The majors now charge a flat fee for fuel (gen $12.99) when the rental is <75 miles. They will "refund" (actually delete) the charge IF you show them proof of fuel purchase AND ask. This means going back to the counter instead of simply leaving the car in the drop-off lane.
I've never seen this policy or had it happen to me with Hertz. I switched to them after I got tired of the hassle with Avis at the end of every rental.
I'm not sure who else does this, but it's not all of the "majors".
You do not have to go back to the counter with Avis. Show your receipt before they enter it into their hand computer.
Trying to stay on topic, I remember paying "resort" fees with some PL hotels after checking in. I believe that those fees were "options" that were hard to refuse. "The fee includes parking, phone, walking on the property and breathing," is a paraphrase. "If not, you will have huge add-on fees each time you park, pick up the phone, walk and breath."
If memory serves me right, most of these backfired and went away.
This Avis fee could be isolated.
Programs: AA, EK, WN, and UA. Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott.
Posts: 153
No additional fees with priceline...
Well, did you dispute the other Avis fee (not the fuel fee) with either Avis central OR Priceline?
For example, many of the non-airport mandated energy surcharge fees that Hertz and others are charging retail customers are not part of the PL contract with the agencies, so you could theoretically have lower PL fees than the major direct even considering the PL commission that is built-in.
PL is another company that discovered profits through fees. I gave up on PL when they started the resort fees.
PL doesn't charge resort fees, the hotels do, and they typically charge them to ALL guests not just those booking on PL. I can see it as a reason to adjust one's bid downward, which hurts PL and the hotels...but not to hurt one's own wallet by foregoing PL altogether.
