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here are some purchases for which you are seemingly required to have a credit card, such as staying in a hotel or renting a car. Some businesses, however, will accept a debit card with a major credit card company logo on it in lieu of a credit card. Be aware, however, that to use your debit card in these situations, most companies will place a hold on a portion of your funds in the amount of several hundred dollars so they can collect payment if you damage their property. This means that if your checking account balance hovers near zero, you won’t be able to use your debit card in these situations.

Even if you do keep a comfortable amount of money in your checking account, you’ll want to do some advance planning to make sure enough funds will be available to cover any outstanding or upcoming payments while the hold is on your account. The best way to do this is to find out in advance how much the hold will be for and then treat this as an expense. When you’ve safely returned the car or checked out of the hotel, you can then “refund” the held money back to yourself. (For related reading, see Credit, Debit And Charge: Sizing Up The Cards In Your Wallet.)

Not all rental car companies and hotels will accept debit cards, so you’ll need to do some calling around to find a place that will. Keep in mind that some national chains are franchises and payment rules can vary by location, so instead of calling a hotel’s national toll-free number to inquire about payment, you should call the front desk of the specific location where you want to stay.