Around 108 million Americans have low credit scores, and 16% of those have no credit score at all.
If you’re one of them, you already know how tough it is to rent an apartment, qualify for a mortgage, and even get insurance. Adding car rental to the mix is just another headache.
Unfortunately, car rental companies don’t care why you don’t have credit—whether that’s divorce, medical bankruptcy, or you just prefer to use cash for everything instead of taking on debt.
If you don’t pass their credit check, they’re not handing you the keys. Period.
Still, there are exceptions. We put together a list of no credit check car rentals after verifying them with official and non-official sources.
To make sure they’re legit, we also read reviews from people who’ve successfully rented from them.
We don’t want you to waste your time on rental companies that you don’t qualify for, so keep reading for the full list plus all the requirements you need.
Car Rental Companies That Accept Debit Cards Without a Credit Check
1. Dollar Car Rental
Dollar Car Rental will let you rent a car using your debit card without running a credit check on your file.
Owned by Hertz, Dollar has 840 locations in the US and Canada, so there’s bound to be one near you.
They offer a wide range of vehicles, including economy cars, minivans, luxury vehicles, sedans, and SUVs.
Dollar Debit Card Car Rental Requirements
If you book 24 hours prior to your reservation:
- A debit card issued under Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
- Enough funds in the debit card to cover the car charges + a $200 authorization hold
If you book less than 24 hours prior to your reservation:
- A debit card issued under Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
- Enough funds in the debit card to cover the car charges + a $200 authorization hold
- A valid driver’s license (USA or foreign)
- Another form of ID (e.g., passport, military identification card, government-issued ID, etc.
- Proof of cruise or airline return ticket if applicable
2. Enterprise Rent a Car
Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers debit card payment for car rental at their airport locations.
They also offer debit card options at some of their non-airport locations, but the requirements are strict.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is part of Enterprise Holdings along with National Car Rental and Alamo Rent a Car.
In addition to car rental, Enterprise Holdings also oversees commercial fleet management, used car sales, business transportation solutions, and car-sharing services in the US and international locations.
Enterprise Debit Card Rental Requirements
For airport locations:
- Debit card with funds for the rental charges plus a $200 deposit
- Driver’s license
- Proof of return travel
For select non-airport locations:
- The full cost of the rental upfront plus a $200 deposit
- Driver’s license and other IDs
- Copies of your recent pay stub, utility bills, references, and proof of insurance
3. Alamo Rent a Car
Alamo only offers debit card car rentals at their airport rental counters.
Part of Enterprise Holdings, Alamo Rent a Car is one of the largest car rental companies in North America and the Caribbean, with locations in most major cities throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, and several other international destinations.
Alamo Debit Card Rental Requirements
- Major debit card funded with full rental rates plus $200 deposit
- Proof of return travel
4. Advantage Car & Truck Rentals
Advantage offers debit card car rentals in 10 airport locations, including Dallas, Tampa, Atlanta, Orlando, and Las Vegas.
Founded in 1963, Advantage also buys and sells cars aside from renting out a big fleet of SUVs, vans, luxury cars, hybrids, and convertibles.
Advantage Debit Card Car Rental Requirements:
- A major debit card with enough funds for the rental charges plus a $350 deposit
- Proof of return
- Driver’s license
5. Budget Car Rental
Budget only offers debit card car rentals at select airport and non-airport locations. However, their minimum security deposit is one of the most affordable on this list.
Part of US-based Avis Budget Group, Budget also offers moving trucks, business rentals, and car sales.
Budget Debit Card Car Rental Requirements
- At least 25 years old
- Debit card funded with the number of rental charges plus $100 security deposit
- Debit card with funds for the rental charges plus $350 deposit
- Two forms of ID
6. Avis Rent a Car
Avis accepts debit cards, but only at a few locations. Some Avis locations will let you pay with a debit card if you can’t secure the rental with a credit card.
Call ahead before you go to their location. For example, their offices in Louisiana, Philadelphia, and the Tri-State area don’t accept debit cards.
Avis Debit Card Car Rental Requirements
- Two IDs
- At least 25 years old
- Deposit fee
- Cannot rent premium vehicles from the Avis Select Series
Is A Credit Check Required To Rent A Car?
In most cases, yes.
Renting a car is more than just paying the daily rate. It’s also paying for fuel, any accessories that you might have rented, parking charges, and any potential damage you’ll incur on the road.
Car rental companies check credit scores to make sure that you’re financially stable enough to pay for all of that.
When You Might Need a Credit Check to Rent a Car
Although each agency has its own requirements, here are some situations when you might need a credit check:
- You’re paying with a debit card
- You have no credit card or other form of payment
- Your insurance doesn’t cover car rentals
- It’s your first time renting a car with the company
- You don’t meet their minimum income requirements for car rentals
- You’re under 25 years old
- You’re trying to rent a high-end vehicle (e.g., a Porsche)
- You don’t have proof of employment
- You’re from out of state
In general, car rental companies won’t tell you the reason they’re checking your credit score.
But if you do get denied, it’s likely due to one or more reasons above.
What Credit Score Do You Need to Rent a Car?
You’ll need a score that falls in the “good” or better range, which starts at 670 depending on the credit scoring model you use.
For instance, here’s the FICO credit score range:
- 800 – 850: Exceptional
- 740 – 799: Very Good
- 670 – 739: Good
- 580 – 669: Fair
- 300 – 579: Poor
If your score is below 669, lenders will often classify you under the subprime category, which means you may have a hard time paying back a loan.
Note:
These numbers are just an approximation.
While most car rental agencies enforce a minimum credit score to rent a car, they’ll rarely make that public.
It’s both a marketing move and to make sure they’re not violating the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in any way.
What Is Rent-To-Own Auto Financing?
Rent-to-own auto financing, also known as a lease purchase, is a way of buying a car without having to go through the application process for a traditional auto loan.
Think of it as a poor or bad credit car rental, except you have the option to own the car outright after the rental period.
How does rent-to-own work?
Rent-to-own auto financing is a type of agreement where you make regular payments to rent a vehicle.
Because it’s not technically an auto loan, there are no credit checks. Instead, you pay your weekly or monthly payment directly to the dealership (or whatever seller) over the length of the agreement.
After making all your payments, you can purchase the vehicle for its final price.
So essentially, it’s a long-term car rental with no credit check. The rental payments you make will go to the total cost of the vehicle.
Pros:
- No credit check or loan application through banks
- Flexible payment terms
- Gives credit to those who don’t have any or have bad credit
- Allows customers to keep their cars if they pay off their loans by the deadlines
- It doesn’t require up-front cash — only what’s needed for sales tax and initial fees like registration and license plates
- Some lenders report on-time payments to the credit bureaus, which can help rebuild your credit
Cons:
- If you miss any payments, the contract could be terminated immediately and the car could be repossessed
- Higher interest rates than traditional dealerships
- Due to the high-interest rates, you can pay thousands more in fees over the life of your contract
- Contracts can go as long as three years or more
- And since your contract will be determined by your dealer, it’s important to read the fine print before signing on the dotted line.
REMEMBER:
Just like loans without a credit check, you need to be careful before you sign a contract for rent-to-own car financing.
Research and compare dealers, talk to some of their previous clients, and read the fine print to make sure you’re getting a fair deal.
How Renting a Car Impacts Your Credit
It depends. If you have good credit and are paying on time, it won’t affect your credit. If you already have bad credit, the credit check can knock a few more points off your score.
It also depends on what kind of credit check the rental company will run on your profile:
- A soft pull is harmless to your credit score. It only allows the company to see if there are any negative items in your credit history.
In fact, you can do a soft credit pull yourself if you want to check your score.
- A hard pull, however, requires permission from you and lowers your credit score by five points.
The results are also visible to other viewers, such as future landlords and employers.
If you’re concerned about how an inquiry will affect your credit score, ask the company if they’d agree to only run a soft credit check for car rental applications.
If not, find out what their policies are for people who fail their credit checks.
Wrap Up
We hope this list of car rentals with a debit card and no credit check helps you find a great vehicle, along with the best price.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your credit, we recommend exploring debt repayment strategies and debt consolidation programs. They can help you restructure your debt into manageable payments so you can focus on rebuilding your finances.
Got questions? Leave them in the comments below and we’ll get you sorted out.
Thanks for reading!
