No credit card - holiday ruined??

[Rockmehardplace]

I’ve booked a driving holiday and need to hire a car. Turns out I need a credit card to use as a deposit against any damage and I don’t have one. I’m distraught as everything is booked & paid for. Have applied for a credit card via my bank but they’ve said it could be 7 days till they make a decision and I fly on Monday. Does anyone give instant credit cards (I have savings, no debt, good credit rating etc). To stop me losing all the money on the holiday and DC being gutted????
im already distraught about the whole thing so don’t need telling how stupid I have been :(

I’ve used my debit card on more than one occasion

We used Turo. It's like air bnb for cars. We've used it in America and France with no problems and it can be quite cheap and no credit card is needed.

Do you have an Amazon account OP ? If so, they are offering instant access Barclaycard. You apply online through Amazon and they give an instant decision. If accepted you can download the app, set up your account and get immediate access to credit while you wait for the card to arrive. Not sure how smooth the process is but if it lives up to what’s advertised it might solve your immediate problem.

Most credit card applications give you a decision in minutes although you would have to wait for the card so unlikely to have it by Monday anyway. I would say it’s worth trying elsewhere, bizarre that your bank is taking up to a week for a decision tbh.

Zable gives you card details instantly and the physical card arrived within 2 days.

We used this company when my husband was travelling without a credit card: http://www.indigocarhire.co.uk/. Choose 'debit card hire' from the menu.

You pay a deposit which is refunded when you return the car, rather than using a credit card. They have a deal with the major car hire firms to agree this. Their rates were competitive too

If you have a revolut card then you don’t need a revolut credit card because the regular “debit style” card (where you can only spend what you have on the card) actually shows as a credit card for purchases.

I always use mine for car rentals or anything where I don’t 100% trust that I’ll get a deposit back.

I don’t recall how long it takes to get your first revolut card but I recently lost my card and need a replacement and part of their service on the metal plan is next day delivery

You can buy insurance at home before you go. I believe it’s quite a lot cheaper too. I’ve never done it this way so if you have time see if this is suitable.

I had a similar problem in Turkey but they accepted a prepaid travel money card. You could get one quickly and load it with enough to pay for the car. Just check first that the hire company will accept it.

These days with car hire companies you can normally pay a bit extra, so you have 100% insurance - so should anything happen you have zero to pay, and therefore the company just takes the full amount and no deposit negating the need for a CC.

It's good isn't it.

We didn't save money by getting a cheaper car though, we paid the same money we would have done for a basic car at a standard hire place, and got a fancy jeep instead 😊

Last time I hired a car abroad the deposit was 2k. I got it back btw, being a careful driver who took photos of every mark on the car before I got in it. Hirers saw me do this and seemed to expect it.

Monzo?

But also banks can do a virtual card that goes straight on to your phone you dont need to wait for physical card.

Where are you going,?

I always pay the excess insurance then most companies do not require a card deposit.

But having a cc is useful, you should put £100 of big purchases on it as then you get additional protection if there are issues.

But you still need to leave a deposit, that is usually £1k+ or pay the extra fee to have true zero excess on all risks, not just the standard version that excludes damage to half the car.

But if the OP says where she's going, people might be able to advise on a company that will take a debit card without ripping her off on extra insurance and also companies to avoid because they will try every trick in the book to rip her off, like the company above who wouldn't accept a credit card unless it has a full name on

But let this thread also serve as a reminder to the 'I don't need a credit card' crowd that this is why you do. Nothing to do with spending money you don't have but life is simpler, and likely cheaper, if you do.

Pay extra for the insurance

NatWest let you add to Apple Pay straight away if that would suffice?

I’m sure I’ve had others that let you do this too but I can’t remember which… maybe Chase would as pretty sure the debit card was immediately available.

What country? I had this issue in Ireland

No idea why my reply was hidden. It was just a link to a virtual credit card that I use!

Revolut might be quicker ?

There are banks which give instant decisions, but to be honest you aren't likely to get the card before you travel on Monday.

You're best bet is trying to find a car company that takes debit cards. Some do depending on the location, although often you'll need to pay a large holding amount when you hire the car so make sure you have funds available.

Ive booked cars where they take a deposit if no card. 500 quid or so. Can you look for alternative car hire places