Car Hire in France (without a credit card)

I’m due to go on holiday to Nice on Friday and I’ve a long drive after I land, I booked my hire car all on line and only when doing my last minute checks did I notice that the ID required is Drivers Licence and Credit Card. I called to check this and the UK branch told me it was fine, I then thought I’d check with the airport and what a surprise, NON!

Apparently without a credit card I may use the car to blow things up, sell it abroad or do unspeakable things to the vehicle thus rendering it forever unusable.

I can’t pay extra for insurance, I can’t leave a huge security deposit (which I could easily do) and I can’t hire a car in France!

Its too late to get a credit card now.

An airport taxi will cost in excess of 1200Fr, The trains seem an unfathomable nightmare and no one seems able to help.

It looks like the whole trip is going to have to be cancelled as I can fathom no other way of getting to my destination.

So, in desperation, does anyone have any suggestions??

An airport taxi will cost in excess of 1200Fr

? Do you really mean Fr?

Can we help with the train bit? In my experience they are ok. The site is available in English as well
http://www.sncf.com/en_EN/flash/

ah, yes I forget, the Euro is still going isn’t it!

Its gonna be a long old trek, Nice to the other side of Nîmes 🙁

Is it definitely too late to get a card? Go into your bank, explain the situation, get it couriered to you tomorrow?
How much do they need to see on a card? Would they accept a pre-loaded card with the value they want to see? You can pick one of those up in a petrol station. Then again I suppose there’s nothing to stop you spending the lot after you’ve driven off in the car…

How did you book the car online without a CC?

Debit card no good?

nope 🙁

borrow your dads? same name they would never notice i doubt!

An airport taxi will cost in excess of 1200Fr, The trains seem an unfathomable nightmare and no one seems able to help.

It looks like the whole trip is going to have to be cancelled as I can fathom no other way of getting to my destination.

Good grief – if you can’t get a hire car use the train or bus. You will find both actually work and are straightforward

http://www.raileurope.co.uk/default.aspx?tabid=81

http://www.voyages-sncf.com/

there we are – just checked for you – plenty of direct trains nice and cheap – french trains are good .

Happened to me a few years ago in Austria, luckily the SOH had company credit card with her and they accepted that…..can you get hold of one? There was no chance they would let us take the car without a CC.

As TJ says, trains are almost every hour and some are even direct if you don’t like the changing thing. Probably a nice drive if you can get a car though

Hired a car from Sixt using a debt card in France. They just took a 1000 euro deposit…

drive from nice to nimes would be expensive as lots of tolls along that motorway .

trains would be easy . nice airport is near the town centre ( and the station ) . they have some type of Boris bikes in nice , would be a nice ride along la promenade des anglais .

What is an SOH?