What You Should Know While Hiring a Car with Your Credit Card
The world is moving from cash purchases to cashless buying. And the car rental industry is not an exception. It is a requirement almost in every country that you should a credit card to use car rental services. It is not a must for you to have a credit card to rent a car but there are inconveniences. Most if not all car rental companies never accept cash deposits. But there are a lot of things which we never know or pay attention to while hiring a car with credit cards. Here are some important tips you should know.
Rental companies Prefer Credit over a Debit Card
Debit cards pose a financial risk in case the company wants to recover some charges like repair fees. Therefore, most car rental services prefer credit cards. It is also difficult to lock the deposit amount for a car hire using a credit card. The company has to withdraw the amount required and then refund; a process that can prove tedious and costly as well.
You Have Secondary Cover
Most credit card providers offer a cheap secondary policy for car rental services. This means that the credit card offers coverage of what is not compensated by your regular policy. This comes in handy when your policy can only compensate for a certain amount. Therefore, you should check what your credit card provider offers as insurance before purchasing an extra policy.
Travel Assistance is Necessary
Most credit cards offer travel assistance to their holders. To enjoy the benefits, ensure your card is loaded as per the requirements of the provider. The service guarantees you a stress-free trip because you have support 24/7 in case your car stalls in the middle of the journey. Some of the services include towing, fuel delivery, inflation of flat tires and battery recharge.
You May Use Different Cards
Car rental companies use your credit card as security. Therefore, you can use a debit card to pay for the services online but use the details of a credit card when you want to pick the vehicle. The freedom gives you convenience in case you had not loaded your credit card while booking the services online.
Cost of Damage
If you want to cheap rent a car in Dubai and then you cause an accident, you will incur the charges of the income lost. The car rental company will charge you for the amount they would have earned if the car was operational. Therefore, these charges may accrue and be deducted from your card. That is why you should be careful to keep the vehicle in good working conditions even when returning it.