurance that you’ll not breach the contract.