Payless Car Rental Reviews

I booked my rental through American Express. At the counter, I clearly declined all optional insurance/coverage because I was using my American Express rental coverage. When I looked at my Amex Card. I noticed there was an additional $277.03 amount showing, after returning the vehicle. I specifically asked the agent BEFORE signing, I don't want the added insurance. The only charge at the time was the securtiy deposit. I was told it was just a refundable security deposit/hold and would be returned after the car was brought back.

Terrible car company to rent from. Stay away from them. They will Ram you with additional fees. Give you a car that has lights on the dashboard and they'll tell you it's fine to drive as well as other lights coming on and off. Something about driver assistance kept on popping up and you cannot turn off and driver window not operating and they ran you with additional cleaning fees. Pay more and save yourself a headache anywhere else but these guys.

Horrible car condition and customer service. Picked up the rental in Seattle and it was filthy. I called, wrote letters and sent pictures. No response from anyone. I even sent a letter to the CEO, Thierry Zephirin, and no response or even acknowledgement of the letter/pictures. It obviously is the culture that they do not give a crap about their products or service. Disgusting. DO not rent from this terrible company.

I usually use Enterprise but my Rapid Rewards card suggest better deal with Payless. WORSE MISTAKE. The $347 for 6 day unlimited mileage turned in $750 when I went to pick it up. Held $200 deposit even though I used charge to pay cost. Then a stranger and myself met in the lot ACROSS THE STREET renting the same vehicle. No staff appeared to help so I had to go back to building across the street to straighten out the mixup. At least that guy helped carry my luggage BACK to the double rented car. Which a staff magically appeared and had helped the stranger with the rental. The guy from the counter both asked him where was he before I walked back. Never again.

FYI beware if you Bundle Through Priceline a Rental Car Pre-paid From Payless Car Rentals ,They will Bill Youagain! And it is an act Of God to Reach Anyone At Payless Car Rental San Diego Airport. Please do Not Use Payless Car Rentals San Diego Airport. They're not Honest Company.

Please do not rent from these people!!! We paid for our rental online then were told they needed to authorize 250 on the credit card but will release when we bring back the car but instead charged an additional fee if 287 claiming insurance waiver and roadside which we never used or was disclosed about !!! You will be way out of pocket for more than you expect!!!

Avis/Priceline at New York JFK airport: March 15: 4 people behind the counter, 1 customer was being helped when I arrived to pick up my fully paid for non-refundable Payless reservation. When asked whether someone from Payless is available was advised by the representative helping the only customer that he would be helping me once he is finished. 10 min later once he finished he just walked out. 2 more people arrived in the meantime and we’re now being helped, while I was still waiting. When I asks again whether someone would be helping me they stated that if I waited on line I would’ve helped. When I objected stating that I have been waiting in line for the past 15 min, when there were no other customers they told me I was standing 3 feet off the proper spot.

We were quoted a price on a rental for a car at San Diego Airport via Orbitz. Upon arrival at the rental counter, we were told that "unlimited mileage" had restrictions to "local" travel only. So therefore were charged an additional $150 because we would be driving beyond the San Diego area! The car itself was a mess - it was dirty inside and out, with cigarette burns on the upholstery. It had multiple dings and scratches on the outside.

Please stay far away from this rental company I have requested a receipt for reimbursement ELEVEN times and I am still waiting despite them saying no problem we will send it. Horrible customer service, 3 different ways to get a receipt but none of them work. Just a horrible, all around inept company. I never write reviews but if I can save someone the aggravating experience of dealing with these people, I will.

I rented a car from them. After I returned the car they charged my credit card 2 times. I tried to resolve it with the manager, sent him email and left him messages but no respond. Finally I had to put a dispute on those charges.

This franchise location is a complete scam. After talking with Payless corporate, their insurance is optional. We have our normal Allstate coverage and purchased more travel insurance to be safe. After arriving, we were intentionally deceived by the sales rep stating they wouldn't accept either insurance coverage and then threatened us to be stuck there with no vehicle unless I purchased their insurance. I reluctantly agreed so my wife and I wouldn't be stranded. The sales rep again lied stating the lowest insurance costs us $151.99, which was 3x the original price we originally paid. I only learned of this scam after I got back stateside and had the ability to further investigate their claims.

Never use them. Cabo San Lucas Mexico airport. First they said they didn't have my reservation. I called US customer service, who confirmed the reservation, then refused to call the local office, and when I insisted hung up on me. Payless then tried to send me to Budget (owned by the same parent company) to rent MY RESERVED CAR for 4 times as much.

Absolutely awful. Charged $445.54 with them saying I returned the car 2 days late, when in fact I returned it a day early. Had to just through hoops, sending my hotel, airline and check bag fees. They kept hanging up me and saying they were getting disconnected? Then they when into a litany of off the wall questions that had nothing to do with the actual return of the car? I answered all of them and the they said they couldn't open the PDF files of the receipts I sent. The gas door wouldn't open on the car and I had to have a mechanic open if with an emergency release string located inside the car. Tried to tell the attendant when I checked in the car and they could have careless. So, some poor slob is going to through the same issues I had.

I recently had the worst experience I have ever had with a car rental company. We reserved a car for pickup at the Guadalajara Airport and paid for insurance through the app where the reservation was made. Upon arrival, we waited an hour and a half before an agent assisted us. When we explained that we had already purchased insurance, the agent insisted that Payless Rent a Car only accepts their own insurance and refused to honor the coverage we had paid for. This made no sense, as the reservation platform clearly offered that insurance option. Her response was “that is your problem not ours.”

Horrible. I just got charged $219.80 for going on multiple toll roads for a state that I didn't even go to. On the reports it states that I was driving different "class" vehicles every time. I am trying to fight it right now but they keep saying there is nothing they can do.

Oh my gosh. This is the absolutely worst car rental. 1 yes 1 person working and a line out the door at the Phoenix airport counter. Slow slow and I waited in like for 2 HOURS and no lines anywhere else, BUT they won't refund if you cancel. What a SCAM!!!! Don't go here, really.

I reserved a minivan 3 months ago for my family and I to travel to Hoosier National Forest. We were scheduled to pick the van up and the Indianapolis International Airport on 9.18 and 7 pm. Upon arriving, I was told by a gentleman at the desk that all of the cars had been recalled and they did not have a vehicle for me. He asked if I received a text, phone call, or email. I had not.

I scheduled a rental in Puerto Rico and paid insurance ahead through Expedia which they did not honor. Then I could not use my credit card, Apple Card, and tried my bank card, also declined, to pay for rental so had to cash app money to my daughter so she could rent it. Then they made it difficult to use own car insurance so you are forced to buy theirs! Also have not gotten back deposit they force upon you!!! Simply put, this company is a scam start to finish. Avoid at all costs!

Would never use this car rental company again. Picked up a rental at the Knoxville TN airport. The initial paperwork took a long time... problem with the computers. Agent said she was upgrading the rental because we were so patient. Handed the key to a new 2025 Volvo.. No instruction on the car features was offered. Car seemed fine until we were about 10 minutes from our destination... We drove from Knoxville to Pigeon Forge TN. Then the steering wheel started to make a grinding and moaning noise every time I turned the steering wheel.

I rented from Payless from August 11-18 of 2025. I had asked for a mid-sized car. What I got was barely a compact car with a stained interior and an engine notice that made one wonder. They said the Mitsubishi Mirage I received was a mid-sized car. Maybe for really tiny people! Driving down the highways and streets of San Diego we felt every bump and hole due to poor shocks and suspension. And the price was no savings. Don't be fooled by the quoted price. The end price will be at least 50% higher. How are they still in business?

I really hope this reaches someone who can implement this for training throughout your company. I came in to Houston for a family reunion. Not wanting to inconvenience my family due to them possibly being busy, I decided it would be best to rent a car. I was able to make a reservation for a car while exiting the airport, which I found to be very convenient. When I came out the terminal, the shuttle for the car rental place was already outside and ready to take me to the location.

Rented car. Came to get car. It is a Budget/Payless combined counter. There was someone helping fastbreak customers but no one else. Line pretty long as we wait for fastbreak customers to be helped first. After 10 min a second representative came to help.

I went thru Priceline to find a car to rent from the Oakland CA airport. I found a medium size suv for $23 dollars a day. I needed it for 7 days, unlimited miles so cool, I will book this deal. So I go online, book the reservation $156 for the week, go to pay in advance and when I got to check out it had gone up another $96 for all these little bulllshit things like tax and fees and dmv and a few more unheard of fees. So now the $156 one week rental fee has gone up to $252 before even seeing the car.

I had a terrible experience with Payless Car Rental In Albuquerque and would strongly advise others to avoid them at all costs. I was returning a rental to the airport and, due to a freeway accident, was running tight on time. I pulled up and asked the check-in staff how much it would cost for them to fill the gas tank. He told me he didn’t know and said I should go inside to ask.

Be mindful at the desk when picking up the car. I do not have much experience with car rentals and feel like I was taken advantage of. I was charged an extra 100$ that I was unaware of after I returned the car. I had to call and figure out what the charge was for, which was liability insurance. The way the salesman worded it, I was unaware that it was an extra charge. He never said the price. I assumed liability was included in the original agreement. Lesson learned for me.

I rental a prepaid car at Payless at the Kansas City Airport; when I picked up the car I was told I needed to pay a $250 refundable fee; however, they did not refund the entire amount. They kept $75.65 for no reason. They don't answer their phone and I cannot find any way to contact them.

These people are thieves and liars. Go somewhere else to rent your car. They charged me $300 a week for insurance telling me that my coverage didn't cover Puerto Rico. The next day my broker confirmed that it did and pointed it out in our contract. He told me all the brokers say that he was basically lying.

I am writing this review after a deeply frustrating and disappointing experience with Payless Car Rental. What was supposed to be a simple, supportive rental during an emotional trip to visit my uncle in hospice care turned into a stressful and costly ordeal.

Worst rental car company. Waited in line 2 plus hours even though reserved vehicle ahead of time. Returned vehicle is much better shape than we got it; 2 days later notified of $450 cleaning fee. Total rip off. Someone should investigate this company's fraudulent practices.

Horrible. I was quoted 270 and then they up charged me to $900. I asked to be taken back to the airport and the customer service didn’t even call me the shuttle bus. They claimed it was mandatory car insurance which is why the price jumped. Crazy.

Got a plane ticket to Sibiu Europe from Toronto via Priceline, and also reserved a rental car via Payless. Hello, The quick process of receiving the car in parking lot and signing a blank statement on the phone is to say the least not the way a rental agreement should be followed. We have rented this car in good faith from Payless and the car provided gave us headache the entire trip with messages that we have a flat tire. This car was to be serviced during our rental period, that will concludes that this car is not serviced properly, and was not safe to rent. We realized that this car had a flat on right front, and little to say that this is not the way a rental car should be provided to a customer. This is not the first time we have rented a car, but it is the first time when a car was returned, drove away by the renting company, and after an hour we are notified that a scratch happened.

Where do I start? Got a plane ticket to SJC via Southwest, and also reserved a rental car via Payless through the Southwest Portal (they have a business partnership between Southwest and Payless). Quoted price is $370 for a standard 'full size' car. 1. Got to desk and was offered a 2 person mini convertible. Ummm... No. 2. They "found" some other car, which they said was full size (did not mention model). 3. They then told me the price was $392. I said "No, you quoted $370" and that is what I am paying. After much back and forth with the rep, the manager came along and said very irritated to the rep "Just give her the quoted price--do a manual adjustment." So I got the $370 price printed on my rental agreement.

Horrible customer service! I left important keys on the rental car key ring I returned at Ontario Airport. I’ve been trying for two days to get ahold of someone to help me. Both telephone numbers for rental desk are disconnected. No one answers lost & found number. Customer service keeps transferring me to numbers that hang up after 10-20 minutes on hold. Supervisors won’t help! No way to file a complaint!

We rented a Mid-Size SUV through Southwest for April 3rd - 6th in San Diego. Upon arrival at the Payless Counter, the attendant offered us an upgrade for only an additional $10/day. Shame on me for not reading the details, but we were charged an additional $40/day, I guess I’m too trustful. When we went to receive the vehicle, it was not an upgrade. The attendant in the lot told us this was the vehicle he had cleaned for us earlier that morning. The counter attendant also continued to say, over 4 different times, "you wanted the insurance?", and "I have you down for the full coverage", I had to insist several times that we declined the insurance. The overall experience was very, very shady. To top it off, I had temporarily misplaced the rental keys at our resort, when I asked the concierge if anyone had turned them in, he asked which rental company.

4/22/25: We recently traveled to Colorado and were in need of a SUV to accommodate 2 adults and 2 children with enough room for luggage and ski equipment. When issued the SUV, we noticed NO floor mats throughout the entire vehicle. Well in Colorado, in March, the conditions for clean floors are not ideal. We left the facility and headed to Keystone CO. Three notable safety concerns were "over-looked" from Payless. 1) The hood was NOT latched and after noticing the hood flapping around on the highway, we needed to pull over to re-latch it. Definitely could have caused an accident. 2) The tires were grossly over-inflated to 47 psi (the normal was supposed to be 36), another serious problem while driving through the mountains! 3) There was very low coolant in the vehicle, and we needed to add more from our condo's maintenance supervisor. None of these concerns were address from Payless.

This company embodies a clown show and bad business practices. My wife had a confirmed reservation at CVG airport. She had to visit her brother who just passed away. After a 5-hour flight, arriving at night, this company tells her they don't have cars available. (And 10 other people in line with confirmed reservations.) Expedia should not work with these amateurs. The Sixth representative at the CVG airport told my wife he used to work for this company and it is a normal business practice at Payless. It should be PayNone - do not use.

I waited in line at the Payless desk in Phoenix for 3 1/2 hours with a toddler. I was told I was not able to cancel my reservation without forfeiting the entire cost. Since the wait was so ridiculous, the other customers and I took turns going to other car rental counters to compare prices and the costs were not that much lower. A few customers decided to rent with someone else anyway, and left the line which was the only fast movement we saw all day.

ZERO STARS. By far the worse customer service experience of my life! Flew into Phoenix approx. 8 pm with my 10 year old son. Only 1 employee working (slowly) and handed him printout of our reservation for a full size suv that we paid for. After 90 MINUTES of waiting, we got a small car. Called management after to get adjustment for the difference. He agreed to issue refund within 3 to 5 business days. 10 day later nothing. Reached back out and Payless offered half of what we agreed on. PAYLESS IS OWNED BY AVIS! WHAT A PATHETIC JOKE! Avis (with 4 employees working) is located right next to Payless!

PLEASE don't waste your money and time on renting a car from the Payless @ Denver Airport. We rented a Full Size SUV and paid over $1,000 for the week. When we got there, it looked like a junk yard but I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. There was only 1 cust svc rep available, so it took quite awhile to get checked in. The first vehicle we were given had a flat tire, and looked like it had been sideswiped. The windshield was also cracked.

Staff seems nice. Then they put the screws to your wallet. Every fee is higher than any other rental company. If you don’t buy their insurance they hold 2000$ on your card. If you don’t make your set time they charge 30$ day reset fee. Talk a lot of Spanish so don’t know what’s going on. In the end cancelled whole reservation and filing with Priceline about shady practices. Went to Hertz with no surprises and ended up near same price and no scare tactics. Oh yeah if you get toll charge they make up their own fines on your card. Or you can pay for their over inflated toll pass. Be smart and stay away or they will ruin your vacation!!