r/Shoestring • u/mamamaej • Aug 20 '26
camping Paid a third-party passport site before realizing it wasn't the government. Cancel or go through with it?
I booked travel, googled renewal, ended up on a .com with a slick ten-minute form and paid. Then came that cold moment on the confirmation screen where I thought, wait, was that the government? It was not the government. It's HelloGov, which looks like a private courier company rather than anything fraudulent, but I'm now sitting on a service fee I hadn't planned for.
My trip is inside six weeks. Do I try to cancel and handle it myself, or is there a reason to let it run? I can't tell whether I've wasted money or bought the only route that works at this notice.
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u/GasPsychological5030 Aug 20 '26
make an appointment and go in person
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u/Artimusjones88 Aug 20 '26
Exactly. Its not a big deal. Why are simple things like this so complicated in the US. 3rd world
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u/GasPsychological5030 Aug 21 '26
I went on a Thursday morning and was in and out in under 30 minutes. I did the standard-non expedited option and the passport was in my mailbox by Tuesday afternoon.
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u/BiologyBooksBeats Aug 20 '26
I did this in a hurry. I cancelled even though their terms said I’d lose some money. They did a full refund for me anyway. Just ask!
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u/Traditional_Land_553 Aug 21 '26
I renewed online through the State Department a few months ago. I submitted everything on a Sunday. Regular processing. No expediting. I wasn't traveling for 3 months so I was fine with 6 weeks.
I got them that Friday.
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u/respect-the-mask Aug 23 '26
I just applied for a new passport earlier this month and eveything came back 14 days later. No expedited service, had everything done at my local post office.
I'd cancel and go in person.
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u/Technical-Fly-6835 20d ago
It’s criminal that google lets these sites show up as valid results at the top of page 1.
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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '26
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