Payless Car Rental franchise
2025 filing · April 30, 2025Fewer locations
Payless Car Rental at a glance
A car rental business renting vehicles under the Payless brand from airport and neighborhood locations in a licensed territory. At the end of 2024 there were 109 Payless Car Rental locations in the US, 12 franchised and 97 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- Payless Car Rental System, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Current franchisor selling since
- 2001
- 24 years of selling franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $626K–$1.61M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $45,000
- For a territory of up to 50,000 people, plus $5,000 for each additional 5,000 people.
- Royalty
- 7.5%
- A monthly license fee of 7.5% of gross revenue, plus per-transaction system charges
- Renewal fee
- $2,500
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 109
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 12
- Company-owned
- 97
- Change in 3 years
- −13
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 36
- Most in Florida, Kansas and Texas
From Payless Car Rental System, Inc’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Payless Car Rental among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Payless Car Rental | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,116,950 | Costs more than 85% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $45,000 | Higher than 55% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7.5% | Higher than 84% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 109 | More than 78% of franchises |
How much a Payless Car Rental franchise costs
Opening one Payless Car Rental costs an estimated $625,500 to $1,608,400. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are automobiles ($450,000 to $1,290,000) and construction, remodeling, decorating, and leasehold improvements ($15,000 to $75,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fleet) Initial License Purchase Fee | $50,000 | ||
| Construction, remodeling, decorating, and leasehold improvements | $15,000 | $75,000 | |
| Furniture, fixtures, other fixed assets, and equipment | $15,000 | $28,000 | |
| Signage | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Months’ rent and security deposits | $9,000 | $18,000 | |
| Three month period Vehicle Insurance Premiums | $15,000 | $37,500 | |
| Grand opening advertising and promotional costs | $2,000 | $5,000 | |
| Fleet) Office supplies | $500 | $2,000 | |
| Miscellaneous opening costs | $1,000 | $3,000 | |
| Automobiles | $450,000 | $1,290,000 | |
| Plus interest Travel and living expenses during training (3 months to understand) | $3,000 | $7,500 | |
| Additional funds— three months | $55,000 | $72,400 | |
| Total | $625,500 | $1,608,400 | |
Source: Payless Car Rental System, Inc, 2025 filing, page 30
Payless Car Rental franchise fee
The franchise fee is $45,000, For a territory of up to 50,000 people, plus $5,000 for each additional 5,000 people.. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Payless Car Rental System, Inc, 2025 filing, page 18
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | A monthly license fee of 7.5% of gross revenue, plus per-transaction system charges. |
|---|---|
| Transfer Fee | 5% of sales price (minimum $2,500) |
| Renewal Fee | $2,500 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Payless Car Rental System, Inc, 2025 filing, page 22
Other fees as filed, from page 23. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Payless Car Rental does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Payless Car Rental System, Inc, 2025 filing, page 72
SBA loans to Payless Car Rental franchisees
Lenders approved 5 SBA-backed loans for Payless Car Rental franchisees from 1995 to 2005, $1.61M in all: 4 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. All 5 have ended: 4 were paid in full and 1 was charged off.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2024 / 2022–2024. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Payless Car Rental | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / −52% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 44% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 8% | 0% / 0% |
How Payless Car Rental compares
Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Figure | Payless Car Rental | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $626K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.61M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7.5% | 6% |
| US locations | 109 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 (+1) | 80 | – | – |
| 2022 | 24 (−1) | 85 | 0 | −1 |
| 2023 | 12 (−12) | 106 | 0 | −12 |
| 2024 | 12 (0) | 97 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. Company-owned locations are run by Payless or its affiliates.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2024, franchised locations went from 24 to 12 (−12, −50%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: Payless Car Rental System, Inc, 2025 filing, page 73
2021: Payless Car Rental System, Inc, 2024 filing, page 71
Where Payless Car Rental locations are
At the end of 2024, Payless Car Rental had locations in 36 states. The most are in Florida, Kansas and Texas.
- Florida17
- Kansas10
- Texas9
- Missouri8
- Pennsylvania7
- Nebraska6
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 1 | 16 | 17 |
| Kansas | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| Texas | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| Missouri | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Nebraska | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| New York | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Hawaii | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Colorado | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Georgia | 0 | 3 | 3 |
All 36 states
Source: Payless Car Rental System, Inc, 2025 filing, page 74
Who owns Payless Car Rental?
Payless Car Rental franchises are sold by Payless Car Rental System, Inc.
From Payless Car Rental System, Inc’s 2025 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 14–18. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Payless Car Rental System, Inc, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 14–18, bankruptcy on page 18
Payless Car Rental filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Payless Car Rental System, Inc’s 2025 filing, issued April 30, 2025; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | April 30, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
