Credit card overview

In 2005 the BVRLA launched a strategy to engage with MasterCard and Visa to ensure that their current and future global operating rules fairly reflected the vehicle rental sector’s commercial and operational needs.

Key achievements to date

Visa

• Best practice for the car rental industry in processing visa cards 
• Change in Visa’s global rules to allow members to charge a no-show or cancellation charge when a renter fails to arrive at the rental desk 
• Flexible interpretation of existing rules to allow Members to charge traffic violations to Visa cards after the rental was completed
  

MasterCard

• A more flexible interpretation of chargeback rules has been taken which allows members fair representation and has seen a reduction in the number of MasterCard chargebacks 
• Clarification has been received in relation to MasterCard’s rules which do allow members to charge a fee when the renter fails to arrive at the rental desk 
• MasterCard reviewed their rules on vehicle extensions to reflect and accommodate commercial reality
  

Future developments

Pre-paid cards

We are working on a solution to ensure that members are able to identify when they are accepting a pre-paid card.  This will allow members to develop separate processes and procedures as they would if a debit card was being provided.

Industry wide best practice

We are also looking to put together wider industry best practice guidance on: 

• reducing chargebacks to improve compliance with Visa and MasterCard’s rules 
• Pre-paid cards operational, practical and security measures for the sector 
• Credit card CDW