Budget USA - max out your credit card

[yo yo ma]

A warning to anyone using Budget car rental in the USA... they max out your credit card as a deposit but don't tell you. I found this out as my HSBC Visa was declined whenever I had a rental with them and I had to use Amex. Budget were otherwise ok and I don't have a problem with them locking my card; they should have notified me first!

Thrifty did not do this.

 

[AdMEL]

Would you care to elaborate? Where did you rent from? What amount are you talking about?

Budget (or any other merchant) cannot just 'max out' your credit card, they can only either pre-authorise or charge a defined amount, usually the rental amount plus a bond amount, or a specified amount. I suspect in this case, they authorised a couple of thousand on your card, maxing it out. I'm not sure why they would do that without telling you or it being in their terms though.

EDIT: I just checked the Budget US website and it states that the authorisation is the rental amount plus $200. I have heard of franchised locations making up their own rules though.

 

[serfty]

...
EDIT: I just checked the Budget US website and it states that the authorisation is the rental amount plus $200. I have heard of franchised locations making up their own rules though.

It varies with site/franchise.

Over ten years ago I had Hertz at AKL airport pre-authorize the rental cost as well as the then $1500 excess.:shock:

 

[yo yo ma]

Would you care to elaborate? Where did you rent from? What amount are you talking about?

Budget (or any other merchant) cannot just 'max out' your credit card, they can only either pre-authorise or charge a defined amount, usually the rental amount plus a bond amount, or a specified amount. I suspect in this case, they authorised a couple of thousand on your card, maxing it out. I'm not sure why they would do that without telling you or it being in their terms though.

EDIT: I just checked the Budget US website and it states that the authorisation is the rental amount plus $200. I have heard of franchised locations making up their own rules though.

I used Budget for two rentals from Orlando Airport and Port Canaveral. Everywhere I went, the HSBC was declined whilst renting the vehicle (even Budget themselves declined a $18 fuel charge at the end of the rental). I assumed it was the card until a lady at Kennedy Space Centre told me that rental car companies do this in Florida. As soon as the rental finished, the card would work again. Limit was $8K on the card and there would have been ~$4K spent on the card.

You are correct about the term "max out" though. I should have read the fine print - will check the rental agreement again in a few weeks (currently don't have access). Only wanted to use the HSBC to get 2 points/$ rather than zero for the AMEX. Lesson learnt there! On the postive side Budget did give QFF points.

 

[serfty]

This is where charge cards really do come in handy.

 

[UP4014]

It varies with site/franchise.

Over ten years ago I had Hertz at AKL airport pre-authorize the rental cost as well as the then $1500 excess.:shock:

whoa, did your reputation proceed you. :mrgreen: