What you need to rent a car in the US and Canada

The short version

Miss one of these and the counter can refuse the car, even if you've already paid. Most turned-away renters fall on the card, not the licence.

Flying in? Find your airport's rental counter, how to get there, and a backup if it's closed →

Your driving licence

• It must be the original card, not a photocopy or a photo on your phone, and valid for every day of the rental.
• Live in the US or Canada? Bring the licence issued by your state or province.
• Visiting from another country? Bring your home licence and your passport in the same name. Hertz, for example, asks every overseas visitor for both.
• If your licence isn't in English, or uses a non-Latin alphabet such as Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic or Hindi, bring an International Driving Permit. Get it in your home country before you travel. It usually costs around $15 to $25 and lasts a year.
• An International Driving Permit is only a translation. No counter will rent you a car on the permit alone; it must sit next to your real licence.
• Some companies want you to have held your licence for at least a year.

Credit or debit card

A credit card in the main driver's name is the simple route. A debit card can work, but it comes with conditions, and those conditions cause more problems at the counter than anything else.

What almost every company asks when you use debit

• A Visa or Mastercard logo on the card, often Discover too.
• At an airport, a ticketed return flight or travel booking in your name that matches your rental dates.
• A second form of ID, such as a passport or another card in your name.
• A credit check at the counter, and often a minimum age of 25.
• A bigger hold on your money than a credit card would get.
• Standard cars only. Premium, luxury and specialty vehicles need a credit card.
• Usually no one-way trips from an airport, because the rule depends on proof you're flying out from where you picked up.

Cards that won't work at pickup

• Prepaid, gift and reloadable cards. At most they can pay the final bill when you return the car.
• A card in someone else's name, even your husband's, wife's or parent's. This is the single most common reason a booking falls apart at the counter.

How the main companies handle debit cards

• Enterprise, National and Alamo

  • Accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover debit cards at most US locations.
  • At airports you'll need a ticketed return flight or travel booking that matches your rental dates.
  • Neighbourhood branches set their own debit rules, and some are stricter than the airport.
  • Some restrictions apply on prepaid bookings and extra drivers when you pay by debit.

• Hertz

  • Accepts debit cards, usually with a credit check at the counter.
  • At airports, bring a second ID in the same name: a passport, or another card.
  • The hold on a debit card can be up to about $500 on top of the rental, against about $200 on a credit card.
  • Debit is limited to standard car classes. No premium or luxury cars.

• Dollar and Thrifty

  • Owned by Hertz and follow similar rules.
  • Book at least 24 hours ahead if you plan to use debit.
  • At airports, bring proof of return travel and two forms of ID.
  • Smaller car classes only.

• Avis and Budget

  • Accept Visa and Mastercard debit at participating locations, usually for renters 25 and over.
  • Most US locations run a credit check, and airports ask for a return travel ticket.
  • Expect a hold of the rental estimate plus around $200, more at some airports.
  • If you prepaid online, bring the same card you paid with to the counter.

Rules differ between branches of the same company, and many branches are independently run franchises with their own policies. Always check the branch you're collecting from.

The deposit hold

• When you pick up, the company blocks an amount on your card: the estimated rental cost plus a security amount. It isn't a charge, but you can't spend that money while it's held.
• On a credit card at a US airport, expect roughly the rental plus $200 to $500. On debit it's often more, and it can be larger again in Canada, at tourist hot spots, or if you decline the company's damage waiver.
• When you return the car, the company releases the hold. Your bank decides how fast the money reappears: often 3 to 10 working days on a credit card, and sometimes longer on debit.
• Leave room on the card for the hold and your trip spending. A card that can't take the hold means no car.

Age and young driver fees

• The usual minimum age is 21. Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty start at 20 in most of the US.
• Drivers aged 21 to 24 pay a young driver fee every day, commonly around $20 to $40. Enterprise puts its average at about $25 a day. Some locations charge far more: Avis at New York's JFK airport, for example, lists $35 a day for 21 to 24 and $84 a day for 18 to 20.
• New York and Michigan law lets you rent from 18, with a higher fee for the youngest drivers.
• Your age on the day you pick up counts for the whole rental. Turn 25 halfway through and you still pay the fee every day.
• Under 25 usually means smaller cars only, and debit cards are often refused.
• Some memberships waive the fee, such as AAA with Hertz, or USAA. Worth checking before you book.

Extra drivers

• Anyone else who drives must come to the counter with their own licence and be added to the rental agreement.
• Expect around $13 to $15 a day per extra driver.
• A spouse or domestic partner is often added free, by law in California and several other states, and with some loyalty programmes.
• If someone not on the agreement drives and there's an accident, your waiver and protection can be void. This is the most common way people who "bought full cover" end up paying.

Insurance and protection

This is where counters make most of their money, and where people pay twice for cover they already have. Check what you hold before you travel, not at the desk.

• Collision or loss damage waiver (CDW / LDW)

  About $20 to $40 a day at the counter

  Not insurance. The company agrees not to charge you if its car is damaged or stolen, with exclusions such as an unlisted driver or driving under the influence.

  You may already have it: Some credit cards cover this if you pay the whole rental on that card and decline the counter waiver. Your own auto policy may too.

• Supplemental liability (SLI / LIS)

  About $12 to $20 a day at the counter

  Tops up cover for damage or injury you cause to other people, usually to around $1 million.

  You may already have it: US drivers' own auto liability usually extends to a rental. Visitors from abroad often have none and should take this seriously.

• Personal accident and effects (PAI / PEC)

  About $5 to $10 a day at the counter

  Medical cover for you and your passengers, and cover for belongings in the car.

  You may already have it: Health insurance, travel insurance, or a home or renters policy often covers the same ground.

• Roadside assistance plus

  About $5 to $10 a day at the counter

  Lockouts, lost keys, flat tyres, running out of fuel.

  You may already have it: A motoring club membership or some credit cards include this.

Questions to ask before you go

• Ask your card company: "Does my card cover rental car damage in the US or Canada? Is it primary or secondary? Do I have to decline the counter waiver?"
• Ask your auto insurer: "Does my policy cover a rental car, and does it pay the rental company's admin fees, towing and loss of use?" Many personal policies don't.
• Booked "full coverage" on a travel site? That's usually insurance that pays you back later, not the rental company's own waiver. The counter may still offer its waiver or take a bigger deposit, and you'd pay any damage first and claim it back.
• Renting in Canada: basic liability cover is generally included in the price up to the provincial minimum, so extra liability is a top-up.

We never tell anyone they're covered. Only your insurer or card company can confirm that. We tell you what to ask, and who to ask.

Fuel, tolls and extras

• Fuel: returning the car full is cheapest. Keep the receipt from a station near the return location. Prepaid fuel only pays off if you bring the car back nearly empty, and letting the company refuel it can cost two to three times the pump price.
• Tolls: rental cars are signed up to toll programmes that add a daily fee on top of the toll, often around $6 to $7 for each day you use a toll road. A two-dollar toll can become a $20 to $30 charge weeks later. Your own transponder, pay-by-plate, or "avoid tolls" in your maps app can save this.
• Child seats: around $13 to $15 a day, often capped per rental.
• Upgrades: if the class you booked isn't available, you're usually owed a free upgrade, not a paid one.

Crossing the border and one-way trips

• Most major companies allow cars to cross between the US and Canada if you tell them when you book or pick up. Some cars, such as luxury models and vans, are barred.
• Taking a US car into Canada? Carry your rental agreement and ask the counter for a Canadian Non-Resident Inter-Province Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Card.
• Crossing without permission can void your waiver.
• One-way rentals are priced route by route. Some are cheap, others cost hundreds of dollars extra. One-way trips across the border are often not offered at all, or carry fees of several hundred to over a thousand dollars.

Renting in Canada

• A major credit card in the renter's name is required almost everywhere. Debit cards are rarely accepted at pickup, especially at airports.
• The minimum age is usually 21. Hertz rents from 20 across Canada and from 18 in Quebec. Young driver fees typically run about CA$15 to CA$40 a day.
• Winter tyres are required in Quebec in winter, and on some British Columbia highways. Ask whether your car has them.
• Contracts in Quebec may be in French. Taxes differ from province to province.

Questions people ask

Can I rent a car with a debit card?

Often, at some companies and branches, but with extra checks and a bigger hold. A credit card in the renter's name is the easiest way.

How old do I have to be to rent a car?

Usually 25 to rent without extra fees. Many companies rent from 20 or 21 with a young driver fee.

Do I need an international driving permit?

If your licence isn't in English, you'll usually need an international driving permit with it. Carry your home licence too.

This information is gathered from the rental companies and reflects the most accurate guidance available. They set these rules and can change them, so we can't guarantee every detail. Always confirm before you travel, or ask us and we'll check for you. OneCall Rental is an independent service and is not affiliated with any rental company named on this page. Company names are used only to describe their published policies.