Last Updated on April 20, 2022 by Snezana Grcak
Aside from providing amazing transportation deals, Shuttle Fare offers helpful guides and reviews of online travel agencies. If you’ve been thinking about using Expedia to rent a car for your next trip, you’re in the right place! We’ll take you through the Expedia car rental procedure and provide helpful info regarding payments, cancellations, and customer support. You’ll also find the best alternatives to Expedia and be able to compare them and find the most suitable service.
What Is Expedia?
As a part of Expedia Group, Expedia.com aims to deliver the best travel experiences to people worldwide. Like Priceline, Expedia is a metasearch engine that helps travelers find affordable deals on flights, hotels, cruises, and rental cars. Keep reading to learn about the Expedia car rental feature and see our step-by-step booking instructions.
How Does Expedia Car Rental Work?
Expedia can help you filter through countless car rental possibilities thanks to a two-sided marketplace: for travelers and suppliers. The booking process is easy, and nearly anyone with a valid driver’s license can use it. If you’re younger than 25, check the terms and conditions before booking to ensure the company charges no additional young driver fees.
Take the following steps to rent a vehicle through Expedia:
- Access the Expedia Car Rental homepage.
- Enter pick-up/drop-off locations and times.
- Add a discount code if you have an Expedia car rental coupon.
- Click on Search and wait a couple of seconds to see the results.
- Use filters on the left side to single out the most suitable cars.
- Click on Reserve to book a car or see more information.
- Double-check all the details and read the rules and restrictions.
- Click on Reserve once again to reach checkout.
- Include Expedia car rental insurance coverage (this is optional).
- Enter personal and payment information to complete your booking.
After you submit the booking request, look for a confirmation email from Expedia; it includes all the necessary details.
Expedia’s Payment Options for Car Rentals
When it comes to payment, the online travel company provides two options:
- Reserve now, pay now: this option lets you pay for your rental at the time of booking using a credit or debit card. You can also apply Rewards points—click here to see how to use Expedia points for car rental.
- Reserve now, pay later: choose a vehicle with this option and book it without advanced payments. You’ll pay when you get to the rental car company to pick up the car, so don’t forget to bring a valid credit card in your name.
Look for additional info in your itinerary—read through the Rules and restrictions or Forms of payment.
Picking Up Your Rental Car
To facilitate the process of picking up the vehicle, make sure you do the following.
- Check your itinerary for the precise pick-up location, working hours, or additional arrival instructions.
- Bring your driver’s license, credit card in your name, and anything else the company may require—read it in your itinerary.
- Be punctual when picking up and dropping off the vehicle to avoid additional charges.
The rental car company will provide a vehicle of the same category and class as the one you booked, but the model may differ.
How To Cancel Expedia Car Rental Reservations
Since making changes to an existing reservation isn’t an option, the only thing you can do is cancel your booking and create a new one. Before you do that, read the rules and restrictions of your car rental suppliers to see if there are any cancellation fees. Then, take the following steps.
- If you have an Expedia account: go to My Trips, click on Cancel next to your booking, and follow the instructions to complete the cancellation.
- If you don’t have an account: Click here to find your itinerary without signing in, enter your email address and itinerary number, and follow the instructions to cancel the reservation.
Most pre-paid reservations are non-refundable; if your booking qualifies for a refund, make sure you cancel it at least 6 hours before pick-up to get your money back. It may take up to 24 hours for Expedia to process the refund, and then the bank will take care of the rest.
Contact Expedia Customer Support
Should you have any questions or issues, feel free to reach out to the Expedia customer service team. Call one of the Expedia car rental phone numbers:
- 1-866-310-5768;
- +1 404-728-8787 if calling from abroad.
You can also use the chatbox on their website or possibly find an answer to your question on the Customer Service Portal.
Bottom Line + The Best Alternatives
Expedia’s search engine saves a lot of your time and sometimes money, but don’t forget that Expedia isn’t your rental car supplier; it’s just an intermediary. Because of this, many users have had issues with cancellations and refunds.
If you’re not 100% sure about the date and time of your trip, choose a platform that allows reservation changes or at least free cancellations, such as the Virtuo Car Rental app. Alternatively, check out other substitutes for Expedia’s car rentals—our team looked into many similar platforms and created the below-listed reviews.
Searching for a good airport rental deal? Shuttle Fare is your go-to choice! Learn more about the discounts and find promo codes by clicking on any of the following links:
