In the US, when renting a car, you must keep the following in mind: - Obviously, you must have a valid photo I.D. Sometimes you will need more than one form of identification, so be sure to bring more than just your driver's license. Anything from a student I.D. to a work ID tag will suffice. Most of the time they only require your driver's license. - Be sure to reserve your car...if you know you will be going on a trip, try to reserve by a few weeks notice, just to be on the safe side. -There are some car rental companies that have an age minimum. Most of the time the age minimum is either 18 or 21, though in some rare cases I have heard that you must be 25 years of age. -Most companies provide their own insurance, but some require you to have proof of your own insurance as well. Just make sure that the registered driver is the only one who will be driving the car, since in the event of an accident there may be a substantial fine.

Some companies' age requirement is only 21.

Many car rental companies will only permit a credit card (not a debit/credit card combination) to be used for payment/held for deposit when actually picking up the vehicle. Additionally, if you are an unmarried couple you will be charged more for adding a second driver by some rental companies than if you were married. Information here: http://www.unmarried.org/legalfaq.html#rentingcars "Q: When my partner and I rent a car for a long trip, we like to list both of us as drivers so we can take turns driving. We usually have to pay extra to list a second driver on the rental policy, but married couples don't have to pay this surcharge. Is there anything we can do? A: Yes, renting cars is still one area where discrimination on the basis of marital status is still alive and well. But there are at least a few companies that are friendly to domestic partners: - Avis: Avis has the best domestic partner policy of any car rental company. They'll allow a second driver (same-sex or different-sex) to be on your rental agreement for no additional charge, as long as your driver's licenses list the same home address. - Hertz: A second driver can be added for no additional charge if both drivers are AAA members. You don't have to be domestic partners -- you could list your friend, your mother, or anyone else. - Enterprise: At least in some states, a domestic partner can be added as a second driver for free if you share the same auto insurance policy. - National: For Emerald Club members (National's "frequent driver" program), an immediate family member can be a second driver for free. Their definition of immediate family members includes common law spouses and same-sex domestic partner who live at the same address as the renter. This policy does not appear to extend to different-sex domestic partners...."

In addition to the other answers as a BTW. Some companies will not allow an individual to rent a car without a credit, charge, or debit card. I found this out the hard way. I had to have my car towed for repair and needed to rent a car. It was just days after my divorce was final and all of the household credit cards and debt had been signed over to my ex-husband to pay. Long story short, I was waiting for my new accounts to be set up and cards sent and all I had were checks. The rental company would not accept a check which makes sense. So, I offered the deposit in cash and they would not accept that. I offered to put down a deposit and pay for the days I anticpated having the car ahead of time. No dice. Why this was their policy was beyond me. Money is money. I had several valid IDs and proof of insurance too. No card. . .no car.

I can only speak of Qld Australia, however watch your credit card! I was a sub-contractor for Europe Car. I was called upon to move cars between Brisbane local to Brisbane to Canberra, however while dealing in the local Brisbane area, I found out a nasty pasty that the local office was doing. Their prefered method was Credit Card and why? The manager would often take a rental to other locations and if he triped a speed camera, which comes in the mail weeks later, would often on a Stat of Dec say that an overseas mainly (Japanese) had rented that car during his visit. and give the overseas address. The Jap not knowing any different would pay or not pay the fine. I had to take the car cleaner out to a rental truck one day, the truck had a battery stolen overnight. So I took the cleaner and another battery to the rental truck which was stranded in a driveway. I said to the cleaner, whom pays for the battery? He said, they have the credit card number of the client, they will just take it out of his account! To me, why should a legit stolen battery be taken out of the renters credit card! Anytime you rent a car/ truck, walk around and pick any fault with it, even a scratch, stone mark anything and have it listed before you touch the car/ truck. Alway do the same then when giving the car/ truck back. If you miss one item, expect the Credit Card holder to suffer.

If you use a small rental company, locally owned and operated, they usually only require an ID and cash. The big companies, Avis, etc. have a long list of requirements. I've rented from both large and small companies. The small companies have older cars but they work and it's still ok to use them. They take credit cards or cash.

what companies takes cash to rent a car?