Updated on March 18, 2019
How To Dispute Avis eToll (HTALLC) & Hertz Platepass Billing Errors
I frequently rent cars from Avis and too often get overcharged for tolls. This is a fun little profitable game car rental companies have been playing for many years! Here's how it works. I rent a car and expect no charges at all since I use my own EZ-Pass (and leave the car rental EZ-Pass locked away). They add an expensive “eToll Convenience Fee” of $3.95 per day (max $19.75 per month) just to use their EZ-Pass. That's per day for my entire rental, not the number of days I actually use the EZ-Pass.
In the past they would just charge my credit card without providing an invoice until I filled out this request form (Avis eToll) to get automatic invoices emailed. So, the fees hit your credit card. It's too small to waste time looking up, since you don't even know how to and you just pay it. Have you done this?
Below I'll explain how you can look up your charges and dispute any mistakes.
Class Action Lawsuit
This huge rip off has gone on for too long! Here's a class action against Hertz's hidden toll charges.
How to Look Up Your Detailed Itemized eToll Statement
You might be wondering “what are those extra car rental charges on my credit card statement?” Sometimes I've seen them appears months later. This works for Enterprise, National, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Payless Car Rental, EZ Rent A Car, Advantage, City , ACO, Carl's Van Rentals, NEXTCAR, Rent A Wreck (bad name btw), AVR, and Edge:
- Load the Highway Toll Administration website.
- Choose your car rental company. In my case, it was AVIS.
- Fill in your last name and either credit card digits or car rental contract number. Now you'll see a detailed statement of charges like this one:
- Get future invoices by email automatically by filling out this form.
- HERTZ? Get your detailed invoice here.
Unknown or Unfair eToll Charges
I was very surprised to find a charge of $11.90 (I was expecting no charges as I used my own EZ-Pass). For some reason, my EZ-Pass didn't register a $4.00 toll while driving in Delaware. What was even more surprising was the total was almost triple the original toll: a charge of $11.90 (that's $4 + $7.90 convenience fee). Even though I only used the EZ-Pass for 1 toll on 1 day, I was charged for 2 days because my rental was for two days. Getting my transponder replaced has helped prevent this situation from happening again.
How to Dispute an Incorrect eToll Charge from Avis Budget HTALLC or Hertz PlatePass?
This is how it usually went (this might be your situation):
What is this extra car rental charge for on my credit card? I wasn't expecting any charges since I used my own EZ-Pass and kept the Avis one locked the entire time. It's just $12, should I just pay it? No! This is bullshit, I'm not letting them get away with this! Let me call Avis and ask, “I have a charge of $xx on this date, what rental is it from?” Ah, where was I and did I take forget my EZ-Pass that day? By now I have probably wasted at least 30 minutes-1 hour. Crap, I forgot to ask Avis how to get a detailed invoice, so I call again and find out about HTALLC.com.
Next I contact HTALLC by phone or email. They ask for proof that I paid the toll, so I login to EZ-Pass to check my charges. Argh, I have to reset the password. In the end, I am successful and sit smug basking in my victory! Well, I earned about $12 for 2 hours of my time over the course of several days. This is probably the reason they do it this way and the reason why most people don't bother (are you OCD about stuff like this too?). It's a cash cow. They have no reason to make it easier. You won't let them get away with it either, right? It's the principal that matters!
The QUICK Way To Dispute a Charge
This method has worked for me many times. Hope it saves you some time!
Avis Budget (HTALLC / E-Tolls.com)
- Make sure you automatically get detailed invoices emailed – fill this out.
- Need the detailed statement? Try HTALLC or e-Tolls.com.
- Email eCare@htallc.com, include a copy of statement and any evidence you have. For example, I provided a copy of my EZ-Pass statement showing I already paid that toll on my EZ-Pass.
Hertz (PlatePass)
- Need the detailed statement? Click here.
- Email information@platepass.com, include a copy of statement and any evidence you have. For example, I provided a copy of my EZ-Pass statement showing I already paid that toll on my EZ-Pass.
- This also works for Budget Truck Rental, Autonation, Firefly Car Rental, JM Lexus, and Sky Car Rental.
Advantage, Alamo, AVR Car Rental, BMW Bayside, Carl's Van Rental, Toyota Rent a Car, Dollar, Drivo Rent a Car, Edge, Enterprise, EZ Rent a Car, Hertz, Mercedes Benz, National, Next Car, Payless Car Rental, Rent a Wreck, Thrifty
- For all these car rental companies, follow the same steps as for Avis Budget.
Email disputes work with Hertz’s toll collection contractor, ATS, too.
However, I never pay that $4 Delaware Turnpike toll anymore – just take the last exit in MD and follow local roads around it for about 5 minutes. Its really easy: http://www.triangletrip.com/2009/07/24/avoid-the-delaware-maryland-i95-toll/
Thanks, if you have the Hertz contact I can post it up here too.
Did you find the Hertz contract link? I just got stuck with a $35 fee in SFO for who knows what in tolls and their daily fees. Thoughts since I maybe used the toll meter for 2 out of 5 days?
Try this link to view your receipt https://platepass.com/receipt/ – I believe they charge a $4.95 daily fee plus tolls. If they do the same as Avis, they will charge you for every day of the rental even if you only use it for 1 single toll on one day. Take a look let me know if the link works and what you find out.
I added the details for Hertz PlatePass in the post. Hope that helps!
One of your best posts to date. Thank you for helping spread this information.
If they have an error, I would just dispute the partial amount on your credit card, most credit card company will give you the win automatically due to the immaterial dollars.
Yes, they probably would just give you credit for $5-10, I agree. But I rather the mistake be fixed at the source. Its possible they don’t auto-credit and actually dispute it. Then 1-2 months later I get a letter asking for evidence. After a couple times, they might stop giving auto-credit too.
Budget Rental has taken this to a new level of incompetence or fraud. I got a notice from my credit card that $193.83 was charged for Budget eTolls. My husband had rented a Budget car in Milwaukee to attend his grandmother’s funeral in New Berlin, about 15 – 20 miles from the Milwaukee airport. Budget eTolls charged him $193.83 for tolls outside Toronto Canada. At the exact time of the supposed toll charges, he was meeting with the minister, funeral home director along with several family members. THIS IS THE KICKER! The total mileage driven during the rental, as documented on the Budget receipt, was 230 miles. Toronto is 690 miles one-way, 1380 miles round trip. The math doesn’t work out – it isn’t remotely possible that car could have been in Canada. He barely drove far enough to have reached Chicago. If Budget eTolls or Budget Rentals had bothered to look at the miles driven, they would have known it was not possible. But hey, it is easier to screw the customer than do competent work.
It’s all automated. If there’s a mistake they don’t care — most people will pay the small amount. Manually reviewing this stuff costs money. Sounds like it should be easy to dispute.
hi, we were charged by budget for 3.13 toll fee saying it happened when exit some plazas( we don’t even know how that happened) and we were also be charged 3.95 per rental day…… any good ways we can dispute if not through credit card company?we didn’t ever pay toll fee by ourselves though. thanks for tips
I’ve updated the post to include Budget. It’s the same process as for Avis.
Avis charged us $79 for tolls to NY when we never even went to NY. Bridge crossings, convenience fees etc. How do you prove you never went to a state at all when they say you did? We disputed it on the credit card and they said they have proof. This is a total ripoff. it is fraud not a mistake! we will not use avis again and we expected better from this company. they are no better than dollar.
Call them and ask for the photo they have and confirm the exact toll station/location. They might just be mistaken about the location.
They are a rip-off they still money from you when the toll tags and they won’t return it even when you dispute it it’s hard to get your money back Avis tow e-tolls are fraudulent