Prepaid card to book spain car hire

ScamRam

I work full time and have a perfectly good debit card and bank account. However, due to credit history I cannot get a credit card. Going on holiday in June and every car hire company I find want the driver to have a credit card, not debit card!

If I get a prepaid credit card do you think that will be accepted?

balmk

Hello,

A prepaid card should be OK, but you will need to load it quite heavily as they will use this to pre-authorise any damage excess, unless you take out their damage excess waiver insurance.

YorkshireBoy

ScamRam wrote: »

If I get a prepaid credit card do you think that will be accepted?

There are two parties involved...the rental provider and the prepaid card provider.

You may be able to enable the 'disabled as standard' car hire option on some* prepaid cards, but that still leaves you at the mercy of the rental provider and/or their merchant acquirer in resort.

Perhaps a better way would be to become an additional cardholder on someone elses (parent/sibling etc) credit card account?


* http://www.what-prepaid-card.co.uk/car-hire/Using-prepaid-card-hire-a-car.html (3rd from last para)

Dabooka

I'm not so sure. A pre-paid credit card doesn't exist; in effect it's just another debit card and I'd imagine the numbers on it will tell them the same thing. I'll happily be proven wrong on this, and I'm sure someone most knowledgeable will be along soon.

hammersfan1

Gold car in Spain allow u to book a car with a debit card.

ScamRam

Thanks for all your replies! I agree that I would probably have to load it quite substantially, one company talking about 600 euros, but I was also of the opinion that a prepaid card was more or less a debit card too!
YorkshireBoy I think you may have answered my dilemma but I still have doubts! My mum is going with us and she has a credit card! But do you think we would still fail with a request for additional cardholder due to my credit history?

YorkshireBoy

ScamRam wrote: »

My mum is going with us and she has a credit card! But do you think we would still fail with a request for additional cardholder due to my credit history?

No I don't...unless you've been a money launderer etc then you'll get an additional card.