Rental Car Security Deposit?

Question

I have to go out of town for a week and am going to rent a car. I've noticed that most car rental agencies charge a security deposit in additional to the fee. Do you know of any agencies that do not? I think National does not require one but I wanted to see if anyone has had any past experience. Thanks!!

Answer 1

Hi There,

I think you need security deposit for all the car hire companies. However, you can leave them with an empty slip of your credit card, which you sign at the time of the hire. They usually block around $500 on the credit card, which is released when the vehicle is returned in same condition. I hope this helps...

Answer 2

In general, all rental national car agencies, require a deposit of some kind. It can vary from company to company and city to city as to the amount. The least I have seen lately is $200.00 at Enterprise in San Antonio but I think they may have raised that amount. It is best to use a credit card for the deposit as having enough cash for the rental and the deposit is difficult and using a check card (not accepted by many companies anyway) can mess with your balance too much. It is often a good idea to keep one empty card for deposits and reservations and then use another card to pay the bill when the time comes. Though I can arange rental cars for my clients at their request I will advise you as I do them that the internet rates ie priceline cannot usually be beat. I recently was able to rent a luxury car (Avis) in Baltimore for $120 for a week that way. Could leave you the money for a deposit with just the difference from the at the counter rates. Also I recently rented a Mustang Convertible in Scottsdale for less than a compact car at most rental car agencies using the internet and contacting Fox Rent A Car (not available in all cities). Use the internet to find out which agencies are available at yopur travel location and the search the internet for the best deal. One other piece of advice... different states have different laws regarding insurance coverage with rental cars as do most insurance companies check those out...most of the time the insurance offered by the rental car agency is an unneccessary expense.