Any thoughts on a solution to renting a car without credit/debit card?

[Elwar]

I have done pretty well at not needing a credit or debit card for anything, always finding a bitcoin option for my purchase but one thing I keep thinking about is rental cars and how that could be handled without a credit or debit card.

In theory I guess the credit card is so that you don't just drive off with the car or if you wreck it you have to pay for it. I'm not really sure how that works when it really happens and you don't have a very high limit or you don't have the money. I guess they can at least go after you for the money somehow.

Can anyone think of a solution for renting a car with bitcoins?

The most practical would be something where some company rents the car for you, they use a credit card and get insurance on the car being stolen or damaged. You pay the extra insurance. Maybe they can even hold some bitcoins from you in escrow to cover any deductible or other fees. They do the know your customer thing and verify that you are who you are and not someone who's just going to steal the car. And you only get to rent the cheaper vehicles, no luxury cars.

The high end route would be to put in multisig escrow the cost of buying the car that you are renting. You pay to rent it and then when it is returned in good condition the company releases the escrow back to you.

I can see the first being more likely. I imagine that some day I will likely need a rental car and would like to find a solution before then.

[RustyNomad]

The reason for requiring a credit card is so that they can put a hold on the card for a certain amount. This amount is usually the same as the insurance excess. So if you are in an accident and or there is damage to the vehicle they will claim it from their insurance but you will have to pay the excess. So if you are in an accident all they do is request the bank to release the amount, on which they placed a hold, to them.

With a debit card they charge you for the rental amount as well as the excess amount so you need to have enough funds in your account to cover both those charges. The excess amount is usually refunded back to your account within a day or two after returning the vehicle.

I've seen some companies who do 'cash' rentals for people who do not have debit/credit cards. Usually involves you having to pay a large deposit which covers the insurance excess. This is paid back to you if there was no damage to the vehicle. There are however very few of these and they are usually the smaller operations which are not part of a national/international chain/brand.

Most however still require a credit card with some now also taking debit cards. None however that I know of who take bitcoin. If ever I doubt whether they will make use of escrow. They will just require you to pay the rental and insurance excess as with a debit card. After the vehicle is returned they just send the btc back to your wallet (the excess part).

[saddambitcoin]

I recently used relayrides.com to rent a vehicle while on vacation. It's like an airbnb for people that want to rent their own cars.

I used a debit card, but I imagine if you were to arrange your own auto insurance you could contact some of the renters on the site and offer them bitcoin instead of making the payment through relayrides.

It's not the most reliable idea, but it's the best I've got right now.

[ChiliPowder]

You could use your bitcoin on here to do a trade for a myvanilla or other brand prepaid debit card.

Pay with cash then make sure on the prepaid card you have enough to cover the hold.

Or just put the full amount on the card.

[pawel7777]

I've been told that Alamo and Budget allow rentals with debit card only, in the way that they'd take a deposit from your card (around 500 GBP or so). But it may be only for UK/European citizens.

They've got different sets of rules depending on your nationality and your travel destination.

[Elwar]

I recently used relayrides.com to rent a vehicle while on vacation. It's like an airbnb for people that want to rent their own cars.

I used a debit card, but I imagine if you were to arrange your own auto insurance you could contact some of the renters on the site and offer them bitcoin instead of making the payment through relayrides.

It's not the most reliable idea, but it's the best I've got right now.

That is pretty sweet. I had never heard of this service. I am sure a competitor will likely come out with the option to pay in bitcoins like airbnb's competitor 9flats

[countryfree]

Not easy, because rental companies see a credit card as some kind of qualification, besides a way of payment. You've got to have a driver's license for more than 3 years, you've got to be over 21, and you've got to have a credit card. If you don't, they'll be suspicious since it's so easy to get one.

I don't expect this to change soon. I remember asking a rental agency in Cannes about that very precise subject, and they said that even to rent a moped, a credit card is necessary. Cards are everywhere in Europe, but maybe in some African countries, it would be possible to rent without one. You've got to travel to countries where most of the population is unbanked.