Actually, some companies (Thrifty for example) will accept a debit card, but they will/may do a credit check first, and they will lock-up a few hundred dollars

Actually, some companies (Thrifty for example) will accept a debit card, but they will/may do a credit check first, and they will lock-up a few hundred dollars of your funds. You are only doing yourself a disservice by not getting a credit card. I get purchase protection, price matching, fraud protection, free extended warranties, etc, for free, from my credit card provider. That's a pretty good deal.