“Free cancellation” sounds straightforward until you actually want to cancel something. Anyone who’s tried to back out of a gym membership once the New Year’s resolution wears off can attest that the fine print matters.
For most travelers, the option to cancel a pre-booked rental car seems like a safety net. But car rental aggregator cancellation policies come with conditions that aren’t always obvious at the time of booking:
- Specific timelines for canceling
- Refunds issued as platform credits
- Requirements to cancel through the aggregator’s platform rather than directly with a rental car company
- Exceptions for last-minute bookings that may catch travelers off guard
EconomyBookings, like most aggregators, offers free cancellation on eligible bookings, but what that means in practice depends on timing, how you cancel and what you booked. Here’s how cancellations and refunds work at EconomyBookings and how it compares to two competitors in the space.
EconomyBookings Cancelation and Refund Policy: The Big Print
EconomyBookings offers a 100% refund for car rental bookings when you cancel 48 hours or more before your scheduled pickup. While you should always read the fine print on any rental car booking you make, here are some big-picture takeaways from the company’s cancellation policy:
- If you cancel too late, you may not get a refund. You won’t get a refund if you cancel your booking within 48 hours of scheduled pickup, and bookings made within 48 hours of a scheduled pickup aren’t eligible for free cancellation.
- You can add Last-Minute Cancellation coverage. EconomyBookings offers a paid upgrade that helps you protect your refund ability even within the 48-hour window.
- To get a refund, you must cancel through EconomyBookings. Canceling directly with the rental car company doesn’t trigger the refund process.
- Refunds are issued as a BookingCredit™ to an E-Wallet. You can use the funds in the E-Wallet to pay for future bookings. You can also follow the instructions sent to you in an email to withdraw funds back to your original method of payment, free of charge.
- You don’t get credit for unused rental days. If you book a car for seven days and return it after five, you don’t get a refund for those last two days.
How Does EconomyBookings Compare When It Comes to Cancellations and Refunds?
The 48-hour window from EconomyBookings’ policy is fairly standard. When you book through an aggregator, the platform confirms your reservation at a specific car rental location and the rental company reserves a vehicle from its inventory.
Undoing that reservation takes a little time, and if you cancel too close to your pickup window, the rental car company may not be able to rent it to someone else. Last-minute cancellations can reduce rental car companies’ revenue; they may also charge fees or refuse refunds.
Aggregator policies reflect these truths. Aggregators can’t promise you a refund that costs the rental car company money.
Beyond that, car rental aggregator cancellation and refund policies can vary. Here’s a look at how two competitors compare to EconomyBookings on this matter.
DiscoverCars
DiscoverCars also sets a 48-hour window for free cancellation and provides a full booking credit for eligible refunds. You can use the booking credit to pay for a rental or withdraw it to your original payment method.
Some major differences:
- DiscoverCars doesn’t offer an optional paid extension that lets you get a refund beyond the 48 hours.
- If you purchased optional additional rental car coverage when you booked, you can get a refund for that amount when you cancel 48 hours or less before the pickup window, though not if you cancel after the pickup window or are a no-show on the booking.
- DiscoverCars explicitly says flight cancellations and natural disasters aren’t covered reasons for missing a pickup, and you may not get a refund if you don’t show up during the pick-up window.
- In some cases, DiscoverCars may assist you in arranging an alternate rental if you’re unable to make your pickup window, though it retains the right to do so at its discretion.
VIPCars
VIPCars also offers a 100% refund if you cancel more than 48 hours before your pickup window. Its policy differs in a few important ways:
- If you cancel within the 48 hours, you’ll pay a fee of £30 or the equivalent.
- Customers who purchase cancellation protection can receive a full refund if they cancel more than 2 hours before the pickup window.
- Refunds are made directly to your original payment method rather than being processed through an E-Wallet or issued as a credit.
- Listings marked as non-refundable aren’t refundable regardless of when you cancel them.
Quick Comparison Table
| EconomyBookings | DiscoverCars | VIPCars | |
| Free cancellation window | 48 hours or more before pickup | 48 hours or more before pickup | 48 hours or more before pickup |
| Late cancellation fee | None | None | £30 or equivalent |
| Refund format | BookingCredit™ via E-Wallet with the option to withdraw | Booking credit with the option to withdraw | Direct refund |
| Extended cancellation add-on | Last Minute Cancellation coverage | No | Cancellation protection that reduces the window to two hours |
| No-show policy | No refund | No refund | No refund |
| Cancellations due to flight delays | Not covered | Explicitly excluded | Not covered; postponement may be possible |
Why You Might Have a Refund Option You Don’t Know About
When none of the aggregator platforms have refund policies that cover flight delays or natural disasters, your credit card might. Many travel credit cards include trip cancellation and interruption protection that can reimburse non-refundable travel expenses, including prepaid car rentals, when a covered event prevents you from making your trip.
Visa Infinite cards, for example, reimburse up to a certain amount for eligible non-refundable expenses when a trip is canceled or interrupted for covered reasons, such as illness, severe weather or a travel warning. The American Express Platinum card includes similar trip cancellation and interruption coverage.
Coverage terms vary significantly by card, so it’s worth checking your card’s benefits before you use it to book travel. Don’t just assume protection applies. If you have trip interruption or travel insurance, verify that prepaid car rentals qualify as a covered expense.