wardy2

Is it possible to hire a car in Perth with no credit card.

We have paid off and cancelled all credit cards and do not want another, therefore we don't own one.

We are arriving in Perth next week on a validation trip and I have done a search on here, but cannot find the answer I need.

I have looked at reccommended car hire places but they seem to suggest I need to have a card.

Can anyone advise if you know differently.

Kaye

robos

hi kaye

we had the same problem when we came we used a visa debit card in the end
not sure if it will work but we had a holiday visa card which you can get from travel agents its a safer way to carry a lot of money overseas it works just like a normal debit card you can pay things with it and you can draw money off it you could try this way

here is a link to my thread on this
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=513724

hope this helps

jan xx

SalSa

We went to 'rent-a-bomb' and they just wanted $250 deposit as we didn't have a credit card either

quoll

Had a chat with the man at Hertz in Melbourne airport about this a few weeks ago and the big companies will not touch it unless you can guarantee with a credit card (poor chap had been harangued by a couple of visiting Poms for about quarter of an hour before he got to me). The rent-a-bomb operations are more likely to take cash/debit cards but they dont have the national coverage that many tourists require (pick up in one state and drop off in another). You can see it from their point of view - even if a debit card has the requisite amount in it today it may have gone by tomorrow when they need to draw on it.

Amazulu

Just get a credit card to facilitate the rental and pay with cash. Do not use the credit card for anything else. Simple as.

Trying to live without the use of a credit card is a pain in the ass.

Swerv-o

Yes, I echo the above. Australia is quite a credit card orientated society, and surviving here without one can become something of a pain. Ordering stuff over the phone or internet is impossible with just an EFTPOS card.

And they really don't seem to 'get' Visa debit cards here. You can tell the people in the store that it's 'savings' until you're blue in the face, but they still put it through as a credit card :curse:


S

paddyo

I had this problem a few weeks ago. I booked a van through the Thrifty website and used my Visa Debit card as the booking payment.
Turned up all jolly the next day to pick the van up and 'no way jose'. They explained that the card was for reference and booking purposes and was not chased as a means of payment. "I'm sorry but...." was the phrase of the day!
There was no way the Thrifty woman was going to let me have the van without Credit card, not Debit. Luckily a colleague lived not too far away and helped me otherwise I would have blown my top!

GinaUK

We've now been in Perth for nearly 6 months and not needed a credit card (don't have one).

We do have a Visa debit card and use that everywhere with no problem.
There has been no problem ordering stuff over the internet with it.

Buying stuff in shops the debit card can be used either as "savings" (which equals EFTPOS) or as "credit" without any problems. Staff always ask Is that "savings" or "credit". If you use "savings" it means you key in a four digit PIN number, if you use "credit" you have to sign a slip.

If you buy something that costs over $1,000 with the debit card, you have to use "credit" (don't know why that is). We've bought quite a bit of furniture with the debit card without any problems ($3,500 in one transaction).

If you want to get cash out in the shops, you use "savings".

Oh, and we hired a van with the debit card with no problems as well.

In the literature that came with the card it says it's accepted anywhere that displays the "Visa" sign.

All of the above is our experience in Perth, WA. Might be different in other states.

Gina

Centurion

The reason that you can't use a debit card is because the car rental company will pre-authorise your card for the excess amount or "bond". Whilst this isn't actually physically debited from your card, your available credit total is reduced and access to those funds frozen whilst the pre-authorisation is in use.

Debit cards can't be pre-authorised so you can't use them as you simply can't "freeze" a portion of money in someones bank account.

Get a credit card that doesn't cost anything. Use it for such things. Nobody said you have to use it for anything else at all. If nothing else its a prudent and wise thing to carry in case of emergencies when traveling.

Amazulu

Exactly. Get a credit card. It is an essential tool of modern life. I have been using credit cards since the mid-80's and have never paid a penny's interest in all that time, but have gained many benefits. Things like free travel insurance, extended warranties, enough frequent flyer miles to get me to California next month etc. I have also been able to use the credit card provider to out sort out any hassles/disputes I've had.

It's a no brainer.

wardy2

Thanks for the replies but we leave on Monday it will probably be too late to get one now.

I will have a look at your thread Jan thanks.

Kaye

GinaUK

Erm, have to disagree with you on that one. As I said above, we rented a van with our debit card. It was pre-authorised for the "bond" and the rental charge (I could see this as two seperate transactions online). When we returned the van the next day, the pre-authorisation was cancelled.

As long as the debit card has the "Visa" or "Mastercard" symbol, you can use it for transactions in the same way as a credit card as long as you push the "credit" button on the terminal. Quote from BankWest website: "Our MasterCard Debit Card works everywhere MasterCard does; overseas, over the internet, over the phone and at over 24 million locations worldwide."

Gina

paddyo

Gina, you was fortunate. Even though my Visa debit card had the glorious Visa on it, there was no way it was accepted, the same for an outlet when I purchased over my then EFTPOS limit. Visa debit did not work at all.
I have now raised my EFTPOS limit but very very wary of getting a Visa card, even though it may cause some issues in the future.

wardy2

I have applied for a pre paid mastercard which apparently will solve this issue.

Will arrive in the next day or two.

I have seen a few people use them on here for such things so hopefully we will have no bother.

Thanks

kaye

robos

have a good trip kaye

jan xx