Originally Posted by
Mike Rivers
I've rented from Thrifty in some locations where they want to see a receipt for a gas purchase if the car was driven less than 50 miles. I suppose it's defense against people who don't drive far enough to move the gas gauge off Full, so they don't replace the gas they used. There was a story going around that Hertz, as part of the return process, was interrogating the car's computer to see when gas was last put in the tank.
For what it's worth, only once was I ever asked to show a gas receipt, and when I showed it, the agent said "Good, you read the instructions."
I seem to recall that providing gas receipts for less than 50 miles travel is becoming the norm for most car rental companies. I had the same issue with Avis and Hertz in the past. First time I was exposed for that I was charged a re-fuel fee of $25 or so, can't remember the exact $ amount. When I asked, they mentioned that I need to provide proof of refueling, since I only drove the car less than 20 miles. Luckily I did have the receipt with me, but had to stand in line for 20 minutes to get the credit applied to the receipt.