The card hold on a hire car: how much and how long
The hold is a pre-authorisation that blocks part of your credit limit for the amount of the excess plus fuel, commonly between eight hundred and two thousand two hundred euros, and it is released between five and thirty days after the car is returned undamaged.
gelisted editorial team · Updated 15 August 2026
The short version
- The amount equals the excess plus the value of the tank.
- Release takes 5 to 30 days depending on the card issuer.
- Many companies will not accept a debit card for the hold.
- Buying the zero excess product removes or greatly reduces the block.
Seeing 1,500 € disappear from the available balance on the first day of a holiday is unsettling. It is not a charge and it is not lost, but it needs planning for before you leave home.
What it actually is
A pre-authorisation: the bank reserves the amount and deducts it from your available credit without debiting the account. If the car comes back without incident the reservation is cancelled and the limit is restored. If there is damage, the company converts part of the reservation into an actual charge. The figure is calculated as the excess for the vehicle category plus, where applicable, the value of a full tank.
| Category | Excess | Total hold |
|---|---|---|
| Small hatchback | 700 to 900 € | 800 to 1,000 € |
| Compact | 900 to 1,100 € | 1,000 to 1,200 € |
| Estate | 1,100 to 1,300 € | 1,200 to 1,400 € |
| Seven seat MPV | 1,200 to 1,500 € | 1,350 to 1,650 € |
| Convertible | 1,300 to 1,800 € | 1,450 to 1,950 € |
| Van | 1,500 to 2,000 € | 1,700 to 2,200 € |
| With zero excess product | 0 € | 0 to 300 € |
Why debit cards cause trouble
A debit card does not offer the same deferred payment guarantee, so many companies refuse it for the hold or require the excess reduction product as a condition of accepting it. Others accept it but debit the money for real rather than blocking it, which means waiting 10 to 30 days for a refund. The card must be in the name of the main driver and physical rather than virtual.
How long release takes
The rental company releases the pre-authorisation when it closes the contract, but the issuing bank can take 5 to 30 days to reflect it. That delay is not within the rental company's control. If the amount is still blocked after 30 days, ask the company for the cancellation confirmation and present it to the bank, which can then release it manually.
Travel with at least 2,500 € of available credit if hiring a mid range car, so that the hold does not leave you without spending capacity during the stay.
Reducing or avoiding it
Buying the excess reduction at the desk removes the block or leaves a nominal 100 € to 300 €, in exchange for 12 € to 30 € per day. A third party excess policy, which is cheaper, does not avoid the hold: the company still takes it and the insurer reimburses afterwards if there is damage. Choosing a smaller category lowers the amount by 300 € to 700 €, and on an island of narrow streets that is often sensible anyway.
Frequently asked
+Is the hold a charge?
No. It is a pre-authorisation that blocks available credit and is released when the car is returned undamaged.
+How much is held?
Between 800 € and 2,200 € depending on the category, made up of the excess plus the value of the tank.
+Can I use a debit card?
Many companies refuse it for the hold or require the excess reduction product as a condition.
+How long until it is released?
The company cancels it at return, but the bank can take 5 to 30 days to reflect it.
+Does a third party excess policy avoid the hold?
No. The company still takes it and the insurer reimburses afterwards if there is damage.
Sources
- 1Boletín Oficial del Estado, BOE (August 2026)
- 2Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE (August 2026)