Avis & Budget Class Action Lawsuits for Frequent-Flyer Surcharge

Avis & Budget Class Lawsuit

Class Action Lawsuit Link

Plaintiffs claim that Avis and Budget should not have charged a Frequent Traveler Program (FTP) Surcharge to members of the Avis Preferred Service Program and the Budget Rapid Rez With Fastbreak Program in connection with online rental vehicle reservations in which those members received frequent-flyer miles from Avis and Budget travel partners.

This Surcharge was typically a $0.75/day charge for accepting the frequent-flier miles that Avis and Budget invited its Avis Preferred and Budget Rapid Rez members to accrue when reserving rental vehicles. Avis and Budget deny any wrongdoing; to avoid costly litigation, a class settlement is proposed.

Going forward, Avis and Budget made these FTP fees clearer in numerous ways so that the consumer understands for what they are paying.

Submit a claim form here to take part in the lawsuit. The deadline to submit a Claim Form is July 5, 2016.

Who is Eligible?

Avis: You are entitled to settlement benefits if you were a member of the Avis Preferred Service Program, rented a vehicle in the United States through avis.com between July 14, 2005, and June 14, 2012, and paid an FTP Surcharge for receiving frequent-flyer miles from any of Avis’s travel partners.

Budget: You are also entitled to settlement benefits if you were a member of the Budget Rapid Rez with Fastbreak Program, rented a vehicle in the United States through budget.com between November 27, 2006, and February 17, 2013, and paid an FTP Surcharge for receiving frequent-flyer miles from any of Budget’s travel partners.

You can submit a claim for both Avis and Budget if you qualify for both.

What can we Get?

Each class member can choose to get one of these:

  • A 10% discount off of the standard Avis/Budget RAC rate (which is the average price per day paid by a customer who is not an Avis/Budget employee for daily, weekly and weekend rentals) for future vehicle rentals made online
  • A cash payment

Depending on the amount of FTP fees paid, the payout will vary. Those who paid under $5 in FTP fees, will get to choose between a $1.35 cash payment or a one-day 10% discount code. Those who paid over $400 in fees can choose $129 cash payment or 100 days with the 10% discount.

Here is a chart with all the payout amounts:

Screen Shot 2016-03-07 at 9.21.47 PM

A class member of both the Avis and Budget lawsuits has the option of choosing the cash payment for one and the 10% discount for the other.

Final Thoughts

It looks like there’s a long road ahead on this one until it gets settled. If you are eligible, it’s probably easiest just to do it now, forget about it, and hope for the best.

HT: Slickdeals

See all Class Action Lawsuits posts here.

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2 Comments
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zjts
zjts (@guest_231715)
March 8, 2016 12:41

Are, or were, you an Avis Preferred Service Program Member?
** If you answer “Yes” to question 1, you must provide your Avis Preferred Service Program membership number in question 2.
2. If you answered Question 1 “Yes”, please provide your Avis Preferred Service Program membership number.

*3. Are, or were, you a Budget Rapid Rez with Fastbreak Program Member?
** If you answer “Yes” to question 3, you must provide your Budget Rapid Rez with Fastbreak Program membership number in question 4.
4. If you answered Question 3 “Yes”, please provide your Budget Rapid Rez with Fastbreak Program membership number.

If you answered Question 1 or 3 “Yes”, please proceed to Avis/Budget Settlement Section. If you answered Questions 1 and 3 “No”, you are not eligible to participate in this settlement.

zjts
zjts (@guest_231681)
March 8, 2016 10:53

what kind of proof must be submitted to show you are entitled to settlement benefits?