Hertz customer service number: how to get past the virtual assistant to a person

We called Hertz three times. On the past rentals line, a virtual assistant named Haley answers first. One call reached a live representative after six requests. One call ended when Haley hung up on us. Here are all three recordings, the exact prompts, and what the person told us.

Nick Khami · October 8, 2026 · 14 min read

The short answer: the Hertz customer service number for a rental you already had is 1-800-654-4173. A virtual assistant answers: "Hi, this is Haley, your virtual assistant." It's not a person. Say you don't have a confirmation number and ask for a representative. It will try to help you itself first, so keep asking. On our call it said "Let me connect you now" after our sixth request (2 minutes 44 seconds in), and a live Hertz representative answered at 3:07.

Don't go quiet once it says it's connecting you. On another call to the same number, Haley said "Let me connect you with a live agent", then nothing happened for 12 seconds, then it said "I haven't heard from you in a bit." Our caller stayed silent, and Haley ended the call at 2:43. If it comes back and talks, answer it.

Hertz has different numbers for different jobs. Its help center page "Phone Numbers - U.S." lists:

• A rental you already had: 1-800-654-4173. For customer service on past rentals, "please call 1-800-654-4173 (They are open from 6 am - 7 pm Central time, Monday - Friday)".
• Reservations: 1-800-654-3131. "Book Leisure/Business Reservations 1-800-654-3131 (US, Puerto Rico and Canada)". International reservations: 1-800-654-3001.
• Extending a rental: 1-800-654-4174, open 24/7.
• Roadside assistance: 800-654-5060.

What the live representative told us about charges on a finished rental:

• Have your final invoice ready. It's "a PDF that shows all the information and the details for the charges", including the rental days, additional services, taxes and fees.
• Deposits: "in the following three to five business days, normally the deposit is released back" after the rental is closed. He added that it "depends to the financial institution" and can take "a couple of days or a couple of weeks". Hertz's virtual assistant on the reservations line told us something different: "7 to 10 business days" (that call is below).
• Damage or fuel charges can be disputed by phone, with "the billing department".

We made all three calls on Thursday, October 8, 2026: the reservations line at about 3:24 pm Central, then the past rentals line at 4:05 pm and 4:15 pm Central, inside its listed hours. call4me placed them. This page is what we heard.

The call that reached a person #

The past rentals line, 1-800-654-4173, at 4:15 pm Central. 5 minutes 49 seconds. We muted the representative's first name each of the three times it was said. Nothing else is muted or cut. Our caller didn't say my name or any number.

Jump to a moment:

• 0:00 "Thank you for calling Hertz. Your call may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance"
• 0:10 "Hi, this is Haley, your virtual assistant." It asks for a confirmation number
• 0:18 "I don't have that with me. I just have a general question. Could you connect me with a representative, please?"
• 0:28 "I can actually help with a lot right here"
• 0:49 It asks for a confirmation or rental record number
• 1:07 It offers to look up the rental by phone number, "or would you still prefer a representative?"
• 1:27 "Could you give me a sense of what the charges are about?"
• 2:01 The assistant's own advice on disputing charges
• 2:44 "I understand you'd really like to speak with a live agent about this. Let me connect you now."
• 2:49 About 10 seconds of silence, then a faint sound for about 6 seconds
• 3:07 A live representative: "Hello, thank you for calling Hertz"
• 3:25 We ask what to have ready for a question about charges
• 3:39 "You should have the final invoice"
• 4:04 We ask how long a deposit release takes
• 4:11 "In the following three to five business days"
• 4:26 "It normally depends to the financial institution"
• 4:52 We ask if a damage or fuel charge can be disputed by phone
• 5:03 "Can be disputed by phone call", through the billing department
• 5:41 The representative comes back on after the goodbye, and we say goodbye again

The past rentals phone tree, step by step #

There was no keypad menu on either call to this number, and no keys were pressed.

1. Call 1-800-654-4173. "Thank you for calling Hertz. Your call may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance."
2. About 6 seconds of silence. Then: "Hi, this is Haley, your virtual assistant. To get you to the right place, could I please get your confirmation number?"
3. Say you don't have it and ask for a representative. It answered: "I can actually help with a lot right here. Looking up or changing a reservation, canceling, getting a receipt, explaining a charge, or roadside assistance. What's your question about?"
4. Keep asking. It asked for a confirmation or rental record number, then offered to look the rental up by "the phone number on the account", then asked what the charges were about, then gave its own advice. Our caller said it didn't have the numbers and asked for a person each time.
5. "Let me connect you now." On this call it came after our sixth request. Then silence, then a faint sound, and a person answered about 19 seconds later. Haley didn't speak again in between.
6. If Haley speaks again instead, answer it. On our other call, Haley promised a live agent, came back 12 seconds later with "I haven't heard from you in a bit", and hung up when our caller didn't reply (that call is below).

The representative's first question was "May I know your rental record number or your reservation ID number, please?" Our caller said it didn't have one and had general questions, and he answered them anyway.

What the virtual assistant said before the transfer #

Before connecting us, Haley gave its own answer on charge disputes: "To look into charges, it helps to have your confirmation or rental record number, the rental dates, and the location where you picked up. You can also look up your receipt online at hertz.com to review the charges in detail. If the charges are related to damage, you can use the chat feature in your post-rental inspection report to reach our support team about that."

What the representative said #

What to have ready: "At the end of the rental, the normal is to have the final invoice by the location. That means the final invoice is a PDF that shows all the information and the details for the charges, for the day of rental, additional service, and also the taxes and fees. So, you should have the final invoice with all the details."

How long a deposit release takes: "The normal policy that we have about that, we advise on the same time that the rental is completely closed. So, in the following three to five business days, normally the deposit is released back at the credit card for the customer. But, based on my experience, it normally depends to the financial institution. For example, for the financial institution, it can take around a couple of days or a couple of weeks to release the money back."

Disputing damage or fuel charges: "The dispute about damage or fuel charge can be disputed by phone call. Directly, the billing department is able to provide you the assistance to check the information about the additional charges for fuel or for the charges for damage."

Two answers, two numbers: the representative said 3 to 5 business days for a deposit, and the virtual assistant on the reservations line said 7 to 10 business days. Both said it depends on your bank. We don't know which is closer to Hertz's policy. He also didn't say whether "the billing department" is this same number or a different one, and we didn't ask.

The call where Haley hung up #

The same number, 1-800-654-4173, ten minutes earlier at 4:05 pm Central. 2 minutes 46 seconds. Nothing is muted or cut, and no person came on the line. Our caller asked for a representative or a person five times. At 1:43 Haley said "I understand. Let me connect you with a live agent who can help you with that." After that there was only silence: no ringing, no hold music. Haley came back twice to say it hadn't heard from us, our caller stayed quiet, and Haley ended the call.

Jump to a moment:

• 0:19 "I don't have a confirmation number. I just have a general question. Can you connect me with a representative?"
• 0:43 "Representative."
• 0:58 "It's about a past rental, and I don't have the rental agreement number. Can I speak to an agent, please?"
• 1:21 "I understand you'd like to speak with a representative. Let me try to help you first."
• 1:36 "I'd really like to talk to a person."
• 1:43 "Let me connect you with a live agent who can help you with that."
• 2:00 "I haven't heard from you in a bit. I'm here whenever you're ready to continue."
• 2:16 "I still haven't heard from you... Otherwise, I'll go ahead and end this call."
• 2:34 "Since it seems like you're away, I'll go ahead and end this call."

The reservations line call #

Our first call was to the reservations line, 1-800-654-3131, at about 3:24 pm Central. We did not reach a person on it. The same virtual assistant, "Haley, your virtual assistant", answered all three of our questions itself. Our caller never asked for a representative, so we can't tell you how to get to a human on this line.

The whole call, 3 minutes 28 seconds. Nothing is muted or cut. Our caller didn't say my last name or any number, and the only name on the call is the assistant's.

Jump to a moment:

• 0:00 "Thank you for calling Hertz. Your call may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance"
• 0:12 "Hi, this is Haley, your virtual assistant." It asks for a confirmation number
• 0:21 "I don't have a confirmation number. It's just some general questions"
• 0:27 "No problem at all. What questions can I help you with today?"
• 0:33 We ask about the deposit hold for a credit card versus a debit card
• 0:44 Credit cards: "up to $200 on top of your estimated rental charges"
• 1:02 Debit cards: "a flat $500 hold", and only "up to a small SUV"
• 1:19 "It can take 7 to 10 business days for the funds to be available again"
• 1:29 We ask if a reservation can be changed or canceled by phone without a fee
• 1:42 "Yes. Oh, sorry. Yes, you can change or cancel a reservation"
• 1:51 Pay Later and prepaid cancellation fees
• 2:13 Bookings made with loyalty points
• 2:21 We ask about the minimum age and a young renter fee
• 2:32 "The minimum age to rent at most U.S. locations is 20 years old"
• 2:44 "The young renter fee varies by location"
• 3:07 AAA members between 20 and 24
• 3:25 "Glad I could help. Have I resolved all of your..." and our caller has already hung up

What the virtual assistant told us:

• Credit card deposit hold: "up to $200 on top of your estimated rental charges", varying by vehicle class: "a small SUV is $300, a standard SUV is $400", and more for larger or specialty vehicles.
• Debit card deposit hold: "a flat $500 hold in addition to the estimated charges". Debit cards only work "up to a small SUV", not for standard SUVs or larger, or the Adrenaline, Prestige or Dream cars.
• When the hold comes back: after the car is returned and the rental closed, but "it can take 7 to 10 business days" depending on your bank. (The live representative on the past rentals line said 3 to 5 business days.)
• Changing or canceling: "Yes, you can change or cancel a reservation. Whether there's a fee depends on the rate type." Pay Later: no fee before pickup. Prepaid: free within 24 hours of booking, then $100, or $200 within 24 hours of pickup.
• Age: 20 at most U.S. locations, 18 in New York and Michigan, 19 in Alabama and Nebraska. A young renter fee of $52 a day in those four states and $25 a day elsewhere.

The reservations phone tree #

There was no keypad menu on this call either.

1. Call 1-800-654-3131. "Thank you for calling Hertz. Your call may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance."
2. About 8 seconds of silence. Then: "Hi, this is Haley, your virtual assistant. To get you to the right place, could I please get your confirmation number?"
3. Say you don't have one. Our caller said "I don't have a confirmation number. It's just some general questions." The assistant said "No problem at all. What questions can I help you with today?"
4. Ask your question out loud. The assistant answered each question in full itself. It didn't transfer us or offer a person.

What Hertz's own pages say, next to what the assistant said #

Hertz's "Rental Deposit Hold" help article says the hold is up to $200 for credit cards, more for SUVs and premium vehicles, and $500 for debit cards, on top of the estimated rental charges. That matches what the assistant told us.

The rest of the assistant's answers (the 7 to 10 business day release, the $300 and $400 SUV holds, the debit card vehicle limits, the cancellation fees, the minimum ages and the young renter fees) we only have from the call. We haven't checked them against a Hertz page, so treat them as what Hertz's phone assistant said on October 8, 2026, and confirm on your own reservation.

Two small things in the audio:

• To "can a reservation be changed or canceled by phone without a fee?", it started with "Yes", then said "Oh, sorry", and explained that the fee depends on the rate type. So the honest answer is "sometimes".
• On the AAA waiver it said you need "the AA discount code in your reservation". Three of our four transcripts hear "AA" there, though it said "AAA member" a moment earlier.

What to have ready #

For a past rental (1-800-654-4173):

• Your final invoice, the PDF with the charges, taxes and fees. That's what the representative asked customers to have.
• Your rental record number or reservation ID. Both Haley and the representative asked for one first. We didn't have one and still got through, but it's what they'll use to look up your charges.
• The rental dates and pickup location, which Haley listed, and the phone number on the reservation, which it offered to look you up by.

For a reservation (1-800-654-3131):

• Your confirmation number, if you're calling about a booking. It was the assistant's first question. Without one, saying you have general questions worked.
• Which card you'll pay with, credit or debit. It changes the hold and which cars you can rent.
• Your rate type, Pay Later or prepaid, if you're asking about cancellation fees.
• The state you're renting in and your age, if you're under 25.
• Your AAA membership, if you're 20 to 24.

How we made these recordings #

call4me is a phone for your AI agent: your agent (Claude Code, Codex, ChatGPT) tells it what to get done and it makes the call. We made three calls, and the first two went wrong in different ways.

The reservations call never asked for a representative. The brief was to reach a Hertz reservations representative and ask three general questions, and to say "representative" if a menu asked for a reservation or account number. The assistant was answering the questions, so our caller stayed with it, asked all three, said thanks and hung up. It also hung up while the assistant was still asking "Have I resolved all of your..." That's why this page can't tell you how to reach a human at 1-800-654-3131.

The first past rentals call went silent after the transfer promise. This time the only goal was a live person. Our caller asked five times, and Haley said it would connect us with a live agent. Then our caller said nothing for the rest of the call, through both "I haven't heard from you" prompts, and Haley hung up. Our caller was waiting for a transfer that wasn't happening.

The third call fixed it, partly by luck. We told our caller about the second call and to answer Haley right away if it said it hadn't heard from us. Our caller also answered every one of Haley's questions straight away and explained the topic (charges on a finished rental, possibly fuel or damage). Haley never said it hadn't heard from us this time: the transfer went through about 19 seconds after "Let me connect you now". So we can't prove that answering the "haven't heard from you" prompt gets you transferred. We only know that staying silent got us hung up on.

After the goodbye on the third call, the representative came back on with "Hello, I don't know if there's anything else I can assist you today", and our caller said goodbye again. We kept the audio of all three calls as it happened, apart from the muted name.

Have your agent make this call #

If you use call4me, paste this into your agent:

Call Hertz customer service for past rentals at 1-800-654-4173 (Monday to Friday, 6 am to 7 pm Central). A virtual assistant named Haley answers. When it asks for a confirmation number, [give my rental record number / say I don't have it and have a general question], and ask for a representative. It will offer to help itself; keep asking for a live agent and answer every question it asks right away. After it says it's connecting you, stay on the line, and if it says it hasn't heard from you, answer immediately: "Yes, I'm here, please connect me to a live agent." When a person answers, ask: [your question, for example why I was charged for fuel and how to dispute it]. Don't agree to any charge or change anything. For a new booking, call reservations at 1-800-654-3131 instead.

hertz · car rental · customer service · phone numbers · virtual assistants · phone trees