Atlas Choice Fails to Pay Car Rental Companies
Thousands of customers may have worthless car rental bookings through Atlas Choice this holiday season. Atlas Choice, an online rental booking agent, didn’t pay the rental companies for the bookings.
Thousands of customers may have worthless car rental bookings through Atlas Choice this holiday season, according to a report by The Guardian.
Atlas Choice customers have reported being told at the rental car counters that their bookings wouldn’t be honored unless they paid again. Atlas Choice hadn’t paid the car’s actual provider for the bookings, says the report.
Angry customers have posted comments about the London-based company on Twitter and other social media.
Chris Clifton-Brown wrote online: “Booked through them recently, and when I turned up to collect my car the hire firm made me aware that Atlas Choice are not paying the actual hire firms. I had to pay the hire firm for the car again even though Atlas Choice had already taken my money.”
Operating since 1999, Atlas Choice has partnered with several web-based travel businesses and used the booking agent website via the TravelSupermarket comparison website. A TravelSupermarket spokeswoman told the Guardian that it pulled Atlas Choice from its listings three weeks ago when Atlaschoice missed a payment and couldn’t be reached.
Currently, the Atlas Choice website says it’s not accepting any new bookings.
“We have requested that all car hire companies keep cars in place to fulfill bookings and honor the previously agreed price,” Atlas Choice states on its website. “In the event that this does not occur, we recommend that you visit a travel search engine like Skyscanner or TravelSupermarket to source an alternative supplier — at the present time, Atlas Choice is unfortunately unable to assist. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience that this may cause you, especially at this time of year.”
Click here to read the full Guardian report.
More Rental Operations
Turo and Tesla Take the Next Step Toward Autonomous Car Rentals
The partnership brings Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology into the rental experience, offering a glimpse of how increasingly automated vehicles could change car rental.
Read More →
How Rental Operators Can Navigate Personalized Pricing Rules
As regulators scrutinize the use of customer data in pricing, rental operators need to know whether they can explain why one renter pays more than another.
Read More →
Direct, Broker or Hybrid? How Travel Retailers Source Rental Cars
As travel retailers weigh direct supplier relationships against third-party distribution, rental operators need to understand how those decisions affect their business.
Read More →
How Did This Independent Rental Operator Grow to 170 Vehicles in 4 Years?
With 170 vehicles across three Kentucky locations, Joel Price relies on an overseas team to handle reservations, payments, and after-hours customer service. It's one part of an unconventional approach to growing an independent rental operation.
Read More →
What Does It Take to Succeed in B2B Rentals?
The fundamentals may be familiar to daily car rental operators, but project-based truck rentals put different demands on the fleet and the business.
Read More →
NPR Builds on International Partnerships to Grow Rental Bookings
With Ana Laborde supporting broker development, NPR Auto Group is tailoring distribution strategies, rate packages, and partnerships to grow international reservations across its three brands.
Read More →
Advantage, Sixt Place Among Top Five in Annual Satisfaction Study
While Enterprise and National retain the top spots in JD Power’s 2026 rankings, the latest customer satisfaction results suggest renters can find competitive service beyond the biggest car rental names.
Read More →
The $100,000 Insurance Trap in Exotic Car Rentals
Exotic rental agencies often rely on customers’ personal auto policies to protect six-figure vehicles. But policy language can dramatically change the coverage for vehicles over $100,000 MSRP.
Read More →
The Booking Is Confirmed, But Is Your Customer Ready to Drive?
For international renters, a confirmed reservation doesn’t always mean they’re eligible to drive. Earlier checks can help operators catch documentation and payment issues before the customer reaches the counter.
Read More →
ICRS 2027 Opens Call for Papers
The International Car Rental Show seeks session proposals on the business, operational, and technology issues facing car rental operators. Submissions are due Jan. 15.
Read More →