Car Hire abroad

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JDD1952
JDD1952 Posts: 1 Newbie
in Flights, currency & car hire
I have been told that I need a credit card to hire a car abroad on holiday. Is this true? If it is it means I wont be able to hire one as I don't have and don't want a credit card.
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  • DCFC79
    DCFC79 Posts: 40,598 Forumite
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    JDD1952 wrote: »
    I have been told that I need a credit card to hire a car abroad on holiday. Is this true? If it is it means I wont be able to hire one as I don't have and don't want a credit card.

    Yes it is true, I dont know if there are some car hire firms who will accept a debit card but not something I would do though.

    Where are you going ?
  • zagfles
    zagfles Posts: 20,340 Forumite
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    No it's not true. I've hired loads of cars in countries like Spain and Greece without using a card, paying in cash (I do have credit & debit cards but prefer not to use them when hiring cars where possible).

    You may have difficulty in some countries, or reserving a car in advance or using one of the bigger hire car companies. All my cash hires have been in tourist resorts with small local companies
  • EveryWhere
    EveryWhere Posts: 3,249 Forumite
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    Often there is the option of buying their Super CDW to obviate the need for a credit card. You can discuss this with the actual car hire firm(not a broker).
  • DCFC79
    DCFC79 Posts: 40,598 Forumite
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    zagfles wrote: »
    No it's not true. I've hired loads of cars in countries like Spain and Greece without using a card, paying in cash (I do have credit & debit cards but prefer not to use them when hiring cars where possible).

    You may have difficulty in some countries, or reserving a car in advance or using one of the bigger hire car companies. All my cash hires have been in tourist resorts with small local companies

    Ok my bad.
  • ttoli
    ttoli Posts: 825 Forumite
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    Which country ? , try the tripadvisor chat forums for that destination, there's bound to be someone with local knowledge that can point you in the right direction.
  • peachyprice
    peachyprice Posts: 22,346 Forumite
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    JDD1952 wrote: »
    I have been told that I need a credit card to hire a car abroad on holiday. Is this true? If it is it means I wont be able to hire one as I don't have and don't want a credit card.

    No, it's not necessarily true.

    Avis take a debit card with only £200 ringfenced, most other big names do require a credit card. Local companies may take debit cards or cash too, sometimes with a larger deposit though.
    Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and face your future without fear
  • mobileron
    mobileron Posts: 1,218 Forumite
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    Im interested to know why u dont want a credit card,what would you do in an emergency.
  • Mr.Everready
    Mr.Everready Posts: 198 Forumite
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    Hi all, sorry to hijack slightly.


    I'm looking at hiring a car in Menorca later this year.


    Is CDW basically 3rd party and SCDW fully comp ?


    I was looking on doyouspain.com and they offer at 5.95 per day insurance, is this equivelent to SCDW ? Although the hire company will still take a deposit ?
  • EveryWhere
    EveryWhere Posts: 3,249 Forumite
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    Mr.Everready wrote: »
    Hi all, sorry to hijack slightly.


    I'm looking at hiring a car in Menorca later this year.


    Is CDW basically 3rd party and SCDW fully comp ?


    I was looking on doyouspain.com and they offer at 5.95 per day insurance, is this equivelent to SCDW ? Although the hire company will still take a deposit ?

    Super CDW may not cover everything. DoYouSpain doesn't offer Super CDW, They are just acting as an insurance broker. You'll still have to leave a deposit and pay for any damage yourself and then claim from the insurance company.

    You can get a just as good if not better policy for less.

    If it's a long rental and you take multiple holidays in Europe, a reputable choice is; https://www.insurance4carhire.com/products/europe-car-hire-excess-insurance in conjunction with https://www.quidco.com/insurance4carhire-com/

    If you prefer daily; https://www.bettersafe.com/car-hire-excess-insurance offers a similarly comprehensive policy
  • eDicky
    eDicky Posts: 6,588 Forumite
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    Mr.Everready wrote: »
    Is CDW basically 3rd party and SCDW fully comp ?
    CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) covers damage to the hire car as well as any third party, but in Europe there's usually there's a large excess involved, for which the hire firm will take a deposit or preauthorisation on your credit card.

    The hire firm's extra cover, often sold as 'Super' CDW, removes all or most of the excess, and the need for a deposit. But it's much cheaper to buy that cover separately as EW describes, then use that to claim the excess charge after paying it to the hire firm in the event of any damage.

    But that kind of extra cover as offered by brokers such as doyouspain is usually bad value and problematic, best avoided. Also be aware of reviews for doyouspain and the actual hire firms you might choose.
    Evolution, not revolution
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