The 10 Best Places To Rent A Car With Cash Only Near Me

CarsPlan AdminSep 29, 2020Last Updated: Nov 28, 2023

93 12 minutes read

How To Rent A Car With Cash Only: What To Know?
Why The Challenge To Rent A Car With Cash Only?
What’s The Standard Payment When Renting A Car?
Who Can Rent A Car With Cash Only?
How To Rent A Car With Cash Only If You Are Below 25 Years?
Top 10 Best Places To Rent A Car With Cash Only
Conclusion
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

You probably swore not to use credit cards for an array of personal reasons. However, you’ll face difficulties trying to find rent a car with no credit card. Even so, it’s a myth to assume that you cannot rent a car with cash only because currently, we have some rental car places that take cash. Actually, there two ways to charter car rentals that accept cash. But as with getting a car rental with a debit card, paying your car hire with cash involve jumping through several hurdles.

We’ll talk about the two ways to pay with cash later in the post. For you to qualify for a rental car if you are paying with cash, it’s essential to prepare some essential documentation. Your driver’s license is a mandatory requirement along with an auto insurance policy and a clean driving record if you want to rent a car with cash only. Other factors like proof of residency, paystubs, and age requirements often vary by state and the rental agency.

How To Rent A Car With Cash Only: What To Know?

The first method is to book using a debit or credit card and pay the outstanding amount in cash when taking the car back. The majority of rental vehicle operators will allow this mode of payment, although it’s best to call in advance to the pickup outlet to notify them of your plan. But remember you are looking for where to rent a car with cash only and the first option doesn’t cut it.

So, let’s look at the second method, which involves paying a security cash deposit upfront as you book or pick up your vehicle and making a cash payment for the final bill upon returning it. With this option, it means you can rent a car with cash only whether you want a long term car rental or simply hiring for a few days. Regardless, many of the big car hire firms will put tons of requirements to meet before letting you drive off the lot with a cash deposit.

Apart from a few major operators like Enterprise, Hertz, and several others, you are better off checking online with local cash car rentals near me services. These smaller, independent rental car firms impose fewer restrictions to rent a car with cash only while offering the best car rental rates. Other providers, including Fox, Avis, Sixt, EZ, Alamo, and many more will not let you pay a cash deposit when reserving or picking up your rental car. Interestingly, they’ll nearly always let you pay the final bill with cash after dropping off the car and it’s been checked for damages. You should call ahead and ask if the company allows for final payments in cash since most of the policies are usually at the individual location’s discretion.

Why The Challenge To Rent A Car With Cash Only?

Getting armed with cash may seem like a fool-proof way to pay for your rental car. However, many rental services require proof that they can trust you with their property before allowing you to drive off in one of their motor vehicles. In that regard, having a credit card is the easiest way to demonstrate that you are a low risk to credit.

“But what about a cash deposit. Isn’t that enough security?” You are probably asking. Have you considered what may happen if you totaled the car or it was stolen during your trip? The cash you deposited to rent a car with cash only may not compensate for the total value of the vehicle. Even if you were covered under your homeowners’ insurance, it may not necessarily offer comprehensive protection against such losses. And if it did, they can still deny honoring the loss if you were driving under influence at the time of the accident or you lost the car out of negligence.

Why should the car rental agency trust you not to disappear into thin air or to return their car in the same condition you found it? This is particularly when your cash deposit isn’t nearly half the vehicle’s worth. You’ll also encounter the same bias when planning to pay for a car rental with a debit card. Unlike credit cards, debit cards draw funds directly from your account. But if the account doesn’t have sufficient funds to pay for incidentals incurred during the trip, it denies the company instant compensation.

What’s The Standard Payment When Renting A Car?

Even though there’s more than one way to make payments when reserving or picking up a rental car, showing up with a credit card makes the whole process easier for you. It is the most universally accepted standard of payment in the rental car world. From a business viewpoint, anyone would understand why charter companies insist on credit cards.

When reserving your car, the rental agency will prefer to attach your credit card to the booking if you are later levied for unplanned expenses during your rental period. While it’s common practice for car hire firms to charge a deposit, a great of them would rather place a hold of the deposit amount on your credit card. If the front money is $400, it means you cannot spend that money if it’s the available balance on your credit card.

A credit card guarantees the auto chartering service that you’ll compensate for any damages caused to their car in case of an accident, or even when it’s stolen while in your custody. The rental operator will simply bill your card issuer for the whole vehicle’s worth or what’s left after compensation from the auto insurer. And in return, the credit card company will transfer the charge to your account, increasing your loan liability.

The challenge with trying to rent a car with cash only or paying for a car rental with a debit card is that in either case, the rental company doesn’t get the same level of guarantee that credit cards provide. Nevertheless, some agencies are now offering more flexible cash policies, allowing you to use cash for payments throughout your rental process.

Who Can Rent A Car With Cash Only?

Nearly anyone can rent a car with cash only provided they satisfy the minimum requirements of the car rentals that accept cash payments. As with any provision, there are always exceptions with car rentals’ payment policies. Young driver profiles, more so those under the age of 25 are likely to meet obstacles when touring the United States.

Renting a vehicle is particularly challenging because most rental car places that take cash set a minimum age limit of 25. Keep in mind that policies vary by state and rental company locations. That’s why it’s essential to call your branch of choice ahead of a trip to find out their minimum age requirements.

So, maybe you are a cautious and conscious driver, but if you are below 25 years, you need to start some prior planning and be ready to jump over a few more blockades than older drivers when trying to hire a vehicle. The hurdles can get more challenging to overcome if you want to rent a car with cash only in the below-twenty-five age bracket. Car renters in this category are frequently charged because, according to statistics, drivers below the age of 25 are involved in more accidents compared to all other driver profiles.

How To Rent A Car With Cash Only If You Are Below 25 Years?

You are probably wondering, “Can I rent a car with cash only if I am younger than age twenty-five?” While you can hire a vehicle if you are below 25 years, the conditions will vary based on several factors. First, you need to understand that 18 years is the legal age in most states. It means younger travelers as being able to sign an agreement. This would put the auto rental service at peril if the minor chose not to pay.

Moreover, the company could be held responsible if the underage customer was injured or if they injured a third party in an accident. As a result, no vehicle charter operator in the U.S. will charter to a driver below 18 years. If you are eighteen or older, you will require a valid driver’s license just like any other motorist.

An insurance policy is another essential requirement for renting a car across all age brackets. But it is especially useful to qualify younger-than-twenty-five drivers to rent a car with cash only due to higher risks associated with their age profile. You can choose to purchase from one of these cheap insurance companies for college students if you don’t want to buy it through the rental agency.

From that point, the regulations will vary according to your state, city, or service provider. Some operators can hire renters as young as eighteen. Save for Michigan and New York state laws that require the car hire companies to rent to qualified drivers aged 18 and above, the rest of the states allow leave the discretion of setting the minimum age requirement to individual rental vehicle agencies. With that in mind, the majority of companies require motorists to be between 19 and 21 years old to qualify for a car rental.

Top 10 Best Places To Rent A Car With Cash Only

Just as we told you, some car hire companies will let you rent a car with cash only although there are some requirements to meet.

Enterprise
Ability Auto Rental
Dollar
Rent a Wreck
Rent a Car with Cash
Thrifty
U Save Car and Truck Rental
Community Rental Car
Value Car Rental
Hertz

1. Enterprise

Although Enterprise is one of the rental car places that take cash, you may not be accepted to make a cash deposit in all their branches. The company specifies on its money order and cash policy page that only some of its locations will accept cash or money order transactions.