We have recently had an issue with a customer that booked a car to collect from Heathrow Airport, the customer did not have a credit card so we booked her a vehicle with a supplier that we know accepts debit cards.
There are certain restictions when using debit cards which can be found here and her card passed, the booking was accepted and the customer was looking forward to arriving and collecting her car.
The problem arose when the customer arrived to collect her vehicle, the debit card provided by her bank did not have her name on it. Luckily the supplier allowed the customer to leave a cash deposit to secure the vehicle, which is a very rare thing to happen but as an Indigo customer they trusted her.
This is the first time we have come across Debit Cards Without A Name so needed to look into it further. Apparently some banks in North Amercia, Canada and Malaysia do provide debit cards that do not have the account holders name on it.
These cards can still be accepted by some suppliers but they will need proof that the card belongs to the person intending to hire the vehicle.
There is only really one way to prove that the card belongs to the hirer and that is to provide a letter of authenticity or a bank statement showing the same account details along with the holders name and address. These details must match the information on the driving licence and passport.
We have now changed our qualifying criteria to include asking our customers if their name is physically on the card, rather than asking if it is in their name as we did before.
When it comes to hiring a car with any type of debit card, the first thing you should do is contact us before getting a quote or booking a vehicle. We can qualify your card and get you booked in with a supplier that matches your needs. You can call us on +44 (0)113 880 0748, chat with us online or email us on sales@thealternativeagency.co.uk.
