Tell HN: Turo (and probably others) use your credit cards if you delete them

This year, I used Turo to rent a car while visiting Maui. My payment through American Express went through smoothly back in July, covering a rental period of a couple of weeks.

In August, I decided not to use credit cards at all, especially for large purchases. I removed my credit card information from all services and replaced it with my debit card details, including on Turo. I haven't closed the credit card account because I still need it for one service and am awaiting a reply from their support team.

In July, while renting the car, I apparently caused a minor scratch on the bumper, according to Turo, and was required to pay for the damage. To my surprise, today at 6:11 AM, I received a notification that a purchase had been approved on my American Express credit card. They also attempted to charge my debit card, but the transaction was declined. (I am working on a system that will block all transactions while I'm sleeping to alleviate anxiety my wife has about credit card spending).

So far, reaching out to Turo's support has been fruitless. For those of you who are also struggling with bad financial habits related to credit card use, be aware that even when you remove your credit cards from such services, the information might still be stored and could be used without your authorization.