Can I rent a car under my name using someone else's credit card?

The primary renter on the rental contract needs to have a credit card in his/her name.  Even if you have someone over 25 be the primary renter and then add you as an additional driver, you will likely have to pay a surcharge as the additional driver plus the underage surcharge, so it likely will not be worth it. Note that there are various ways to waive the underage surcharge through Hertz.  My company AutoSlash specializes in helping people lower their rates, so feel free to contact us (http://www.autoslash.com/help) and we'd be happy to see what we can do for you to get the rate down and avoid the underage surcharge.

These are really specific questions that should be posed to both the car rental company by you and to the credit card company by your friend.  What you are proposing is not illegal, but the answer to your question will be determined by the specific policies of both companies. It may be breaking the terms of your friend's credit card agreement to have someone else use the card.  While there may absolutely no problem payment-wise for the use of the car, if you get into the an accident, the only name on the rental agreement is yours.  The credit card company may not honor the insurance settlement for this reason, leaving you on the hook for the amount of the damages.  This could be sizable of both cars and totaled and it was your fault (assume the other car is a $300K Bentley). I would simply be upfront with both companies and ask them directly, explaining the scenario you just described.  Given every company has different policies, it is impossible to answer your question accurately in such a generic format.

I'm pretty sure you can but there's a few things you should do to find out for sure. Call up the rental car company's customer service and ask their policy on credit cards.   Next, check with your insurance to see if your coverage is any better than what the credit card offers.   It may make your question moot. See: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-card-benefits/rental-car-insurance/ Finally, assuming they take the card, check with the credit card company and verify the terms on auto rentals.   They may only cover the owner of the car and not any other driver. If interested, read http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/tips/rental-cars-should-you-pay-for-extra-insurance/  for more information on insurance and rental cars.

If the person with the credit card has a social security number, he can join the USAA free of charge. Typically being a USAA member causes the underage charge to be waived (if he books through the USAA website).

Thanks for the A2A The answer is NO! I had the same situation 2 years back. I called citicards and they clearly said no. The cardholder must be the driver to get the benefits. There's an option that may work for you; that is to add yourself as an authorised user in your friend's credot card. Do call your credit card company to confirm it works. Some credit card companirs insist the PRIMARY card holder must be the driver, while some other card companies are more lenient and extend the coverage for the ADDITIONAL cardholders.

Every rental company (at least the major national chains) will require the name on the driver's license and credit card to match. In other words, you must pay with your credit card. As a couple of others have mentioned, though, there are two solutions: Have the person whose credit card you want to use rent the car and then add yourself as an additional driver. Downside: extra fees for under-age and additional drivers. Have the person whose credit card you want to use add you as an additional authorized user on his/her card and then give that card to the rental agent. Downsides: first, make sure the card's coverage extends to all cards on the account, and second, your friend should trust you, since you now have the ability to use that card anywhere and bankrupt your friend (and he/she can't do anything about it). As long as the card has your name on it, that's all the rental company will care about, so you won't have any issues there. The other option, of course, is to look at alternate forms of coverage for yourself (check with your car insurance company to see if they cover you for both collision and liability in rental cars, get a credit card with primary CDW coverage, get an American Express card and have them activate the Premium Car Rental Protection plan on your account, buy a collision policy from someone like TravelGuard, etc.).

Excellent answers!The answer below focuses on the question’s details on credit card, rental car insurance coverage. “Can I rent a car under my name and charge it on my friend's card so that we don't have to buy the company's insurance and still have coverage because of the card?” ​ ​ ​Will you “still have coverage because of the card”? The short answer is unfortunately, No. Here’s why:Credit card companies require the rental agreement and the cardholder to be one and the same person.For reference and review each of the major credit card company’s websites are shown below with a link to the actual rental car insurance benefits terms and conditions and pulled quotes from the card’s car rental insurance agreement terms and conditions.VISA - Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver - https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/personal/cards/credit/visa_benefits_autorental_cdw.pdf? You are eligible only if you are a valid cardholder whose name is embossed on an eligible U.S.-issued Visa card. Only you as the primary renter of the vehicle and any additional drivers permitted by the auto rental agreement are covered. MASTERCARD - MasterRental Insurance - http://www.mastercard.com/us/personal/en/cardholderservices/guidetobenefits/pdf/11660_rent_save_EXDwar_2006.pdf: Initiate and pay for the entire rental agreement/contract (tax, gasoline, and airport fees are not considered rental charges) with your MasterCard card. If a rental company promotion/discount of any kind is initially applied toward payment of the rental vehicle, at least one (1) day of rental must be billed to your MasterCard card.> You must decline the Collision/Damage Waiver offered by the vehicle rental company.> You must rent the vehicle in your own name and sign the vehicle rental agreement/contract AMERICAN EXPRESS: - Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance - https://web.aexp-static.com/us/content/pdf/card-benefits/AmericanExpressGreenCard/CRLDI_DOC_CCSG.pdf Car Rental Loss and Damage Insurance provides the Cardmember, if the Cardmember is the primary renter, (as defined below) with insurance coverage for damage to or theft of most Rental Autos when the Cardmember uses the Card (as described below) to reserve and pay for an auto rental from any Commercial Car Rental Company Note 1 - American Express may offer different terms depending on the card you hold. For specifics for your cardhttps://www.americanexpress.com/us/content/card-benefits/car-rental-loss-and-damage-insurance-terms.html. Note 2 - https://www295.americanexpress.com/premium/cardservice/tiles/other/SampleDescriptionofCoverage.pdf are associated for Amex cardholders enrolled in their unique https://www295.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do program. DISCOVER - Secondary Rental Car Collision Coverage - https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/member-benefits/security/travel-assistance/assets/More_Motiva_Miles_OpenRoad_Combined-Scheduled_Air_CDWDOC.pdf The Collision Damage Waiver Coverage is provided to you, as an Insured, automatically when the entire rental fee for the Rented Automobile is charged or debited to your Account. It is not necessary for you to notify the Company at the time the rental fee is charged or debited to your Account.• You must decline the Loss/Damage Waiver offered by the vehicle Rental Agency.• You must rent the vehicle in your own name and sign the vehicle rental agreement/contract. IMPORTANT NOTES: Car Rental Insurance is not included on all credit cards Many (if not most) credit cards provide Collision Damage Waiver as secondary coverage after other collectible insurance. Other Terms and Conditions apply (length of rental, type of vehicle, etc) Exclusions due to the violation of Rental Agreement - Even if car rental insurance benefits are provided by your credit card, the coverage will likely include an exclusion if there is any breach of the “rental agreement”. Read the rental car agreement. I would be willing to bet that the rental agreement is violated when an unauthorized driver is operating the vehicle. When allowing anyone but an “authorized driver” (a term that is defined) to drive a rental car, you risk voidance of not only your credit card benefits, but also coverages afforded by the rental agreement itself. YOUR AUTO INSURANCE POLICY:An alternative source of coverage may be available through your own personal auto insurance policy. In cases where coverage exists, protection is generally afforded to the named insured as the person on the car rental agreement. (this is getting redundant)SUMMARY:In order for Rental Car Insurance to respond from a Credit Card: Cardholder must Sign the Rental Agreement - and - Same Cardholder must Pay by Credit Card for all Rental Expenses - and - All operators must be listed as Authorized Drivers Hope this helps with your next car rental decision!

Best is to ask a rental company. A tweet from Hertz on the subject of your question: Unfortunately, no you would not be able to use a family/friends credit card.  The renter must have a credit card in their name ^SKR

When renting a car the credit card and license must be in the same name of the primary driver.  Here is a solution -  Your friend can add you as a authorize user on her credit card account and a have a card sent out to them with your name on it. Then you could rent the car in your name with a valid major credit card - and you should be able to received all benefits listed in her credit card agreement, including the rental coverage. Note: Please read the rental coverage part of the credit card agreement thoroughly or call customer service to have them explain the terms to you regarding the coverage. Most major card companies  such as VISA, MasterCard, Amex and  Discover require you to decline the Loss damage wavier (LWD) from the rental car company, in order for their converge to go in effect. Note: In addition most  credit card companies require that the total rental charges be paid for by the credit card used for coverage to be in effect on the rental car.  Please consult your credit card company before renting car and relying on their coverage for car you rental needs.