Knowing the policies of a car rental company before booking a reservation can save you money, time, and stress in case you need to cancel. Even if you’ve already booked your rental, it’s not too late to be aware of the policies and process for canceling.
If you’ve reserved a rental car from Costco but need to change or cancel it, this post will cover everything you need to know about their cancellation policy and more.
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What Is The Car Rental Cancellation Policy At Costco?
The Costco car rental cancellation policy allows cancellation anytime before pickup with no penalty fees as long as it was booked through Costco Travel’s Low Price Finder. Prepaid reservations and car rentals included in vacation packages may be subject to a cancellation fee and no-show fee of $50 or more.
It’s important that you stay updated with both Costco and the partnering rental company’s policies, as they can change at any time. You can visit their website or call them directly for up-to-date information.
What To Consider When Canceling A Rental Car Reservation From Costco
There are a few things you should take note of besides any potential fees or inconvenience to you or the rental company staff.
The following list are important considerations to think about before/when you are either changing a Costco rental reservation or canceling it altogether.
Rentals Can’t Be Reinstated Once They’re Canceled
Once you cancel your car rental, it can’t be reinstated under any circumstance. You should be completely sure that you need to cancel or change your reservation before doing so.
The Individual Cancellation Policy Depends On The Company You Booked Through And The Type Of Rental
Costco’s cancellation policy states there are no penalty fees or timeframes for canceling as long as it was booked through their Low Price Finder.
However, the policies may be different if you:
- prepaid at the time of booking,
- reserved your rental through another company directly (not through Costco Travel),
- or the rental was part of a Costco vacation package.
If you’re not sure which one applies to you, refer to your reservation confirmation email or call Costco Travel for support. Likewise, you can call the rental company you booked the car with.
There’s No Guarantee That A Similar Rental Car Or Date Will Be Available
Even if you plan to book another rental right after canceling the first, there’s no guarantee that you can reserve a similar rental car or pickup time/date. It might be worthwhile to check available rentals before canceling if there’s a chance you can still make the original reservation.
Fees For Canceling Costco Car Rentals
Fortunately, there are no cancellation or no-show fees when you book a rental car through Costco Travel’s Low Price Finder. However, rentals that were made alongside one of their vacation packages may end up costing you canceling fees.
Cars that were prepaid for may be subject to the partnering rental company’s own penalty fees, which are usually around $50. Costco doesn’t charge any fees on top of its partner companies, though.
In The Case Of A No-Show
If you forget to cancel your reservation and don’t show up, you will be marked as a no-show in the rental company’s system and they’ll void your booking. The car will then be rented to someone else.
As stated above, you won’t be charged any no-show fees if you reserved the rental through Costco Travel since they don’t take any payment information when you book the rental car.
However, rentals reserved through the partnering rental company are subject to their own fees whether you cancel or simply fail to pick up without notification. The fee for no-shows tends to be higher the longer it gets to the cutoff time, so it can be pricey when all is said and done.
What Is The Policy For Canceling A Reserved Costco Car Rental?
Rental cars reserved through Costco Travel’s Low Price Finder may be canceled without penalty fees per Costco’s car rental cancellation policy. Reservations can be canceled anytime before pickup. Prepaid bookings and rentals that come with vacation packages are subject to both cancellation and no-show fees of around $50 or higher.