Do you pay for car shipping before or after?
Both, in two parts. The standard structure: a deposit once a carrier is assigned to your vehicle, and the balance at delivery — often paid to the driver. What you should never do is pay a large deposit before a carrier is assigned or before you have a locked price in writing. That pattern is the setup for the most common scams in this industry.
Payment timing is one of the clearest ways to tell a legitimate broker from a bad one, so it’s worth understanding the normal sequence.
The normal payment sequence
- Quote and booking: $0. A quote costs nothing and getting one shouldn’t require a card number.
- Carrier assignment: deposit. Once a specific carrier with a name, MC number, and insurance on file is assigned to your car, a deposit is normal. At Allied, no deposit is collected until a carrier is assigned.
- Delivery: balance. The remainder is due when your car arrives and you’ve inspected it against the Bill of Lading. Confirm the accepted payment methods before pickup so delivery day has no surprises.
How to pay a deposit safely
Pay deposits with a credit card only. A credit card gives you a chargeback option if the company vanishes; wire transfers, Zelle, and cash apps give you nothing. Deposit theft is a documented scam pattern — a professional-looking site collects a deposit by wire or cash app, then no car pickup, no refund, no call back. Our car shipping scams guide covers this one and six others in detail.
Before paying anything, ask two questions:
- What is the deposit, and is it refundable if no carrier is assigned?
- Is my final price locked in writing in the contract?
A company that won’t put the price in the contract is a company to walk away from.
Payment red flags
- A large deposit demanded before you get anything in writing. Legitimate brokers don’t need your money to start looking for a carrier.
- Wire transfer, Zelle, or cash app as the only payment options. Those methods exist to be unrecoverable.
- The price “changes” at delivery. A driver demanding cash above the agreed price before unloading your car is a hostage-pricing scam, not a fuel surcharge. A locked written price prevents it.
- A quote far below everyone else’s. A quote 30% or more below market average is bait. The real price shows up later, when your car is on someone’s truck.
Price ranges by lane are on our route pages — see California to Florida and New York to Florida for what normal looks like on the two busiest corridors.
Frequently asked questions
Should I ever pay in full upfront?
No reason to. The standard structure — deposit at carrier assignment, balance at delivery — protects you by keeping most of the money tied to the car showing up. Full prepayment removes that protection.
Is a deposit before carrier assignment always a scam?
Not always, but it removes your safety margin. If the company can’t name the carrier, its MC number, and its insurance, your deposit is funding a promise, not a shipment. Ask whether it’s refundable if no carrier is assigned, and get that in writing.
What forms of payment do drivers take at delivery?
It varies by carrier, so confirm accepted methods when your carrier is assigned — before pickup, not on delivery day. Get the total in writing so the number at delivery matches the number you agreed to.
What if the driver demands more money at delivery?
Don’t pay cash on the spot without checking your contract. If your price is locked in writing, call your broker immediately — this is the hostage-pricing pattern, and a documented contract is your defense. Report it if it happens.
Get a locked quote
We’re an FMCSA-licensed and bonded broker. No deposit until a carrier is assigned, and the price you’re quoted is the price you pay.
Or call us at (800) 997-4181.