How SANI SIXT solves for payments challenges in the car rental space, with Stitch

The car rental industry faces some of the most complex requirements in the payments world. A single rental journey involves an online booking, a counter transaction, a pre-authorised hold (security deposit), potential incidental charges and finally a release of pre-authorised funds. 

Each step has its own timing requirements, its own risk profile and its own impact on customer experience. SANI SIXT, the largest independently owned car rental fleet in South Africa and part of the SIXT global mobility network, knew that the industry had accepted some significant friction in that flow for decades. They decided to fix it, and came to Stitch to help them do it.

An early result: we’ve brought release time on card pre-authorisations down from 30 days to same-day, meaning funds released from the pre-auth can be reflected in customer accounts as soon as requirements have been met, significantly improving the experience for customers and for SANI’s finance team.

What’s unique about the payments environment for car rental businesses

SANI SIXT has been operating since 1997. Over nearly three decades, the business has grown by combining the agility of an independently owned company with a focus on customer experience. Their customer base spans leisure travellers, tourists and corporate clients on monthly rentals, each with meaningfully different expectations around convenience, flexibility and transparency.

"While their requirements differ, all customers value convenience, reliability and transparency," says Bertus Floor, Group Digital Officer at SANI SIXT. "Understanding these different customer needs allows us to design experiences that are fit for purpose."

What all of those customers share is exposure to the pre-authorisation process.

Pre-authorisations are standard practice in car rental. When a customer collects a vehicle, the provider places a hold on their card to cover the rental period and any potential additional charges. Once the rental closes without incident, that hold should be released. However, the release process often runs across multiple systems, involves manual intervention and gives neither customers nor operators clear visibility into when funds will actually become available.

"Historically, the biggest pain point was managing pre-authorisations and, more importantly, releasing those funds once a rental was complete," says Floor. "The process of releasing those funds was often handled through multiple systems and could involve manual intervention, making it difficult for both customers and rental providers to track the status of the release."

SANI SIXT recognised that payment technology had advanced enough to change this. What was needed was a provider willing to engage with the problem collaboratively rather than simply handing over a standard integration.

Solving for car rental payments with Stitch

SANI SIXT wasn't looking for a payment processor in the conventional sense. "We weren't simply looking for a payment processor. We were looking for a technology partner that shared our commitment to innovation and customer experience," says Floor. "Our goal was to solve a long-standing industry challenge around delayed pre-authorisation releases, so we needed a provider willing to collaborate, innovate and build alongside us."

Stitch stood out for its modern infrastructure, technical depth and willingness to invest time in understanding the operational realities of the car rental environment and building a custom solution together. 

Working closely with the SANI SIXT team, Stitch helped automate and streamline the payment lifecycle across both online payments and in-person payments. The result is a consolidated, automated payments ecosystem that gives SANI SIXT greater visibility and control over every transaction in the rental journey.

The most significant outcome is in pre-authorisation handling. SANI SIXT can now trigger the release of a customer's authorised bank hold as soon as the rental is closed and all obligations have been met. "The rental provider can now ensure the release is actioned promptly once the rental is closed, improving visibility for customers and reducing uncertainty around the end-of-rental payment process," says Floor. The time it takes for funds to clear in the customer's account remains dependent on their bank, but the release is actioned at the earliest possible moment. For Floor, this is solving one of the biggest customer pain points, and is invaluable. 

Having a single payments partner across both online and in-person channels has also simplified reconciliation and reporting across the business. "Having a single payment partner across both channels provides a unified view of transactions throughout the business," says Floor. "Beyond simplifying reconciliation and reporting, it has improved efficiency by enabling all teams to work within a consolidated, automated payments ecosystem."

Consistency across a national footprint

For a business operating across major airports and branches throughout South Africa, payment consistency is imperative. "Consistency is critical because it supports standardised service delivery and helps ensure the same customer experience regardless of where customers rent," says Floor. "It also reduces training complexity, lowers the risk of errors and makes it easier to maintain compliance and internal controls."

In high-volume, time-sensitive environments like airport rental counters, payment systems need to perform without interruption under peak demand to avoid delays at collection and return. Reliability at that scale is what enables throughput. "For customers, consistency and reliability across locations means the experience is predictable regardless of where they interact with the service."

Looking ahead

South Africa's tourism sector is growing, and SANI SIXT is investing accordingly. "Growing aling efficiently as volumes increase.

For corporate clients, that means structured account-based processes with the reporting and flexibility their programmes require. For individual travellers, it means a transparent payment journey at every stage of the rental, and funds back in their account as soon as the car keys are handed in. "Stitch effectively bridged the gap we identified for leisure customers who need access to their pre-auth funds as soon as the tourism presents significant opportunities for the mobility sector and we see technology playing a major role in supporting that growth," says Floor. "Our objective is not to just scale and meet demand, but to serve travellers efficiently and remove friction points as we grow."

Fleet expansion, digital innovation and automation are all part of the strategy over the next five years. The work done with Stitch on pre-authorisation management fits squarely within that direction: removing friction not just for the sake of smoothing the current experience, but intentionally building a payments foundation capable of rental is completed," says Floor.

The collaboration between SANI SIXT and Stitch demonstrates what becomes possible when payment providers engage deeply with the operational realities of a client's business. Not every industry pain point is solved through a standard product, no matter how well-built. Especially for enterprise businesses, the solution requires building it together.

‍

FAQs

What is a pre-authorisation in car rental?‍

A pre-authorisation is a temporary hold placed on a customer's card at the start of a rental to cover potential charges during the hire period. Once the rental is completed and all obligations are met, the hold is released. The time it takes for the funds to become available in the customer's account can be as fast as same-day, but depends on the issuing bank.

How has SANI SIXT improved its pre-authorisation release process?

‍Working with Stitch, SANI SIXT has automated the release of pre-authorised holds so that the release is triggered as soon as the rental is closed and requirements are met, rather than relying on manual processes across multiple systems. This reduces the window of uncertainty for customers waiting on their funds.

Why did SANI SIXT choose Stitch as a payments partner?

‍SANI SIXT was looking for a technology partner willing to engage with a specific operational challenge rather than offering a generic product. Stitch's modern infrastructure, collaborative approach and willingness to co-develop a solution specific to the car rental environment distinguished them from other payment providers.

Does SANI SIXT use one payments provider for both online and in-person transactions?

‍Yes. Stitch handles both online payments and in-person payments for SANI SIXT across all locations. Having a single provider across both channels simplifies reconciliation, reduces reporting overhead and supports a consistent customer experience regardless of where or how a customer interacts with the service.

How does payment consistency benefit customers across SANI SIXT's national network?

‍Consistent payment infrastructure across all airports and branches means the customer experience is predictable regardless of location. It also reduces training complexity and the risk of errors, while enabling SANI SIXT's counter operations to perform reliably during periods of high demand.

‍