Can You Rent a Car With a Debit Card?

Policies for Renting a Car With a Debit Card

You may have heard that car rental without a credit card is impossible. Not at Avis. You can rent a car without a credit card at most Avis locations. 

An Avis honored charge card must be presented at the time of rental.

Acceptable charge cards are as follows:

Avis Charge Card

American Express

AT&T Capital

China Union Pay

Diner's Club International

Discover

JCB

MasterCard

Visa

Credit Identification at Car Pickup

In most cases, U.S. locations will accept debit cards to determine credit worthiness at the time of rental. Renters must also meet Avis's minimum criteria in order to rent. 

Canada locations do not accept debit cards as a form of credit identification when picking up a rental car.  

For acceptable credit identification and payment methods in countries outside of the U.S., please read the Terms and Conditions for your specific rental location or contact the location directly.

Holds on Account Funds

If you use a debit card to pick up your rental car, Avis will generally request an authorization hold against your account for the estimated charges of the rental. This hold is placed soon after your card is presented. Avis reserves the right at its sole discretion to request extra value based on certain factors as deemed appropriate. 

THESE FUNDS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR YOUR USE.

When the car rental is over, the held funds will be reversed and released, but keep in mind that banks may take time to post them back to the account.

If you fail to return the vehicle as agreed, Avis will obtain additional authorizations from your account to cover the rental charges. These charges may include (but are not limited to) cleaning fees and fees for extending the rental period.

Avis is not responsible for any returned checks or overdrafts based on this policy.

This policy applies to both U.S. residents and foreign renters. Positive identification in addition to your driver's license may be required.

Exceptions

At all U.S. and Canada locations, renters must present a credit card at the time of rental for all cars in the Avis Select Series and for certain other premium vehicles. Debit cards are not acceptable to pick up premium car rentals. 

Some Avis locations do not accept debit cards at the time of rental for any vehicle including locations in the Northern/Central NJ area, Philadelphia area, as well as other locations across the country. Canada locations do not accept bank debit cards as a form of credit identification. Debit Cards are acceptable for payment at the completion of your rental.

Prepaid debit/gift cards are not acceptable methods of credit identification to pick up a car at any location.

If you want to use a debit card to verify your credit worthiness at the beginning of your rental period, read the Terms and Conditions for your pickup location to confirm debit cards are accepted. In addition, you can contact the location before you arrive to get your rental car. For acceptable credit identification and payment methods in countries outside of the U.S., please search for the specific location's Terms and Conditions.

Payment After Car Return

In the United States and Canada, debit or check cards can be used at the end of the rental for payment of rental charges. Prepaid debit/gift cards are also accepted as a form of payment at time of car return. 

Split Billing Option

Avis also offers a split billing payment option which provides billing flexibility. Customers may split their rental charges on two separate credit/debit cards. In addition, corporate customers have the ability to charge counter products, optional services that are not covered as a company expense to a personal credit card. Customers who wish to split their rental charges on two separate credit/debit cards can choose to split the rental charges by one of the following ways:

Dollar Amount

Rental Days

Services

Rental Days & Services.

"Pay Now" Online Reservations

For more details, please click here.

Please note: Credit and debit cards used to pay online may not be acceptable at certain locations. Please check the terms and conditions on your reservation confirmation to be sure of acceptable cards at the location where you are picking up your rental. The credit or debit card presented at the counter must be identical to the one used to make the "Pay Now" reservation.

Now that you know how to rent a car with a debit card, you’re prepared to drive off in your rental car and have fun! 

All policies on this page apply to both U.S. residents and foreign renters. Positive identification in addition to your driver's license may be required.