I am currently holding a reservation with both Dollar and Alamo for our car rental in a few weeks. Price difference is about $10. Wondering if one is quicker in terms of time it takes to complete the rental process and hit the road. Any suggestions???
Both have lines in the terminal that can be outrageous if you choose that route to get your car. Both have free programs or kiosks that can help you avoid those lines. Service is exactly the same from my recent experiences. Neither has "desirable" vehicles as rentals. I'd go for the lower price.
I'd choose Alamo for the kiosks -- but i'm not sure what Dollar offers in comparison. I absolutely *hate* long rental lines!!
I rented with Dollar a couple of weeks ago -- arrived mid-day on a Tuesday so no lines, but I got a really crappy car. It was a compact (but as long as my Subaru Forester, with a tiny rear window and huge blind spots backing up). And believe it or not... crank windows! And we needed to use a key to unlock the door and trunk AND relock it afterwards. Let's just say that cranking down the window every time we needed to hit a toll or the resort gates was a pain. Smelled like cigarette smoke, and you literally couldn't see the spedometer through the steering wheel -- had to either peer over the top of the wheel or act like a turtle and duck to peer underneath the top of the wheel. Open back like a station wagon, so no way to "hide" luggage in the trunk on the final day. Astoundingly bad design -- they must have gotten a fleet discount for such sucky cars. And it wasn't super discount, either -- > $200. Could have sworn I rented a Caliber from National a couple of years ago for less money that had power EVERYTHING as well as "no smoking" signs throughout the car. For what it's worth, I've rented a couple of cars a year for >20 years and NEVER got a car with manual windows or anything I've been particularly disappointed in, let alone horrified. I consider rental cars mere transportation, so my expectations aren't high. Boy, did they not even meet them.
Alamo, no contest! You can use the kiosk, which us a huge time saver, plus you can pick your vehicle. And if you aren't using a coupon code, you can check in online and even bypass the kiosk! I'll always rent Alamo unless the price difference is so great it's worth standing in line.
I agree - use Alamo. You can put in all your drivers license and other info online and then check in at the kiosk and they you can skip the line.
Due to several awful experiences with Dollar (LONG story--I think I posted it several years ago), we will never use them again. Go with Alamo. Good luck!
I am using Alamo for the first time in a couple of weeks. Just placed my info in to use the kiosk. I'm using a coupon code, so I guess I can't check-in online. The kiosk will do! I'm coming on Fri morning, so I'm hoping for a relatively hassle-free experience. I've rented a compact, so I guess I will have crank windows? Wow, didn't even know they were made anymore! Anyone have any problems at the Orlando airport location? Any word on leniency on returns?
