For drivers · 5 min read · Updated July 2026

Do car advertising companies ask for money up front?

No. Legitimate car advertising companies never ask drivers to pay first. Lunar is free to join, with no fees, no deposit, and monthly Stripe payouts.

No, legitimate car advertising companies never ask drivers to pay money up front. There's no application fee, no deposit, no "processing charge" for a wrap or decal kit, and no reimbursement request for taxes or shipping. If a company asks you to send money — or forward money from a check they sent you — before you start earning, it's a scam. Lunar (lunarcar.me) is free to join: no fees, no deposit, and drivers get paid monthly through Stripe.

Why would a car advertising company ask for money up front?

A real advertising company makes money from businesses paying to advertise, not from drivers. There's no legitimate reason for a driver to pay anything to participate — the materials, matching, and verification are the company's cost of doing business, not the driver's. When a program asks a driver for money before any work happens, it's usually because there's no real advertising deal at all. The "advertiser" is fictional, and the payment request is the entire scheme. This is the same logic behind the classic fake-check scam, where a driver is mailed a check, told to deposit it, and asked to wire part of it back for a "wrap installer" — a separate pattern worth reading closely (see: how the car wrap advertising check scam works).

What forms does the upfront request usually take?

The wording changes, but the ask is the same: pay something now, get paid later. Watch for any of these framed as a condition of joining a car advertising program.

• A "registration" or "application" fee to get matched with a brand
• A refundable "security deposit" for wrap or decal materials
• A request to forward part of a check you were mailed to an "installer"
• A "shipping and handling" charge for a decal or wrap kit
• A request for your bank login, wire transfer details, or gift cards to cover taxes on a supposed payment

What does a legitimate program actually charge drivers?

Nothing. Joining Lunar is free — there's no fee and no deposit at any point. Drivers who apply pass basic eligibility checks (18+, a car 12 years old or newer, valid licence and insurance, real VIN) and, once matched, install a removable vinyl decal on the car door themselves. Lunar verifies real driving with a VIN check, a sticker install photo re-taken about twice a month, and a weekly odometer photo. None of that costs the driver anything — it's how Lunar confirms the driving is real, not a fee for participating.

How do drivers actually get paid on Lunar?

Drivers earn a flat $70 base per sticker per month, plus a mileage bonus of up to $15 and referral or streak bonuses, up to a $100 ceiling per sticker. A car has up to 4 door-sticker spots, so drivers filling multiple spots typically earn $280–$400 a month. These are estimates, not guarantees, and depend on matches available in a driver's area. Payment flows one direction only — money moves from the local business to the driver, through Stripe, once a month. Nothing ever moves from the driver to Lunar. See the full payout breakdown on the /payouts page.

What should you do if a company asks you to pay first?

Stop and don't send anything. If you've already been mailed a check, don't deposit it or forward any portion of it — banks can reverse a fraudulent deposit weeks later, leaving you responsible for money you already sent. Report the offer to your bank, the platform where you found it, and your local consumer protection agency (in the US, the FTC; in Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre). Then look for a program that's transparent about how it pays, verifies driving with something concrete like a VIN or odometer check, and never asks you to move money in either direction to get started.

Is asking for personal or vehicle information the same as asking for money?

No — these are different things, and it's worth knowing the difference. A legitimate program will ask for real information to verify you're a real, eligible driver: your VIN, licence and insurance details, and periodic odometer or photo checks. That's verification, not payment. Lunar encrypts licence data, never stores driver-submitted images, and never shares a driver's personal information with the businesses whose decals they carry. Being asked to verify who you are is normal. Being asked to pay, wire, or forward money is not.