What is a bank authorisation?

A bank authorisation is a hold on your card to ensure funds for potential charges during your car rental, like rental fees or fuel. It’s not an immediate charge but only reserved. The actual amount, if required, is charged at return, and the hold is released by your bank, typically taking a few days.

Car Rental Pick-up:

• SANI Car Rental initiates a bank authorisation hold with your bank when collecting the car.
• Your bank may display this as a pending transaction, reducing your available spending balance.
• Although it might seem like a debit on your statement, no funds are deducted from your bank account.
• This hold equals the estimated rental cost including a security authorisation and any accepted extras.

Car Rental Return/Drop-off:

• SANI Car Rental instructs your bank to release the temporary authorisation hold.
• Since it was not an actual debit, the release won’t appear as a transaction but will increase your available balance.
• The release time varies depending on your bank and typically take 3 to 7 working days for South African credit card holders and it can take up to 30 days for international card holders.