# For those who have rented cars in Mexico



## ktmarie (May 11, 2014)

We need to visit a collection of regional sites in Puebla and would like to rent a car to do it (the public transportation to some of these small towns is sporadic). 

We saw that one of the requirements for renting a car in Mexico is a major credit card. While we do have one, it has a $750 limit. 

The cost of the rental car should not come close to the limit (approx. $300-$350).

My question is, does anyone know what sort of pre-authorized limit the rental car companies will need to authorize on our credit card? Is it simply the amount of the rental, or is it something much higher in case we don't return the car or leave it in a ditch or something? 

The actual rental place is pretty far away (with a poor website) so I wanted to see if anyone had recently rented and knew the answer before we asked the company. I also didn't really want to "out" our credit limit to the company if it's not relevant.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

ktmarie said:


> We need to visit a collection of regional sites in Puebla and would like to rent a car to do it (the public transportation to some of these small towns is sporadic).
> 
> We saw that one of the requirements for renting a car in Mexico is a major credit card. While we do have one, it has a $750 limit.
> 
> ...


I rented a van a few months ago. My recollection is that the pre-authorization was equal to the expected rental bill.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

according to reports on some other boards the rental companies are holding 2 to 3 thousand $ ...

ktmarie, figure on paying $35 to $40 USD a day for the car with full insurance, right at this moment there is a retired ex-us marine that has been sitting in an Ensenada Jail for 3 months for not having insurance after an accident....... suerte


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## ktmarie (May 11, 2014)

Yes, it's very similar to the cost of renting a car in the U.S. We'll definitely be getting the insurance...don't want to risk anything. I've got years of Boston driving under my belt, but I've seen how people drive around here. Unpredictable for sure. 

2-3K would put us over. Maybe we'll just have to go into Puebla and talk with a rental company after all.

The other option would be to hire a driver, but we aren't sure how to go about finding someone.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

ktmarie said:


> ...We saw that one of the requirements for renting a car in Mexico is a major credit card....


I know from experience in Mexico that a VISA or MASTERCARD debit card issued by a U.S. or Mexican bank will suffice.

Do not skimp on insurance even though it is very expensive in Mexico , especially legal representation but collision and liability as well. 

Driving in Mexico without legal representation coverage is akin to a desire to spend an indefinite period of time incommunicado in a Mexican hoosegow with some other folks of unpleasant natures.


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## ktmarie (May 11, 2014)

Hound Dog said:


> I know from experience in Mexico that a VISA or MASTERCARD debit card issued by a U.S. or Mexican bank will suffice.


Really?! You used a card that was only a debit card to rent? I tried doing the same in the states (they too asked for a major credit card) and they figured it right out and said no.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

I don't think debit cards are acceptable in Mexico, nor do I think you have sufficient line of credit available on your credit card to rent in Mexico. However, when you're on the ground visit several rental offices and see what they'll accept. Insurance from rental car companies in Mexico can be expensive but you have to take it ... to protect yourselves. The laws in Mexico are different than in the USA and Canada and if you get into an accident or damage property somehow you can find yourself sitting in a jail cell for a while without the proper insurance coverage.


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## ktmarie (May 11, 2014)

Yeah, I'm thinking debit cards won't work either. 

Again, we have NO plans to skimp on insurance. If we rent a car, we're getting the insurance. 

It's just a matter of what sort of amount they need to pre-authorize on the card.


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## CoreyJ (Sep 18, 2014)

I just got back yesterday from staying in Tulum. 

We rented a car in cancun from American Car Rentals and was very pleased. It cost me $160 for 5 days with ALL Insurances and they upgraded me to a large sedan. 

We paid with our Chase debit card linked to our checking account. They put a $600 "charge/hold" on my card and released it when we returned the car. It was credited back to my checking account before I even made it off my first connecting flight. 

Will most definitely use them again. Fast, friendly and great value. 


So the answer is, yes, you can positively use a debit card and the hold is very reasonable


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

As I posted earlier and Corey confirmed based on his/her experience, you can indeed use a debit card to rent a car in Mexico as I have done in the past. Smoe rental car companies may refuse your debit card in which case you go to one of their competitors. We rent cars primarily in Mexico and France using our Schwab, Bancomer or Banamex debit cards and son our new Banco Walmart debit card as well if we wish and our Peso or Euro limit is up to us based on our then available collected balances. As with Corey, they place a hold on funds in reserve which is entirely reasonable based on your contractual obligations proposed at the time of rental. We can´t speak of the current situation in the U.S. as should we need to visit there we have in the past used our own Mexican plated car with our Mexican driver's licenses to drive up there from either Jalisco or Chiapas. I must admit that we avoid trips to the states if possible so someone else may wish to address that issue. The current situation regarding renting a car with a debit card in Guatemala or oher Central American countries is unknown to me but I would certainly seek the rental option in Central America as Mexican plates down there might prove provocative to opportunistic highwaymen or crooked cops.

We own no credit cards at all and heve lived in Mexico for over 13 years using debit cards and interbank security deposits for all personal tourist or business related activities on numerous occasions without a hitch. We used to carry the full range of credit cards but got rid of them several years ago rather than pay for unneeded services.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

I haven´t had a credit card since 2005 and debit cards are accepted anywhere I go without question. Mexico ,USA and Canada.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Thinking further on this, I think what some auto rental companies do is put a hold on a person's bank account for the estimated amount of the charges ... when a debit card is used. Some people with debit cards and no credit cards have low bank balances and need to withdraw trip expenses from their bank account via a debit card and having a hold on thier account for hundreds of dollars disrupts their plans. The matter is further complicated if a person renting a vehicle doesn't take the insurance coverage the rental company believes is sufficient to protect it and its asset (the car) and the company wants to place a several thousand dollar hold on an account. The best answer to the question will come from the rental company itself and maybe a telephone call to the company will get that answer.


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## ktmarie (May 11, 2014)

Thank you all for the very helpful replies, especially firsthand accounts. We too have used debit cards almost exclusively for years and the only issue I ever encountered was renting a car in California. We have to go back to immigration today in Puebla and I think there's a rental place next door, so we will try to stop and ask.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Hound Dog said:


> We used to carry the full range of credit cards but got rid of them several years ago rather than pay for unneeded services.


In the United States, it's commonplace to have a credit card for which there are no monthly charges ... just for being a card-holder. The only charges are for purchases which are made with the card. I have several credit cards and pay no such fees (simply for being a card-holder). If someone wants a card which offers miles, cash rewards, etc., there's typically a monthly charge for the card ... because we really get nothing for nothing (only some people think they do).

As for the services one gets as a card-holder: I gave-up my auto years ago and rent a car when I need one. Therefore, my credit card issuer's no-charge collision damage waiver/insurance comes in handy. When I make purchases of items such as televisions, cameras, etc., the original manufacturer's warranty is extended by a year by the credit card issuer, at no additional cost. I also enjoy certain lost-luggage protections/insurance at no additional costs. There are a handful of other useful services I receive at no charge. 

Paying with a credit card also affords me protections or lessened concerns I don't have when I use my debit card. If someone hacks my debit card account or otherwise obtains my number and password and withdraws monies from my bank accounts it can be a real hassle and time consuming to get the money returned to the account .. if/when the bank does that. Using my credit cards there is a delayed payment request (not instant as with a debit card withdrawal) and if the credit card company doesn't notify me of a suspicious charge I will see it on my statement before I pay the bill and I have the opportunity to protest/not pay the fraudulent charge. Another "and": when I purchase things using my debit card and am unhappy with either the product or the quality of the product it can be difficult to return the item and obtain a cash refund.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Longford said:


> Thinking further on this, I think what some auto rental companies do is put a hold on a person's bank account for the estimated amount of the charges ... when a debit card is used. Some people with debit cards and no credit cards have low bank balances and need to withdraw trip expenses from their bank account via a debit card and having a hold on thier account for hundreds of dollars disrupts their plans. The matter is further complicated if a person renting a vehicle doesn't take the insurance coverage the rental company believes is sufficient to protect it and its asset (the car) and the company wants to place a several thousand dollar hold on an account. The best answer to the question will come from the rental company itself and maybe a telephone call to the company will get that answer.


Some international rental companies allow you to use a waiver for insurance as some credit card companies have rental car insurance included with the card, usually a high credit limit Platium card, I have heard from a couple of my friends at times.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

AlanMexicali said:


> Some international rental companies allow you to use a waiver for insurance as some credit card companies have rental car insurance included with the card, usually a high credit limit Platium card, I have heard from a couple of my friends at times.


I have used my credit cards to rent cars in Mexico, and I have taken advantage of the collision damage waiver coverage provided by the card issuer. However, I believe that provision only applies if the person renting the vehicle doesn't own an insured vehicle at "home". The same is true in the USA, I recall. If I owned a car that was insured my personal insurance would be primary for the rental and the credit card company collision damage waiver becomes secondary. However, I have read comments on Mexico travel forums that some of the rental agents, many of whom receive a commission on counter-sales of add-on insurances, tell people the coverage provided by their card issuer is invalid in Mexico and they need not only take the liability coverage (which is not typically provided by credit card issuers) but collision damage coverage as well. Because many tourists are unfamiliar with the benefits of their card issuers and they lack the ability to communicate in Spanish ... they buy whatever coverage is offered by the rental company. I do think it's prudent to make certain we have both collision and liability coverage when driving/renting in Mexico because of the consequences if we don't. Sometimes that means buying more than we really need. It's as if we're planning for the worst case scenario.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

_


Longford said:



In the United States, it's commonplace to have a credit card for which there are no monthly charges ... just for being a card-holder. The only charges are for purchases which are made with the card. I have several credit cards and pay no such fees (simply for being a card-holder). If someone wants a card which offers miles, cash rewards, etc., there's typically a monthly charge for the card ... because we really get nothing for nothing (only some people think they do)...

...Paying with a credit card also affords me protections or lessened concerns I don't have when I use my debit card. If someone hacks my debit card account or otherwise obtains my number and password and withdraws monies from my bank accounts it can be a real hassle and time consuming to get the money returned to the account .. if/when the bank does that....

Click to expand...

_


Longford said:


> For the record since Longford was responding to a post I made earlier:
> 
> * For many years both my wife and I travelled extensively and often internationally as a requirement (and benefit) of our respective employment obligations. We carried several premium credit cards for our conevenience while traveling all of which charged *annual *fees for cardmember privileges but I have never heard of a credit card that charges monthly fees unless one does not pay off the entire balance due each monthly billing cycle so I am unfamliar with what Longford refers to as "monthly charges". All of our credit cards were paid off in full every month automatically so we never incurred any monthly interest fees at all - ever. We still paid annual fees for certain cards such as American Express membership fees as well as other annual fees for certain other credit cards. That is the cost of the use of credit cards to which I was referring - not any monthly fees incurred because we carried balances over into the following billing cycle. As credit card interest charges are exhorbitant for principall balances carried over into the next billing cycle, we would never carry over any balances at all.
> 
> ...


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

Hound Dog said:


> _[ I don´t take risks with car insurance coverage in Mexico as I do not wish to make new friends in the close quarters of a Mexican hoosegow while cooling my heals indefinitely._


_

Well said, Dawg. Been there, done that. _


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## ktmarie (May 11, 2014)

Just thought I'd follow up here with what we did for the trip, in case anyone searches in the future for a similar thread. 

We used Airbnb to find a home base for four nights in Tlayacapan (www.airbnb.com). It helps you connect with locals who have spare bedrooms or apartments to rent out, and we've had good experiences with it in a variety of places, largely because it also helps you tap into a source of local knowledge when you're in unfamiliar territory. 

Our Airbnb host was willing to connect us with a local driver for hire. When that fell through, she actually offered to be our (paid) driver for two days of travel. We paid her 500 pesos per day (7-9 hours of her time) which was much cheaper than renting a car for the duration of the trip PLUS we didn't have to worry about navigation, maps, etc. We took buses to/from Tlayacapan/Puebla.

We did have to inquire with several Airbnb hosts ahead of time before finding someone willing to help us make driving arrangements. But it was a very positive experience.


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