Geesh,Enterprise Car Rental puts a $300 hold on my $60 car rental!!

[debden]

Wow.I cannot believe how much of a hold Enterprise is putting on my credit card for my car rental.My rental totals $60 and they want a $300 hold!!That's rediculous and that's why I usually only rent from Alamo but the closest one in our area is a 45 minute drive away.Darn.
No question here.Just wanted to vent...
Debbie

 

[bumbershoot]

Is that on an actual CC, or on a check/debit card being used as a CC? The hold is a reason we try hard not to rent, as we don't have true credit cards, but I've never experienced a hold on a CC (when we had them)! Crazy!

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

They did the same thing to me when my car was in the shop, and the dealer was giving me a loaner. I gave them my real CC (not Debit) when the guy assured me that nothing would be charged to the card.

I was LIVID when I found out, especially since the hold was on there for several weeks after my one day "free" rental.

 

[debden]

Hi,Yes that hold is going to be on a regular credit card.Not debit.It just seems like a rediculous amount.I guess I have no choice if I need the rental car.And I do!
I certainly hope they don't leave the hold on my credit card for weeks.That would be the last straw.I would drive the 45 minutes to Alamo before I rented from Enterprise again.
Thanks for your replies.
Debbie

 

[mom2my3kids]

I have a rental reserved for 3 days and they told me they would not charge anything other then the amount for 3 days 148.00?? Its my small card and its not got a big limit on it..

 

[Lewisc]

The issue isn't the $60 rental fee. The agency is giving you a car worth something like 20K. Returning the car with an empty tank of gas will cost you $50? Return the car a few days late. Return the car with minor damage. Now assume some bad customers might just drop off the car somewhere in the airport and fly away without even checking in. The agency finds out the customer has "maxed out" their card and has left the state if not the country. You get the picture.

Rental agencies accept a credit card, with available credit, in lieu of requiring a substantial cash deposit. It doesn't really make sense to accept a credit card if there isn't a line of credit available, if necessary. Some agencies may verify there is enough credit and others may actually put a hold on your account. Alamo, and other agencies, require your credit card has available credit. The fact that they may not always put a hold on your card doesn't change the fact that they might.

People who are close to being maxed out might have a problem but it's not just the car rental agencies. Some gas stations put a hold of $50 or even $100 when you swipe your card. It may take a few days before the hold is released.

edited to say my post reads harsh. A credit card is generally required to rent. A credit card, with no available credit, doesn't really do anything for the agency. Go to your local rental center and rent a machine to shampoo your carpet and you'll generally pay a deposit. Doesn't Disney require a deposit for a locker key?

 

[manning]

Enterprise now owns Alamo/National

 

[debden]

Enterprise now owns Alamo/National

Oh great gravy.There goes the days of no holds on your credit card for rental cars at Alamo!
Debbie

 

[Alicnwondrln]

another reason I like alamo
they only charge my card for what I owe and nothing more

 

[Lewisc]

This thread isn't about Enterprise charging extra on credit cards but rather putting a "hold" (reserving) against the credit holders line of credit. That assures funds will be available IFrequired when the car is returned.

This only an issue for renters who are either near their credit limit or plan to rip off the agency. Other customers won't even be aware of what's going on.

another reason I like alamo
they only charge my card for what I owe and nothing more

 

[CarolA]

another reason I like alamo
they only charge my card for what I owe and nothing more

But they CHECK to be sure they can charge a LOT more......

 

[Alicnwondrln]

yes I am sure they do check I just like the 5 times i have used alamo I have never had an issue with having to look for a credit because they did an extra hold

 

[Alicnwondrln]

This thread isn't about Enterprise charging extra on credit cards but rather putting a "hold" (reserving) against the credit holders line of credit. That assures funds will be available IFrequired when the car is returned.

This only an issue for renters who are either near their credit limit or plan to rip off the agency. Other customers won't even be aware of what's going on.

well enterprise owns alamo and national now
It made me wonder if alamo is now doing what enterprise does
I called and they are not

 

[dburg30]

We rent uhaul equipment where I work at. Up until recently all they did was verify that there was $1 available on the card, to make sure it was a legit card. No more of that, they finally got smart and figured out how many people didnt have anything on their cards and they were getting shafted for rentals. So now on a $30 truck they are getting $90 approved on the card for one day, for 2 days it's like 120, for 3 150 etc etc. Sorry to say there are way too many people out there that really dont have respect for others property, or would just drop equipment off where ever they felt like, leave lots of trash and such in it etc etc. I'm sure the rental car companies were running into the same thing. Just switch places with them, if you were going to rent your car to someone that you didnt know, would'nt you like to make sure you could at least cover a tank of gas, a minor scratch etc et before letting someone take you car? My only suggestion now would be to find out how much they will hold against your card. If it's 300 bucks, just pretend that you have that much less of a credit limit, it's not you are actually being charged that amount and paying interest on it, they are just reserving their fair share in case you dont follow thru on the promises you signed on the contracts. And trust me, even the low amounts of rentals we do, you'd be amazed at the folks that dont return the trucks on time, causing a problem for the next family, cant seem to read / operate a fuel pump properly etc etc.

 

[hddanis]

another reason I like alamo
they only charge my card for what I owe and nothing more

I just got back and had gotten an Alamo rental through Priceline...so it was all paid for. They put a $200-$250 hold on my credit card (can't remember exact amount)..

 

[bg4]

another reason I like alamo
they only charge my card for what I owe and nothing more

Taking a guess here but I would hope that every rental car company does that.

You missed the point. will try this again but read lewisc 's post. Charging a CC is different from a CC hold. Lets say you have a VISA with $500 credit limit or remaining. You get your rental car and they put a hold of $300. That only leaves you with $200 credit remaining even though nothing has yet to be charged. Now you check in at your Orlando hotel. They also want a cc hold. This is when your card gets refused cause they also want $300 or more cc hold. If you have a $5000 limit this is not a problem and you may not even realize it. Its a kind of a credit card dirty little little secret.

 

[Lewisc]

This only affects customers that have low credit limits and/or are near their credit limits:

It's not just rental car agencies many companies that accept a credit card as a "guarantee" are reserving (putting a hold) against your credit limit. Those holds can take a few days to come off. Some gas stations put a hold of up to $100 when you swipe your card. Sometimes the hold is taken off as soon as you complete the sale and the gas you purchased is actually charged. Hotels may put a hold on your credit card, to make sure you have credit available to cover any incidental charges. I think, but I'm not sure, some restaurants put a hold when you charge your meal, to insure there is enough credit to cover any TIP you may charge.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

I understand the purpose and need for this practice... as long as it is disclosed to the consumer. There are a few gas stations around here that have stickers at the pump saying that if you use your debit card as a credit card, they will see that hold of up to $75 on there.

When I got my "free loaner" car through my dealership from Enterprise, the rep specifically told me that there would be no charge or hold... and then they promptly put that $300 hold on there. And then they refused to take it off for three solid weeks after the car had been returned.

The real kicker is that the dealership then snuck in the $50 charge hiddin in my invoice.

 

[Lewisc]

The OP, and others, have a problem with the practice of putting a "hold" on the customers credit card.

Your situation is completely different. You were told there wouldn't be a hold and Enterprise didn't want to release the hold after you returned the car.

I remember getting a rental as a free loaner and didn't even have to supply a credit card. Of course the dealer had my new car which was worth more then any depoist or credit hold.

Some of the dealers by me offer a coupon that offers a free loaner/rental. Of course you can only use one coupon and the same promotion usually also has a coupon that's worth at least $50 on the service.

I understand the purpose and need for this practice... as long as it is disclosed to the consumer. There are a few gas stations around here that have stickers at the pump saying that if you use your debit card as a credit card, they will see that hold of up to $75 on there.

When I got my "free loaner" car through my dealership from Enterprise, the rep specifically told me that there would be no charge or hold... and then they promptly put that $300 hold on there. And then they refused to take it off for three solid weeks after the car had been returned.

The real kicker is that the dealership then snuck in the $50 charge hiddin in my invoice.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Ok... perhaps I'm clueless here (wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last) but how would you even know if there's a hold on CC funds anyhow? I'll assume a hold involves no actual posted charges, so how can you possibly tell?

I wouldn't have any idea if there were a hold placed on funds from my CC... how does a person tell?