You will need a credit card with the necessary available amount. Debit cards, prepaid cards, revolving credit cards and Electron or Maestro cards are not accepted. American Express cards may also not be accepted by some rental companies.
To avoid any problems, make sure that the word "credit" appears on your bank card, and check the type of card accepted on your car hire voucher (which you receive at the same time as your travel documents).
Below you will find an explanation of the difference between these two types of bank card:
Debit card
A debit card is a traditional bank card with immediate debit. When you make a payment or withdrawal, the current account linked to this card is usually debited within 24 to 48 hours.
Debit cards (the main ones being the classic Visa and Mastercard, and the variations Visa Electron, Visa V-Pay, MasterCard Cirrus, MasterCard Maestro, etc.) are not always accepted by car hire companies. Even if these debit cards are linked to an account with an authorised overdraft, and even if you have sufficient funds in your account to pay the deposit, some agencies may refuse to accept your rental, particularly abroad.
Some hire companies may accept debit cards, but you will have to take out additional insurance, which is often more expensive. Be aware that some hire companies do not offer this insurance, so if you do not have a credit card (or deferred debit card) when you collect the keys from your car, you risk losing the car reservation.
Credit cards
A credit card (or deferred debit card) is a bank card that is linked to a cash reserve and not to a bank account. Spending is not immediate. They are fixed at a date defined in advance by the organisation and the beneficiary (usually the 30th of the current month). You therefore pay for your purchases in full at the end of the period.
A credit card in the name of the driver is generally required for any car rental. Here is a list of the main internationally recognised bank cards: Visa, American Express, MasterCard, Diners, JCB, etc.
A credit card allows you to borrow money up to a certain limit. The funds are not necessarily available in the bank account in question, and the company hiring the vehicle will be able to recover the amounts in the event of an accident. If you have an accident with your rental car, the rental company must recover the amount of the material damage caused. The car rental company will block the deposit when you pick up your vehicle.