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Why do car rental companies prefer/require credit over debit cards?
I have looked at the conditions of a car rental company, and I believe it provides the answers: Upon pick up of your vehicle, you must present a valid credit card (*)   used to make the booking and which must be in the driver´s name. If   you do not have a valid credit card we will accept your debit card   when you pick up your vehicle. However, as we cannot reserve credit to   cover the potential damage or refueling costs, you will need to take   SuperCover and a fuel tank of fuel at the start of the rental. We will   refund the value of the unused fuel at the end of the rental unless   otherwise agreed with you. (*) VISA, MasterCard and American Express   are accepted. Credit card or Third Party Insurance IMPORTANT: In case of damage, we   will charge you the incurred amount up to the excess. You will then   need to reclaim this amount from the provider of the credit card or   third party insurer. We strongly recommend that you fully read and   understand the terms and conditions of any cover provided by your   chosen provider before you decline any of our optional services.   Without our SuperCover, should you damage the vehicle during your   rental period, we will charge you the corresponding amount up to the   excess, regardless of whether you can subsequently reclaim this amount   from the provider of the credit card or the third party insurer. In   the event you would like to dispute any of the above mentioned charges   you should send your request by mail or email to the Firefly location   state on your rental agreement. https://global.fireflycarrental.com/qualifications-ES.html From that, we can conclude that : It's likely that disputes with customers in case of damage cost a lot to car rental companies, and for the 2 above reasons, demanding a credit card may alleviate it.