A friend of mine wants to go to California. Part of this trip would require him to rent a car. Problem is he’s only 19, and rental places won’t rent to 19 year olds. Me? I just turned 21. He wants me to come with him, which I admit would be fun. Problem is, I don’t have a credit card, which I believe you need to rent a car as well (sort of like a deposit). However, he does. So is it possible to rent the car in my name and have me as the sole driver, but use his credit card for the deposit? (We’re not related, in case it matters)
You’re going to find that it’s pretty hard to get a rental car if you’re just 21 unless you have a credit card.
Rental car companies are fairly picky about who pays for the car. And they will need to see your license and they will likely do a quick check of your driving record too.
You are going to have to call a lot of places to find one that will rent to you. You might even have to leave a cash deposit.
25 is the magic age for renting cars.
Enterprise is one of the few rental companies that will rent to under 25’s. As far as using one person’s license and another person’s credit card, I don’t know.
I’m a frequest traveler and car-renter with a friend who owns a rental car franchise. Short version, he says …
Each rental company is different. Often policies vary from store to store within the same company as well. Anything you do/say that smacks of attempting to finesse the rules on a technicality will be looked on real unfavorably. Something like 80% of his store’s problems happen when the driver isn’t the payer, somebody is young, etc. 10% of the rentals are 80% of the problems, and that’s after he turns away the real horror stories of three people trying to pay with debit cards for a 4th to drive since everybody else has a DUI, etc., etc., etc.
It really is that stark a difference. Middle-aged folks with credit cards in their own names who drive the car themselves simply almost never turn into problem rentals. The other kind give him gray hair.
The off-airport seconday market may be more lenient than the big guys, especially if you can bring a large (ie $1000) cash deposit in addition to the credit (not debit) card. Despite the banks’ advertising to the contrary, businesses greatly prefer credit over debit cards because it gives them the right to reserve money without actually taking it. That reduces their risk considerably.
You definitely don’t want to wing it when you get there. The secondary guys are scattered at random all around the airports within 3 or 4 miles (i.e. well beyond practical walking range) and you can spend $100 (& waste hours) taking a cab from one agency to another once you’ve exhausted the Hertz, Avis, etc., counters at the airport.
Bottom line: Call ahead and tell the truth, the whole truth, and see what you get. Keep calling different stores until you find somebody who’ll rent to you. Then call back and make sure. Talk to the store manager, not the goof who answers the phone, especially at a weirdball Brand-X kinda place. Take notes of who you talked to. Make sure the credit card you’ll use has at least double the amount of the rental in available credit.
You’re on a Mission Close-to-Impossible. Good luck.
It looks like we may just end up taking plan B, and have his friend pick us up at the airport (This may be difficult as she doesn’t have a car, so she’ll have to rely on SOMEONE else.), and then just take the bus everywhere else.
I don’t know if it’s still the case, but Budget Rent-a-Car is (was?) also Sears Rent-a-Car. Sears had very different standards for renting than Budget. Basically, anybody with a Sears credit card could rent a car. Like I say, don’t know if that’s still the case, but it’s worth checking into.