Quanta Cars · 5 min read
The short answer: in most classes, yes. The longer answer depends on which car you want and whether you buy a protection package. Below is a list of cars available with a debit card, those where a credit card is mandatory, and a calculation of what the debit card option costs.
Why rental companies want a credit card at all
The card is not used to pay for the rental. You can pay for the rental by bank transfer, BLIK, Google Pay, Apple Pay or any card. The card is needed to block the deposit, which ranges from 4,000 PLN to 10,000 PLN depending on the class.
A credit card has a limit that is independent of your account balance, so the block does not cut you off from your own money. With a debit card the block freezes money in your account, and 5,000 PLN blocked for a week is a real problem for many people. That is why, with a debit card, we require a package that lowers the deposit to an amount an ordinary current account can easily handle.
When a debit card is enough
With a debit card you can rent most of the fleet on one condition: you buy the Komfort Plus package. This applies to city cars such as the Škoda Fabia and Toyota Aygo X, crossovers such as the SEAT Arona, Toyota Yaris Cross and Volkswagen T-Cross, estates such as the Hyundai i30 Estate and Toyota Corolla Estate, SUVs such as the Dacia Duster, Opel Grandland and Nissan Qashqai, as well as the BMW 218i compact, 3.5-tonne vans and 9-seat minibuses.
The package lowers the deposit to 400 PLN for a city car and to 500 PLN for crossovers, estates and SUVs. It also covers glass, tyres and wheel rims and releases you from having to return the car washed on the outside, so you are not paying solely for the option of using a debit card.
What the debit card option costs
Example one: a SEAT Arona with a manual gearbox for three days. The rental costs 125 PLN per day, so 375 PLN. The Komfort Plus package in this class is 99 PLN per day, so 297 PLN. That makes 672 PLN in total, and you block 500 PLN in your account instead of 5,000 PLN.
Example two: a Škoda Fabia for a week. The rental is 95 PLN per day, so 665 PLN, and the package 89 PLN per day, so 623 PLN. That makes 1,288 PLN in total and a block of 400 PLN instead of 4,000 PLN.
On top of that there may be services you choose when booking, for example delivery to an address or an additional driver. You see their cost in the summary before you confirm the booking.
When a credit card is mandatory
For premium cars and large SUVs a credit card is required without exception, even with a protection package. This applies to, among others, the Audi A4, Volvo XC40, Mercedes CLA, Cupra Formentor, Audi Q3, Mercedes GLA, Mercedes GLB, Škoda Kodiaq, Mercedes GLC, Volvo XC60 and large premium SUVs such as the Volvo XC90, Lexus RX and BMW X5. The deposit here ranges from 6,000 PLN to 10,000 PLN.
The card must be issued in the renter's name and be valid for at least three months after the planned end of the rental. The same condition applies to an extension: if the card expires earlier, we may refuse to extend the rental.
If you only have a debit card but need a bigger car
Start by asking what you really need. If it is room for five people and a large boot, the Opel Grandland, Nissan Qashqai or Toyota Corolla Estate offer that with a debit card and the Komfort Plus package. A credit card is only needed for premium cars and large SUVs, not for size alone.
If you need a car because yours is in the garage after a collision caused by another driver, look at a replacement car paid for by the at-fault driver's third-party liability (OC) insurer. In that case we do not block a deposit, because we settle the rental with the at-fault driver's insurer.
Which cards we do not accept
We do not accept prepaid cards or Revolut, Maestro, ZEN and Girocard cards. The reason is technical: on these cards pre-authorisation either does not work or does not guarantee settlement. We accept Mastercard, VISA and American Express.
Not having the right card is the most common reason a car is not handed over despite a paid booking. Before you arrive, check four things in your banking app: whether the card is debit or credit, whether its expiry date is at least three months after the end of the rental, whether you have enough free funds for the deposit, and whether your card payment limits are set lower than the block amount. Also bring an identity document, because we compare the details on the card with the renter's details.
More detail: Rental terms
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