Can you rent a car in one state and drive to another?

[twinklingstars4u]

I am in Georgia. We have a trip scheduled in September and we were going to drive to Disney taking my car. I got hit last week by a lady running a red light and my car is totaled ! I don't know when I'll be able to replace it. Depends on our insurance companies. So there goes our transportation and we cannot change our vacation dates.

So my question is, can I rent a car in Georgia and drive it to Florida? If so what are milage costs approximately? I have called several rental companies and get put on hold everytime .

I figured maybe someone here might have had to do the same thing and could help answer some of these questions.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[rkmassa]

Used to do it all the time. For all of our "car" trips we rented in Kansas and drove to some place. For 2 of the trips we drove to Florida. Went to Canada, West Coast, East Coast, all over the U.S. We rented for a 2 week period of time. Always cheaper to rent by the week. We used Hertz for every trip due to unlimited miles. Many car companies charge extra for lots of miles, so be sure to check carefully. We also found renting from an airport was cheaper. We would drive up to Kansas City airport Hertz location and pick up the car. Check with your insurance company about rental car coverage to avoid the excessive charges for insurance through the rental company.

 

[paladin]

Most leisure rates include unlimited mileage. Gernerally, you are allolwed to take your car into other states with no problem. However, to be save, you would want to check with the vendor. Since you are having trouble getting through on the phone, maybe you could find this information on their website.

 

[safetymom]

If the insurance company is providing the rental check to see if it is allowed to be driven out of state. Most of the major car rental agencies offer unlimited miles on most types of vehicles.

 

[seashoreCM]

Many car rental agencies have geographical limits on their unlimited miles. Check the rental agency's rules or policies or terms. Check the agency's web site and also Travelocity .com and assume the worse of the two applies.

As far as dealing with the insurance companies when your car was totaled, insist on retail price as the value. Also send the other insurance company a letter saying that the longer it takes them to settle the more you will be seeking for substitute transportation. (Send the letter anyway for what it is worth.) All insurance companies try to make you a low low offer at first. If you are not satisfied, prior to accepting a settlement you can sue the other driver directly. Then her insurance company has to defend her if not settle up quickly with you.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[CherCrazy]

Some rental companies will tell you that you can't drive the car out of state. I always wondered if they were going to be waiting at the border to check.

 

[Jcricket Fan]

We flew to AZ rented from National and drove to Disneyland then back! It was several hundred miles...no problem with the trip. We had unlimited miles and we were not restricted in driving to California.

I know some companies do restict interstate travel and some do charge for overage of miles but we checked before we left and it worked just as we had hoped.

Colleen

 

[ncbyrne]

We do this all the time. If you live near an airport, you will find the best prices with the least restrictions from rental car agencies in, or near, the airport. Be sure to check out both of these sites: http://www.mousesavers.com/rentalcar.html and http://www.rentalcodes.com/

 

[Lewisc]

Some rental companies will tell you that you can't drive the car out of state. I always wondered if they were going to be waiting at the border to check.

You don't really believe that do you?

They'll certainly know if you have an accident or get a ticket. Your credit card coverage and possibly even your own rental policy won't cover you if you're not operating the car as contractually permitted. They're not stupid. They can also figure it out if you put a more than a thousand miles in a few days. Some of the agencies are put GPS units in some of their cars. Allow them to find cars that aren't returned, cars that are driven in geographic areas not permitted and even surcharge customers that drive excessively fast.

 

[twinklingstars4u]

Thanks for all the replies!

We are going to go ahead and reserve a car for our trip. The weekly rental is under $300 with unlimited miles!

 

[Lewisc]

Thanks for all the replies!

We are going to go ahead and reserve a car for our trip. The weekly rental is under $300 with unlimited miles!

Just read your contract. Some agencies offer you "true" unlimited miles. Some offer you unlimited miles but still restrict you to your own state.

 

[manning]

Used to do it all the time. For all of our "car" trips we rented in Kansas and drove to some place. For 2 of the trips we drove to Florida. Went to Canada, West Coast, East Coast, all over the U.S. We rented for a 2 week period of time. Always cheaper to rent by the week. We used Hertz for every trip due to unlimited miles. Many car companies charge extra for lots of miles, so be sure to check carefully. We also found renting from an airport was cheaper. We would drive up to Kansas City airport Hertz location and pick up the car. Check with your insurance company about rental car coverage to avoid the excessive charges for insurance through the rental company.

Watch out for the tax. I live in the Chicago area and if you rent from the airport you will be hit with an 18 percent tax if not more. I rent in another county, not from an airport location, the rental is the same but the tax is 6 percent. Taxes are very high at places like airports because it is a revenue source. Almost all who rent are from out of town and don't vote in local elections. The same applies to hotel/motel taxes.

Check the rates you are quoted. Rates can be quoted two ways. With and without mileage charges. Mileage charges can add up real fast!!

Insurance

Check to see if your policy covers rental. Also your credit card company may cover rental. Some who do may only be secondary, that means they will pick up what your insurance company will not. I use Diners Club to rent. That is because their insurance coverage is primary. That means they cover everything. Your insurance company won't become involved.