Calling all car rental experts........

[my3squeals]

We have a car rented for a week for our upcoming trip. I feel like I got a good deal, midsize SUZ for a week $225. The only problem is in the small print it states something like extra fees, taxes, surcharges, etc.... may apply and will be collected at the rental counter. What kind of "extra fees" am I looking at? It has been a few years since we have rented a car, just looking at some idea what to expect.......

 

[1tufgt]

We have a car rented for a week for our upcoming trip. I feel like I got a good deal, midsize SUZ for a week $225. The only problem is in the small print it states something like extra fees, taxes, surcharges, etc.... may apply and will be collected at the rental counter. What kind of "extra fees" am I looking at? It has been a few years since we have rented a car, just looking at some idea what to expect.......

Usually it's fees to cover the use of the vehicle for that period, facility fees and some other fees.

Here is what fee's Alamo charges:

Taxes, Surcharges and Fees
Customer Facility Charge 2.50/day
Airport Access Fee 10 %
Florida Surcharge 2.00/day
Tire/battery Fee .02/day
Vehicle License Fee .60/day
Sales Tax (6.50%)

 

[NancyIL]

When you made the reservation, you should've seen the total with all the taxes - which can add quite a bit to the total cost of the rental.

 

[DebbieB]

If your reservation includes the taxes, I think the wording is there in case a new tax comes out or changes between the time of the reservation and the actual rental. That happened a few years ago, people complained they were being charged more and it happened because a tax rate went up.

 

[jcarwash]

Yeah the key is what is the $225 -- is that the weekly rate, or is that the estimated total charge? I typically rent from Hertz, and their reservations confirmation provide the estimated total - rental rate, taxes, fees, etc.

If $225 is the weekly rate only, your full total very well could be much much more. To me, $225 is an expensive weekly rate, however, rates for SUVs are not going to be the cheapest offered.

But if $225 is your estimated total charge for a midsize SUV, I'd agree, that's really good for that class of car.

 

[VAN]

Yes, that statement covers for any increases to existing or addition of new taxes and fees. We've reserved a car before in advance and then the price at the airport went up by $5 or so ... due to increased local taxes.

So, your rental reservation will show currently known taxes and fees, but they might increase slightly prior to the rental.

Hope that explains it.

p.s. We had a mid-size with National for late September 8 days for $168 total. Have you checked out mousesavers.com for rental tips and discount codes/coupons? I got that price with the codes/coupons from my Entertainment Book.

 

[my3squeals]

The $225 was the total weekly rate. It was an add on thru the air fare, there was only $11 difference between the SUV and and a full size car and only $25 for the mid size car, so for $25 and a little more space I thought the SUV was the best deal. When I've gone to the rental car websites on my own everything even with codes I could find was coming up $300-$400 for the week. Now you are making me second guess my find as to what I thought was a good deal. So how do I get something lower???

 

[DCTooTall]

The $225 was the total weekly rate. It was an add on thru the air fare, there was only $11 difference between the SUV and and a full size car and only $25 for the mid size car, so for $25 and a little more space I thought the SUV was the best deal. When I've gone to the rental car websites on my own everything even with codes I could find was coming up $300-$400 for the week. Now you are making me second guess my find as to what I thought was a good deal. So how do I get something lower???

If you booked as an airline reservation add-on, I'd check to find out if that is JUST the weekly rate, or the Weekly "estimated total". HUGE difference since the Weekly rate would usually be the Car Rental Agency's Published rates (usually a pretty standard rate code across the country based on demand/ etc), while the "estimated total" would include the weekly rate as well as the taxes/fees charged by the local area. (Airport fees, gov'ment taxes, etc).


The airport surcharges and required taxes can easily add $50-$100+ to the weekly rate.

In my experience, most major rental agency websites automatically add the local taxes and fees, however I don't know if that information transitions into their 3rd party connections. You can often see what the weekly rate is on those sites as well when they break down the pricing. In the example below you'll see how AVIS is breaking things down for a reservation I have at MCO for next March.


Base Rate: 7 day(s) 190.00 USD
Taxes & Surcharges: 71.47 USD
Surcharge
55.51 USD
$0.50 per day (Energy Recovery Fee)
$2.00 per day (Florida Surcharge)
$0.02 per day (Waste Tire/Battery Fee)
$0.78 per day (Vehicle License Fee)
$2.50 per day, maximum 5 days (Customer Facility Charge)
10% (Concession Recovery Fee)
Tax ( 6.500% )
15.96 USD
Mileage:Unlimited
Approximate Total
261.47 USD

 

[my3squeals]

Drivers must be at least 21 years of age at the time of the rental. Drivers age 21-25 will be charged an additional $25 per day at the time of pick up.
All rentals require a clean driving record. A major credit card and a valid driver's license in the name of the renter will be required at the time of rental. Debit and check cards (not accepted in some locations), considered to be any non-credit card bearing the Visa or MasterCard logo (except for gift/prepaid cards) may only be used in conjunction with proof of round trip ticket (airline, cruise ship and the like). A passport is required for all non-U.S. citizens.

Taxes, Surcharges and Fees are not part of your package price and will be collected by Alamo at auto rental. Fees are the same for all rental car companies and based on car size and season. Fees include: Concession Recoup Fee,Schrg/tire Bat Fee, License Recoupment Fee,State Tax.
Total may vary slightly at time of rental based on the election of prepaid gas, optional coverage items or changes in taxes, surcharges and fees.


This is the small print under the section where you pick your car.....