4 Places to Rent a Car With Cash Only

You can rent a car with cash only from select companies like Dollar Car Rental and Hertz.

You must meet certain requirements set by each rental company to use this service, and not all locations will accept cash only.

Some other companies require a credit or debit card to book a rental but accept cash at the time of return.

Below, we have the list of rental companies that accept cash only, including their requirements and policy details.

We also list companies that only take cash at the time of return and those that don’t take cash.

The List

The following rental companies offer cash-only rentals at select locations.

Note that cash-only rentals require a deposit upfront, in addition to the total cost of the rental. The deposit amount varies by company and location.^[1][2]

We gathered this information by viewing each company’s payment policy documentation and confirming the details with customer service representatives.

Dollar Car Rental

• Deposit amount: Varies by location and transaction details; may be up to about $500^[3]
  
• Other requirements:
  • Available at select locations
  • Must have a Cash Deposit Identification Card; fill out and submit the application form. There’s a $15 nonrefundable fee (payable by check or money order). Approval can take up to 30 days and requires a credit check.
  • Applicants must be at least 20 in most states, or 18 in Michigan and New York.^[4][2]
• Find a rental

Hertz

• Deposit amount: Varies by location and rental details; may be up to about $500^[5]
  
• Other requirements:
  • Available at select locations
  • Must have a Cash Deposit Identification Card. To apply, fill out the application form and pay a $15 nonrefundable fee by check or money order. Note that processing takes up to 30 days and requires a credit check.
  • Applicants must be at least 20; Michigan and New York residents must be at least 18.^[6][7]
• Find a rental

Thrifty Car Rental

• Deposit amount: Varies by location; may be up to about $500^[8]
  
• Other requirements:
  • Available at select locations
  • Must have a Cash Deposit Identification Card; you can fill out the application form and pay a $15 nonrefundable fee (payable by check or money order) to apply. The application process requires a credit check and can take up to 30 days.
  • Must be at least 20 years old (18 if a resident of Michigan or New York)^[9][10]
• Find a rental

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

• Deposit amount: Varies by location; may be up to $850^[11][12]
• Other requirements:
  • Available at select locations
  • Must provide two current utility bills, a recent pay stub, and proof of insurance; you may also need to provide the full names and phone numbers of two personal references.
  • Must pay the entire rental cost plus the deposit at pickup^[1]
• Find a rental

Rental Companies That Accept Cash Upon Return

While you will need a credit or debit card at the time of booking and pickup, the following car rental companies accept cash payments at the end of your rental:

• Alamo Rent a Car (Select locations)^[13][14]
• Fox Rent A Car^[15][16]
• National Car Rental (Select locations)^[17][18]

Rental Companies That Don’t Accept Cash

In the course of our research, we found that the following rental agencies don’t accept cash at any time:

• ACE Rent a Car^[19][20]
• Avis Rent a Car^[21][22]
• Budget Rent a Car^[23]
• SIXT^[24][25]
• Turo^[26][27]
• Zipcar^[28][29]

For more alternatives to credit card payment, check out our research on car rental companies that accept prepaid cards.