# Expedia and SIXT: My Surprise Cancellation Fee

By Savraj Singh · 2024-12-22 · https://www.savraj.co/2024/12/22/expedia-sixt-surprise.html

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.