DO NOT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE. first of all, I waited in line for over an hour just to be told that the person wasn't trained on the program to give out the vehicle then I waited another 30 minutes for the guy to show up and give me a vehicle. After that, I was given a vehicle that was completely opposite of what I was told I was getting. When I picked up the vehicle, I drove it to my location and left it parked, for 5 days, where it stayed in a parking garage until I drove it back the day I flew back home. 2 weeks later I receive a letter in the mail that they were charging me 125 dollar cleaning fee?! For what?! I didn't even use the vehicle except to go from point a to b. What did they possible have to clean. If I could give 0 stars, I would. AVOID read more

We rented a vehicle with them last month for our son's BMT graduation. After traveling, picking up the car seemed relatively seamless though there was not really much personal interaction with staff while inspecting vehicle. We took pictures of existing vehicle damage though. There was a noticeable dog smell present in the car, how do you take pictures of a scent? While purchasing food items for our stay, we bought some car air fresheners to try to help but the scent was noticeable every time we got in the vehicle. Now over 2 weeks later they are charging us almost 500 for biohazzard. We flew in, we did not have a dog with us at any time. I will definitely never rent from them again and will actively try to dissuade families coming for BMT to avoid dealing with this car rental company. read more

After the debacle that was renting a car (read: 2.5 hours in the rental line because they decided to close their counter and send everyone from Budget and Avis to the same three people... on a weekend where there was a rodeo and two other huge events in town... geniuses...)... I went ahead and wrote to customer service. Why? I agreed to pay $3.13 a gallon prepay for gas. Yes, I sure did. Then, as I walked away (from a line I had been in for 2.5 hours... which I already mentioned... and will mention until I die...) and on their VERY WALL on a DIGITAL DISPLAY gas was priced $0.10 less/gallon. Do I really care about the dollar? I do not. I care that they are so craptastic at customer service that even their prepaid gas prices aren't right. I digress. I emailed customer service to complain about the entire experience. I got a form letter response only addressing one issue. The issue they chose to address was that I AGREED to the prepaid gas price, so I was entitled to no refund, as stated in my contract. No. I wanted you to address the TWO AND A HALF HOUR WAIT for over ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE to stand in line for a car where they DID NOT RENT CARS because you are MORONS. So, I replied again. Yes, as my first email said, I don't really give a crap about my $1 in overpayment on prepaid gas. I am just pretty pissed with you in general and really only wanted an apology for making my 5 and 6 year old play with "suitcase toys" on a filthy airport bench for... how long again? Oh. TWO AND A HALF HOURS. Perhaps a meaningless 20% off my next rental coupon because, well, I can find cars cheaper on my own 7 days a week. This response was EVEN BETTER! It explained to me how prepaid gas WORKS! Sunshine. Honey bunches of oats and love. I have been renting cars for EIGHTEEN YEARS. I have been traveling the U.S. - alone - since before cell phones . I am very well aware of how prepaid gas works. Car seat rentals (big no). Toll passes. Insurance. All of it. ... so... I am here to simply say... if your stoopid* email CSRs could at least ATTEMPT to read what is being said in COMPLAINT emails... that would be great. Signed, Bitter old Karen who types 101 wpm and spends too much of her life in lines read more

I rented a car online through Priceline. We had a funeral to attend at 2pm. Arrived at checkout counter around 1:15pm. One counter with 2 employees checking in customer for four different car rental agencies. There were 20-25 people in line. Waited about 15 minutes - line barely moved. Finally had to go rent a car through another company. First person I spoke with at Payless said they would provide a refund - that never happened. Now the company refuses to refund money or even provide a credit. Unless you have hours to stand in line, would avoid using this company at all cost. read more

It was easy to pick up the car and drop it off. I believe they are affiliated with Avis or have some agreement because that is who gave us the car. The customer rep was nice and friendly too. Both were during pick up and drop off. read more

It was very easy to reserve the car thru my airline site (Southwest) for San Antonio - and Payless rentals are issued alongside the Avis cars. Got a freshly-washed SUV (Honda CRV) instead of the compact sedan I expected, so that was good, especially on a busy weekday afternoon! Only the steep daily rate was a surprise ($125!!), so I took a star off for that. read more

Someone pissed in Terry's Wheaties. Upon pulling in I asked to confirm if I was at the right spot (as the sign reads "Avis" and I had Payless car) and he supeeerrr snarkily said "that's what the sign said, isn't it?" What the hell? Clearly, the guy hates his job. He proceeded to throw the keys into the dashboard aggressively after I hopped out. Bad vibes all around. (Note: the ladies inside are friendly) As for the car, there was a strong smell of cigarettes, no windshield washer fluid and part of the console was missing with exposed wires. With only 20,000 miles on this Kia it felt like the car had been driven for more like 200,000 miles and then turned into a rental car for Payless. read more

Yes, they deserve 1 star! I rented here last month and the car was fine. I'll admit, I was drawn here because of their prices: $150 less than the major competitors for a week's rental . I paid for it tho... I used my iphone moments before getting into my rental and driving to SAT, ten minutes away. Upon getting to the AA counter at SAT, I discovered my lost phone. It was in the rental. I didn't go back and risk missing my flight (mistake), thinking they'll find it and I'll have it sent to me. Well some loser Payless employee or next renter decided to hock it! I killed the phone, so it would take a Russian hacker to operate as a stolen device. What is so backward at Payless is that you can't contact the location directly at SAT, and they had reported on their lost/found web site a lost cell phone on the day I dropped off the car. Yet, when I called on that "found" cellphone posted, the people at Payless said, "No, it's not a cellphone..." Yet it was still listed as a found cellphone on their site for over 2 weeks after I called. I am still waiting for my Southwest miles from this rental a month old. Come to think of it, I never got my Southwest miles from Hawaii last year!! read more

I would not even give them 1 star!! I rented a car with these people for a week until my car got fixed so it could get me to work and back,mind you I work in a hospital. So when I arrived April 24rh 815pm they were not there so this other man that worked with Avis helped me since they left early, that part was fine, but when I brought the vehicle back at 8pm noone was there once again I parked it at the dollar rental return on accident by taking the wrong turn, there was no way to back up and get out so I left the keys and that was it, I was walking through the rental place and seen a man from National I explained what happened and he told me to notify them in the AM since I couldn't get a hold of payless at 815pm. So that's what I did called May 2nd to let them.know what happened what time I left the vehicle, so the lady told me it was going to take 3-5 business for someone to call me back, so I waited and called back and they keep telling me there is nothing that they can do I have to wait so this company charged my card an extra $50.this is so not fair, I parked the vehicle wrong spot on accident, no one was there to help me, I just got of 13 hour shift at the hospital and this is how I'm treated .this is so sad no one can return a call back and or email me back! Wow!! Never again will I rent from them. Poor customer service! read more

This is THE WORST place to rent a car. I work for a startup and am trying to save the company money but NEVER AGAIN will I do Payless! I had reservations but I still am waiting for my rental car almost an hour later. Another woman is here waiting with me and we are both tired and fuming. The agent at the desk was rude when we asked where our cars were. Her answer was "we are short on employees so they're still cleaning your car". Payless sucks! Avis should just close them down and stick to Avis. Next time Uber for sure. So sad that they can't get their act together and have cars ready when you have a reservation. I wouldn't even give it one star honestly but you can't give it less than a star... read more

Payless Car Rental - Terrible place to rent a car - Car Rental Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

I make 6-8 trips to San Antonio for business every year and Payless is almost always the least expensive option. Yes, there is nothing exceptional or special about the leasing experience or the cars... They are just exactly what you want a car rental operation... polite professional staff, clean cars and fair rates! read more

I will update this review if anything changes... with extra charges, etc. My initial response was very positive. The service rep at the desk was Kaye. She was great! She was very friendly and welcomed us. She was helpful with chips about the city. She told me that they were out of the full-sized car that I had reserved so she upgraded me to a pick up for no extra charge. She told my coworker, who rented an automobile just like me, her Saint thing. I was given a white pick up truck and although a little dirty on the outside (to be expected for white), it was very clean on the inside. read more

Cheap rates but that's about it. I upgraded to a midsize because I needed an auxiliary jack for my trip. Once on the road, I soon realized that the auxiliary did not work nor did half the A/C vents. I tried on two separate occasions to call the location but never got an answer. When I returned the car I made mention of both issues and the yutz behind the counter could not have cared less. Upon reporting online to corporate, I received a response basically saying sorry. I will not be using Payless again in the future. It's not worth saving a few dollars to have a vehicle with maintenance issues. If they're slacking on the radio and AC, what's next? Brakes? Belts? read more

I rented from AVIS/Payless San Antonio on 4/15/2021-had booked online and then when I got there was pressured into buying some type of insurance policy-told it was required to get the vehicle-$500 higher than originally quoted!! There was an active shooter at the airport that day-I had no other option because I had to have the vehicle...NEVER AGAIN! read more

Tl;dr Terrible customer service, had to pay more than agreed to online, I will never rent from Payless again. When we got to the counter, the rep there said she'd been working for Payless for 26 years and seemed nice enough. When we got to my reservation, all her care went straight out the window. She said they didn't have the car (a compact) that we reserved online. They could either give us a truck for no extra charge or they would charge at least 5 dollars more a day for another vehicle. When I questioned her on this she said, "What do you expect? You rented with payless!" She said it with a tone that was more like, "We love ripping off our customers off at Payless! I've been doing it 26 years. You're such a idiot!" Needless to say, we paid the extra 5 bucks a day to get out of there (Payless borrowing a car from Avis) and went to the garage. In the eight Payless parking spaces, I saw 7 trucks and a Hyundai Accent, washed and ready to go. The Accent would have been perfect for our purposes in San Antonio. But seeing this only furthered my belief that this company prides itself on ripping people off and being dishonest. I will never ever rent from Payless again. I hope this company fails and I will be be telling every friend and acquaintance of mine for the rest of my life what a crappy and uncaring company this is. read more

Worst car rental experience of a life time. Our first mistake was choosing Payless,,, only because they were a few dollars less. Then we got a car that was like an ash tray. The temperature outside really cooked the smell and it quickly overtook the deodorizer Payless soaked in to mask the Oder. We took the car back the next day, refueled it and waited in line almost an hour to deal with their one person customer service counter. They promised us a one day credit and that everything on the original contract would stay. We originally declined to buy the tank of gas, as we did the second car. When we returned it full, they issued a receipt and we hopped onto the shuttle. Only then did we realize they charged us for a full tank of gas, nearly $50 and no free day. We called their San Antonio customer service and they said the ticket was closed. We had to file a dispute with our bank and even copied them on both fuel receipts. Payless refused to explain why they charged us for the fuel and refuted their offer to comp one day over the cigarette issue. Never again, and their cars were all very used. I'll be reposting this warning at numerous other Payless airport branches. read more

READ ALL THE REVIEWS. THIS PLACE IS THE WORST EVER. DO NOT CHOOSE THEM FOR THE LOW PRICE. If I could give two stars I would. DO NOT EVER USE THIS CAR RENTAL COMPANY. EVER. They are awful. I just got a bill for over $200 for damage to a headlight they say happened during my rental over 2 months ago. 2 MONTHS AGO. Trying to talk to their customer service agents is like talking to robots. They all say the same thing. They provided a suspicious invoice from a car repair place and they already charged my card without this issue being resolved. NEVER USE THEM. After some research, I found the BBB had investigated them for fraudulent charges and activity last year. read more

Shares the building with Avis and if there's no employee working for Payless, I have to stand in the Avis line. You get what you pay for, and I didn't pay much :) read more

Super slow counter service. Requiring all kinds of paperwork. $200 deposits even with a major credit card. $350 deposit and soft credit check for debit. What year is this!?. Huge costs for gas. The SUV I received was scratched, dinged, stained, and over 40K miles. It seems like the mostly people looking for a too good to be true rental come here. I was forced here through the DTS in connection with military travel. If I had a choice I would avoid like crazy. I took video of the car before I left the lot because with all of the hassle to get the car, I am sure they are going to try and claim I damaged it or something. Shady. Do your self a favor, if you can, and step out of line and walk into the super short Avis line and rent a reputable car. read more

I recently rented a car through Payless at San Antonio airport through the Southwest website. The total for my economy car was $47.00. On arrival to pick up my car, I first went to the address that the San Antonio Payless website still lists (now incorrect) and then had to guess as to where I was supposed to go from there. I ended up trying the attached rental car hub, where I found Payless and Avis apparently mid-merge - updating the website would be grand. Being in a rush to pick up the car, I did not question the numerous oddities in my experience. One, I was asked whether I wanted any insurance or extras and I said clearly that I declined everything - including on the touch screen. I was not told anything about my car type being out of stock, I was just given a space number and told that was my vehicle. I arrived to find a white Mitsubishi Outlander. I neither wanted nor felt comfortable with an SUV, and it's unclear why this was never communicated to me at all. This forced me into driving a vehicle I was not comfortable with and with much worse gas mileage than the economy car I had reserved. I later looked at my bill and found it was for $64.34. There was no explanation for this $17.34 (37% up-charge). On return, I challenge the Avis representative as to why I was paying extra. He told me I was returning it late, hence the up-charge. I was actually returning it early, and corrected him. He ended up coming back and saying he had taken an additional charge off (no explanation for what it was) and reduced my bill to $50.83. This was still above what I reserved this car for, though the employee told me he could do nothing else for me. I followed up with Avis and Payless when I got home, and neither could explain the difference nor correct it. Wondering how many people don't deal with this and accept the up-charge - essentially amounting to Payless and/or Avis scamming people out of their money. While I ended up paying only a few dollars extra, it came with absolutely no explanation and would add up if they're doing this to everyone. I'd avoid both Avis and Payless at SAT at all costs. read more

It's a business. Just like any other rental agency be weary of extra charges of them trying to upgrade you without explaining the fine details in prices. But overall, friendly, well mannered and when I asked for the fine details they did say there was an up charge fee for the ford charge. So I said I just want my original order of a medium sized vehicle. And that was that. things went smoothly afterward. read more

I should have heeded the two stars before doing business here. I am currently being scammed by Payless car rental at San Antonio airport like many others have reported (under Avis). They charged me for 300 or so more than my emailed receipt states for insurance I did not ask for. My credit card company has already investigated this issue a year ago in my favor. The company would not respond to calls at the time. Now, a year later they are calling me stating that the issue will go to collections. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS CAR RENTAL BRNACH. read more

They don't have their own buses from the airport. You have to get on an avid bus. They share a lot with Avis. I paid for a premium car and got a 4 cylinder Toyota Camry with cloth interior. Last time I checked, that was not a premium car. I double checked with the counter and they insisted that a Camry is their premium car. Not in my book. A premium car should have leather and at least a 6 cylinder engine. On top of that, the car was trashed. There were stains on every seat and the floor. It had 38k miles on it and the outside had tons of scratches and dents. Customer service was nice to swap me out into standard SUV which was newer although still a wimpy Kia Sportage. Payless, quit lying to your customers and quit the bait and switch. I will go elsewhere for my next rental. read more

They don't tell you what shuttle to get on so I waited at least 30 minutes and then called for a shuttle. The shuttle says AVIS. I called to ask and they told me and I told her I don't see payless on the side and she said have a good day and hung up on me. When I finally got to the counter they charged me more than twice what my estimated cost was from when I booked online. $150 to $320 is a huge difference especially when I'm trying to rent something cheap. I cancelled my contact and left. Don't waste your time. read more

Never again. Ever. Period. I arrived in San Antonio at 1045pm last night.... 2 hours late (thanks, Southwest). I grabbed my luggage and went out to find the rental car bus. Just like others have noted, it's the AVIS bus... very confusing. I get to the counter at 11:20pm and I'm second in line. The customer ahead of me gets his keys and he and the Payless agent step outside. HE NEVER COMES BACK!!! Long story short, there were no other cars available from other companies and I was stranded. I ended up cabbing it to the hotel, arriving at nearly 2am. Regardless of how attractive their prices appear, DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!! read more

This place is terrible!! Stay away at all costs. I went with this place because I thought I was getting a car $100 cheaper than all the other places. This, in fact, was not true. I originally prepaid, because it was the price I wanted. This company charged me over $180 in charges for some kind of road side assistance that I didn't even use or want when I turned he car in. They refused to refund me the money and said I signed the contract for it. #2, the cars are terrible!!!!!! They gave myself and a friend cars the first time, that were dirty when we picked it up. His car the transmission was slipping. And my first car wouldn't go over 40mph. They don't take care of the cars, they don't care either. In addition to all this, there are no signs to get to this place when you go drop the car off. read more

I rented a car last Sunday and was over charged for a service I wasn't aware I was signing for. No mention of it, as charged it and they couldn't explain what it was had to ask 4 people. This place is shady and I would watch everything you sign and agree on! Never using Payless again and I rent a lot of cars. Be warned. read more

Don't use this place, they are cheap for a reason. I am renting a car for literally 6 hours, they take $200 out of my bank account without letting me know why. The car they gave me was dirty, and on my way to drop the car off, I get a flat tire. I have to catch a plane, no help from them, not their problem. Have to wait 45 min for a tow truck, hope I get to the airport on time. read more

I was charged for liability coverage after declining. I was also encouraged to use the radio and told "it even has Sirius so you can hear a wide range of music" but was not told I would be charged. I contacted the Supervisor by email and phone and never received acknowledgment of my complaints or refund :( read more

Don't rent here ...Avis/ Payless shuttle took over 45 minutes to go to airport they never answer the office phones..repeatedly called ..so I just booked with another car rental place ... read more

I had the worst experience! I had car trouble, and decided to get a rental through Payless and only used it one day, but was not refunded back the rest. I have been given run arounds and no solution. The customer service representatives were rude and I couldn't understand some over the phone. The representatives in the counter want to get done quick that they just say sign sign sign and then bye. Never again! read more

I'll give two stars for decent pricing, but that's the only good part. There was inadequate staffing, so people were waiting 30-45 minutes for a car, staff was inexperienced and couldn't answer questions, car return had several extra steps, and I was surprised with extra charges. When I inquired about them, the rep said "huh, you're right. But I can't do anything about that. You have to call the 1-800#. Not worth the few dollars saved. read more

Cheapest car I could find, by a good chunk. Service was quick and easy, both the wait for the shuttle and the wait at the desk, picking up and returning. Cheerful shuttle driver. Weird that this rental company shares facilities with Avis. I'll use them again. read more

Eric was counter guy not flexible to me only had red car which I hate , I ask let me have ford it's not much different usually other rent car place would just change for me . Car was seat dirty and smells bad , I had white pants on sat was extremely dirty . Only have one car choice is unbelievable never Payless rent car I Will worming you not rent car here. I wish manager helped me . No star for this place read more

Cheap and very nice car. We got a nissan rogue. I have no complains so far other than they didnt tell us how to check out so early in the morning. No one was there at 5am & we were unsure what to do. The other reviews dont make sense. They have A LOT of vehicles to choose from. It doesnt smell and staff was nice to me. It is worth the try. Did get charge a lot more than expected but nothing unreasonable and still cheaper than others. read more

Payless Car Rental - Outside payless car rental. Just dropped off our rental. Was a little odd no one is here early so you have to sign and go. - Car Rental Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

See all

LIARS, bate and switch, scammers and thiefs!!! I tried many times to get this issue resolved and as you can see it has never been addressed. The sad part of this story is I sent my complaint to : Alane Madsen Payless, Airport Manager lane.Madsen@avisbudget.com and NEVER heard back. This agency purposefully withholds information from customers to make more money. The customer service won't give you the full picture of your rental for the use of the car, which is a shady and deceiving way to run the rental business.The renters are not provided the BIG PICTURE (hidden charges)so that agent can get more money when the customer gets to the check in counter. It is a scam as most people are under a time constraint and can't fight the charges or has to find another rental in the airport for transportation. This is a real scam. I definitely will not rent from this Payless or any other Payless affiliate ever again. I truly feel intentionally deceived, and would never rent from this company again. I just cannot deal with dishonest business practices. If you are not willing to live by your contractual offer then DON'T offer a specific car if it is not available sitting on the lot. Don't believe me? SHAME! The worst customer service experience I have had in some time. I rented the vehicle online and everything seemed to be easy and great process.However once I got to the location at the Minneapolis Airport counter, the Payless representative was not at the desk so I had to get in another line for AVIS. Avoid this business like the plague; I was quoted one price when reserving a car from them through the Payless internet website, given a different quote upon checkout. Specifically told them I wanted the price I was quoted on my reservation and did not want any extra coverage or hidden costs. I was offered a military discount but the clerk "forgot to give me one" but had no problem adding additional fees that went from $336.97 as quoted (gas fill up $34.22 if returned empty) which was supposed to be $371.19. My original car a Hyundai that was not available a second car a SOL was given out to someone else although I had that ticket so finally the car offered was a Ford focus. Upon returning the car to the airport check-in my bill went from $336.97 to $451.55!!! Payless employee's (1-800-729-5377) are rude and could care less your bill was not as you were quoted. Their answers are we will send an email to corporate headquarters and some on will respond within 72 hours. I plan on fighting the bill when it comes in to get a refund on the $114.58 additional charges. Pick anyone but payless, the hidden charges are very costly read more

DO NOT UNDER any circumstances rent from this place !!!!! Only giving them one star because you can't give zero stars. It started with the having no idea where Payless was finally figured out it was Avis. The bus it was disgusting. I got to the rental office that was worse considering I went to the bathroom and it was filled with roaches yes roaches everywhere !! The customer service flat out crabby the 350.00 debit card fee and then to find out I was charged 5.99 a day for towing was total bullshit she took my receipt and threw it away and told me I need your email and I will send your receipt there people please beware !!!!!!!! read more

Terrible customer service. Waited in line 30 minutes to pick up and return. They are understaffed. I'll pay more next time to get decent service. read more

I would have rated this experience a bit better, since the person I rented the car from was nice and accommodating. However, the fact that I've had to call 4 times to get a receipt of the rental for my expense report, and still have not received that receipt or a call back from messages - I'm pretty frustrated. Why does it take over 4 times to get a receipt? Just a tad ridiculous. read more

Good service with the worst business practices. Fees galore ! 15.00 per day for two days equals 70.00, I'll never use them or Priceline again. read more