Has anyone done a one-way car rental (dropoff different from pickup location)?

[binwinbinwin]

Has anyone ever done a one-way car rental? If yes, what suggestions do you have to get a good rental rate since Hertz, Avis, Budget etc. usually charge more for one-way rentals, especially if you pickup from an airport.

 

[msabol01]

I've only done one-way rentals to Port Canaveral on my way to a cruise. The prices were cheaper than Disney transfers, but if you are going to WDW that's not an issue since Magical Express is free.

I used Avis and it was less than $50 each way.

Hope that helps.

 

[dvc guy]

We have done one way rental all the time and if my information is correct it is illegal for rental car companies to charge drop off charges if the rental is with the state of Florida.

having said that we have used both National and Hertz and never had a problem. The only issues is that sometimes you cannot use certain coupons one one way.

We are doing it again this year pick up MIA drop off MCO.

 

[binwinbinwin]

We are trying to book a December one-way car rental with pickup at West Palm Beach airport and dropoff in downtown Miami but the weekend rates are sky-high. Instead of only paying $20 per weekend day for a compact, we are paying $40 per day since it's a one-way with dropoff in a different city.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

We are trying to book a December one-way car rental with pickup at West Palm Beach airport and dropoff in downtown Miami but the weekend rates are sky-high. Instead of only paying $20 per weekend day for a compact, we are paying $40 per day since it's a one-way with dropoff in a different city.

Check rates on a website like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, etc. where you can put in your parameters and compare multiple companies at the same time. In certain situations a company may charge a higher or lower rate for a one way rental than for a same-location return. I rented at FLL a couple weeks ago and the daily rate was less returning the car to MCO than if I had returned it back to FLL. Your choice of returning the car to a non-airport location might also be influencing the price. Most airport locations are corporate owned while many off-airport locations are franchisees. I don't know about downtown MIA but if it's privately owned, that could impact the rate.

We have done one way rental all the time and if my information is correct it is illegal for rental car companies to charge drop off charges if the rental is with the state of Florida.

That is completely false. There is no such law. The reason most rental companies in Florida don't charge a drop charge within the state is for competitive reasons. This is a hugely leisure travel market with many, many rental car companies.

BobK/Orlando

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

OMG! I know what you mean. For our July vacation we flew into Vegas but flew home from Phoenix. I had booked our car back in Feb. for about $250, which I considered high by our usual MCO standards. I kept rechecking for a lower price but then gas skyrocketed, so they added a $600 one way drop off fee!!! Good thing I had booked early, made my $250 seem cheap. I
I would keep checking for coupons and better rates. Costco and BJ's have good coupons if you belong to them.

good luck!

ps. I've done one-ways between MCO and TPA and was never charged a fee. I assumed it was new due to gas prices.