Thrifty Reviews 3,699

The Thrifty bandits at Malaga Airport added insurance (I had already taken out excess insurance prior to renting) and changed the fuel policy so I was hit with €250 extra costs when I returned home.
It appears this is common practice at Malaga.
I will never use Thrifty or Hertz again. I'm having to refer my complaint to the European Car Rental Conciliation Service.

I’ve been coming to Florida for over 40 years and renting cars from various companies but I’ve never ever experienced as negative incident as yesterday at Orlando airport thrifty car rental the wait time was almost as long as my flight the car I reserved at at TOTAL PRICE of $330 was at the counter now $740!the upsell of insurance was criminal as a customer I’ve almost allways used my credit cards benefit of transferring my auto insurance to cover the rental the crook at the counter told in no uncertain terms that the company doesn’t except that and many other hidden charges I will never again use this company or any affiliates such as dollar rental and would dissuade anyone else from even stepping into their premises to add insult to injury the agent to assuage my frustration he upgraded me to a minivan and when I finally got to the assigned vehicle with my exhausted family another family was packing their luggage into our assigned vehicle!!! The attendant who helped us stated that this happens frequently!!

I have returned the car in Thrifty Malaga, I was told everything was ok, all the depozit money has been returned, but the following day my credit card has been charged EUR 444 with no reason, nor explanation. The phone cals to numbers listed are not answered.

Mid December 2025 I ordered a car online - I had included the all incl. insurance with an external company in Switzerland. At arrival in Valencia airport there was a huge queue which meant an hour's wait for a prebooked car !- this mainly because the Thrifty employees wanted to convince all customers to book the extra insurance with them - the previous customer said no, but the Thrifty employee was quite persistent so that the previous customer eventually gave in in order to get out of the shop. Then it was finally my turn and I said that I did not need any extras at all, that I have an all incl. insurance for all eventualities and that I was happy to pay them the extra 1500 Euros upfront. In the end he saw I wasnt budging and he then gave me the contract and said sign here, and when I asked him what these extra costings of 25.75 were- the guy answered it was for the petrol costs should I not bring it back in full. I would get the money back once returned with a full tank- when home I was charged those 25.75Euros and said it was for the sat nav which I did not need or want...I wrote to Thrifty headquarters twice and twice to the office, but they just said i signed and therefore they ignored that they charged me for something I neither needed or under false pretenses. So careful if you book with them, dont sign any extras because they will never give you your money back...

Thrifty Coventry branch Maz has been excellent

We recently rented a car at Dollar Thrifty in Sint Maarten, and our experience was professional and friendly right from the time of pick up to the time of delivery a week later. I want to thank Dariah and Leo for taking good care of us. They served us an hour before they had actually opened the doors to the public, and took us to the airport right after, thanks again.

This occurred at Corpus Christi Airport. We tried to check in at 10:15 for a 10:30 reservation but was told car was not ready and she didnt know when car would be ready and that It might be an hour or more. She was very willing to upgrade us to a SUV for $18 more per day. She was rude and said a reservation only means we will have a car but doesn’t know when. She said there were 3 or 4 more people waiting on a car. The place was virtually empty so I don't think so. She also said that I could not be with my husband when he checked in. There were no other people in line or standing around. We have rented many cars but have never had a bad experience until this time. What is a reservation and what is this about a wife could not be with husband while checking in?????

EDIT: after contacting the customer care department they at first refused to refund the Toll fees due to me signing the contract. However, I wrote again asking them to reconsider and have now had a refund and compensation. I take my words back if only for the customer team member, Rose M who initiated the refund.

BEWARE: pressure sales and overpricing for Tolls.
My experience with this company-

I am writing to formally raise a complaint regarding my recent car rental experience with Thrifty, booked through Carflexi.com.

My booking clearly stated a total charge of USD 937.98, payable at the rental desk, and included full insurance with zero excess, zero deductible, and no deposit/bond required.

Upon arrival, I waited at the Thrifty desk but was directed to the Hertz desk, where I was assisted by a representative. At no point was I informed that Hertz and Thrifty operate under the same company, which I believe would have been appropriate and professional to disclose.

When I presented my documents and prepared to make payment, I was unexpectedly informed that a refundable deposit was required, directly contradicting the terms stated on my Carflexi voucher.

Despite my clear explanation that I already had full insurance coverage and did not require additional protection, the representative repeatedly attempted to sell me further insurance products. I declined these offers.

I was then persuaded to accept a full-to-empty fuel option, which I would not normally choose. I was unfamiliar with fuel prices in the U.S. and the location of nearby fuel stations, and I relied on the representative’s assurance that this was a “very good deal.”
This of course was my choice, and I have found fuel is very cheap in the US.

Additionally, I was sold a breakdown cover, despite initially declining it. The representative used what I view as fear-based tactics relating to potential breakdowns, flat tyres and costs, which ultimately pressured me into accepting coverage I did not fully understand or believe was necessary.
Thankfully, I had no run-ins with deers, or road accidents.

The most significant issue, however, relates to the toll pass. I was informed that toll roads could not be paid by cash or card and that a toll pass was therefore mandatory. Based on my previous visits to the U.S., I believed this to be an EZ Pass and understood that I would only be charged for actual toll usage.

At no point was I informed that I would be charged USD 20.99 per day, nor that the total charge would amount to USD 419.80. I made it clear that I would only be driving within Maryland, with possibly limited trips to Washington, D.C.

I crossed the Bay Bridge fewer than ten times during the entire rental period. The toll for this crossing is USD 6, meaning my actual toll usage should have been approximately USD 60–70. I reasonably assumed that any unused balance would be refunded. This did not occur.

I feel misled and taken advantage of. Charging USD 419.80 for toll usage when the actual cost was a fraction of this amount is entirely unreasonable. The representative did not explain the pricing structure and applied undue pressure, leaving me with no opportunity to make an informed decision.

As a result, my total charges amounted to USD 1,858.28, nearly double the amount I had carefully budgeted (USD 940). I have rented vehicles many times in the past and have never experienced such sales tactics or lack of transparency.

There is no contactable email address/ customer service.
The webpage contact form is USA only and does not allow you to add your information for a different country.
You can not reply to any emails from Thrifty. Making them uncontactable.
Hertz contact /customer service page is unavailable.
So, you can not bring anything to their attention.

I talked to three different Thrifty employees, two before the rental began, about my need for an all wheel drive car. On each occasion I was assured that an all wheel drive car was reserved for me. During the rental, I got into an area where it was apparent that I was not driving an all wheel drive car. I checked the vin number and verified that it was not all wheel drive. I complained to the agent upon return who made a bunch of notes and stated that they'd look into it and get back to me. To date I haven't received a call back.

When picking up the car, the agent sneaked in an insurence without asking us. It is our own mistake that we signed the contract without checking.
But when the credit card bill arrived, we learned that they charged us an additional day, stating that we returned the car too late.
This is not true, and we sent them proof: Debit card bills showing when we fueled up at the gaz station, then (after flight check-in and security) airport shopping and terminal restaurant. According to Thrifty, we returned the car AFTER eating in the terminal... - funny.
Now they write that they need the flight boarding pass, which of course we do not have anymore, two month later! And why should we? Last time, we took a bus to the city for a further stay of 3 days... - nobody is required to provide a boarding pass, which doesn't proof anything. They just never commented on the impossibility of the check-out time compared to our shopping and restaurant receipts.
Thrifty - never again.

I’m really impressed with Thrifty’s customer service. It was my first time renting a vehicle, so I didn't know all the rules. When I was informed that additional insurance had been added to my rental despite knowing my decision to decline it, I reached out to their support team. They responded promptly and refunded the charge without any issues. Mistakes can happen, but the way they handled it was excellent. I’d definitely rent with them again.

Car was fine, customer service was appalling. We were charged £2,500(!) for a 5 day car hire in the USA. Their staff at Los Angeles put our bank card through four times and they never recognised the deposit we had paid through Expedia travel. The onus was placed upon us to prove it was their fault. This took time, lots of phone calls and the excess payment caused lots of distress. They did provide the accidental overpayments back but never recognised the additional costs we had incurred to correct their errors or our deposit. Be very careful with this company. They may be cheap but their customer service is terrible. We will never use them again.

After landing at LAX and getting the shuttle (with a very tired two year old), I was told that the wait would be over three hours for any car? Barely an apology, lots of upset customers. I cancelled on the spot.

We booked a car at Malaga airport through Holiday Autos. On arrival I informed them I did not require any insurance other than what I got through the booking. No problem they told me. On getting home I’ve noticed a £268 insurance charge. I’ll fight it but pretty sure I’m fighting a losing battle. Last time i will use thrifty. These guys need regulated

Despite the fact that I repeatedly stated that I did not need insurance, they still charged me for it. The communication afterwards was very difficult. Unreliable company. Not recommended.

I booked a rental car through what I thought was the actual business but they claim I went through a third party. When I arrived at the pick up the agency refused to rent to me. It's been a month and all I get is the run around. All I want is my money back.

I had a confirmed reservation for 12:30 PM on 1/9 and arrived early at 12:15 PM. Upon arrival, the Thrifty counter was completely unattended. I was informed by an Avis agent that the Thrifty clerk had left for his lunch break at 12:15, despite knowing there was a scheduled pickup at 12:30.
I asked the Avis agent to contact the Thrifty clerk since they share contact information. When she reached him, I was told that I would have to wait until he returned from his break. This is unacceptable for a rental operation with active reservations.
I then contacted Thrifty Customer Service, explained the situation in detail, and was told they could not assist because there was no physical employee at the counter. That response alone speaks volumes about the lack of accountability.
When the clerk finally returned over an hour later, I calmly questioned him about leaving during scheduled reservations. He became defensive, unprofessional, and ultimately refused to provide me service.
I rent vehicles from PSE frequently, and this is the first time I’ve ever experienced such poor service. This location is clearly unsupervised, and it shows. When I asked for a supervisor’s name, I was told to contact corporate instead.
This experience was disrespectful of my time and completely unprofessional. I will not rent from Thrifty again when traveling to Puerto Rico. Management seriously needs to address supervision and customer service at this location.

Purchased a thrifty rental through booking.com for 42days. 31 days into my rental they charged me another $700+ because they had to open a second rental agreement as 31 days is maximum, however it does not mention anything about that in the rental agreement. I tried contacting them several times for a detailed invoice & a copy of the rental agreement which fell on deaf ears as I got no reply from them. When I reached out to booking.com they read through the rental agreement themselves and confirmed no such thing was in the TERMS & CONDITIONS however could not do anything about it as thrifty would not reply or give me the correct information I needed. Please avoid thrifty as there shady business & communication are terrible.

Reserved a car, but reservation was cancelled without notice. No cars were available upon arrival. Left stranded.

Was charged for premium roadside and location service that I didn’t agree to. I said no to any extras. They refuse to give me a refund so I will definitely not be using them again.