Note to self: don’t rent from Hertz

This video makes me want me to keep my credit cards all the more. George - this backfired

20 years ago I got a great deal from Hertz online to rent an economy car at Chicago OHare. I double checked their debit card policy before I left. Phone rep said I was good to go. When I flew in, the airline had lost my luggage. I took the shuttle to Hertz, and the lady told me they were NOT going to honor the deal, and did NOT accept debit cards. I walked over to the National Rent a Car office, and waited in line. Chatting with the others, there were 2 people who had the same issue with Hertz. The National manager and staff were so kind. They told us they would match the Hertz special rate, and let us choose ANY car in the lot that we wanted. Alamo/National is always my first choice when I rent a car.

At the beginning of this video I was considering chopping up my credit card, but by the end I decided to keep it. 😅😅😅

Hertz said they would run a soft credit check. George did not ask how that would affect him with no score. Also, my daughter worked for Enterprise for years. They will rent with a debit card, but if they are low on cars, those with a credit card get priority.

I'm not dealing with car and hotel rentals without a credit card. The amount of money they want to hold is outrageous. Plus I've had too many issues with hotels and rental car places double charging as well. Last hotel put a pending charge on my card for over a month which is outrageous given I prepaid the entire stay.

I was more discouraged to rent a car than to get rid of my credit card

Like many people on here, this discouraged me from using a debit card to rent a car

Ive been refused MULTIPLE TIMES at airports with a debit card. Hilariously it was also at the Knoxville airport. They all said on the phone that they'd accept one, but once I was there, they outright refused.

I love George and his content, but if I’m being honest this video has convinced me even more of the benefits of credit card. I’m not bringing a copy of my water bill to rent a car.

I can’t imagine being so disciplined that you are willing to jump through hoops to get a rental car, but don’t feel disciplined enough to trust yourself to have a credit card for situations like this.

I work for a bank. I have people call in and say they have issues constantly with renting cars with a debit card. Cliff notes version if you absolutely have to rent a car with a debit card, DO NOT LEAVE without a copy of the receipt and your terms of service agreement. Disputes are filed on these transactions constantly and you need to protect yourself with your paperwork! The funds on your debit card is your actual money. If what gets frozen is needed for bills, #1 you shouldn’t be renting a car or going on vacation, but #2 that refundable deposit they tell you about can take a week or more to return back to you AFTER you give the car back.

I truly don’t remember the last time I used a credit card. But what I gather from this video is that it is possible with lots of planning, extra money on hand for higher deposits, and additional documentation. So if I am planning a vacation I should be fine. But if I have to travel last minute for something like an emergency or a death in the family I could be heavily delayed at best or not get a car period.

I’ve had to rent a car on very short notice before. Most people don’t have two utility bills in their backpack.

It honestly sounds much easier to just have a credit card to rent the car lmao… bro when traveling with kids, the last thing you need is the rental car part of the trip to be this cumbersome…. You have so many other things going on that you’ll need to focus on. 😊

I rented from Budget years ago using a CC. About 3 months later, I received a $5500 bill for hail damage that did not occur while I rented the car. I contested and won, but it would have been 100x more stressful if they had my bank account info. I now also always take a video of the rental at pickup and drop off.

Good video George! However, I will continue to use a credit card for ALL reservations! I’m debt free, including paid off home❤

George you go right ahead- we RESPONSIBLE people with zero history of racking up debt will continue to travel the world using the #1 recommended method to avoid headaches & fraud: credit cards.

I'm a car rental franchise owner. I do indeed turn down many people who either have no credit or insufficient credit and are using debit cards. Our airports do not take debit most days of the year and definitely not on one way rentals.

Being told you can is different than doing it. Good luck when you get that one person that doesn't know the company process. Yes, I know this is a customer service issue, not a credit card issue.

I think this video convinced me that having a credit card was more convenient than not having one LOL

I’m actually mad about this now: my husband and I are going out of town for a ministry conference. We booked online a rental (because his 2002 Silverado isn’t going to make it). With PLENTY of room on our debit card, we were just refused the car because of his equifax. So no, I am fully convinced you NEED a credit card.

Hertz 100% won't rent you a Car with a debit card without a soft credit check. If you have no credit you get no car. Love how George glossed over this.

My sister-in-law does not have any credit cards, and she came for a visit last Christmas 2022. Unfortunately, their car completely died while they were here and they needed to Rent-A-Car to get back home so her husband could return to work and the kids could go to school on time, etc. It took three trips to the airport, multiple rental car company counters, many tears later, and we finally had rented her car. I had to rent the car because I had a credit I let her use. It was the most frustrating thing ever. She was willing to give them a debit card, she had thousands of dollars in her bank account, but they would not accept it! The first company said they wouldn’t even talk to us anymore and we had to walk around and find others. Edit: her not having an actual flight for that airport was the big reason. It was the holidays and t there weren’t many rental car places open/or that had cars available. Such a mess!

Hey George? That was a pretty slick way of glossing over the fact that you would absolutely be denied at Hertz. A soft credit check is REQUIRED. Which means, if you "don't have a credit score, because I don't have any debt", DENIED. But you failed to mention that multiple times, instead intentionally leaving that out when you did the Hertz summary. Isn't there something in the Bible about lying and bearing false witness? This is the one major issue I take with the Ramsey system. It's about discipline, and being able to use the tools at your disposal to your advantage.

I worked at Avis rent a car no cc no car. This was because of the people that would use their debit card and then cancel the card or report it lost.

That "varies by location" part is key. Enterprise refused to rent to me without a credit card a year ago.

One of the most unconvincing videos ever…

So, in a nutshell the credit card makes things more convenient. If you're paying for things you're already planning on buying, like a car rental, then I don't see that as debt. Thats assuming you're paying it off monthly and spending responsibly. I'll keep my credit card.

We ditched the credit cards in 2019. Rented cars, flew places, bought things. Still not missing that dumb payment. And when you’re spending YOUR money, you think twice before buying things.

One reason to never have a debit card is theft. If someone gains access to your bank account with the physical card or by obtaining the info, you can be wiped out of everything and you are out of luck. That generally can't happen with a credit card, since the credit card will have a limit and will usually be monitored by the credit card company for unusual purchases or shipping addresses that don't match. Debit cards are the worst things you can have in terms of security. I've had credit card info stolen 3 times, but none ever went through. I know people with debit cards that had their info stolen and had their accounts wiped and lost their money. Debit cards suck for security. It's best to have a credit card and pay off every purchase as soon as it posts.

So.... you can make sure you always travel with a birth certificate, social security card, 3 utility bills, and $500 in cash.... Or you could just set your credit card to auto payment. I'm 40 and have never paid a dime in credit card interest. I've probably accumulated at least $10,000 worth of rewards. Not to mention most credit cards will include certain levels of travel insurance for car rentals/flights. George has a right to live credit card free- but you can't preach that credit cards are evil for everyone.

I personally have been turned down numerous times with a debit card with plenty of funds. I got sick of it, so I just started using a credit card. When you're traveling and don't carry around all your documention, it's too much of a headache. That's a naw from me dawg. My time is worth more than the hassle.

No, go do it in person. The wife and i had an issue at the Orlando Airport after i failed the "credit check". Good thing my wife had her cc that she dont really use.

Yes, if you jump through all of these hoops, don't need an SUV, and are not doing multi-city travel. You also lose out on the extra insurance from your credit card company (like loss of rental use after an accident-most standard car insurance policies don't include that unless you buy the coverage from the rental company)

Travel is the only reason I keep a credit card. Love Ramsey and George, but debit cards don’t hit the mark for travel!

The real question isn’t credit versus debit. The real question, is what is holding you up from getting your financial life in order i.e. living on less than you make do a monthly budget, and being intentional about your spending if you’re doing those things, it doesn’t really matter whether you’re using a debit card or a credit card.

Hilarious , informative and illustrative. By making real phone calls and explaining thoroughly you are helping a lot of people[with open minds], the rest are in love with that dear little credit card so much they will die on that hill. The remainder that stay to call you names and say you are a liar are, in your words, ‘jackals’. Great job George!

It just seems wired to add extra complexity into every transaction just to stand ground against credit cards. If you pay them off, take advantage of the insurance, cash back/rewards, discounts, and convenience. Use debit if you like it, but keep a credit card for only complex scenarios. Why make life hard, when it can be easy?

Based off this video, I must say it has actually motivated me to keep my credit cards even more. The convenience of having less documents, money, and time involved in getting a rental car seems pretty nice to me. Not to mention credit cards saved me 2k last year, all while only using them for necessities and paying them off with no interest. If I fell into the psychological trickery of buying more stuff because of using them, I would’ve gotten rid of them a long time ago.

Teaching FPU and this came up last night. Someone tried to rent at enterprise with a debit card. He said he was denied not by the car company but by his bank that the card is tied to.

Renting cars with a credit card is just easier. It's not worth the hassle for me to do it with my debit card. Plus there are more options on shopping around for car rentals using a credit card as not every car rental company takes debit cards. I pay off my credit card balance monthly anyway.

Just have a credit card for travel and pay it off. Good grief.

I always rent cars and book hotels via credit cards. Points aside if that’s not your thing, a lot of credit cards give you travel protections and rental insurance for free. Rental places are asking for 15-30 dollars a day for collision insurance

Hi George, kudos on the content! To answer your question as you presented it, there is no reason why someone cannot live without a credit card. It is totally possible to conduct your life without one. However, if we change the question to why someone would still choose to use a credit card, this video illustrates that answer quite nicely: convenience. You pay a convenience fee to not use a credit card and only use a debit card. In the case of renting a car, it's a cash fee that you lock up in deposits and cannot use during your travels (between car rental and lodging you can easily lock up $1K+) along with a time fee that you pay with the extra steps in research, planning, documentation and budgeting. You'll also likely have to pay extra for the car rental company's insurance, which they often require for debit card rentals. Most credit cards will insure your car rental automatically. When using a debit card, you don't even get any moral return for this convenience fee you're paying. The credit card companies are still getting their cut of the transaction from interchange fees, albeit the fees are lower for debit cards, and the costs of the interchange and processing fees are baked into the price of whatever you're purchasing. So you're paying VISA and Mastercard whether you're using a credit or debit card. Cash or checks is the only way to sever your relationship with the big bad credit card companies. In summary, it makes sense for you to present the question in absolutes because when you account for nuance, one could argue that responsible and disciplined credit card usage (no annual fee/pay off every month/only use for benefits such as travel, rentals, lodging, electronics) makes for a significant convenience gain at the expense of credit card companies. Yes, you can do life without a credit card. Yes, it's a less convenient life. Yes, it's a more secure life if you lack discipline. Yes, just like it's possible to do life without a credit card, it is also possible to do life with a credit card such that cost is reduced instead of incurred. Discipline and risk management are our most powerful weapons, more so than a pair of scissors.

What about the “soft credit check” at Hertz if you don’t have a score?

I showed up to an annual, hard-to-get-into event where all hotels were super overbooked and they wouldn't give me my room without a credit card. As a Ramsey guy I pushed back and looked for loop holes and workarounds. Offered cash, etc. They were happy to cancel and give my room to someone else (for double $) if I didn't have a credit card. I'm all in on debt-free living, and I'm all in on debit card only for everything I do, and I give 2 squats about points or air miles. Don't want 'em. But I'm not gonna fight the whole country's belief in credit cards and treat it like a personal victory.

I completely understand being against consumer debt, but the Ramsey team obsession against credit cards is just plain weird. Why go through all of this nonsense to rent a car or get a hotel room? Be a responsible adult, use the credit card wisely, pay off your card. Be a grown up- simplify your life.

What about the soft credit check around 4 minutes 👀 wish you would have asked more about what happens there if u don’t have a credit score

We had reserved a rental in Rome in 2012. They would not take my credit card because it didn’t have raised numbers. The reason was that we would be returning the car in Venice and they needed to do the old fashioned card slider thing with the paper and graphite paper stuff to make triple copies. We argued. We begged. The line got longer behind us. Nothing would change this fact. Then I remembered I had brought my TJMaxx card for an emergency card. Raised numbers! We got our car!

So while it can be done Hertz sure has an extensive list of requirements in order to do so. And you still aren’t guaranteed to be approved after doing all the things in their list. I’ll stick with a credit card for car rentals.

I tried to rent a car with a debit card, but because it was a 1 way rental nobody would rent to me without a credit card. Had to have someone drive 3 hours one way to pick me up and take me the 3 hours back to where I was going.

How to make simple things complicated. In my opinion these scenarios are what credit cards are good for. Travelling. I used to only use a debit card and while on vacation to go visit my brother someone at the motel tried to charge a fraudulent charge on my debit card, the bank froze my card and it was an online bank so i had no branch to go to. That was less than 2 years ago so i immediately gave up my no credit card lifestyle at 50 years old. So big whoop i have a credit card. Its just like a debit card

I actually just rented a car using a debit card with Enterprise in Orlando, FL and they did not require any deposit at all. I was charged only the cost of the rental. It is indeed possible!

I have no debt, but use a credit card for my daily expenses and pay off the balance at the end of the month. I have thought about switching over to only debit, but George proves in this video it is indeed an additional hassle to not have a credit card. Even if it were the case that spending with a credit card psychologically causes you to spend more. That additional cost is worth the convenience of not having to carry around my utility bill. Also, I hope George makes a video on this comment.

George was a little nonchalant about having the deposit be a hold on the card. If you’re traveling and the rental car company, hotel and airline all put a hold on your debit card, that can add up quickly.

You didn’t ask hertz about not having a credit score lol.

We rented from Hertz Ireland, debit card only. No different from CC customers. That's quite a few hoops they make you jump through here in the US.

In fairness, it sounds like it's impossible to rent from Hertz without a credit card if you are under 25 years old. People can't just magically make themselves older.

It's just plain STUPID to limit your options in life and make things needlessly harder just to keep true to some cultish financial philosophy.

So basically it’s kind of a pain and you need to bring other “documentation” and you have to call ahead and work through the phone tree. No thanks. CC are dumb… but phone trees are more dumb.

Not worth the hassle, just get a CC. “I’m against debt”. Yes but having one CC for these situations to make life easier and then you pay it off really isn’t a big deal.

I think your advice that people should not have a credit card is absolutly correct for something like 85%-95% of people. But while you don't technically need a credit card to have a credit score not having a credit score will make it impossible to rent in some apartment complexes. Thankfully these places are a small minority as you demonstrated in one of your recent videos. It is also worth noting that some car insurance companies will charge you more if your credit score is low or indeterminable. Once again its a minority, but they are out there. And finally, sadly, there are some employers who run your credit report as part of the hiring process. While they may not refuse to hire someone with a low or indeterminable score you will be at a disadvantage against someone with a high score if yours isn't high as well. I had my credit checked as part of the last time I applied for a job. And yes, it is absolutly a place you want to work at. Six figure salary, paid vacation, 100% work from home, great insurance/401k, ect...

With this video, I think George may have convinced one person to travel with a debit card instead of a credit card.

A debit card is a tool and a credit card is a tool. A hand saw is a tool and circular saw is a tool. If I have to cut 10 boards, will I use a hand saw instead of a circular saw? Probably not because I can save time with the circular saw. It's the same with credit card versus debit card.

Impossible to rent a car from one airport then return to another airport without a credit card. We typically would rent and return to same location and we were able to do this with a debit card.

George, you didn’t ask about a credit check with the 3rd one. And he mentioned a credit check!

It’s not worth the time and hassle for something like this! This honestly hurts your argument about not having one. It’s “possible” but you just look silly and ridiculous arguing this. Maybe have a credit card to use only in limited scenarios like this at least?

Now try this in Canada... Can't even rent a hammer drill without a credit card...

Yes you can. When we rented a car in Europe. iT took more than a month to get the deposit money back. So be prepared. Also those who say you cannot may not have extra in their account to cover the buffer.

Why go through all this crap and have to tie up your own money when you don’t have to just by having a credit card and not abusing it ??

For me, I don't own a car, so do not have auto insurance. However, my credit card comes with car rental coverage incase something unfortunate happens, which lets me reject the additional insurance from the car rental company. Also, I like booking via 3rd party deals for car rentals, which save quite a bit. To save the hassle of additional documentation and being on hold with the car rental (because they love NOT picking up their phones), I use a credit card. That's why I haven't cut up my card yet!

You know what's easier than going through the extra steps to rent a car with a debit card? Just using a credit card. Nothing wrong with having credit card that you use responsibly and pay off every month. The difference between that an using a debit card for normal purchases is almost zero. Oh, and please do a show on how well the debit card works when you travel internationally.

Hey George just wanted to say thanks for what you're doing I see a lot of quality in your content falling in line with the Ramsey method Looking forward to watching your videos in the future And also looking into the better help doing research on it right now but it looks promising

I tried renting at Newark, my credit card limit of 500 was almost used up so I couldn't make the deposite with it. Spend over an hour at the counter and in the end the best they could do was $600 deposit, $200 non refundable fee, $80 of taxes. What was originally a $120 rental for 4 days turned into over 1000. I got a friend from 2 hours away to pick me up and payed them instead. So no, you can not practically rent cars with a debit card.

Debit cards are dangerous because if someone gets a hold of it they can empty out your checking account and you’d have no legal recourse. But with a credit card your protected and can file a report with the police

This might be totally different in an emergency situation, ie; you can’t book ahead of time, and/or the rental agency doesn’t have cars available that qualify for use with only a debit card. I have definitely been in situations where without a credit card-I wasn’t getting a rental.

Too much hassle IMHO...I understand that most people use credit like an addiction, but for those who can handle one, the credit card is worth it. Also, my credit score has always been over 800.

I just got denied a car at the air port. My daughter had to pick me up at 11:00 at night and drive me an hour home. They absolutely refused even though the sign behind them said it was illegal to do this

I have travelled all kinds of places all over the country and rented cars with a debit card, no problem. I didn't even know the credit card deal was even a thing. Enterprise started requiring a $200 deposit, but that's it. I've never had to produce phone bills, credit score, cash deposit, or anything like that.

Yea, no. Just because YOU want to go through all those steps to rent a car without a CC, doesn't mean there aren't benefits. Also, just because YOU have done it, doesn't mean that works for everyone, as many of the comments say in this video.

George: nobody is saying it isn't true. Just that it makes life unnecessarily harder since it is going against the grain of how the more automated world works. Like how Dave keeps claiming people said cash back will make them wealthy - nobody said that.

Yes you can rent a car with a debit card unless you don’t have a returning plane ticket. I’ve almost been stranded twice in the past year because I wasn’t returning the car the same airport. Thank you girlfriend for having a work credit card. Also mom and pop shop is 4x more. Ask any of my friends and they’ll tell you im anti-credit card. I now have one that I’ll never touch in the back of my wallet. And yes I went to multiple companies and even offered to put the full price of the vehicle down as a deposit…..still no go.

Didn’t Hertz guy said they need to do a soft credit check which you might fail with a 0 score. You just glossed over it.

I tried renting with a debit card in Chicago in November 2023 and got denied at 5 different places. Zero tolerance there. I had booked ahead, too, but the issue was I was out of state. Everyone said it was a city policy. Granted, Chicago is the only city I’ve had this happen but it changed my itinerary dramatically.

My wife got denied at Enterprise at South Bend airport for not having a credit card.

We need not be a stickler. Atleast one credit card to avoid these hassles might be worth it.

My son tried to rent from Tampa to drive to Ohio with a debit card. He was 23 and absolutely couldn't find a single place that would let him rent a car. Yes, he had enough money in his savings account to buy a car, but no one would rent a car to him. This was Xmas 2022 when all flights were canceled dueto weather, that is why he wanted to rent a car.

5 reasons to have a credit card. 1. Online purchases (stuff online many times is cheaper than at the brick and mortar stores). Yes you can make online purchases with debit cards; you can also pray that your card doesn't get compromised and fradulent charges wipe out your bank account. Ask the hundreds if not thousands of Chase customers. 😂 2. Convenience. Try renting a car in an emergency while playing the games as was shown in this video. Us credit card holders will usually get priority; as for you - time to call an uber... 3. Travel insurance. Good luck hounding the airline who delayed your flight a day to cover your hotel, food, etc. Have fun sleeping in the airport if allowed. Good luck trying to get reimbursed by the airline for lost luggage, damaged luggage, etc. Good luck paying more for car rentals to cover the car insurance wise. 4. Good luck spending extra time trying to explain to any business that needs to check your credit; why you don't have a score and the added underwriting or possible denial without one. Mortgage good debt (until the bank robs you for the first 5 years in interest.) Car loan (good debt) until the bank robs you for years in interest. Credit Card bad debt evil boogey man that makes you spend more than the mortgage interest and car loan interest monthly. Right........ 5. Good luck spending thousands of dollars trying to chase airline or hotel status with a debit card and tons of cash. While the evil boogey man annual fee credit card leverages a small fee (usually 1/10th or less) to get that same status. Oh wait; traveling is bad because it costs money. Scratch that; just use a debit card and stay at home and never travel until you're a millionaire on paper (net worth). 😂 Bonus. I love Dave Ramsey and his team; but many of us C or D rate students will continue to acknowledge our unwise disagreement with them on credit cards. ❤

I ordered your book on the last pre-order day. Excited to check it out!

Can you rent a car with a debit card? Yes. Is it better to use a credit card? Yes. You have additional insurance if you use a visa signature credit card. Plus that refundable deposit is taken out of your account with a debit card. sure you get it back but I’d rather hang onto my own money.

This is good stuff, George. The one rental company that requires a soft credit check will reject you. You're right about there being options.

Hertz is a no go for me man. They got WAY too many requirements in general. What a pain in the arse

Try renting out of state with a debit card and no flight itenary. All major brands will turn you down.

I am sorry, but am I the only one that thinks that it's absolutely absurd to have to bring a utility bill or any kind of bill just to avoid booking with a credit card?! Credit card usage is not a math problem!

To all those talking about how much extra work it may be - If you want to do something you’ll find a way, if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse…

We travel regularly and have been in some nerve-wracking situations trying to rent a car with a debit card. Be sure to ask about payment policies if you plan to pick up from one location and then drop off to another. And one time we were denied a rental car with a debit card when we were renting in our home state; having a driver's license in the that state was a deal-breaker.

I love your transparency and how you show the full phone calls. ❤

I like the convenience and also having the added insurance of a credit card along with being able to verify and dispute any over charges or questionable charges before it gets pulled out of your funds, plus not having a hold on a card (and bank) is a plus. Not having anything that I'm handing out to a business or third party that could directly affect my bank is always a good idea especially around fraud. Also all this calling around and verifying causes me to have anxiety. Would be good if there was someone in this realm to show how to build a non-anxious life because of this (kidding of course) :D

This is stupid. All the extra hassle and large risk of being denied a rental car, for WHAT? To prove a point that sometimes you can rent with a debit card? Use a credit card as if it was a debit card. Pay it off as soon as you get the bill. Or, heck, pay it off as soon as you get back home, even before the monthly bill. A credit card is a TOOL, not an evil. Use the tool responsibly. When you are traveling unexpected bad things can happen. Having a credit card can get you out of situations that a debit card won't.