Date: 09-26-2025
Amount: $66
Company: Budget Rent a Car
I was charged $66 to reserve and rent a car at the Bloomington Illinois Airport.
I was told all was confirmed.
At the airport I was told I could not rent with a Debit Card, that it had to be a credit card.
There was plenty of money in my bank account to cover the car replacement and not just their Deposit hold. Still needed a credit card.
All access to credit for me is Frozen due to identity theft issues stemming from AT&T data breach and a class action lawsuit of which I am a part. Damages to me are currently at about $7500.
The manager then told me he COULD rent to me using a debit card if I rented for more than one day.
I agreed although I felt I was being scammed, rules manipulated to get more money out of me.
Due to the data access freeze and that I could not lift the freeze so they could access my credit report they refused to rent, but charged my debit card $66 anyway.
Today I was told they would hold this $66 for 5-7 days. No reason given. This is the trend now. Holds are placed on debit cards at gas stations. Money is withdrawn from bank accounts when using debit cards at gas pumps. The companies then hold that money for arbitrary periods of time that they can inflate their companies values and/or invest it to make more money.
Budget is now doing this to me. I hope that this complaint adds to outrage forming against these policies. As consumers we have NO recourse but to lie down and take it. Bull. I want my $66 and ultimately more for stress and temporary theft whether that be for 1 day or 5 days or 7 days.
Recommendation: Try Enterprise or Hertz.