Credit CardsArticles
How Does LendingTree Get Paid?
LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.

How Does LendingTree Get Paid?

LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.

What is the Grace Period for Returning a Rental Car?

Updated on:
Content was accurate at the time of publication.
Why use LendingTree? We are committed to providing accurate content that helps you make informed money decisions. The content on this page has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any credit card issuer. We do maintain partnerships with some issuers, and our site may be compensated through those partnerships. Read our

Editorial Guidelines

At LendingTree, we are committed to providing accurate and actionable content that helps you make informed decisions about your money. Our team of writers and editors follows these key guidelines:
  • We thoroughly fact-check and review all content for accuracy. We aim to make corrections on any errors as soon as we are aware of them.
  • Our partners do not commission or endorse our content.
  • Our partners do not pay us to feature any specific product in our content, but we do feature some products and offers from companies that provide compensation to LendingTree. This may impact how and where offers appear on the site (such as the order).
  • We review and interview both external and internal reputable sources for our content and disclose sourcing in our content.
.

Years ago when you rented a car, there was some grace. You’d get a full hour or two after your car was due before getting hit with another day’s worth of charges.

But that’s changed over the past several years, and rental car grace periods aren’t as generous as they used to be, with some companies offering none at all.

Still, some are more generous than others.

And most have two parts to their grace period: a first period with no charge at all, and a second period where you’ll be charged a discounted hourly rate before getting hit with the full day rate. That discounted rate varies depending on the terms of your particular contract.

It can get confusing quickly, so to help you get the most out of your rental, here’s a rundown of the grace period policies of each of the following major rental car companies (we’ve linked directly to the policies when available).

  • Free grace: 29 minutes
  • Discounted rate: 30 minutes to 2 hours
  • Full day: After 2 hours or more
  • Free grace: None
  • Discounted rate: Up to 2 hours
  • Full day applies: After 2 hours or more
  • Free grace: 29 minutes
  • Discounted rate: 30 minutes to 90 minutes late, rate varies
  • Full day applies:  After 90 minutes or more. After seven hours, an extra $20 late fee applies if you don’t call ahead.
  • Free grace: 30 minutes
  • Discounted rate: Generally up to 1 hour
  • Full day applies: Varies, but generally after 1 hour. Additional charges may apply.
  • Free grace: 29 minutes
  • Discounted rate: Up to 2 hours and 30 minutes
  • Full day applies: After 2 hours and 30 minutes or later
  • Free grace: 29 minutes (4 hours if you are a holder of The Platinum Card® from American Express using The Platinum Card® from American Express code for booking). Terms may apply.
  • Discounted rate: None
  • Full day: 30 minutes or later
  • Free grace: 29 minutes
  • Discounted rate: Up to 2 hours and 30 minutes
  • Full day applies: After 2 hours and 30 minutes or more
  • Free grace: 30 minutes
  • Discounted rate: Varies; full day charges may apply immediately after 30-minute grace period.
  • Full day applies: Varies, but generally after 30 minutes. Additional charges may apply.
  • Free grace: 59 minutes
  • Discounted rate: 60-119 minutes (25% of daily rate), 120-179 minutes (50%), 180-239 minutes (75%)
  • Full day applies: After 4 hours or more
  • Free grace: None
  • Discounted rate: None
  • Full day applies: Immediately after agreed-upon rental period ends

One more caveat

Even if you’re only charged a discounted rate of an extra hour or two, you’ll still be on the hook for a full day’s worth of taxes and fees. The government gets its full daily cut the second any rate is charged, no matter how few hours.

But knowing the rules above, you’ll be better prepared for your next rental.

  • The most generous option is to be a cardholder of The Platinum Card® from American Express and rent from Hertz with a full 4-hour grace period. Terms may apply.
  • After that, Silvercar is most generous (as it generally is for a lot of things, since it’s trying to entirely disrupt the car rental experience with reasonably priced Audi A4s for every rental), but you’ll mostly find them at certain airports.
  • And among the big chains you see just about everywhere you travel, the 2 hour and 30 minutes period offered by National and Enterprise before a full day rate applies is a friendlier policy than most.

Some no-frills companies like Dollar and Thrifty offer shorter periods before you’re charged for another full day, though you might still be able to avoid the counter through a rewards program, similar to what many of the big guys offer.

You can get better rates elsewhere by shopping around with sites like CarRentalSavers.comRentalcars.com or Costco Travel (if you’re a Costco member) and it’s rare the savings for the no-frills guys are substantial. AutoSlash is also a helpful site that will track your booking to see if the rate falls after you book, so you can change to a lower rate for free.

To see rates & fees for American Express cards mentioned on this page, visit the links provided below:

The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.