Malaga: car rental without credit card or deposit

It's best to explore Andalusia by car!

Malaga - weather for holidays, holidays ... all year round!

Malaga – [click] he is lucky in everything. A beautiful location, a multitude of tourist attractions, a huge hotel base, excellent food, delicious wine, affordable prices, cheap flights and weather that encourages you to visit basically all year round. It has everything.
It is no wonder that Malaga is visited by millions of tourists every year, and many of them (thanks to cheap airlines) come here from Poland. I wrote in a separate article about how to buy a really cheap ticket, e.g. to Malaga, in a smart way: how to look for cheap flights?).
Today it's time for the next step: renting a car. It will be necessary if you want to use this what Malaga has to offer and the region in which it is located, Andalusia.
I can't imagine being in Malaga not wanting to see such magical places as: Cordoba, Seville, Granada, Ronda with their monuments, or even Gibraltar, King's Path (Caminito del Rey) … and many others.
You will need a car for this!

Roads and car driving in Malaga and Andalusia

You can drive safely around Malaga and Andalusia. Some sections are on motorways and some are on regular two-way roads. The roads are in very good condition. Drivers move rather calmly and respect the traffic rules. It is worth adopting a similar attitude, especially since the fines are high even for slight speeding (this applies to all of Spain).
I once became a happy beneficiary of the speeding ticket by 2 km / h (!!!). Instead of allowed 110 km / h, I rode 112 km / h, which cost me 100 EUR. The mandate came to me by post to my home address, after returning to Poland. Police asked the car rental company who drove their car on a given day, and they are required to provide relevant information to the Spanish police. After about 4 weeks after returning from departure, a surprise awaited me in my mailbox in the form of a kind request to pay 100 EUR to a bank account in Spain. However, let me not be too sad, the Spanish police has prepared a promotional offer for me: if I pay within 7 days from the date of receipt of the mandate, its amount drops to EUR 50.
I accepted the promotion with joy and after a few minutes the transfer was on its way to Spain.
Therefore, it is worth driving even slightly slower than on the border of speed limit.
Speed ​​cameras often mounted behind signs and information boards above the road and do not look you in the eye from the opposite direction, just look at your back as you move away from them. Then they also measure speed. Such attachment of the speed camera makes you unable to see it because it is obstructed by an information board from the front. It is enough, however, to look in the rearview mirrors in the car to know whether a speed camera was behind the given sign or not. Speed ​​cameras that are designed to catch drivers in the opposite lane are clearly visible. Then you can see the back of the information board and the speed camera hidden behind it.

Malaga - car rental

Thanks to the large tourist traffic in Malaga, we have access to a wide range of car rental companies throughout the year. Most of the visitors willingly use the rental to see the nearby attractions. Rental competition is large. This is mainly seen out of season when rental prices are falling. A radical drop in prices is visible already at the beginning of September. Off-peak prices are lower than at peak even by over 50% (40% is practically standard).
The price peak is in July and August.
Below are two versions of car rental in Malaga:
- no need for a credit card and no deposit required
- with credit card and credit card deposit

Rent a car without a credit card and a deposit

The first entry on this topic was created in 2019. A lot has changed since then and it's time for a thorough update of the entry. The content of the text available here has undergone a major change and has been updated to the current rules. Thanks to this, the choice of offers is even greater than before, and reaching them is much easier!

Where to find a car?

I have been renting cars for over a dozen years and I have been observing this market for the same amount of time. My gut feeling was right: people on vacation want to feel safe and prefer to rent a car with full insurance. This is an extremely important observation because it has a key impact on how we search for and choose the best tools. In my opinion, the best thing about this is the two comparators DiscoverCars i Rentalcars, the first of which is my absolute favorite. Why? I've explained this in the short characterization below.
So, do your main search in Discover Cars. You can search in the second search engine to verify that the offer from Discover Cars is actually the best.

Discover Cars - [click]

Comparison Discover Cars pays great attention to having as many local companies as possible. It's just great in that regard! Besides, it has a huge database of global companies within it. It is a great tool thanks to which you can immediately compare local prices with the prices of the largest market players. Here, sometimes (if you're lucky) you'll come across temporary price promotions that will save you a lot of money. Discover Cars it is a database that must be searched.

Rentalcars - [click]

Rentalcars is the world's largest database of car rental offers. Number 1 in the world for years. However, it focuses mainly on the largest and most extensive car rental networks, so there is often a lack of offers from small, local companies. However, it is always worth checking if some giant has not decided to make a promotion.

Other search engines and comparison engines

On the Internet you will find many other search engines and car price comparison engines. I have been observing them for years (because I have been renting cars in various places for many years). Searching most of them does not add any new quality to the search results, and often produces the same result as the pages suggested above. Why? Because they are only copies of the biggest and best search engines. The largest market players make their databases available to other parties electronically (using the so-called API key) and new pages are created that actually search the same database. It is obvious that you will not get any better and more interesting offers from them. You will get exactly the same result.
Therefore, searching for copies of the same databases does not make sense.

How to find good deals?

At the beginning I assumed that the guide would be very condensed. I will try to reduce the search process to a few simple steps, thanks to which you will be able to quickly filter offers, selecting only the most interesting ones.

Instructions for renting a car without a deposit or credit card

Step 1 – entering data into the comparison engine

go to the website Discover Cars - [click], fill out the form specifying the place of pickup of the car (1) collection date (2) and the date of return of the car (3) and start searching (4)

1. Car pickup location
2. Date of collection
3. Return date
4. Start your search
Step 2 – first search result

After a while, you will receive the first search result, but this result is not satisfactory for now. It will look something like the pictures below. For now, I'll use this view to describe to you the layout of key elements on the search results screen.
The most important thing is to set the appropriate language (2) (the website supports several languages, including Polish), currency (1) and the location of the filter area (3). Filters are our key to success!
For your convenience, here are screenshots from your computer and phone.

On your computer screen:
1. Select currency
2. Language selection
3. Search options and filters panel
4. Quick information on the offer: without own participation
5. Quick information on the offer: without credit card
6. Detailed rental conditions (by clicking)
1. Select currency
2. Language selection
3. Search options and filters panel
4. Quick information on the offer: no own contribution
5. Quick information on the offer: no credit card required
6. Detailed rental conditions (by clicking)
Step 3 – (the most important) install the filter

Now it's time for the most important step: installing the filter! In the area where all the filters are located, search for the "Refundable deposit" section and check the "No deposit required" option.

In the "Refundable deposit" section, select the "No deposit required" option.

If this option is unavailable, it means that there are no more cars available in the no-deposit version and you need to choose the smallest deposit available in the filter or look elsewhere (I will tell you where later in the text).

Step 4 – filtered result

After selecting the appropriate filter, the search result will be updated. The offers will be arranged from the cheapest to the top of the results list.
At the top of my list was an offer that fully suited me. 5-day rental with full insurance and no credit card for EUR 146. I'll take it!

I got this result. There is information directly on the offer:
1. without own participation
2. no deposit required
You won't need a credit card!

Local rentals

If the comparison website no longer offers offers in the version without a credit card and with full insurance, I recommend checking three more local rental companies in the order listed below. You should look for offers directly on their websites (links are provided in the descriptions).

Wiber – known, proven and great price!

Wiber - [click] is a rental company with which I have very good experience. I rented from them and a few of my friends.
They offer rentals in two variants: basic and All Inclusive. Variant selection All Inclusive that's exactly the option in which no credit card or deposit needed. All you need is your ID card and driving license. Nothing more. No cards, deposits or security. Anyway, all you need to do is take another look at whose offer turned out to be the best in terms of price in the search I described above (company logo in the lower left corner). Of course Wiber! Years go by and they still have a good offer!

The rental company operates in a small area of ​​Spain (car rental office locations: Mallorca, Malaga, Alicante). I described my experience with renting a car in Mallorca in a separate entry: Car rental without credit card and deposit – Majorca). Under this entry is also a lot of opinions from people from Polandthat rented a car from Wiber-a. It's worth reading them.
Rental in Málaga looks similar to that of Mallorca. The company has no office in the airport terminal, but right next to the airport (basically just across the street). It is impossible to cross the street on your feet, because it is the main communication route to the airport, so Wiber He provides his clients with a special bus that runs over and over, every few minutes between the airport terminal and the office. The journey takes about 3 minutes (maximum 5 minutes if there is heavy traffic and crowds under the terminal)
With the car you have previously booked, exit the terminal and head right past the terminal building (towards T1 Terminal). After about 150m you get to the place where you are waiting or soon the bus with the logo will arrive Wibera.
Access path and bus appearance Wibera you can see on the map and the picture below.

Path to the place where the bus that stops to the rental office stops
Wiber bus
Centaur

Centauro - [click] it is a large rental company but its offer is very simple and specific. It has a large fleet, decent prices and willingly rents cars with full insurance. It works perfectly in many situations.

Malaga U Drive

Directions to Malaga U Drive – [click] I mention this because it is a rental company that, firstly, rents cars without a credit card and with full insurance, and secondly, it is owned and run by Poles. So you can communicate in Polish without any problems!
If, when booking, you enter the address of my website in the order comment field: www.gancarczyk.com, then you will get a 5% discount on the final rental price.

What is a credit card deposit?

deposit is the amount that the rental company blocks on the credit card. This amount does not disappear from your card. It's still there, but is not usable.

Example:
Suppose you have a credit card with a PLN 3000 limit. You rent a car from the rental company, and in the conditions of the rental there is information about the deposit in the amount of 500 EUR. You pick up the car and the rental company will deposit a deposit on the card, in accordance with the EUR 500 contract. Your card still has 3000 PLN but 500 EUR * 4,3 = 2 100 PLN is blocked and as long as the blockade is not removed, you cannot use these funds. PLN 900 is available to you.

If you had a plan to pay with the same card for a hotel that costs PLN 1500, for example will not succeed. The deposit will be removed at the earliest about 24 hours after the return of the car, and often it takes even more than a week. It is worth remembering and it is best to pay for other obligations to have a different (debit) penalty or a correspondingly higher limit on your credit card.

What is the deposit on the credit card for?

In this way, rental companies protect themselves against dishonest customers. If the customer does not fulfill the terms of the contract, the costs associated with it rental deducts from the deposit. Suppose you are 8 hours late with returning the car. The agreement provides for an additional fee. The rental company may charge a fee from the deposit regardless of your will.
Another example: you picked up the car with a full tank of gas and returned it with an empty one. The rental charges the value of full refueling and the additional service cost. It now comes out more or less as if a liter of fuel cost 2 EUR. So e.g. the 50 L * 2 EUR / L = 100 EUR fuel tank. That much more or less disappears from the deposit. Examples can be multiplied (scratches on the car, broken mirror, broken glass, damaged upholstery, etc.).

Own contribution and car insurance

In addition to the deposit, which is blocked directly on your credit card, renting a car involves taking on yourself liabilities with so-called own contribution.

Own contribution applies to:
- destruction or damage to the car
- car theft

Each rental has its own amount of own contribution. Separately for destruction and separately for car theft.
This is the cost that you agree to pay the maximum if one of the above events occurs.
The assumption is that if the costs resulting from the removal of damage are greater than the own contribution you assumed in the contract, you are only liable up to the amount of your own contribution, and the remaining costs are covered by insurance.
Currently, practically all rentals include the cost of this insurance in basic vehicle price (the cheapest one you see on the throne). This insurance is mandatory and applies to all rented vehicles.

Vehicle damage insurance - CDW

This is it basic insuranceto which the vehicle is covered (often on the website of the rental company is called Full Insurance, which can be misleading, I feel allergic, it is common practice). The practice of calling basic insurance full is probably intended to suggest to the customer that at a similar price he is purchasing a better insurance package. Then the offer seems more attractive, but in fact it is not. So let's check if the insurance called full insurance is insurance CDW or actually full (SCDW - about which I will write a little below).
I did not find an offer where the insurance would be subject to a surcharge. Everywhere it was at the basic price of the vehicle.
CDW is an abbreviation of the English name Collision Damage Waiver. Having this insurance limits your liability for damage to the amount of your own contribution.
However, if it wasn't too colorful, it would be from this insurance are off the most common: windows, tires and chassis. There may be more exclusions. This means that if, for example, during a collision the damage touched the elements that are excluded from insurance, then for their repair you will pay extra.
Of course, if the event was not your fault and you have a police report for it, then the rental company he has no right to deduct any money. Then the offender pays.

IMPORTANT!
If you have been driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, no insurance works. You pay the full amount of repair costs.

Theft insurance - TP

It is an insurance which in the event of the theft of a vehicle limits your financial liability to the amount of your own contribution.
The name of the insurance is short for the English version Theft Waiver.
The cost of this insurance is included in basic vehicle rental price.
I did not find an offer where the insurance would be subject to a surcharge. Everywhere it was at the basic price of the vehicle.

Full damage insurance - SCDW

This type of insurance totally or partially bear your responsibility for car damage and that is real full damage insurance.
The name comes from the English version: Super Collision Damage Waiver.
In most cases, your liability after purchasing this insurance is reduced to zero, less often to a symbolic amount of around 100 - 500 EUR (depending on the brand and price of the new vehicle).
Rentals, which basic insurance is called incorrectly (or intentionally) full, are called this type of insurance: All Inclisive, Super, All Protection ... etc.
When booking on the site Rentalcars, you can buy full insurance with every rental SCDW. However, you should be aware that this is the insurance you buy in Rentalcars, not at the target rental company. What does it mean? This means that if there is damage or theft to the car, the rental will download from your account the amount up to the amount of own contribution, and for the return of this amount within the possessed you must apply to Rentalcars.
If you want to take out full insurance SCDW directly in the rental, you have to do it on site, when renting. You will then avoid any possible withdrawal of your own deposit from your account and claiming a refund from the insurer. Unfortunately, most rental companies even on their own websites do not allow you to buy this insurance online and you have to do it on the spot when picking up the car. For this rental prices through Rentalcars are lower than directly on the rental site, so anyway it's profitable make a basic booking through Rentalcars.
I checked the cost of buying full SCDW insurance at several rental companies. On average, it is EUR 30 / day for basic car models.

Travel Insurance - PAI

Often, when renting, insurance for people traveling with a rented car is also offered. It has nothing to do with the car itself, it only applies to people. If you buy insurance for yourself before traveling, you do not need it.
The abbreviation comes from the English name: Personal Accident Insurance.
This insurance is often included in the package with SCDW.

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22 comments for "Malaga: car rental without credit card or deposit"

  • o
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    Great article, I plan to rent a car in Malaga at the airport for 7 people and I really have a lot of trouble finding something at a decent price .. we are planning a trip in September 2020. Nobody has a credit card and the amount of deposits in chain stores is huge. Maybe you still have any advice on such a loan, how to do it "at cost"? When is the best time to book? Great article, best regards!

    Reply
    • o
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      Wiber has 7 passenger cars with full insurance and no deposit and no credit card. It is less than 20 euros a day per person.
      You need to book as early as possible, because there are not many of these cars. First come first served, September is a popular term.
      You now have an 18% discount when paying online.

      Reply
  • o
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    I don't know about other companies but I advise against Marbesol. It was supposed to be without a card, and it turned out that they demanded a pledge of over EUR 1200. It was not a problem because I have a card with a higher limit. However, the surprise after returning home was enormous because we have a download for over 500 € - this is not the amount returned from the deposit. We had full insurance. No words.

    Reply
    • o
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      Good evening, I got a little lost 🙂
      It's about renting a car in Wiber with the scdw package. Is it best to choose Basic options online and expand on site? do I immediately take a special offer with cdw and then expand on site? I would like a more detailed guidance. Regards Paweł

      Reply
      • o
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        You choose the All Inclusive option and you don't have to expand anything on site. It takes care of everything.

        Reply
  • o
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    Only cdw is written there, not scdw, although after the semicolon there is an extension.
    This all inclusive option on the Wiber site? What about the rentalcar counterpart?

    Or maybe you can tell me why our Polish colleagues are currently 2x more expensive? Have a bigger package?

    Reply
    • o
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      I have described everything in detail in the article, including pictures. Just do as described.

      I cannot explain why other rental companies have a higher price.

      Reply
    • o
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      I am also looking for an 8-person car only for August from October 10 to 17, i.e. 7 days. The cheapest is Malaga u Drive, which is 729 € with additional insurance. In Wiber, € 873,62. Do you think there are any other cool options?

      Reply
    • o
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      Hey, I just wanted to book a car in wiber and I chose the All inclusive option through rentalscar according to your recommendation. Then there is another insurance again or do you choose it too?

      If I rent a car via the wiber website directly and choose the all inclusive option, do I already have the max package there? Such as double insurance by rentalscar?

      Reply
      • o
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        If you take the All Inclusive option, then buying a second full insurance does not make sense.

        Reply
  • o
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    I recommend Malaga U Drive 🙂 We used it twice for one of the stays in 7 pax. We conveniently visited Andalusia with one car. Nice service, valuable advice. How that region of Spain is only with them 🙂

    Reply
  • o
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    Hello ,
    You wrote that you also used Bruno cars once, I looked at their website and it looks as if their insurance covers everything possible, but it is nowhere written that it is SCDW, can you tell if what they offer is just such insurance? Thank you in advance and best regards

    Reply
    • o
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      Back then, when I was taking the car from them, it was fully insured. The guy did not take any deposit from me, he did not want any card, and at the end he told me to leave the car in the parking lot at the airport, in the agreed parking place: open, with the keys inside (in the trunk). He came to get them himself.

      Reply
      • o
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        Thank you for your answer, just one more question from your experience when it comes to car rental, is it better to pay when picking up the car or before booking online, regardless of the price.
        Thank you and best regards

        Reply
        • o
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          If online payment gives us a profit (e.g. some rentals for online payment immediately give an additional discount), I choose this version. If it does not help, and payment is not required when booking, it does not matter. Comparison websites often guarantee us a refund in the event of resignation up to two days in advance, so then it is not a problem any more.

          Reply
  • o
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    A very understandable and useful description of the car rental. Personally, I used the Málaga U-Drive without problems, cheaply and comfortably.

    Reply
  • o
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    Very accurate description and we will definitely use the advice and tips. Is it possible to rent a car in Malaga and return it in Alicante?
    I will be grateful for an answer, best regards.

    Reply
    • o
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      Yes. You can. This always involves a surcharge.

      Reply
  • o
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    Hello,
    thanks to this entry, I easily managed a 6-day car rental in January 2023 by Wiber. In my case, the rental cost me 120 Eur for 6 days in the All option ... The car I got at my disposal was a Peugeot 2008 with a mileage of 22k km.
    I salute the author of the article.

    Reply

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