I have had less than perfect credit for some time now. It has actually gotten a lot better lately since everything has fallen off my record. My only problem now is that I have "no" credit instead of "bad" credit. So I can't seem to qualify for any unsecured cards despite a mediocre 650 credit score. So this brings me to my question, I am going on vacation in about 6 months and will need a rental car. Will the secured card that I have just recently aquired (Orchard Bank) work for renting the car?
Yes, that's what I use. Should go smoothly, if they question whether it is a secured card, just say no, its a regular credit card. Although I don't think they will. I've used my Orchard card for car rentals numerous times and this was the main reason I got one.
If you ever need any assistance in rebuilding or reestablishing your credit I am here to help free of charge. Good Luck, Jim Baldwin CEO Captiva Financial (800) 446-0087 jim@captivafinancial.com www.captivafinancial.com
Actually there is some type of code during verification of the card which tells the car rental agency whether it is secured or not. I had this problem with Hertz. I reserved the car online with no problem using the secured card (which had plenty of cash on it) but when swiping the card I was turned down. The agent told me the system can cross check to make sure it is a true credit card and not a secured card thereby avoiding the chance of someone going over their prepaid limit. If that happens you have to call the rental agency in advance to see if they accept the card. I went to Budget who accepted the card with no problem AND they had a cheaper rate. They do not seem to care as long as the card has a MC or Visa logo.
I used my secured card with Alamo numerous times with no problem. I noticed that regular credit card always start with the number 4 and the secured cards or debit cards start with a 5 for some reason. I thought maybe it was standard way of them distinqishing between the two. Has anyone noticed that too? honeycomb
Don't know. My new Orchard card starts with a 5 but I also have a debit card with Bank One for my checking account (visa logo) that starts with a 4. Hopefully I can get an unsecured card before I go on vacation, its not until next July or August anyway. Would hate to just get all the way to Hawaii and not be able to get a car.
FYI the 4 or 5 prefix has nothing to do with it being secured or not. It only indicates whether you have a Visa or MasterCard. All Visa cards begin with a 4 prefix as designated by the FRB and MasterCards start with a 5 prefix. This applies whether they are secured or unsecured.
