car rental timings?

[Angie789]

I am getting ready to make final decisions about which flights we'll take for our December Disney trip, and I am wondering how to factor car rental timings into that. The flight we'll take into MCO arrives at noon, so our car pick up will be around that time. Our choices for a flight out, a week later (Sat - Sat) are either a 10:30 am flight or a 3 pm flight. I'd prefer the later choice, but not if means we'd be charged an extra day for the car. Is that how it works?

I know I've come across this issue before, but my coffee hasn't kicked in yet so I can't wrap my brain around it this morning!

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Car rentals are based on 24 hour periods. But lets back into your numbers a bit; if your plane is arriving at MCO at 12:00, realistically, you probably won't be ready to pick up your car until 12:30 if everything is on time. On the flip side, if you take the 3:00 flight home, and plan on getting to the airport 2 hours before your scheduled departure, you are planning on a drop off at 1:00 PM. That means you actually have about a 30 minute window between the 24 hour period ends at 12:30 to a reasonable drop time of 1:00.

So in this case two things will be at play, first almost all (if not all) rental companies have a 29 minute grace period, second, there is an extra hour charge the can be applied if beyond. If you book the rental as 12:30 pickup and 1:00 return, you will be charged for an additional hour, if you do a 12:30 pickup and 12:30 return you will not, up front, but if you return it beyond 29 minutes you will be charged another hour. An hour is usually about 1/3 of the daily rental price (after 3 hours you are at a new day).

So the question comes in, is 1/3 daily rate for an extra hour an acceptable cost to take the later flight.

Hope this helps.

 

[dougsmom98]

The previous poster did a good job explaining it. That was good advice. You can also double check by playing around with the times ands see what it is doing to the price.

 

[Angie789]

That was VERY helpful!!! Thanks!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would do a pick up at 1:00 p.m and the drop off at 1:00 p.m.

By the time your flight lands, the people infront of you get off the plane, you stop at the bathroom, you make your way to get your luggage and wait for it to show up on the belt and pick it up, then make your way to the rental car counter, wait to check in for your car which depending on how many people are infront of you, you could be very close to 1:00 p.m

 

[travelcoupons]

I usually do the pick-up about a half hour after flight is scheduled to land. (in case flight is early).
A lot of times the airlines will change schedules anyway so it isn't a big issue.

For drop off, I usually put it an hour before my departure time (in case I'm running late). You definately don't want to short yourself on this end though.

 

[gmeh1]

The pickup and drop off time you put in your reservation is not what they go on. The time that you exit the garage starts the clock ticking and the time you drop it off stops the clock.
And anything past two hours gains you a day's increase in your total.
up to 29 mins. late = Grace Period
30mins-1hour= One hour rate
61mins - 2 hours = 2x's the hourly rate
121 mins - 24 hours earns you the daily rate.