A charge labeled “Hertz Rental Systems” on your credit or debit card statement is a billing entry from Hertz, the rental car company. It usually reflects one of three things: the final cost of a completed rental, a post-rental fee (tolls, fuel, damage, or a late return), or a pre-authorization hold placed on your card when you picked the car up. Because Hertz processes different charges at different times, the amount you see may not match the total you expected when you booked or returned the vehicle.
What the Charge Typically Covers
A single rental can generate several line items, and they don’t all post together. The base rate covers the daily, weekly, or monthly vehicle cost. On top of that, a receipt may include optional add-ons such as Loss Damage Waiver (LDW), Liability Insurance Supplement (LIS), Personal Accident Insurance (PAI), roadside assistance, fuel prepayment, and additional drivers.1Hertz. Fees and Surcharges It also includes recovery charges Hertz collects on behalf of airports and government entities: Airport Concession Fee Recovery (AFCR), Customer Facility Charges, Vehicle Licensing Cost Recovery (VLCR), energy surcharges, tourism fees, and applicable state and local taxes.2Hertz. What Are the Fees on My Receipt
Return-time fees are another common source of surprise. If a car comes back without a full tank and you didn’t prepay for fuel, Hertz applies a Fuel & Service fee, often at a rate well above local gas station prices.1Hertz. Fees and Surcharges For electric vehicles, an EV Service Charge applies if the battery isn’t returned within 5% of the original charge level.2Hertz. What Are the Fees on My Receipt Late returns trigger fees after 30 minutes past the agreed time, and returning a car to a different location incurs a drop fee.
Pre-Authorization Holds
At pickup, Hertz places an authorization hold on your payment card to cover the estimated rental plus a cushion for possible extras. For credit cards, the additional hold amount is up to $200. For debit cards, it’s up to $500.3Hertz. Terms and Conditions That amount is unavailable to you until the hold is released. Hertz processes the release within 72 hours of return, but your bank may take up to 10 business days after that to restore the funds.1Hertz. Fees and Surcharges The hold and the final charge sometimes appear on a statement at the same time before the hold drops off, which can look like a double charge.
Debit card renters face stricter requirements. Beyond the larger hold, Hertz may require a credit check, proof of return travel, and other documentation at certain locations, and debit cards are generally not accepted for premium or specialty vehicles.3Hertz. Terms and Conditions
Charges That Appear Days or Weeks After Return
Some Hertz charges don’t show up on the receipt you get at the counter. Toll billing runs through PlatePass, administered by Verra Mobility on Hertz’s behalf. PlatePass charges post as “Hertz Toll” followed by the rental agreement number, typically one to three weeks after the rental ends, and they do not appear on the standard Hertz receipt.4Hertz. Tolls and PlatePass5Courthouse News Service. Hertz’s $11M Settlement on Toll Fees Approved6California Senate Judiciary Committee. SB 1250 Analysis
Tesla Supercharger fees are another delayed post. Hertz’s terms note that Supercharger charges may be billed back after the rental concludes and may not appear on the final invoice due to processing delays.3Hertz. Terms and Conditions In 2024, multiple customers reported erroneous “Skip the Pump” gasoline charges applied to electric vehicles. One renter was billed $277.39; another received a bill for $690.32 on a rental prepaid at $329.83, including a $475.19 fuel charge and a $125.01 rebill for Supercharger usage.7New York Post. Car Rental Company Charging Customers for Tesla Refills Hertz called it a “systems error,” said it fixed the issue, and refunded affected customers.8The Drive. Hertz Charging a Tesla Renter for Gas Was Not an Isolated Incident
Damage charges from AI vehicle scanners are the newest category. Hertz has deployed UVeye scanners at major airports including Atlanta, Newark, Houston, Charlotte, Phoenix, and Tampa. The scanners take 360-degree images at pickup and return and automatically bill for damage exceeding a set threshold.9New York Post. NY Woman Refuses to Pay $440 to Hertz After AI Scanner Flags Scuff on Tire10Customer Experience Dive. Hertz Deployed AI Vehicle Scanner CX Meltdown11Fox 26 Houston. Rental Cars Using AI Damage — Hertz Billing The Hertz mobile app does not currently route damage disputes to a human agent, and email disputes can take up to 10 days for a response while early-payment discount offers on the damage invoices often expire within seven days.12MotorTrend. Hertz AI UVeye Scanner Digital Repair Estimate Technology
Rate Discrepancies
Sometimes the amount charged simply doesn’t match the reservation. In one case, a Hertz Gold member reserved a six-day rental at $265, and after a computer error and a one-day extension, the final bill came to $1,190. Agents attributed the difference to a computer glitch, and Hertz refunded $749 of the $750 overcharge after a consumer advocacy organization intervened. Pricing problems commonly surface when a contract is modified at the counter, since the new terms replace the original confirmed rate. Once you take the car and drive away, the signed contract is generally binding, which makes contesting the terms afterward difficult.13Consumer Rescue. How to Avoid and Fix a Hertz Mistake
A class action, Bradley v. The Hertz Corp., alleged that Hertz calculated energy surcharges using projected costs rather than actual costs and set vehicle licensing recovery fees higher than what it actually paid. A federal judge in Illinois dismissed the misleading-disclosure claims but allowed the miscalculation allegations to proceed.14Top Class Actions. Hertz Can’t Escape Car Rental Fees Class Action
How to Identify and Dispute the Charge
Start by identifying what the charge is for. Hertz receipts can be retrieved online. Toll charges are separate and can be looked up at platepass.com/receipt using the rental agreement number.4Hertz. Tolls and PlatePass Service charges and taxes are itemized under abbreviations like AFCR, VLCR, and F&S, each defined on Hertz’s support pages. If the charge is a pre-authorization hold rather than a final bill, wait through the 72-hour release window plus up to 10 business days for your bank before treating it as a completed charge.1Hertz. Fees and Surcharges
For billing disputes on past rentals, Hertz’s customer relations team can be reached by phone at 1-800-654-4173 (Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central) or by mail at Hertz Worldwide Customer Relations, P.O. Box 26120, Oklahoma City, OK 73126.15Hertz. Contact Customer Service Regarding a Previous Rental For PlatePass tolls, contact PlatePass customer service at 877-411-4300 or help@platepass.com.4Hertz. Tolls and PlatePass
If customer service doesn’t resolve the issue, consumer advocates recommend escalating in writing to executive-level contacts before filing a chargeback with your card issuer. Filing a chargeback carries risks. Hertz has been reported to ignore the dispute, send the balance to a collection agency (potentially affecting your credit), or add the customer to a “Do Not Rent” list.13Consumer Rescue. How to Avoid and Fix a Hertz Mistake Complaints can also go to your state attorney general or the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.16Federal Trade Commission. Renting a Car At least one customer resolved a disputed AI damage charge by filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.11Fox 26 Houston. Rental Cars Using AI Damage — Hertz Billing
One boundary worth knowing: the FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, finalized in December 2024 and effective May 2025, applies only to live-event ticketing and short-term lodging. It does not cover rental cars.17Federal Trade Commission. FTC Announces Bipartisan Rule Banning Junk Ticket, Hotel Fees If you’re expecting federal fee-transparency rules to help with a Hertz billing dispute, they don’t apply.