Expedia and SIXT: My Surprise Cancellation Fee

22 Dec 2024 • Savraj Singh

I recently tried to cancel a rental car reservation on Expedia—nearly two weeks before my trip—only to discover they’d keep $100 of the $207 I’d already paid. Turns out, SIXT has a policy allowing them to pocket $100 from any cancellation, and I find it incredibly frustrating—especially given that I’ve never encountered a non-full-refund policy for rental cars so far in advance. It feels like a complete trick.

As someone who’s been loyal to Expedia for almost 20 years, I’m left scratching my head: What’s the point of the Expedia brand if policies aren’t consistent across their platform? I understand that airline tickets might be non-refundable, but rental cars and hotels are almost always fully refundable—or, at the very least, come with a clear, flashing warning about partial refunds. I saw no such warning here.

When I reached out to Expedia’s customer support—via online chat and phone—I ended up waiting on hold while they “looked into it,” only to receive an email days later saying, essentially, “Sorry, we can’t do anything.” Not exactly the customer service response I was hoping for.

At this point, I’m considering disputing it on my credit card, though I’m not sure how successful that will be. Ultimately, it’s about transparency: if Expedia wants to maintain customer trust, they need to make these policies crystal-clear right from the get-go. After all, it’s not just about this one reservation—it’s about retaining loyalty and goodwill in the long run.