Lindsey Desmet
Your eligibility for a car rental refund will depend on what type of refund you’re seeking and the details of your rental transaction.
Deposits and prepaid vehicle reservations are usually refundable as long as you meet the rental company’s conditions.
You must not owe any damage charges or other fees to receive a deposit refund, and you must provide notice of your cancellation to receive a prepaid reservation refund.
No-show cancellations typically forfeit the entire prepaid rental cost.
Additionally, early vehicle returns don’t often qualify for partial refunds or credits for unused days.
Below, we provide more details about each rental agency’s refund policy.
Refund Policies by Rental Company
Below, we list the refund policies of each major U.S. rental company.
We gathered this information by viewing policy documentation online and contacting customer service representatives for each agency to confirm the details.
Note that these policies only apply when you book directly with the rental agency. Third-party booking sites like Expedia and Booking.com may restrict refunds, deduct additional fees, or have different processing times.
ACE Rent a Car
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[1]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes, as long as you cancel at least one hour in advance. You’ll receive a 50% refund if you cancel between one and 24 hours prior to the start of your reservation, and a full refund if you cancel further in advance.[2]
- Offers early return refunds? No[2]
- Refund processing time: Up to five business days for cancellations and seven to 10 business days for deposits[1][2]
Alamo Rent a Car
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes. You’ll receive a refund for the difference between the total hold amount and your final rental charges.[3][4]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes. For prepaid reservations, there’s a $50 cancellation fee if you cancel more than 24 hours before the pick-up time and a $100 fee if you no-show or cancel within 24 hours of the pick-up time.[5][3]
- Offers early return refunds? Varies depending on your rental agreement[6]
- Refund processing time: Three to five business days[3][4]
Avis Rent a Car
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[7]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes. Prepaid reservations will incur a $50 processing fee if you cancel at least 24 hours before your pick-up time and a $150 fee if you cancel within 24 hours of the rental period. No-shows will incur a fee of up to one full day’s rental cost, plus taxes and surcharges.[7]
- Offers early return refunds? No. Avis will also adjust your rate based on the shorter rental period, so your overall rental costs may be higher than originally estimated.[8][9]
- Refund processing time: About seven business days for cancellations and up to two weeks for deposits[7]
Budget
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[10]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes. For prepaid rentals, there is a $50 processing fee if you cancel at least 24 hours prior to the pick-up time and a $150 fee if you cancel within 24 hours of the pick-up time.[11]
- Offers early return refunds? No. Your daily rate will likely increase by returning the vehicle early, meaning you may owe more than your original rental fees.[12][13]
- Refund processing time: Within about seven business days for cancellations and two weeks for deposits[10][11]
Dollar Car Rental
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[14]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes. Cancellation for prepaid reservations is free if you cancel within 24 hours of booking; otherwise, there is a $200 fee within 24 hours of the reservation time and a $100 fee if you cancel more than 24 hours before the reservation time.[15][14]
- Offers early return refunds? No. If you didn’t prepay, you’ll only pay for the days you use, but note that there’s also a $25 fee if you return the vehicle more than 24 hours early.[16][15]
- Refund processing time: Seven to 10 business days for deposits; cancellation refund times will vary depending on your bank.[14]
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes, as long as there are no unplanned charges that the deposit must cover[17]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes. Prepaid reservations will incur a $50 fee if you cancel more than 24 hours before your pick-up time and a $100 fee if you cancel within 24 hours of the pick-up time. Enterprise will deduct this fee from your refund.[18]
- Offers early return refunds? No. However, if you didn’t prepay, you’ll only pay for the days you used.[19]
- Refund processing time: Immediate for credit cards, five to 10 business days for debit cards, and up to 20 business days for cash, check, or money order payments[17]
Fox Rent A Car
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes, as long as there are unused funds available[20]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Varies; FOXpress and Fox Pay Now reservations aren’t eligible for refunds unless you purchased travel insurance.[20]
- Offers early return refunds? No. There is also a $20 per day early return fee.[20]
- Refund processing time: Two to five business days for credit or debit card payments and up to two weeks (by mailed check) for cash deposits[20]
Getaround
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[21]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes. There are no cancellation fees if you cancel within one hour of booking or give at least 24-hour notice before the beginning of the rental. Cancellations within 24 hours of the start of the trip will incur a fee of 50% of the trip rate.[22]
- Offers early return refunds? No[23]
- Refund processing time: Getaround will issue your refund within three to seven days, but it may take your financial institution an additional five to 10 days to process the refund.[21][22]
Hertz
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[24]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes, as long as you cancel rather than no-show; no-show renters will forfeit the entire prepaid rental cost. Regular cancellations will receive a full refund minus a $100 fee if you cancel more than 24 hours before the reservation starts (or $200 if you cancel within 24 hours of the pick-up time).[25]
- Offers early return refunds? No[26]
- Refund processing time: Usually within seven to 10 business days[24]
National Car Rental
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[27][28]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Ye. You’ll receive a refund for the amount you pre-paid, minus any applicable cancellation fees (usually $50 to $100).[27][28]
- Offers early return refunds? No[28]
- Refund processing time: Usually within two to five business days[28]
Payless Car Rental
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[29][30]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes; however, if you cancel within 48 hours of the pick-up time, you’ll forfeit the entire amount you prepaid. If you cancel further in advance, you’ll receive your refund minus a $50 cancellation fee.[30]
- Offers early return refunds? No[30]
- Refund processing time: Up to 14 days[29][30]
SIXT
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[31][32]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes, unless you no-show.[33] Prepaid bookings will incur fees of $100 if you cancel at least 24 hours in advance (or $200 if you cancel within 24 hours of the pick-up time). SIXT will deduct the fee from your refund. There are no cancellation fees for “pay later” reservations.[34]
- Offers early return refunds? Not for prepaid bookings;[33] if you didn’t prepay, you won’t pay for your unused days but may pay a $10 early return fee.[33][35]
- Refund processing time: Up to 10 business days for credit cards and 15 business days for debit cards[31][32]
Thrifty Car Rental
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[36]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes. You’ll receive a refund for the amount you paid minus any applicable cancellation fees as long as you submit a cancellation request. No-shows will not receive refunds. Cancellation fees apply to prepaid reservations and are $50 if you cancel more than 24 hours in advance or $100 if you cancel within 24 hours of the pick-up time.[36]
- Offers early return refunds? Yes. You’ll only pay for the days you use; however, if you didn’t prepay and return the vehicle more than 24 hours before your set return time, there is a $25 early return fee.[37][36]
- Refund processing time: Up to 10 business days[36]
Turo
- Offers deposit refunds? Yes[38]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes. Cancellations are fee-free within one hour after booking or over 24 hours before the start of the trip. Otherwise, the fees are a half-day to full-day average trip price plus half of any applicable delivery fees.[39]
- Offers early return refunds? Only if you submit a trip modification request through Turo’s website or app and the host accepts it[39]
- Refund processing time: Up to 30 days, depending on your financial institution[38][40]
Zipcar
- Offers deposit refunds? Not applicable; Zipcar doesn’t require a deposit.[41]
- Offers cancellation refunds? Yes, but only if you cancel under the following conditions:
- Within 30 minutes of booking a trip
- Up to three hours before the start time for trips shorter than 8 hours in length
- At least 24 hours before the start time for trips longer than 8 hours[42]
- Offers early return refunds? No, you won’t receive a refund or credit for any unused time.[42][43]
- Refund processing time: Varies depending on your financial institution; may be up to 14 days[41]
William Lipovsky
