Renting a car in Iceland with a debit card

Which cards you can use

The same rules apply to debit and credit cards (rental terms, clauses 6–7):

• Accepted: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, China UnionPay, Discover and Diners Club, as a debit or a credit card. JCB is not accepted.
• A physical card in the renter's name, showing the card number and expiry date, and valid for at least 90 days after the rental. We may check it against your booking and your passport or ID (rental terms 4).
• Apple Pay and Google Pay are fine for paying, but bring the physical card too: you show it at pickup.
• Not accepted: prepaid cards, such as prepaid travel cards, purchasing (corporate procurement) cards, anonymous cards and virtual cards, including a debit card that exists only in an app.
• Cash in EUR, ISK, USD or GBP may be accepted on arrival, but you still need the physical card in the renter's name.

Paying by debit card changes nothing else: the price, the cover options and the hold are the same as with a credit card, and you don't have to buy extra cover. The rental terms ask the renter for the card, and every driver for a driving license and a passport or ID (rental terms 3, 4 and 7); the other rules are in What you need to rent a car in Iceland.

How the card hold works on a debit card

At pickup we pre-authorize the excess of your cover option on the renter's card. This hold is not a charge and not a deposit. On a credit card it takes up part of your credit limit; on a debit card it reserves the amount in your bank account: the money stays in your account and stays yours, but you can't spend it while the hold is in place.

We release the hold after you return the car. How soon the money is available again depends on your card issuer's processing time (rental terms 7), so ask your bank how long its holds take to clear.

• Leave room for it: on the day of pickup, your available balance needs to cover the hold, on top of anything else you pay with the card.
• Paying on arrival? Then the rental is charged at pickup or later (rental terms 6), when the hold is placed too, so your balance needs room for both.
• Prefer no hold? Choose MAX (€40 a day): we place no hold on your card at pickup.

The hold for each cover option

The hold is set by the cover you have at pickup, never by the type of card (rental terms 7). With every option except a declined CDW, it equals your excess: the most you pay per incident for damage your cover includes.

You can add cover at any time, at the desk too (rental terms 39): with MAX, no hold is placed. Declining CDW does not lower the price, makes your liability unlimited, up to the value of the car, and the hold is €3,000; the rental terms advise it only if your own card or travel insurance covers rental cars in Iceland (rental terms 35). What each option includes: Cover & extras.

Renting with no hold: MAX

If you would rather not have money reserved in your account, choose MAX when you book or at pickup. MAX costs €40 a day, lowers your excess to €0, adds Tire and Windshield Protection and Sand and Ash Protection, also covers wheels and tires, and with it we place no hold on your card at pickup.

• You still need the card. Bring the physical card in the renter's name: it stays on file as a secure token, and amounts due under the rental terms, such as missing fuel, fines or tolls, can be charged to it; after the rental, only once we have emailed you an itemized statement (rental terms 7).
• Exclusions still apply. No cover option, MAX included, covers undercarriage or water damage, river crossings included: if the return inspection finds it, its full cost is charged, and a hold of up to €10,000 can be placed for it (rental terms 7).
• The damage administration fee of €150 applies each time damage is charged, MAX included.

Everything MAX includes, and what no option covers: Cover & extras.

Paying now or on arrival

• Pay now: the listed price, charged to your card when you book and refunded in full if you cancel at least 48 hours before pickup.
• Pay on arrival: 4% more on the rental, cover and extras (not on the road-use charge), charged at pickup or later, with the same 48-hour rule.
• This website sells no non-refundable rate. The details are in the cancellation policy.

No card surcharge. Paying by debit card costs the same as paying by credit card, and Icelandic law does not allow a seller to charge extra for using a particular means of payment (Act No. 114/2021 on payment services, article 62(5), in Icelandic). Fees your own bank or card issuer charges, such as for currency conversion, are yours (rental terms 6).

Currency. Prices are in euros, and we charge your card in euros or Icelandic krónur (ISK). An amount charged in krónur is converted at the Central Bank of Iceland's mid-rate on the day of the charge (official exchange rate). Prices shown on this website in USD, ISK, GBP, CAD or CNY are a guide, converted at the day's European Central Bank rate.

Before you travel: a checklist

1. Check the card type: a debit or credit card from one of the accepted brands, not a prepaid, purchasing, anonymous or virtual card. If you aren't sure which type you have, ask your bank.
2. Check the name and the expiry date: the card must be in the renter's name and valid for at least 90 days after the rental.
3. Check your available balance: it must cover the hold for your cover option (€1,000 with the cover included in our prices), plus the rental if you pay on arrival.
4. Talk to your bank: tell it you will use the card in Iceland, and ask whether a hold of that size fits within your card's limits and how long holds take to clear.
5. Pack the physical card, even if you pay by phone, with your driving license and your passport or ID. A second card in the renter's name is a useful back-up.
6. Prefer no hold? Choose MAX when you book.

Not sure whether your card qualifies? Ask us before you travel: info@ringroadcars.is or +354 779 9499.

Questions about renting a car with a debit card