Advantage Rental NO Longer at Airport?

[TwoAtDisney]

Rented from Advantage last Nov/Dec 2012 & the counter & the cars were at the airport (MCO). My reservation for Dec 2013 says take the shuttle? Is reservation verbage just basic, or has Advantage moved offsite?

 

[TwoAtDisney]

Also found good buy from Thrifty. Are they "In Terminal" MCO?

 

[Lewisc]

Advantage is no longer owned by Hertz. I must of been distracted when I said Enterprise. The thread is about Advantage and Advantage is the company sold by Hertz.

 

[gmeh1]

Also found good buy from Thrifty. Are they "In Terminal" MCO?

These are the car companies currently at MCO. In terminal, no shuttle.
http://orlandoairports.net/transport/rental_cars.htm

 

[gmeh1]

Enterprise is no longer owned by Hertz.

Enterprise was never owned by Hertz. It has been a private company since the 1950s. Enterprise owns National and Alamo.

 

[gmeh1]

Rented from Advantage last Nov/Dec 2012 & the counter & the cars were at the airport (MCO). My reservation for Dec 2013 says take the shuttle? Is reservation verbage just basic, or has Advantage moved offsite?

I believe (and don't quote me on this) when Hertz bought Thrifty/Dollar they ditched Advantage. I think advantage went independent and moved off site.

 

[loveswdw]

I believe (and don't quote me on this) when Hertz bought Thrifty/Dollar they ditched Advantage. I think advantage went independent and moved off site.

Google says you are correct. FTC approved a modified Hertz/Dollar/Thrifty deal and Hertz will sell Advantage.

 

[TwoAtDisney]

Thanks everyone - big help.

I got a better deal at Thrifty. Any good or not so good thoughts on renting with Thrifty at MCO?

 

[gmeh1]

Thanks everyone - big help.

I got a better deal at Thrifty. Any good or not so good thoughts on renting with Thrifty at MCO?

Thrifty is owned by Hertz. I have never rented with them. They have policies that I do not like.
F. Credit Qualifications/Requirements: To qualify to rent the THRIFTY vehicle, the renter must present at the time of rental a major credit card or debit card (see Debit Card Usage below) in the renter's own name with available credit. A hold will be placed on the renter's credit card for the estimated amount of the rental plus 15% or a minimum amount, whichever is greater, as determined by the location where you intend to rent. The hold will be removed at the end of the rental when the final charges are settled. Because the requirements vary by location, please refer to the location's Terms & Conditions for specific information on credit qualifications and requirements where you intend to rent a THRIFTY vehicle.

G. Debit Card Usage: If the customer presents a debit card at the beginning of rental to qualify to rent, we will perform a debit card check and credit inquiry screening through Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc. This type of inquiry will screen out customers who present a greater driving risk to us, using a standard set of criteria. In the event that a customer's debit card check and credit inquiry fail to meet our debit card criteria, the customer will not be allowed to rent unless they provide a major credit card in their own name. Our debit card policy complies with all U.S. federal and state laws. Debit cards are accepted for payment at the end of rental without a credit inquiry. Debit cards may not be accepted in Canada except for payment at the end of rental. Since the credit requirements vary by THRIFTY location, please refer to the location's Terms & Conditions for specific information on the acceptance and usage of debit cards where you intend to rent a THRIFTY vehicle.
I don't like holds like that placed on my credit cards as it takes forever for the funds to make it back to my credit card. I do not like credit checks run on me if I choose to use a debit card. I prefer companies that charge you the actual rate and do not run a credit check to use a debit card. Just my preference.

 

[Lewisc]

I don't like holds like that placed on my credit cards as it takes forever for the funds to make it back to my credit card.

I guess you don't use a credit card for gas. Holds are placed when you first swipe your card. It may take a day or two for the hold to be released.

I guess you don't use a credit card in restaurants. Automatic holds of 20-25% over the cost of the check, to cover a possible tip, are common. Tips might be run after you've already left the restaurant.

I guess you don't use a credit card in a hotel. Holds to cover incidental charges are routine in many properties. I'm pretty sure Disney puts a hold to cover possible charge back to your room.

A 15% hold might not even be enough to cover a tank of gas.

A rental agency is renting you a car worth 20-30K. I think renters paying with a debit card should be prepared for the possibility the agencies policy will change and some kind of credit check might be done at the time you pick up the car.

edited to add: I don't think my post reads the way intended. My point is reserving extra credit isn't limited to rental agencies. It's a common practice, particularly when the final cost isn't known when your credit card information is first swiped.

A person returns the car a couple of hours late and owes an extra day. A customer who didn't select the prepay gas option returns the car with a near empty gas tank. A customer returns the car with a cracked windshield. Reserving an extra 15% may not sufficient to cover any of those situations.

 

[gmeh1]

I guess you don't use a credit card for gas. Holds are placed when you first swipe your card. It may take a day or two for the hold to be released.

I guess you don't use a credit card in restaurants. Automatic holds of 20-25% over the cost of the check, to cover a possible tip, are common. Tips might be run after you've already left the restaurant.

I guess you don't use a credit card in a hotel. Holds to cover incidental charges are routine in many properties. I'm pretty sure Disney puts a hold to cover possible charge back to your room.

A 15% hold might not even be enough to cover a tank of gas.

A rental agency is renting you a car worth 20-30K. I think renters paying with a debit card should be prepared for the possibility the agencies policy will change and some kind of credit check might be done at the time you pick up the car.

edited to add: I don't think my post reads the way intended. My point is reserving extra credit isn't limited to rental agencies. It's a common practice, particularly when the final cost isn't known when your credit card information is first swiped.

A person returns the car a couple of hours late and owes an extra day. A customer who didn't select the prepay gas option returns the car with a near empty gas tank. A customer returns the car with a cracked windshield. Reserving an extra 15% may not sufficient to cover any of those situations.

Actually Lewis, I use my debit card for gas, I run it as a credit card. The stations here put a 1.00 hold on the account and a couple of days later the actuall charge hits.
I use my debit card, run as a credit card at restaurants here. The pretip price hits my card immediately, the corrected amount hits a day or so later.
Disney runs a 1.00 charge to make sure the credit card is good. Hotels run the same in most places, they have the number for incidentals or damages( I have asked what they are going to put on the card before I had it over) or they charge the full amount up front. I have yet to have any other amount hit my credit or debit card.
I can only speak for Nationa/Alamo, they do not put a hold on the card, they do not run a credit check and they manage to give you a final "tab" when you return the car. They do not allow FL residents to use a debit card for rentals in FL unless they have proof of round trip travel. They do require proof of round trip travel for others wanting to use a debit card for rentals.
I am very very careful with my finances and I check my bank statments daily, the same with my credit card, when I use it (which is rarely). I know exactly where every penny is and where it has gone. I do not like the practice of putting a hold on anything or running a credit check when it is not necessary. As I said, it may not bother some, but, it bothers me and I have options and I do exercise them.

 

[MAYNARDS99]

Two... to answer your question about Thrifty. Yes, Hertz owns them now, and supplies them with vehicles coming out of Hertz. So, they MAY have higher mileage or greater wear and tear.

Sign up for free as a "Blue Chip" member. Orlando is a "Choice Service" location.

"Save even more time by bypassing the counter. Well put your name and parking space number on our monitors. If you want a different vehicle, just take the hang tag from your rear view mirror and pick one from the same car class. The choice is yours." That way you can be sure YOUR vehicle has low mileage, is clean and the right color!

I would not be concerned about any hold unless you are bumping up against your credit limit.

Helpful hint regarding rentals, be sure your insurance covers rental cars - call your agent to confirm. Many credit cards also will cover your insurance deductibles, in case an accident occurs. Bring your insurance card too!

 

[gmeh1]

Two... to answer your question about Thrifty. Yes, Hertz owns them now, and supplies them with vehicles coming out of Hertz. So, they MAY have higher mileage or greater wear and tear.

Sign up for free as a "Blue Chip" member. Orlando is a "Choice Service" location.

"Save even more time by bypassing the counter. Well put your name and parking space number on our monitors. If you want a different vehicle, just take the hang tag from your rear view mirror and pick one from the same car class. The choice is yours." That way you can be sure YOUR vehicle has low mileage, is clean and the right color!

I would not be concerned about any hold unless you are bumping up against your credit limit.

Helpful hint regarding rentals, be sure your insurance covers rental cars - call your agent to confirm. Many credit cards also will cover your insurance deductibles, in case an accident occurs. Bring your insurance card too!

If Hertz runs thrifty and dollar like they did advantage, they will be sharing cars, so, you will be getting pretty much the same cars as Hertz renters.
No, it is not a large deposit over the rental, it is the fact that it is really not necessary. They have your credit card already and can charge the total and additional without any problem. Others manage to do it without a problem.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

Advantage is definitely not in the terminal any longer at MCO. I found that out after having a long delay at the airport and not even going to the rental car area until about 11 pm and the Advantage desk, that was the first desk you came to down there, was not even there. It was late and we were hot and tired and there was no way we were going through the whole shuttle you offsite thing.

I ended up getting on Priceline on my phone and reserving a car through EZ who IS in terminal and got about the same very cheap rate that I had with Advantage. I think it was $16 a day for a full sized car.