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Car Hire Company wanting my credit card PIN

Sarahjay70
Sarahjay70 Posts: 2 Newbie
Third Anniversary First Post
I will be travelling to Montenegro at the end of September, and have hired a car through EasyJet - they use a company called Car Trawler.  It's all arranged, at a reasonable cost. However, having read all of the small print, there is a sentence which worries me - "The car hire company may need the PIN for your Credit Card". My immediate thought is 'absolutely not' but will this mean they won't allow us to hire the car as arranged?  Has anyone come across this before?  Have you refused?

Comments

  • presumably they may need you to input your pin perhaps to validate the card when you collect the car? Rather then requiring the PIN separately ?
  • DE_612183
    DE_612183 Posts: 3,052 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Not sure how that would work, as the PIN is locked against the actually physical card - without the card the PIN is useless...I wonder if the mean the 3 digit code on the back?

    Or perhaps they mean that you can't use contactless payment, it has to be via the PIN as contactless only covers up to £100 and they may need to take more...
  • Mark_d
    Mark_d Posts: 1,934 Forumite
    1,000 Posts First Anniversary Name Dropper
    Some foreign car hire companies have dodgy practices.  A few years ago on a Greek island, a car hire company took my credit card details and insisted a signed a blank authority form - so that they could charge me if I didn't return the car, or if they notice damage after I'd flown home.  I gave in at the time but there is no way I'd do the same again.
    Handing over your PIN makes you liable for any losses if your card gets stolen or cloned.
  • DullGreyGuy
    DullGreyGuy Posts: 15,568 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    DE_612183 said:
    Not sure how that would work, as the PIN is locked against the actually physical card - without the card the PIN is useless...I wonder if the mean the 3 digit code on the back?

    Or perhaps they mean that you can't use contactless payment, it has to be via the PIN as contactless only covers up to £100 and they may need to take more...
    Though the OP will have to insert their card into a chip and pin machine etc so they'd have the necessary information to make a clone card if they desired. 


    As to the OP's question... no never heard of it and if it is the actual PIN for the card I certainly wouldn't be giving it. Have to say I tend to stick to the multi-national hire companies because they can be bad enough without introducing Wild West small overseas companies
  • Outcome - the car hire company didn't ask for the PIN so no worries in the end.  They were actually very good, despite them being a little chaotic when collecting the car (no meet and greet and had to drag suitcases and go and look for the office which was 500m away).  However, the car was fine, took photos and videos before and after, and had no issues. 
  • nyermen
    nyermen Posts: 1,130 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    At risk of you arriving and being told pin or else no car (and still liable for charges) - Do you have internet banking for the card?  Mine (HSBC) allows me to change the pin number on demand, I'd be changing it the moment I'm out of sight... (or if they can't test it without the card, accidentally giving the pin to the wrong card...

    Peter

    Debt free - finally finished paying off £20k + Interest.
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