# Getting a credit card so I can rent vehicles? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2023, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364 "2023-08-10T14:57:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2023, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/61 "2023-08-11T23:16:14Z")
I think several posters missed the fact that I said the account number is printed on the back, if you need it. It’s just not prominently embossed on the front any more. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2023, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/62 "2023-08-11T23:19:36Z")
Oh, I know, it was your line “no merchant ever needs it” that puzzled me. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/63 "2023-08-11T23:27:13Z")
I believe the Apple Credit Card doesn’t have the account number printed on either the front or the back. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/64 "2023-08-11T23:29:56Z")
How do you use it to buy, e.g., plane tickets? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/65 "2023-08-11T23:33:32Z")
I think you don’t actually get a physical card - apparently you can request a titanium card but only if you have added the Apple credit card to your Apple wallet. Otherwise, you can only use the account for purchases from Apple online or at the store. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/66 "2023-08-11T23:33:57Z")
I don’t have one, but I believe it has the magnetic stripe and chip necessary for using in a payment terminal. And I believe the Apple Card can be used anywhere any other Mastercard can be used, though I think they expect you to use Apple Pay on your iPhone most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/67 "2023-08-11T23:41:38Z")
The app will generate a number for you to use. You can use it as long as you want and generate a new number when you feel like it. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/68 "2023-08-12T06:37:59Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I used to use my debit card for purchases routinely and scoffed at this advice, but it does make sense and now I agree with it. Fraud on debit cards does happen. My daughter’s debit card was hacked twice recently. Each time, her checking account was frozen for a few days while the credit union straightened it out. It was a massive hassle for her. I had to front her money so she could pay her bills. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/69 "2023-08-12T06:56:10Z")
No offense, but this kind of sounds like “weird nothing things old people worry about”. Credit cards are not particularly hard to get. If you want one, just go online to your bank and apply for one. I don’t see a reason to get a super low credit limit, as you only get charged interest on what you owe, I personally use my credit card for everything because I get cash back. I pay off the balance every month. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/70 "2023-08-12T16:19:10Z")
About the credit limit needed for renting vehicles, I thought the issue was whether you ran off with the car, not whether you could cover the charges expected on the basis of you doing what you contracted to do. Kind of like posting bail, you might say. Otherwise, you could just use currency, with a larger upfront payment and then much of it refunded when you return the car. In other words, do they need a few hundred, or quite a few thousands, available on the card? ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/71 "2023-08-12T16:33:02Z")
It doesn’t really matter. In fact you are able to rent a car without a cc but you should direct your questions to the rental car company on how to proceed. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/72 "2023-08-12T16:53:33Z")
It would typically be on the order of a few hundred, as I recall. It might be a bit more now that car rentals are outrageously expensive. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/73 "2023-08-12T17:01:50Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > In other words, do they need a few hundred, or quite a few thousands, available on the card? They are not expecting to charge a new car to your card if you wreck that one. The whole point is that people without credit cards are generally assumed by Corporate America to be broke who therefore cannot pay and/or are ne’er-do-wells who cannot be trusted to pay even if they have the funds. Whether or not that belief is well-founded isn’t the point. They have decided that not doing business with CC-less customers is a great and officially non-discriminatory way to scrape a lot of scum off their potential customer list. If you show up with even a crappy low-limit CC, you’ve already demonstrated you’re not part of the scum. It’s no deeper than that. As @msmith537 said a bit ago, your confusion on this is bewildering coming from someone who until fairly recently was somebody with a good job, an apparently normal life and economic situation, etc. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/74 "2023-08-12T17:34:52Z")
It’s probably a good bet that in the vast majority of cases, if someone has no credit card at all, it’s probably because their credit history is so bad that they don’t qualify even for a crappy low-limit card. It’s a bet that makes sense for business. Our OP here is a very rare exception. From what the OP has said, they likely qualify for a premium card with a fairly high credit limit. I can only re-emphasize to the OP that there’s absolutely no downside to a responsible individual having at least two credit cards – it’s completely secure against fraud, super convenient, and can offer many benefits like air miles, cash back, or free merchandise (as I said upthread, a bunch of free flights, a Sony Bravia TV and an Apple iPad for free is nothing to sneeze at!). Plus, unused available credit improves your credit score. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/75 "2023-08-12T17:40:53Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > It’s probably a good bet that in the vast majority of cases, if someone has no credit card at all, it’s probably because their credit history is so bad that they don’t qualify even for a crappy low-limit card. And, even then, a person can get a secured credit card. Basically, they deposit some money (say, $500) and then get a credit card with a $500 limit. If they default the company already has their $500. This lets them build their credit score and can provide the advantages a credit card gives you. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/76 "2023-08-12T17:56:26Z")
I’ve heard of those but wasn’t sure if they still exist. **[There was an article in the news a few months ago](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/plastk-secured-credit-card-legal-battle-1.6875234)** about a company whose business was specifically to issue those kinds of cards, but they got into a dispute with the partnering bank which resulted in many people having neither credit cards nor able to get their deposits back. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/77 "2023-08-12T17:58:38Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I’ve heard of those but wasn’t sure if they still exist. The website below offers some choices for secured credit cards. This is **not** a recommendation. I have zero experience with that site or those cards. Just a data point that they do seem to be available today. > **[Best Secured Credit Cards to Build Credit of December 2023 - NerdWallet](https://www.nerdwallet.com/best/credit-cards/secured)** > > Start building or rebuilding your credit with a secured credit card. Our experts recommend the best secured cards with low deposit requirements and low fees. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/78 "2023-08-12T20:40:34Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@Napier](#): > > > > In other words, do they need a few hundred, or quite a few thousands, available on the card? > > They are not expecting to charge a new car to your card if you wreck that one. > > The whole point is that people without credit cards are generally assumed by Corporate America to be broke who therefore cannot pay and/or are ne’er-do-wells who cannot be trusted to pay even if they have the funds. > > Whether or not that belief is well-founded isn’t the point. They have decided that not doing business with CC-less customers is a great and officially non-discriminatory way to scrape a lot of scum off their potential customer list. > > If you show up with even a crappy low-limit CC, you’ve already demonstrated you’re not part of the scum. It’s no deeper than that. > > > As @msmith537 said a bit ago, your confusion on this is bewildering coming from someone who until fairly recently was somebody with a good job, an apparently normal life and economic situation, etc. Even simpler than that. By providing a credit card, the rental car has some path to collect any damages to the car (not covered by insurance) without having to chase you down with creditors and whatnot. ---
**Author:** ![motu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/motu/32/259_2.png) [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/79 "2023-08-12T22:07:54Z")
I have two credit cards, one with zero balance that is used once every 6 months or so. I like this security blanket. The other card is used for almost everything. Cash back, I have an auto minimum payment in case I space out paying the card off at the end of the month, prevents late fees. The only time I use my debit card is in route to and/or at the dispensary. Otherwise, at work we get take-out once a week (pre-covid, it was almost daily) and I use my card then get cash from others and use cash to make change per person. When I get gas, If I have enough singles I will buy one Powerball, MegaMilion ticket each. Maybe more if its silly big. It allows me to day-dream. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364/80 "2023-08-12T23:38:40Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > that people without credit cards are generally assumed by Corporate America to be broke > [@LSLGuy](#): > > your confusion on this is bewildering coming from someone who until fairly recently was somebody with a good job, an apparently normal life and economic situation, etc. Can we just pause for a moment to admire the glistening irony that probably\* owing money is thought to make someone less broke? Fair enough, I am indeed bewildered. Fortunately I can move forward without understanding their assumption. - [### Average consumer carries $5947 in credit card debt ](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/10/average-consumer-carries-5947-in-credit-card-debt-a-10-year-high.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-credit-card-so-i-can-rent-vehicles/988364.md?page=5)