Release Details

Plano, Texas, April 25 2000. - Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ/NNM:RCII) announced today at its Regional Directors meeting in Dallas that beginning in June 2000 it will begin offering Internet access to its customers through "RentACenter.com." Unlike traditional Internet Service Providers ("ISP"), this Internet service will be available to customers on a weekly basis with no long-term commitment. Service can be paid for at any of the Company's 2,080 stores across the country without the need for a credit card or a checking account.

"We are very excited about this new product offering. Based on our research, we believe we will be the only ISP offering weekly Internet service that can accept payments without the need for a credit card or a checking account," commented J. Ernest Talley, Chairman and CEO. Mr. Talley further noted, "We believe this new service is the only one of its kind and could establish 'RentACenter.com' as the leading ISP for those who may be unable to obtain Internet service through existing market participants like America Online."

Access to the Internet through "RentACenter.com" will be available to everyone and will not be limited to customers that have a computer or other item on rent. For a price of approximately $5.99 per week, customers will receive unlimited hours and access to the Internet. In addition, RentACenter.com will provide complimentary services including e-mail, personal web space, access to shopping, chat rooms, games and more.

Vice President of Advertising and Marketing Ann Davids stated, "We have completed extensive customer research and found a market of not only our current customer base, but thousands more who are being left outside the digital revolution because they do not have the strong credit history, credit card or bank account needed to buy a computer or make monthly payments to an Internet Service Provider. We have found a way to narrow the 'digital divide.' We believe our weekly Internet service will open the door for thousands of middle and lower income households to gain access to the World Wide Web."

Rent-A-Center, headquartered in Plano, Texas, currently operates 2,080 company-owned rent-to-own stores in 49 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. The stores offer high-quality, durable goods such as home electronics, appliances, computers, and furniture and accessories to consumers under flexible rental purchase agreements that allow the customer to obtain ownership of the merchandise at the conclusion of an agreed-upon rental period. ColorTyme, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, is a national franchisor of 362 rent-to-own stores, 334 of which operate under the trade name of "ColorTyme," and the remaining 28 of which operate under the "Rent-A-Center" name.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," or "believe," or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward looking statements will prove to be correct, the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. The actual future performance of the Company could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its annual report Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999 and the Company's ability to find locations that meet the Company's criteria for new store locations, and the Company's ability to locate existing stores that the Company could acquire under acceptable terms. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to find such locations or existing stores, or that it would be able to open or acquire such stores. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as requested by law, the Company is not obligated to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect the events or circumstances after the date of this report or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contacts for Rent-A-Center, Inc.:

Mark Speese, Chief Executive Officer
Chairman of the Board
(972) 801-1199
mspeese@racenter.com

Mitchell E. Fadel, President
(972) 801-1114
mfadel@racenter.com

Robert D. Davis, Chief Financial Officer
(972) 801-1204
rdavis@racenter.com

David E. Carpenter, Director of Investor Relations
(972) 801-1214
dcarpenter@racenter.com