Renting a Car With a Debit Card: Who Takes One and the Hold
Which of Enterprise, National, Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Sixt, Thrifty and Dollar take a debit card for your rental, what each holds on your account, and what to bring: from their own pages.
Which rental companies take your debit cardPick where you pick the car up, your ticket home and the car.
Each company’s own US debit card page, read 2026-10-16.
Quick answer: all nine big US rental companies here take a debit card at most airport counters with a return ticket; Avis’s page asks for none. On top of the rental they hold up to $500 at Hertz, $500 at Thrifty and Dollar, and $200–$400 at Sixt. Hertz, Avis and Budget want you 25 or older.
How to use it
Pick where you collect the car, whether you have a ticket home, the car and your card. Set the area if the car is in one of the places some companies name apart, such as the New York City area or Philadelphia. Under More, add the rental’s estimated total to see each hold in dollars, and tick under 25, booking late, a loyalty profile or a company code. The answer lists the companies that take your card first, smallest hold first, then the ones to call, then the ones that say no. Each card quotes the sentence its answer rests on and links the page it comes from.
What each company asks for
Each company’s own US debit card page, read on October 16, 2026. “Not printed” means its page does not say, so ask the counter you book.
| Company | At an airport | In town | Cards | Held at pick-up | Age | Cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | with a return ticket | some branches: call | Visa, Mastercard, Discover | the rental; no deposit amount printed | not printed | not printed |
| National | with a return ticket | not printed: call | Visa, Mastercard, Discover | the rental; no deposit amount printed | not printed | not printed |
| Alamo | with a return ticket | not printed: call | Visa, Mastercard, Discover | the rental; no deposit amount printed | not printed | not printed |
| Hertz | with a return flight | a return ticket or a company discount number | Visa, Mastercard, Discover | the rental + up to $500 | 25 | compact to full-size |
| Avis | at most locations | at most locations | Visa, Mastercard | the rental’s estimated cost, or more | 25 (18 in New York) | no premium |
| Budget | a return flight may be asked | check the location’s terms | not printed | the rental’s estimated cost (at least $100) | 25 (18 in New York) | not printed |
| Sixt | with a return ticket | a return ticket or two proofs of address | Visa, Mastercard | the rental + $200–$400 | not printed | no premium |
| Thrifty | with a return ticket | with a return ticket | Visa, Mastercard, Discover | the rental + $500 | not printed | compact to full-size |
| Dollar | with a return ticket | with a return ticket | Visa, Mastercard, Discover | the rental + $500 | under 25 welcome | compact to full-size |
Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar lift the car class rule when the card is already in your loyalty profile. Thrifty and Dollar also drop the extra $500 for established members with a Visa in the profile: Dollar’s words are incidental Hold waived for Dollar Express members with a VISA in your profile after first rental
.
Where some companies take none
Hertz: Debit cards are not accepted at the outset of a rental to qualify for rentals in the New York Metropolitan Tri-State Area (NY, NJ, CT), areas of Hartford, CT, areas of Philadelphia, PA, areas of Boston, MA, areas of Manchester, NH, areas of Detroit, MI, areas of Baltimore, MD and Atlanta, GA.
Avis names locations in the Northern/Central NJ area, Philadelphia area, as well as other locations across the country.
A prepaid card is out at pick-up everywhere but Budget, which leaves it to the location.
Worked examples
- You fly in and out of Denver on a Visa debit card. Yes at all 9 companies here. Avis and Budget hold about the rental’s cost; Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar add up to $500.
- You fly in one way and drive home. Yes at Avis · Ask first at Budget · No at Enterprise, National, Alamo, Hertz, Sixt, Thrifty and Dollar: without a ticket home, the airport counters say no.
- A neighborhood branch, no ticket, your car is in the shop. Yes at Avis, Budget and Sixt · Ask first at Enterprise, National and Alamo · No at Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar. Sixt asks for two proofs of address from the state instead.
- You are 23 and want an SUV at Philadelphia’s airport. Yes at Sixt, Enterprise, National and Alamo · No at Hertz, Avis, Budget, Thrifty and Dollar.
Common mistakes
- Not counting the hold. It is money you cannot spend for days after you return the car: Enterprise says
typically customers have their refund within 15 business days
at airports, and Sixt’s bank release takes 3 to 10 business days. - Booking Pay Now with a debit card. Alamo says
Debit cards are not accepted for Advance Pay reservations
, and Dollar does not take one for PayNow either. - Planning to share the driving with a friend. At Enterprise, National and Alamo,
Other than the renter’s spouse or domestic partner, no other additional drivers are allowed.
- Showing the card in a phone wallet at Sixt. It asks for
A physical card in the main driver’s name
, and takes no Chime cards at pick-up. - Booking an SUV at Hertz, Thrifty or Dollar. On a debit card they rent compact to full-size cars only, unless the card is in your loyalty profile.
- Booking Hertz the day before. Its debit card bookings must be made at least 24 hours ahead.
More for the road trip
A debit card works best with a plan made ahead, which what I wish I knew before a last-minute Southwest road trip learned the hard way. For the drive itself, plan one of the epic American road trips you can plan in a weekend, the cross-country national parks itinerary or the California coastal drive, keep it short with the 48-hour weekend road trip, and pack from the road trip essentials. Under 25? How Old to Rent a Car has each company’s young renter fee; Rental Car Additional Driver Fee has the second driver, Rental Car Toll Programs the tolls, and the Road Trip Cost Calculator the gas.
FAQ
Can you rent a car with a debit card?
Yes, at all nine big US companies here, with conditions. At an airport most want a return ticket; in town Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar still do, Sixt takes two proofs of address instead, and Enterprise leaves it to each branch. Expect a hold on your account and, at Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar, a credit check.
Which rental car companies accept debit cards?
Enterprise, National, Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Sixt, Thrifty and Dollar all print a debit card policy for the US. Avis and Budget are the easiest without a return ticket; Hertz takes none in the New York tri-state, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Baltimore and Atlanta areas, among others.
How much is the Enterprise deposit with a debit card?
Enterprise’s page prints no amount. It says the funds in your account will be reduced by those amounts
you owe, and that a neighborhood branch may ask for A minimum deposit plus the entire cost of the rental at the time of pickup.
Call the branch for its figure.
What is the Hertz debit card policy?
You must be 25 or older, book at least 24 hours ahead, rent a compact to full-size car, and bring two IDs and a return ticket (at an airport, a return flight; in town, a ticket or a company discount number). Hertz holds up to US$ 500.00 plus the estimated charges
and in most cases runs a credit check.
How much does Avis or Budget hold on a debit card?
About the rental’s estimated cost. Avis will generally request an authorization hold against your account for the estimated charges of the rental
and may ask for more; at Budget The typical hold is equivalent to the total estimated cost of the rental, but it may be higher or lower
, with a $100 minimum.
Can I rent a car with a debit card without a return flight?
At an airport, only at Avis, and maybe Budget, which says you might
need one. In town, Avis, Budget and Sixt (with two proofs of address) can, Enterprise branches may, and Hertz can with a company discount number. Thrifty and Dollar want proof of travel everywhere.
Can I use a prepaid card to rent a car?
Not to pick one up, except perhaps at Budget. Enterprise, National, Alamo, Avis and Sixt refuse prepaid cards in so many words, and Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar qualify only debit cards which draw funds directly from the cardholder’s account
. Hertz and some Budget locations take a prepaid card to pay at the end of the rental.
When do I get the debit card hold back?
After the return, once the company releases it and your bank clears it. Enterprise says refunds arrive within 15 business days at airports and generally within 20 elsewhere; Sixt says your bank clears it within 3 to 10 business days.