Security Deposit Explained
There's no separate cash deposit on Carvia. Instead, we place a card authorization hold at trip start and release it automatically 24 hours after your trip ends, as long as nothing's flagged.
How it works
At the start of your trip, Carvia places a card authorization hold — not a charge — on the payment method you booked with. This is a temporary hold your bank or card issuer sets aside, not money that leaves your account. It doesn't show up as a transaction, and you're not billed unless something from the hold is actually used.
The amount of the hold matches your chosen protection plan's damage-responsibility figure:
| Plan | Hold amount |
|---|---|
| Basic | $3,000 |
| Standard | $1,000 |
| Premium | $250 |
This is the same figure described in Choosing a Protection Plan (Guest) — the hold simply reflects the most you could be responsible for if you're found at fault for damage on that trip.
When it releases
The hold releases automatically 24 hours after your trip is marked "Completed" — that's the moment check-out is confirmed on both sides — as long as no damage report has been filed in that window. You don't need to request the release or contact support; it happens on its own.
If a damage report is filed during that 24-hour window, the hold stays in place while the claim is reviewed, following the timeline in Protection Plans Terms: acknowledgment within 1 business day, an initial determination within 2 business days of all evidence being submitted, and final resolution within 7 business days. If you disagree with a claim, see Filing a Damage Dispute (Guest).
Why it's a hold and not a deposit
Some rental platforms take an actual cash deposit and hold it for days after your trip ends — sometimes well over 80 hours — before releasing your money back to you. Carvia doesn't do that. A hold ties up available credit on your card temporarily, but it's never a charge, and it clears in a fixed, predictable window: 24 hours after your trip is done, not "a few business days" with no firm commitment. If nothing's wrong with the car, you get your full available credit back the next day.
What can cause the hold to convert to a charge
The hold itself doesn't become a charge automatically. It only converts to an actual charge if a damage claim against you is reviewed and approved through the claims process described in Protection Plans Terms — and even then, only up to your plan's damage-responsibility cap. Reimbursable items like tolls or a documented refueling fee are billed separately and aren't part of this hold.