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How To Rent A Car With Cash Only: What To Know?
The first method is to book using a debit or credit card and pay the outstanding amount in cash when taking the car back. The majority of rental vehicle operators will allow this mode of payment, although it’s best to call in advance to the pickup outlet to notify them of your plan. But remember you are looking for where to rent a car with cash only and the first option doesn’t cut it.
So, let’s look at the second method, which involves paying a security cash deposit upfront as you book or pick up your vehicle and making a cash payment for the final bill upon returning it. With this option, it means you can rent a car with cash only whether you want a long term car rental or simply hiring for a few days. Regardless, many of the big car hire firms will put tons of requirements to meet before letting you drive off the lot with a cash deposit.
Apart from a few major operators like Enterprise, Hertz, and several others, you are better off checking online with local cash car rentals near me services. These smaller, independent rental car firms impose fewer restrictions to rent a car with cash only while offering the best car rental rates. Other providers, including Fox, Avis, Sixt, EZ, Alamo, and many more will not let you pay a cash deposit when reserving or picking up your rental car. Interestingly, they’ll nearly always let you pay the final bill with cash after dropping off the car and it’s been checked for damages. You should call ahead and ask if the company allows for final payments in cash since most of the policies are usually at the individual location’s discretion.
Why The Challenge To Rent A Car With Cash Only?
Getting armed with cash may seem like a fool-proof way to pay for your rental car. However, many rental services require proof that they can trust you with their property before allowing you to drive off in one of their motor vehicles. In that regard, having a credit card is the easiest way to demonstrate that you are a low risk to credit.
“But what about a cash deposit. Isn’t that enough security?” You are probably asking. Have you considered what may happen if you totaled the car or it was stolen during your trip? The cash you deposited to rent a car with cash only may not compensate for the total value of the vehicle. Even if you were covered under your homeowners’ insurance, it may not necessarily offer comprehensive protection against such losses. And if it did, they can still deny honoring the loss if you were driving under influence at the time of the accident or you lost the car out of negligence.
Why should the car rental agency trust you not to disappear into thin air or to return their car in the same condition you found it? This is particularly when your cash deposit isn’t nearly half the vehicle’s worth. You’ll also encounter the same bias when planning to pay for a car rental with a debit card. Unlike credit cards, debit cards draw funds directly from your account. But if the account doesn’t have sufficient funds to pay for incidentals incurred during the trip, it denies the company instant compensation.