Hertz Cancellation Policy (Options, Fees & Beating the Policy)

Hertz is a popular car rental company that makes traveling much easier with a personal vehicle. They offer a variety of cars, at different price points, so you can have some independent mobility on a quick business trip or a vacation. However, plans can often change and you may need to cancel your car reservation. Hertz has a handful of different policies in relation to reservation cancellations and refunds.

Hertz allows for a complete refund if you cancel within 24-hours of booking your car rental. If you cancel after the 24-hour deadline, then you will get a refund minus a $50 cancellation fee. And if you cancel within 24 hours of your pick up time, then you will have to pay a fee equal to the daily rental price.

Beyond these basics, there are a few different cancellation fees and allowances with a Hertz car rental. If you are needing to cancel your reservation or simply like to know Hertz policies, this article is for you! Follow along to learn the most essential information for cancelling a reservation with Hertz.

What Is The Hertz Cancellation Policy?

The cancellation policy for Hertz is mainly dependent on the time you cancel your car reservation. The three different time frames are 24 hours after booking, 24 hours before pick up, and after your pickup time. These different times result in different cancellation fees for your booking.

Hertz allows those who cancel their reservations within 24 hours will not be charged any cancellation fee. If you need cancel your rental car booking within 24 hours, then your money will be fully refunded.

However, you will have to pay a penalty if they cancel your booking after this 24-hour deadline. This is a $50 fee regardless of the price of your total reservation.

There is a fee if you cancel your booking within 24 hours before your pickup time. If you cancel within the date of your pickup time, you must pay the rental price for the day.

If you do not officially cancel the booking or inform the company, then they will have to pay for the entire booking. The best way to get your refund is to inform the company as soon as possible.

Should you have the desire to cancel halfway through your rental, you will have pay for the full booking. Mainly if you had a prepaid the booking. Although it is not a full cancellation, it is good to keep in mind in case your trip is ends sooner than expected.

What Are The Hertz Cancellation Options?

There are not many cancellation options with Hertz rentals. The policy largely depends on when you make the cancellation in relation to you pick up time or booking time. There are several tiers of fees applied depending on when you cancel. So to clarify these details, follow along to understand when refunds and fees apply to cancellations!

Canceling 24 Hours Within Booking 

If you cancel your Hertz booking before 24 hours after your booking, then you can cancel the booking for no penalty. This is only if your pickup time has not occurred.

This is the mandated by the government in order to allow people to cancel without penalty. So if the booking is fraudulent or made by mistake, you can easily get your money back without issue.

This policy is specifically for those who cancel within the first 24 hours of booking the reservation. Even if you cancel 25 hours after booking, you will face a $50 cancellation fee.

The deadline is quite strict. If you have noticed a mistake on your card or reservation then check in with Hertz as soon as possible!

Canceling 24 Hours Before Pickup Time

The policy says that if you cancel your Hertz booking before 24 hours till the pickup time, you will have to pay a $50 cancellation fee. 

Let's say your reservation is a month away but you canceled the booking later than 24-hours after booking. Because it was after the deadline, you would still need to pay this $50 cancellation fee.

Another section of the policy is specific to those who cancel your Hertz booking within 24 hours before the pickup time. In this case you must to pay the day rate of the rental.

Let us say you had a rental scheduled for noon the tomorrow and you canceled at 9 PM tonight. You will need have to pay the day rate of the rental. Meaning if the daily rental rate is $90, you will be stuck with a $90 cancellation fee. However, if the daily rate is $50 or below, then this cancellation fee will still be $50. 

No-Show

A no-show happens when a customer does not arrive to pick up the car at the designated time. This is a serious situation, as Hertz loses money not being able to rent out the car you reserved. So you will find fees around $100 charged on top of your reservation. It can easily be avoided by calling or messaging Hertz to let them know about your situation.

If you end up not showing up to pick up your rental car, then you will need to pay the entire rental fee. So it is highly recommended that you simply call in to cancel your reservation. Even if you cancel only a few hours before your designated pick-up time, you will save yourself some trouble. It is the best way you avoid the extra high fees of a no-show. 

Does Hertz Charge A Cancellation Fee?

Hertz does charge a cancelation fee if you cancel after the 24-hour deadline. If you cancel within a day of making your reservation, and the pickup time has not passed, then there is no cancelation fee. However, if you cancel after that time period the fee can range from $50 to $200 dollars. The fee depends on how close to your pick up time you cancel.

If you make changes to your reservation after payment, you may be charged more for the rental. This is dependent on the alterations you make, but you should anticipate extra charges. If a prepaid reservation is cancelled more than 24 hours before the pickup time, a $100 cancellation fee will be assessed.

In addition to this policy, if the prepaid reservation is cancelled within 24 hours before the pickup time, a $200 fee will be assessed. Simply speaking, there are a variety of cancelation charges you could face with a Hertz rental. Since these fees can be pretty dependent on your specific situation. If you have specific questions, it is best to contact a Hertz representative to be sure of the policies that apply to your case!

What Is Hertz's Cancellation Policy for Pay Later?

Pay Later is a set up by Hertz that allows customers to make a reservation without paying or it till you pick up your car. It is a perfect option for those who are unsure about the certainty of your trip. Since you do not pay for your reservation up front there are a few different rules for canceling this kind of booking.

There are no cancellation fees for Pay Later bookings with Hertz. This means that you can make a car rental booking and never even show up and you should not be charged anything.

The typical cancelations do not apply to Pay Later rentals. It is likely that Hertz will not even ask for your credit card information, meaning you will not be charged extra.

So if you book a Pay Later Hertz car, there is no need to stress about any sort of cancelation fees. There will be no penalties if you cancel before or after your pickup time.

Since you do not give credit card information, you will not worry about fees being taken from your account. It is a great option if you happen upon a Pay Later deal and worry about needing to cancel your rental.

What Is The Hertz Refund Policy?

As per the Hertz general policy, the customers who have cancelled their rental service will get a refund. So even if you cancel after the 24 hour booking mark, you will still get a refund minus the cancelation fee!

However, there are a few stipulations to the refund policy that you should keep in mind. First off, the full refund for the bookings must be canceled two days before the scheduled pick-up. Once cancellation is confirmed, the refund will be processed automatically.

In few cases, an administration fee will be deducted from the refund amount. This is for specific situations, such as a global pandemic or a natural disaster. But for personal reasons you will likely not get a fee reduction.

Missing your flight or having a family emergency will not qualify for a fee reduction, so it is best to not anticipate this reduction for general cancelations. If you happen to be a no-show with your rental, the refund guidelines might vary.

You can expect a stiff fee but the amount is variable depending on the type of reservation you made. Fees can reach over $100 if you pre-paid for your rental, so be sure to let the company know about your cancelation. It is helpful to consult with a Hertz agent to understand the exact fees associated with your position.  

Before You Go

Hertz may seem to have a confusing and complicated cancellation setup. Here is a quick summary of the most important things to keep in mind! 

Number one is that if you cancel within 24 hours before your set pick up time, you will face higher cancelation fees than if you cancel earlier. You will face even higher fees if you do not arrive to pick up the car.

Number two is you will always get a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of booking your reservation! That way if your card is stolen or you messed up the dates you can quickly get your money back.

Finally, number three is to remember to contact Hertz if you are forced to cancel your reservation due to an extenuating circumstance. Such as if a hurricane or sudden travel restriction causes you to cancel. You could get a reduction in fees for your cancellation. But only if you communicate with a representative!