Glenn Roberts gets a surprise charge from National two months after he returns his car. What is it for? Can he dispute the charge and get a refund?
Question
I need your help with disputing a car rental charge from National. I recently rented a car in Austin through for 40 days. Since it was for a long period, National split it into two reservations.
National charged me correctly for these — $1,212 and $423 — and I returned the car without incident.
Two months later, the company charged me another $1,357. I contacted Enterprise, which owns National, and it agrees that I was overcharged. But the local branch in Austin has been completely unresponsive and unhelpful in resolving this.
I have been an executive member for over 10 years and never had this happen. Please help me get a refund. — Glenn Roberts, Copperas Cove, Texas
Answer
National shouldn’t have charged your credit card two months after you returned your car. Instead, it should have contacted you to let you know you had an outstanding balance and asked for your permission to charge your credit card.
You are correct to dispute this charge from National.
Can a car rental company charge you after returning the car?
Yes, car rental companies can charge you after returning the vehicle, but only if you authorized the card for incidental expenses. It’s considered a best practice to notify you of the charge beforehand, but it is not always required by law.
These types of late charges are fairly common in the travel industry. Credit card companies allow them, as long as you’ve given the business your credit card number and authorized it to make a charge. The most common late charges involve incidental expenses at hotels discovered after you check out, like a minibar charge or a broken TV. (Related: They canceled my reservation. Can I get a refund for this Priceline car rental?)
But car rental companies also do it often — and in your case, they did.
If you receive a surprise fee weeks later, dispute it immediately by contacting customer service and requesting documentation.
How long can a car rental company charge you after return?
Normally, a car rental company will send you a bill 30 to 60 days after you return the vehicle. If it waits any longer than that, you have a good reason to question the invoice. The company might be billing you for the wrong car. It happens with some frequency.
How to avoid having to dispute a car rental charge with National
Car rental reservations don’t always go as planned. Here are the types of surprises you might encounter — and what you can do to fix them.
Paperwork irregularities on your car rental
If you’re renting a car for a long period, the company might split your reservation into two separate bookings, especially if your rental exceeds the typical 30-day limit. The system might treat the two reservations as if they were separate rentals, leading to unexpected price changes or additional charges. This is particularly problematic if you’re dropping off the car in a different place. Our advocacy team has seen wildly inflated bills. If you see two reservations or if you’re returning your vehicle to a different place, address this before your pick up your vehicle.
Hidden car rental fees
Watch out for hidden fees that can show up after you’ve returned the car. Some companies charge for things like fuel, additional insurance, or even cleaning fees, without clear notification at the time of booking. Always review the rental agreement carefully for terms related to these charges, and take photos of the car when you return it to document its condition. If you receive a surprise charge on your credit card, check for details in your rental history or receipt. Often, these fees will show up as “incidental” charges after you return the car. (Related: This is how to fight an unfair car rental damage charge — and win.)
Delayed car rental charges
It’s not uncommon for car rental companies to charge your card weeks after the rental is completed. This usually happens when the company discovers additional charges or errors (like a discrepancy in the rental rate or damages). Ideally, they should notify you before processing any charge. If you receive a charge out of the blue, immediately contact customer service with a detailed history of your rental, and ask for a breakdown of the charges.
Remember, if you notice a billing error or unexpected fee, start by contacting the rental company’s customer service team. Keep all communication in writing to create a paper trail. If the local branch is unresponsive, escalate the issue to corporate or customer service through the company’s main website or social media channels. (Here’s our best car rental guide.)
Persistence is key. If you’re not getting anywhere, ask our advocacy team for help.
How to fix this problem with a charge from National
You did an excellent job of keeping a paper trail of the correspondence between you and National. It’s always tempting to call the company to get things sorted out. But then, there’s no evidence that you tried to resolve this, or even that the company was trying to help. And that can really complicate things.
In your situation, you had written evidence from Enterprise that the Austin location had charged you an incorrect rate. But Enterprise deferred to the location to resolve the billing error, and it appears that after several attempts, the Austin location refunded you a little more than half the amount.
I recommend applying gentle but steady pressure on the company to get this charge from National resolved. A brief, polite email to one of the National customer service executives I list on this site, might have given them the nudge they needed.
Could you have prevented this from happening? No, but National could have. It split the reservation into two, apparently because the system doesn’t accept reservations longer than 30 days on its site.
If I were a bettin’ man, I’d say that National had a system that then reconnected both of your reservations and then recalculated your rate as if you’d made two separate reservations. So the extra charge might have been a price differential. But that’s my assumption, based on my conversations with National and you, in addition to your paper trail. (Airlines do this kind of thing routinely when customers book “illegal” itineraries called hidden city tickets — but that’s a story for another time.)
Next time, maybe insist on having just one reservation. That keeps things simple and avoids a possible extra charge.
I contacted Enterprise on your behalf. The company reviewed your file and refunded the balance of your $1,357.
Loading ...About this story
This article was written by Christopher Elliott, edited by Andy Smith and his team, illustrated by Dustin Elliott and produced by Avinash Srivastava with help from Mel Smith and our fearless advocacy team. We’re getting to the point in our advocacy practice where we think we’ve seen it all. But then a case surprises us. This is one of them. Our team is happy we could help Roberts and hope National has fixed whatever glitch caused this billing problem. And by the way, if this ever happens to you, please let us know and we’ll do our best to help. Here’s how to reach us.
But enough about us. What did you make of this case? Our comments are open, and please don’t forget to take today’s poll.
