Avoiding drop off charge

[Keacc]

We are getting a car at Tampa and need to drop it off at Orlando. The drop off charges are crazy. Does anyone have a suggestion how to avoid this charge or is there a car rental that doesn't charge a drop off? Are there ever coupons for no drop off charge?

 

[JenB1104]

We are getting a car at Tampa and need to drop it off at Orlando. The drop off charges are crazy. Does anyone have a suggestion how to avoid this charge or is there a car rental that doesn't charge a drop off? Are there ever coupons for no drop off charge?

We are in the same boat.

 

[bumbershoot]

Who are you renting with? I just went through national with your city combo and there was no one way fee.

 

[nacho113]

Dollar and Thrifty are notorious for their one way drop off charges. No way around them, I'm afraid.
Check other rental companies (Alamo, National, Budget etc.).
Sometimes a more expensive daily/weekly rate that doesn't have the drop off fee can actually work out less expensive overall.

If rates are still high, you may want to look at 2 rentals to see if you can get a better overall rate.
ie: book a one day, one-way from Tampa to MCO (or you could even try the Car Care Center in WDW), Then a second rental from MCO (or CCC) for the remainder of your vacation.

Which ever way you go, you will want to check back regularly to check pricing. When rates drop, book the new lower price then go back and cancel the old reservation...rinse and repeat as needed up until your departure date.

 

[Keacc]

Who are you renting with? I just went through national with your city combo and there was no one way fee.

I just tried National and it is $163 for one day. Did you use a coupon or Emerald Club code? I don't see city specials.

 

[seashoreCM]

Keep checking back. Specials with no drop off charge, like price changes, come and go.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/disney.htm

 

[richmo]

My experience has been that there isn't drop off charges within Florida, but its been a few years since I've done it. I'd definitely check with the various companies.

I have seen that sometimes coupons don't work with a one way rental and I do not recall ever seeing a coupon for just that purpose.

 

[keishashadow]

We are getting a car at Tampa and need to drop it off at Orlando. The drop off charges are crazy. Does anyone have a suggestion how to avoid this charge or is there a car rental that doesn't charge a drop off? Are there ever coupons for no drop off charge?

Two questions re your rental:

"when" - It's good to get a base rate early on but best rates usually are found 1 - 2 months out

"how long" - There are fewer coupons for a one day rental. Often less expensive to rent for 5 days versus 3.

unless you are seeing a specific charge indicated for a one way rental, you may just be experiencing sticker shock. Rates have been high this year.

look for the thread here as to the month your rental falls, then try the codes. Car rental savers also has a nice pricing matrix that makes it easy to check rates across the providers easily.

worst case, look into hotwire/priceline a few weeks out.

 

[bumbershoot]

I just tried National and it is $163 for one day. Did you use a coupon or Emerald Club code? I don't see city specials.

I don't know what date you're looking for. I just threw in a random day.

Sometimes one day rentals are high, sometimes not. I'm just saying there wasn't a separate drop charge when I looked.

 

[suffieldhockeymom]

Some of the coupons drop the one way fee. It also depends on the demand, if they have another one way the opposite direction around the same time, they don't charge you. I've had good luck with the code from BJ's and not having a drop fee. Airport to airport is sometimes cheaper than city to city or airport to city.