I'm not sure if it is unusual or not, but when I made a reservation over the phone from Budget last year, they wanted my credit card information right away and informed me that they were going to take a $200 deposit even though I was renting the car for under 24 hours at a cost of under $40. They said that once I return the vehicle, they would process a refund of the difference which should hit my credit card within 30 days. Needless to say, I didn't make a reservation with them. I chose National instead for an extra $5.

Is that a common practice?