Which has lower fees for a 10-car rental?

Depends on your volume. For 10 cars billing €8-15k/month with mostly Spanish customers, Redsys negotiated with your bank usually lands between 0.7-1%, which plus €20/month maintenance can beat Stripe's 1.4%. For 1-3 cars or low volumes, Stripe wins because it has no fixed fee. And for international customers or online bookings with fraud risk, Stripe Radar offsets the higher fee.

Can I charge a deposit via pre-authorization and release if no damage?

Yes, both gateways support this. In Stripe you use PaymentIntent with capture_method=manual and have 7 days by default to capture or release (extendable to 30 days in Travel & Entertainment sectors). In Redsys it's an authorization operation (transaction type=1) followed by capture (type=2) or void. The maximum window depends on the card-issuing bank: 7 days for Visa, up to 30 for Mastercard in hospitality/rental. If you need more time, the usual practice is to charge the full deposit and refund on car return.

Does Stripe accept Bizum?

Yes, since 2024. Stripe added Bizum as a payment method in Spain, activated from the dashboard with no extra technical setup. Redsys also supports Bizum if your bank has it enabled on your virtual POS. The difference is that Stripe activates it with one click on the dashboard; with Redsys it depends on your bank.

Is it legal to charge deposits via pre-authorization in Spain?

Yes, as long as the customer is informed of the held amount and the card network's maximum windows are respected. A pre-authorization isn't a charge: it's a balance reservation. If you don't capture it within 7-30 days, it expires automatically and the bank releases the funds. Both gateways comply with European payment regulation (PSD2) and apply SCA when required.

Can I use Stripe and Redsys at the same time?

Yes, and it's a common strategy among Spanish rentals with a mix of domestic and international customers. You use Redsys for bookings with Spanish cards where your negotiated fee is lower, and Stripe for foreigners' online bookings where antifraud and conversion are stronger. Fletaro supports this natively: you can configure both and route each booking by customer origin or sales channel.

Stripe vs Redsys for Car Rental: Which to Choose in 2026

Stripe and Redsys are the dominant payment gateways in Spain for car rentals. Real fees, pre-authorization for deposits, and when to use both gateways.

What Redsys is and why Spanish rentals use it

Redsys is the company that manages payment gateways for most Spanish banks. When you sign up for a virtual POS with BBVA, Santander, CaixaBank, Sabadell, Bankinter, Unicaja or ING, what they activate behind the scenes is Redsys. The merchant signs with the bank, which negotiates fees based on volume, card type and industry. That's why there's no public Redsys pricing: each bank applies its own.

What Stripe is and why more rentals combine both

Stripe is an international payment gateway founded in 2010, with European HQ in Dublin. Its model is 100% online: you sign up at stripe.com, validate your business with documentation (tax ID, deeds, admin's ID) and, if everything's in order, you start charging in 1-3 days. No monthly or setup fees: you only pay per transaction.

Side-by-side: fees, deposits and operations

Table with verifiable data as of publication. Redsys percentages are indicative because they depend on bank and negotiation:

Pre-authorization and deposit: the detail that matters most in car rental

In car rental you don't just charge the rental amount: you hold a deposit (typically €200-1,500) that you release or capture based on the car's condition at return. This works as a pre-authorization: an operation that reserves funds on the customer's card without charging them. If all goes well, it expires automatically; if there's damage, you capture the amount (full or partial). Both gateways support this, with nuances.

When to choose Redsys, when Stripe — and when both

Choose Redsys if: you already have a good relationship with your bank, you negotiate fees below 0.8%, you invoice more than €10,000/month (where the fixed fee pays off), your customer base is mostly Spanish, you don't need Stripe Connect or multi-account, and you prefer a single banking contact for everything (charges + account + ICO loans).

Checklist before migrating or adding a new gateway

Before switching or adding a gateway, validate these 7 points: 1) Your management software natively supports the gateway you want (Fletaro Pro and Total integrate both, including pre-authorization for deposits). 2) You have the legal documentation ready (tax ID, deeds, admin's ID, IBAN, digital certificate for Redsys). 3) You've validated fees in writing for your real volume, not the initial commercial offer.

Fletaro — Software de gestión de flotas con GPS y acceso remoto