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About Payless Car Rental Reviews
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Payless Car Rental Reviews
ConsumerAffairs has collected 1,225 reviews and 1,904 ratings.
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Reviewed Sept. 26, 2023
Never rent a car for this people. Expedia book me with them, and they told me they didn't have my reservation but offer me a car for $200 more. The car was a disaster full of scratches and dents, it took me 15 minutes to write all of them, it smelled like has been used and left dirty for a while. The next day I tried to use the lighter plug to charge my phone, but the connection was empty, nothing inside. After two weeks received an extra charge for $44, I tried to call, no answer, left several messages, they never called me back. Finally, I found a email address, you need to sign to use it and email them, they never answer. I will never use them again, and I will never use Expedia since they recommended them.
Reviewed Sept. 26, 2023
I will never rent from Payless again. Horrible, old, dented car. When I returned it I was told I was the last renter and it was being sold. Wow. Hope they don’t have very high expectations. Absolutely horrible.
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Reviewed Sept. 26, 2023
Total scam. Doubled the price of my rental when I went to pick it up. Said it was california law that I had to have some very specific fringe insurance benefit. When I showed them a copy of my insurance, I was told that it did not qualify and there would be no choice but to pay for the extra insurance through them. Was also told that I would be put in a very fragile and small smartcar, not the car I rented, unless I paid for the upgrade. Started using manipulative tactics "Well obviously you care about your wife's safety and wouldn't want anything to happen to her, right? You'd better upgrade, it will just be $20 per day." After much back and forth, I got him to clarify that it was actually an additional $20 per day on top of my existing rental, not $20 per day as he originally explained. Also tried to get me to pay extra to fill up the car before renting it.
Note: it's not at all mandated by law that I purchase additional fringe insurance benefits that they, as the rental company, should have for their own fleet. I repeated many times that I want the quote that I had paid for online, with nothing extra. They told me again there was absolutely no possible way for me to get a car in the entire state without having pre-purchased that insurance on my own plan (well in advance), or by purchasing it through them on the spot. Explained I would pay this at every company I went to (a complete fabrication). Of course, you can't cancel your reservation on the spot and get a refund according to their policies.
Incredibly predatory -- website made absolutely no mention of this, and the online rental agreement made no mention either. We picked up the vehicle, which was not a smartcar at all. it was a roomy midsize vehicle in rough shape, absolutely reeking of fumes in the cabin to the point we felt sick within minutes and had to get a different car. After complaining to several people, the girl doing the inspection said "the front desk guys regularly lie about insurance to get higher commissions. Show XYZ your insurance and they'll remove it." Again, after much back and forth (everyone felt the need to explain to me what insurance is from a VERY elementary level) they were able to remove the charge and actually give me what I had paid for on their site. Whole thing took about 1hr15min to resolve. Never use this company.
Reviewed Sept. 23, 2023
If I could give a zero star review, I would. No shuttle came to pick us up after landing at 11:30 pm. Called customer service- recorded message: closed at 9 pm. WHAT? So we tried parent company Avis. That nightmare is on another review. Never use Payless unless you want to be stranded at DIA at midnight.
Reviewed Sept. 4, 2023
Payless at the San Diego Airport. I was held up at gunpoint by SDPD (had the police dog barking at me as I walked backwards towards the cops and then arrested due to Payless CALLING IN THE CAR STOLEN). I called and extended the rental and was paid up to date and they demanded the car back and called it in stolen. When I went to get my belongings from the car at the rental place the car was NOT how I left it. All my stuff was in a disarray. The Top Ramen soup I had in the car was opened and smashed and sprinkled all over the floor of the car. NOT AT ALL HOW I LEFT IT!!!
Reviewed Aug. 28, 2023
Did a rental to drive across country to drop my kid off and realized I am getting too old for this lengthy drive. I now have to drive back alone, I do not feel safe about it and asked if I could drop off in a location close by so I can fly home and not do this alone and frightened of passing out. They would double - triple the cost of my rental if I was to do this.
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2023
The customer service was excellent. He was nice happy spirit, professional. Cornell was helpful and he is a sweet person. Can't wait to rent a car again so I can see him and his handsome smile and beautiful, professional attitude.
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2023
Rented a vehicle through Payless at San Antonio Airport. After waiting 2 hours they initially brought me a 4 passenger car when my prepaid reservation was for 7 passenger vehicle. They were out of these, however they did have one that was just returned Denali if I wanted. Seeing no choice I took this vehicle with 1/4 tank of gas. Specifically told just return with the same amount. I returned with 1/2 tank and they still charged me 147.00 extra. I have gone through the customer services back and forth for over a month and they refuse to give me my money because they are not satisfied with my receipts. Why do I have to provide receipts for the inadequate process.
So basically this is what they do, a person returns a vehicle with 1/4 tank, they charge this person 10.00 a gallon to fill it up. But they don't fill it up, instead it is passed on to the next renter and process is the same. This is a SCAM and there should be laws against a company double charging for the same gas. The paper work I signed clearly said to return vehicle with the same amount of fuel as when I picked up. I'm so nice I went ahead and returned with a 1/2 tank gas. Lesson learned is Payless Rental Company are crooks and be nice gets you nowhere. Stay clear away from this company. They are CROOKS.
Reviewed July 30, 2023
Do not use this specific Payless at Chicago/Ohare!!! They failed to provide the toll box that we requested and will not give me credit. Also, they billed us for gas when we filled the car up before drop off. I provided proof from our credit card statement that we gassed up and they said they will only accept the receipt from the pump. They probably do not care, because they work on volume and also know that people do not have time in their busy day to babysit these people. We are seniors and I guess they like taking advantage of older people!!!
Reviewed July 27, 2023
My son and girlfriend rented a car and customer service took payment over the phone. When they went to pick the car up they refused to give them the car due to her being 24 but the representative who rented her the car stated she was good on using a debit card and not a major credit card because she had a flight number and round trip. The representative a Denver International Airport refused service and stated she didn't meet requirements. Basically the representative from Payless car rental who set the rental up was not knowledgeable and put them in a bad situation. There were language barriers that didn't help. I suggest stay away and stick with common preferred car rental companies. This gets 0 stars. They need to train better with customer service.
Payless Car Rental author review by Lauren Fix
As an Avis subsidiary, Payless Car Rental operates more than 120 retail locations under a combined corporate and franchise model.
One-way rentals: Travelers can expand their reach and make work travel more convenient by picking up a vehicle at one location and dropping it off at another. Renter also have a choice of 15 different vehicles including economy cars, minivans, SUVs and 12 passenger vans.
Loyalty program: The Perks Club provides a streamlined reservation and check-in process.
Last-minute pricing: When booking ahead, renters usually get the lowest pricing, but Payless Car Rental also accommodates last-minute bookings with specials based on the pickup location.
Discounts: Partner organizations get discounts, like the five percent discount offered to all AARP members. Save 10 percent on monthly rentals or when you book more than 30 days in advance. Sign up for the newsletter for additional discounts.
Early-pay discounts: When renters book at least one day in advance and pay at the time of booking, they can save up to 20 percent. Cancellation fees apply to this type of booking.

Lauren Fix, The Car Coach®, is a nationally recognized automotive expert, sector analyst, journalist, author, keynote speaker and television host. A trusted car expert, Lauren provides an insider’s perspective on a wide range of automotive topics and aspects, energy, industry, consumer news and safety issues. Her analysis is honest and straightforward. Lauren is the CEO of Automotive Aspects and the Editor-in-Chief of Car Coach Reports, a global automotive news outlet. She is an automotive contributor to national and local television news shows including Fox News, Fox Business, CNN International, The Weather Channel, Inside Edition, Local Now News, NewsMax, The Daily Flash show and more.
Payless Car Rental Company Information
- Company Name:
- Payless Car Rental
- Year Founded:
- 1971
- Address:
- P.O. Box 699000
- City:
- Tulsa
- State/Province:
- OK
- Postal Code:
- 74169-9000
- Website:
- www.paylesscar.com
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