Booking data from comparison platform Rentacarpraslin.com shows deposit-free rentals have overtaken traditional deposit-based car hire on the Seychelles island of Praslin, driven by travelers who refuse card holds or do not carry a credit card at all.
-- No-deposit car rental has become the default choice on Praslin, the second-largest island of the Seychelles. According to booking data from Rentacarpraslin.com, an independent car rental comparison service for Praslin and Mahe, 62 percent of all car rental bookings made on Praslin in the first half of 2026 were for no-deposit offers - up from 53 percent in 2025 and 41 percent in 2024.
Chart 1 (featured image): Share of no-deposit bookings on Praslin, 2024 - H1 2026.
A traditional car rental deposit is a sum blocked on the driver's bank card for the duration of the trip and released after the car is returned. On a remote island destination, that model is increasingly unpopular. In a survey of travelers who booked a no-deposit car through the platform in the first half of 2026, 46 percent said their main reason was that they did not want part of their holiday budget frozen on a card during the trip. Another 27 percent said they travel without a credit card and use a debit card only, while the rest pointed to currency conversion fees on card holds and slow release of blocked funds after returning home.
The no-credit-card segment is growing fastest. Roughly one in four bookings on the platform now comes from travelers who do not carry a credit card at all. Local rental companies on Praslin have adapted by listing cars that can be reserved with a small advance payment made online, with no security deposit and no credit card required at pickup. The exact conditions of each offer are set by the rental company and confirmed in the booking voucher.
Chart 2: Main reasons travelers choose no-deposit car rental.
Praslin is home to the Vallee de Mai UNESCO World Heritage Site and Anse Lazio, regularly ranked among the world's best beaches. Most visitors arrive by ferry from Mahe to the Baie Ste Anne jetty or on a 15-minute flight to Praslin Island Airport (PRI). The Seychelles welcomed around 350,000 international visitors in 2024, according to the country's National Bureau of Statistics, while the rental fleet on Praslin remains small. In high season, no-deposit cars are typically the first to sell out, and the platform reports they are often fully booked several weeks in advance.
"For years, the deposit was the most stressful part of renting a car in the Seychelles," said Jean-Michel Laporte of Rentacarpraslin.com. "Visitors would land on Praslin after a long-haul flight and discover that a large hold would be placed on their card. Local rental companies listened, and deposit-free offers are now the standard on the island rather than the exception. Our data simply confirms what travelers have been telling us for years."
The company expects the share of no-deposit bookings to keep growing through the 2026-2027 high season and advises travelers planning a trip to Praslin to compare offers and reserve early.
About Rentacarpraslin.com
Rentacarpraslin.com is an independent car rental comparison service for Praslin and Mahe, Seychelles. The platform compares offers from local rental companies, including no-deposit and no-credit-card options, and each rental is confirmed by a direct contract with the local rental company. More information: https://rentacarpraslin.com/
Media contact: https://rentacarpraslin.com/contacts/
Contact Info:
Name: Jean-Michel Laporte
Email: Send Email
Organization: Rent a car Praslin
Website: https://rentacarpraslin.com/
Release ID: 89199403
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