How to extend your rental car

The short answer

Arrange it before your return time. Keeping the car longer without telling the company can be charged at a higher rate, and late returns quickly turn into an extra day. Enterprise charges an extra day once you're two and a half hours or more past your rental time on a later day.

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If this is you right now

The trip is going well and you want a couple more days, or your flight home has moved. The car's due back tomorrow morning.

How do I extend a rental car?

Contact the rental company before the return time on your agreement. Each company has its own way of doing it (see below).
Ask for the new total price, not just the daily rate. Enterprise says the rate can change with the length of the extension, and longer rentals can qualify for weekly or monthly rates.
Booked through a travel site? The extension may have to go through the rental company as a new arrangement, which can mean a different price.
Get the new return date confirmed in writing.

How do I extend with Enterprise, Hertz, Budget or Alamo?

Enterprise: Enterprise says the only way to extend is to call. For a city branch, call the branch on your rental contract. If it's closed, call back the next business day. Enterprise places an extra hold on your card for the added days, and Enterprise Plus points can't pay for an extension.
Hertz: Hertz says you can extend a rental you're already on through its online extension page, using the rental record number on your agreement.
Budget: Budget says to extend a US rental, you contact a Budget reservation agent. Budget may add a fee when it agrees to an extension, and its own pages give different amounts.
Alamo: we haven't found Alamo's own steps for extending a rental already in progress.

Want to know the extension fee on your Budget rental, or extending with Alamo or another company? Leave your number and we'll check it for your booking.

What happens if I return my rental car late?

Enterprise: returning two and a half hours or more past the time you rented, on a later day, means an extra day.
Budget: says there's a 29-minute grace period on returns.
Keeping the car well past the return date without arranging it can be treated far more seriously than a late return, so never just keep it.

Can I extend a prepaid rental?

Usually the extra days are charged separately, and sometimes at a different rate from what you prepaid. Ask before you agree.

Prepaid, or booked through a travel site? Leave your number and we'll check it for your booking.

Questions people ask

Can I extend my rental car?

Usually, yes, if you arrange it before your return time. The price for the extra days may differ from your original rate.

How do I extend an Enterprise rental?

Call. Enterprise says phone is currently the only way to extend. For a city branch, call the branch on your rental contract. Expect an extra hold on your card.

Can I extend a Hertz rental online?

Yes. Hertz says you can extend a current rental on its online extension page, using the rental record number on your agreement.

How late can I return a rental car without being charged another day?

It depends on the company. Enterprise charges an extra day once you're two and a half hours or more past your rental time on a later day. Budget says there's a 29-minute grace period.

Is it cheaper to extend a rental or book a new one?

It depends. A longer rental can qualify for weekly rates, but extending at the counter can cost more than a new booking. We can compare both for you.

Related help

Written by the OneCall Rental team, which includes people who've worked car-rental reservation calls. Company policies last checked 26 October 2026 on each company's own website. Policies change, so check your own rental agreement too.

OneCall Rental is an independent service and is not affiliated with any rental company or travel site.

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