Confused... $500 price difference depending on where you live?!

[marivaid]

I am looking at car rental prices right now, picked Alamo since we plan on going to the Dolphin for renting.

Now this I don't get. We are French. When I put our info in (dates, pickup/dropoff etc) and that I choose France in the "where do you live" field, my quote for our location is around $700.

When I choose "United States", the same car, same dates, comes up at over $1200.

Why the $500 difference ?? Is there some insurance we are not eligible for, maybe? I really don't get it. But then again I've never rented a car in my life.

Very confusing.

 

[betterlatethannever]

I am looking at car rental prices right now, picked Alamo since we plan on going to the Dolphin for renting.

Now this I don't get. We are French. When I put our info in (dates, pickup/dropoff etc) and that I choose France in the "where do you live" field, my quote for our location is around $700.

When I choose "United States", the same car, same dates, comes up at over $1200.

Why the $500 difference ?? Is there some insurance we are not eligible for, maybe? I really don't get it. But then again I've never rented a car in my life.

Very confusing.

The short answer is because they can.

I called them last year about this when I accidently put in Uraguay and not United States and the price was substantially cheaper.

They said it was marketing to try and get people from other countries to visit. And when the car is picked up, the renter must have proof that they live in the particular country the discount is associated with.

IMO Alamo must have a financial deal with an airline in order for this to make sense.

Ed

 

[marivaid]

The short answer is because they can.

I called them last year about this when I accidently put in Uraguay and not United States and the price was substantially cheaper.

They said it was marketing to try and get people from other countries to visit. And when the car is picked up, the renter must have proof that they live in the particular country the discount is associated with.

IMO Alamo must have a financial deal with an airline in order for this to make sense.

Ed

That's good for us, but really unfair to Americans... Good thing they have discounts because $1200 for 10 days's rental is nuts!!!

Thank you for the answer, that helps a lot. I was afraid we'd show up to pick up the car and they would tell us we got a wrong quote and it was $500 more - yikes.

 

[Lewisc]

You need to read the fine print. You may have to take some of the expensive options we waive. You have to take the pre-paid gas option. You'll pay for the full tank of gas, not included in the rate you were quoted, and will get no credit for any gas remaining in the tank when you return the car.

You may have to purchase some of the optional damage waivers we normally skip.

There are some places (travel agencies?) that cater to European renters. They bundle a rental car with the pre-paid gas and insurance/waivers.

 

[marivaid]

You need to read the fine print. You may have to take some of the expensive options we waive. You have to take the pre-paid gas option. You'll pay for the full tank of gas, not included in the rate you were quoted, and will get no credit for any gas remaining in the tank when you return the car.

You may have to purchase some of the optional damage waivers we normally skip.

There are some places (travel agencies?) that cater to European renters. They bundle a rental car with the pre-paid gas and insurance/waivers.

On the site is shows the full tank of gas as an option. We'd probably go with it since we plan on using the car to go from Orlando to Ft Lauderdale, and do a Key West trip while in Lauderdale. Gas is so much more expensive here, $55 for a full tank on a 7-passenger car seems like a freebie to us

It's the insurance or damage waivers things that bug me. There is nothing in their policy that says we're not eligible for that, or that we are even allowed to buy something if we choose to.
That's what it says on the site :

Inclusive Rate Items
No Charge Distance Included
Collision Damage Waiver Full Included
Extended Protection Included

 

[Lewisc]

On the site is shows the full tank of gas as an option. We'd probably go with it since we plan on using the car to go from Orlando to Ft Lauderdale, and do a Key West trip while in Lauderdale. Gas is so much more expensive here, $55 for a full tank on a 7-passenger car seems like a freebie to us

It's the insurance or damage waivers things that bug me. There is nothing in their policy that says we're not eligible for that, or that we are even allowed to buy something if we choose to.
That's what it says on the site :

Inclusive Rate Items
No Charge Distance Included
Collision Damage Waiver Full Included
Extended Protection Included

or Europeans booking in the US, the rental rate paid may not include the cost for fuel. The vehicle will be received with a full tank of fuel. Unless included in the rate package, payment for this tank will be required at time of rental. No refund will be given for fuel purchased but not used

Looks like your rate includes the waivers. Sounds like you got a great deal.

 

[marivaid]

Looks like your rate includes the waivers. Sounds like you got a great deal.

 

[NJRRK]

Sounds like you're getting a great deal here.

A couple of things to remember don't know if these have been pointed out to you.

1 - The car you're getting will probably be significantly larger than what you're used to driving, be careful when parking and turning.
2 - Get an International Driver's license. Even though your French Driver's license is technically good in the US, the International Driver's license translates your French license into English so if you get pulled over, or maybe even at the time of rental, you won't have a language barrier on your license. Especially from some of the southern FL "Good ol' Boys" police.
3 - Remember Miles, Gallons not Kilometers and Litres.

Have a great time.

 

[marivaid]

Oh gosh, I'm not the one behind the wheel, I don't have a license. My dad's the one driving, he's used to it, although it's been a while since he's rented a car in the US, I think he'll be fine Rain Man's an excellent driver

The one thing I'm a bit worried as you pointed out is the size of the car. He drives a Golf so it's pretty small compared to a minivan. I figure if he thinks the car's too big, he'll get a smaller one and a couple of us will do the Orlando-Lauderdale trip on Southwest.
What is the smallest car you'd recommend for 5 adults plus luggage? (Think 1 duffle + 1 carryon each).

 

[Lewisc]

Looks like you'll be buying pre-paid gas plan. That means you're paying for a full tank of gas. You won't be getting any credit for whatever gas you don't use.

You want to return the car as close to empty as possible. In a perfect world you'd like the car to run out of gas, stop running, just after the rental agency scans the car and prints your receipt.

I'd probably take the toll option. You'll pay a little extra but will save you getting exact change and will let you use the express toll lanes.

 

[mmmgood]

It is hard to tell if you got a good rate, just depends on your times and dates. There are numerous reasons why rates for US residents are different from non US residents.

I would definitely check consolidator sites, sometimes they have better rates than booking direct and may include additional freebies such as extra drivers, no excess etc. Most do not tell you which agency you will get but when booking at the Dolphin or other hotel locations it is easy to figure out.

Here are several to check out:

http://www.arguscarhire.com
http://www.autoeurope.com
http://www.carhire3000.com
http://www.carhiresavers.com
http://www.carrentals.co.uk

Good luck - $700 for 10 days seems high to me, even for an all inclusive rate.

 

[Flossbolna]

As a PP poster, I would recommend checking consolidators as well. I always use a German one, which appears to have a french website as well: http://www.holidayautos.fr

The great thing about them is that they also include an additional insurance with a higher coverage sum than what normally is included in the US car insurance. I find that very reassuring.

Also on the drivers license: If your father has one in the EU format it has all the EU official languages on it, including English, so I never had a language problem when using mine (I have the pink one) in the US.

 

[Brian Noble]

really unfair to Americans

Except that most of us probably don't have to pay that rate either. For example, my employer has a negotiated rate that I am allowed to use for leisure travel, that caps my costs at about $300/week for a midsize out of MCO, all-in, and includes the LDW. That's not a great price, but it's not the ridiculously high prices that are often quoted.

 

[msjprincess]

What are your dates? That seems really high to me.

Two weeks ago I rented a compact for 10 days for $159 all inclusive and ended up being upgraded to a minivan.


Of course you can't count on that but we usually rent a minivan and I've never paid more that $300 for a week.