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 :(

They'll still make you leave a deposit either by credit or debit card but it will be around 1000 euros or more.

I've seen many a post and sad faced news report of how 'our holiday was ruined because the car hire company took all our spending money' because they hadn't realised that swiping the card reserves a large amount of money, which is then not available for the rest of the holiday.

I don't agree with this.

Yes it is cheaper- but if you have a problem you have to claim the money back, so you have to have the means to cover the cost and then take the risk that your insurance may not pay out.

If you use the hire companies one you are covered if there is an issue, plus it means they do not charge a large fee to your credit or debit card. I would rather pay more and avoid any stress.

A few years ago I met a couple of old ladies at the airport, they had ordered a car and bought their own insurance. They had no credit cards and spoke no Spanish and were struggling at the desk. They asked for help and was able to negotiate that they used their debit card but in order to do that, they had to pay full top up insurance to the rental company which nearly doubled the price so they were effectively double insured. But that was the only way they could rent the car. Hopefully that will work for you if you have no card but you will be stung for high top up insurance costs. You will have to have a decent amount available on your debit card because they will also take a hefty hold on your card which won't be released until you return the card but they do that with credit cards too. This should get you the card but remember that even with a credit card, they put a hefty hold on it. Petrol stations do this too so make sure you have a decent amount on your card or you won't get petrol either. I now this is not good news but it is better than cancelling the holiday. I would suggest having a couple of thousand free on your debit card, seems a lot but the rental company can put a hold on for nearly a thousand. Not sure how much petrol stations hold and not sure why either. I wouldn't cancel the holiday.

I have claimed once on a carhireexcess.co.uk (or maybe.com..can’t recall) policy taken out before I go on holiday and it was a breeze as long as you make sure you have all the damage and charge info from the car hire company. Also same for my daughter… also so easy and not a quibble. My claim was over £2500 (Iceland!… expensive!) and they just reimbursed me with no questions!!!
downside is that you have to pay the repair charge at the time and reclaim it. Took 5 days each time to get my money back . I never use any thing else now so does the rest of the family.

I think you mean debit card- Revolut doesn't offer a credit card.

I used to do the same, so much cheaper. I don't hire cars much now but you do need to be sharp with the desk, they will try to sell you top up

You are right, the hire company takes no cognisance of credit card if you have your own insurance, this information is false, well, as far as Spain and Italy go.

What information, that they still charge a credit card?
Many rentals do still charge, regardless of having your own insurance because it doesn't guarantee that you will bring the car back, or that they will get a payout if you have an accident.

Yes, exactly so. So they still need a card because as you say, they charge you if you have your own insurance and you have to claim it back so she will not be able to use her own insurance in this case, they will take a debit card but only on payment of their own top up. This is fairly standard. You need to know your way round the system and for first timers, it is hard. The two old ladies I helped, see earlier post were really quite distressed, But it is all about being clued up on how it works, these companies are sharp.

We had this in Cyprus with on airport car hire which is typically Hertz etc. I called the car hire off airport, explained and they said as long as I took fully comp it was fine.

I have hired cars in Spain many times and yes, it is around a thousand blocked on your credit card and it is not released until you return the car. Using your own insurance ALWAYS means leaving a credit card with enough credit to cover this. It is not true that you don't need a card. Perhaps the poster did not realise that when paying for the car hire, she was also leaving this block of around a thousand because it would have been cancelled when the car is returned. It is cheaper of course but you risk having your card charged with large amounts if there is damage and then you have to claim it from your own insurance. You need all the paperwork from the car hire company to do this,

REVOLUT - international online bank. I use them since recently since I don’t have a creditcard either.

I applied for a credit card with revolut and they wouldnt give me one as I Havent been with my current employer for long enough

If you use booking.com (what I've used in the past) you can search for hire cars in your country that don't require any deposit I. E with a credit card. They are usually more expensive but if it's going to b crucial to your holiday would suggest consider it.