Renting a car with a Gift / Prepaid Card
Debit card
A debit card (also known as a bank card or check card) is a plastic payment card that provides cardholders electronic access to their bank account(s) at a financial institution. Some cards may bear a stored value with which a payment is made, while most relay a message to the cardholder's bank to withdraw funds from a payer's designated bank account.
Full Answer
Can I use American Express to pay for a rental car?
At the pick-up location, you’ll need to present your American Express card (in the driver’s name) to pay the car rental cost in full. What debit or credit cards are accepted for car rental bookings?
Does the AMEX Platinum offer car rental perks?
The Amex Platinum offers car rental perks with Avis, Hertz, and National. National is by far my favorite major car rental company, and having Executive status with the company is valuable. If you have the Amex Platinum and have any upcoming car rentals, make sure you enroll to receive some complimentary elite status perks.
How do I cancel a car rental made with American Express Travel?
If you find an issue with your car rental booking or have multiple itineraries for the same reservation, you can cancel and rebook your car rental online with no penalty fees. How do I cancel a car rental made with American Express Travel? Go to Manage My Trips to view your bookings. Select the car rental you wish to cancel.
Which car rental companies do not take cash?
1 Enterprise. Many Enterprise branches will not accept cash payments for initiating a rental. ... 2 Hertz. Hertz will allow cash rentals but they will also require an upfront cash deposit and require customers to have obtained a cash deposit identification card. 3 Avis. ... 4 National. ... 5 Alamo. ... 6 Budget. ... 7 Dollar. ... 8 Thrifty. ...
Does National take American Express?
National accepts pre-paid gift cards with a Visa, Mastercard® or Amex symbol as a form of payment at the end of a rental.
Do car rental companies accept American Express?
A major credit card is a card that is supported by a pre-determined line of credit, and not a bank account, or a pre-paid balance. We currently accept American Express, Discover Network, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards at our US Airport Locations.
Is National and Enterprise the same?
National is owned by Enterprise Holdings, along with other agencies including Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Alamo Rent a Car.
How do I get National Executive Elite status with Amex Platinum?
National Rental Car is offering free Executive Elite status for new program members with an American Express credit card! To take advantage, all you need to do is enroll for the promotion on National car rental's website by Feb. 29, 2020, and pay for your first rental with any American Express card.
Does Hertz accept Amex?
Acceptable Charge Cards American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Diner's Club, Hertz Charge Card.
Does Avis accept Amex?
Avis requires credit card only payment on certain premium model vehicles. Accepted credit cards include Avis Charge Card, American Express, AT&T Capital, China Union Pay, Diners Club International, Discover, GE Capital, JCB, and Sears cards.
What company owns National Car Rental?
Enterprise HoldingsANC RentalNational Car Rental/Parent organizations
Are Hertz and National the same company?
Although there are many car rental brands, there are actually only three major companies. Enterprise owns both National and Alamo. Avis owns Budget, Payless, and Zipcar. Hertz owns Dollar and Thrifty.
Did National and Enterprise merge?
Enterprise Rent-A-Car today completed its purchase of Vanguard Car Rental, parent of the National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands, from Cerberus Capital Management, Enterprise's owners said.
Does National give free upgrades?
National Executive status gets you full-size or larger cars, free upgrades, a free rental after every 5 rentals, and no 2nd driver fees.
What does executive elite mean with National?
Executive Elite Status is National's highest level of status. It's the top of the top. It's a step above even the automatic Executive status you get at National with the Platinum Card® from American Express – so just having that card in your wallet isn't enough to unlock these perks.
How can I get free National executive status?
There are three ways to get to Executive status:reach 12 rentals (or 40 rentals days) in a calendar year.pay with certain premium credit cards.use a status match from another travel program.
How long do you have to be a driver to rent a car?
Each driver on the rental agreement must have been a licensed driver for at least 1 year. Each driver must meet the minimum age requirement (usually 21), which varies by destination and car rental company. Additional charges may apply to add drivers to the rental agreement.
Do you have to pick up a car when you arrive?
When you arrive to pick up your car rental, you should receive a car of the same class and category as the one you reserved, though the make and model may differ. Pick-up locations vary by destination and car rental company. Check your search results or itinerary to see the pick-up location for each car rental.
Can you have additional drivers on a rental car?
Other than the renter’s spouse or domestic partner, no other additional drivers are allowed. At the time of rental, charges will be placed on the debit card which reduce the available funds in the account associated with the card used. Renter is responsible for any overdraft fees incurred.
Is National Car Rental a qualified insurance company?
National Car Rental is not qualified to evaluate the adequacy of the renter's existing coverage; therefore, the renter should examine his or her personal insurance policies or other sources of coverage that may duplicate the coverage provided by PAI/PEC. Expand or Collapse. Forms of Payment. Decoration Band.
What is the acceptance of a debit card for a rental car?
The first type of acceptance is credit identification (which allows you to rent the car) and the second is final payment acceptance (which allows you to pay for the rental).
How long does it take to get a cash deposit card for a rental car?
You can find the application for a cash deposit ID card here. Applicants must be at least 20 years old in most states and the process can take up to 30 days.
What is the name of the card that is embossed with the same name as the driver's license?
An additional credit card or debit card embossed with the same name as the driver’s license. A Government issued ID, in the same name as the driver’s license and debit card: Passport – United States or Foreign Country Issued. United States Military Identification Card.
Does Hertz accept cash deposits?
Hertz. Hertz will allow cash rentals but they will also require an upfront cash deposit and require customers to have obtained a cash deposit identification card. To qualify for a rental, Hertz will accept debit cards that have a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover logo and withdraw funds directly from the cardholders account.
Do rental companies accept debit cards?
However, many rental companies will usually accept debit cards for credit identification. You will often find certain stipulations for using a debit card. For example, you may have to make your booking at least 24 hours prior to pick up and the debit card must be on a network such as Visa, MasterCard, or Discover.
Can you deposit cash at a rental?
Cash is not accepted as a deposit at the beginning of a rental for any location. In addition, due to security reasons, many locations will not accept cash at any time.
Does National accept cash?
When it comes to payments, National will accept many different forms of payments. In the US, you will often be able to make a final payment with a gift card or a prepaid card. In addition, money orders will be excepted as a form of payment. Cash may not be accepted even for a final payment.
Amex Platinum premium car rental status details
Just for having the Amex Platinum Card you receive car rental benefits with three major car rental companies — Avis, Hertz, and National (enrollment required). Note that this applies to both the personal and business versions of the card, and authorized users are eligible for this as well.
Which Amex Platinum car rental perk is most valuable?
While renting cars can be extremely frustrating, I’ve enjoyed my rentals with National. Executive status is awesome, and makes the whole rental experience significantly more pleasant — not only does National typically have decent cars, but for many locations you can pick your car, and then there’s virtually no paperwork.
Bottom line
The Amex Platinum offers car rental perks with Avis, Hertz, and National. National is by far my favorite major car rental company, and having Executive status with the company is valuable. If you have the Amex Platinum and have any upcoming car rentals, make sure you enroll to receive some complimentary elite status perks.
National Emerald Club program overview
The first thing you need to know is that National does not have a points program. Instead, National allows customers to earn credits to use for free rental days.
Elite status with National Emerald Club
As soon as you join National’s Emerald Club program, you’ll get perks. But, as you rent more, you may reach higher tiers of elite status with National. Here’s what you need to know about the entry-level Emerald Club status as well as the higher Executive and Executive Elite status tiers.
Earn points and miles with Emerald Club
National Emerald Club members can earn frequent flyer miles or hotel points instead of rental credits on their rentals. In particular, you can choose to earn airline miles with 12 programs or hotel points with three programs. See the complete list of partners here, but here’s a quick look at what you could earn in some of the most popular programs:
Tips for maximizing Emerald Club car rentals
Here at TPG, we’ve written multiple articles about how to maximize car rentals. For example, TPG’s Benji Stawski wrote about saving money on road trips with points and miles and TPG’s Andrew Kunesh discussed how to never pay full price for a rental car. But, here are several tips for maximizing car rentals with National Emerald Club:
Bottom line
National Emerald Club is a beneficial program for travelers who rent midsize or higher vehicles frequently and for short periods. With more than 1,500 car rental locations across the globe to choose from, you’ll find a rental location to fit your needs on most trips.
