We are arriving in Orlando on February 17, staying until Feb 28. The car rental rates are totally outrageous (over $900 for a compact
) when we usually pay around $400 or so for the same amount of time. If we book the car for February 16 (until the 28th), it is considerably less (around $310 for mid-size car).
I am wondering if we book for the 16th but don't arrive until the 17th, will there still be a car for us? If we are willing to pay for a longer time period, it shouldn't matter, but I don't want to arrive and have no vehicle. It will be late when we arrive on the 17th as well--around 11 pm. Has anyone done this and do you think it is OK to try?
What are rates like if you take ME the night of the 17th and then pick car up on the 18th....do rates go down any? The car rental company will not hold the car for you for a day. They do ask for flight info and monitor if your flight is delayed but there is no way they will hold a car from the 16th to the 17th at 11PM! It doesn't matter if you are willing to pay or not. If you did show up there on the February 17th they would probably charge you a totally different price than the $310 since you changed the contract terms ...it is like dropping off early that is discussed here.
As someone mentioned also if you return a car early they charge you also since you changed the terms of the contract agreement with them. Have you tried other codes and coupons to see if you can get price down?
Have you considered bidding on Priceline?
Dollar standard size car...no code used $429 with taxes for pickup on the 17th and return on the 28th.
Sometimes you need to check other companies besides the ones you normally rent from. I just picked Dollar since people seem to be having luck with them. Granted not the lower $300+ price you are seeing but not going to get cancelled for a no-show either.
Directly from
Alamo site on how long they will hold a car.
Flight Delay
What do I do if my flight has been delayed?
Airport Rental Locations in the US and Canada:
Vehicles will be held until the end of the business day on the scheduled pickup date or for 12 hours, whichever comes first, for any delayed flights.
If you are going to arrive after closing the pickup date and time should be changed to the next day.
When booking your reservation on-line or with an agent include your airline and flight information. Providing us with your flight information allows us to serve you better because we can check with the airline to see if your flight has been delayed.
Please Note: Frequent flyer points are not automatically paid if you provide your flight information. To receive credit for your miles you must add your Frequent Flyer number to your profile and include the information with your reservation.
