Progressive Leasing Settlement: $175 Million in Rent-to-Own Refunds

Who qualifies

• The first round in June 2021 paid more than two million people who had used a Progressive Leasing rent-to-own plan and overpaid relative to what they had been led to expect. No claim was required — the FTC identified recipients from company records.
• The second round in September 2025 applied two extra conditions: you had to have cashed your first check, and you had to have paid Progressive Leasing $616.62 or more.
• That $616.62 threshold is the single most common reason someone got a first check but no second one. Cashing the first check alone was not enough.
• Payment came as a paper check that had to be cashed within 90 days of the date printed on it. Both rounds' windows have now closed.
• There was never an application, deadline, or proof requirement for consumers in either round.
• The case covered Progressive Leasing's own plans. Other rent-to-own or buy-now-pay-later providers used by the same retailers were not part of this settlement.

The Progressive Leasing settlement — what happened

1. 1

   April 20, 2020 — the FTC sues and Progressive settles the same week

   The FTC filed its complaint and a proposed stipulated order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against Prog Leasing, LLC, doing business as Progressive Leasing (No. 1:20-cv-01668, FTC File No. 182 3127). The court entered the stipulated order on April 22, 2020. The Commission vote authorizing the filing was 3-2, with Commissioners Rohit Chopra and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter dissenting.

2. 2

   What customers were told at the register

   The FTC alleged that shoppers buying furniture, jewelry, cellphones, and other high-ticket items were frequently told Progressive's plans were "same as cash" or carried "no interest," which led them to believe they would not be charged more than the item's sticker price. What they were shown was the item's cash price, their initial payment, and each periodic payment.

3. 3

   What the plans actually cost

   According to the complaint, customers paid more than the sticker price and frequently paid approximately twice the sticker price if they made all of their scheduled payments. To see the full cost of the plan before agreeing to it, a customer had to click a nondescript dropdown arrow next to the words "Additional Lease Details."

4. 4

   The company knew people were confused

   The FTC said Progressive was aware of widespread customer confusion about its terms through tens of thousands of consumer complaints — including more than 15,000 received in just one 15-month period.

5. 5

   June 2021 — more than $172 million mailed to over two million people

   The FTC mailed refund checks averaging $85 each. Because of the sheer number of payments, the checks went out over roughly two weeks. Recipients had 90 days to deposit or cash them.

6. 6

   September 2025 — a second round of 1,221,146 checks

   Money was still left in the fund, in large part because not every check from 2021 was cashed. The FTC sent a second round totaling more than $27 million, but restricted it to people who had cashed their first check and had paid Progressive Leasing $616.62 or more — which works out to roughly $22 per check.

7. 7

   What the order requires going forward

   Beyond the money, the order bars Progressive from misrepresenting the cost, terms, or nature of its plans. It must clearly and conspicuously disclose the total cost to own a product when marketing a plan, and must get a customer's express, informed consent before charging or billing them. It is also required to monitor third parties, including the retailers that offer its plans in stores, to make sure their marketing complies.

8. 8

   Rent-to-own is a recurring source of these cases

   The pattern in this case — a headline price at the register and the real total cost one click away — repeats across rent-to-own, lease-to-own, and buy-now-pay-later products. ClaimBee tracks these settlements as they land, including the automatic ones where the only thing standing between you and a payment is an out-of-date mailing address.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and official records

Every figure and date on this page was taken from the primary records below — court dockets, agency releases, and the settlement administrator's own notices. Payout averages we describe as averages are calculated from the official totals, not reported per-person estimates.

• FTC — Progressive Leasing Refunds page (September 2025 second round, $616.62 threshold)
• FTC case record — FTC v. Prog Leasing, LLC, File No. 182 3127, with the docket timeline
• FTC press release — the $175 million settlement and the conduct alleged
• FTC press release — June 2021 distribution of more than $172 million, averaging $85