Hertz rental

[Aisling]

My first time booking a rental car!
We need the car for 8 AM on July 4th to drive to Kennedy Space Center, but the Hertz counter doesn't open until 10 AM. So I had to book from the night before.
So from July 3rd pick-up at 5:30 PM from the Royal Pacific at Universal to July 5th return at 5:30 PM back to Royal Pacific, it's costing us $97 and change for a midsize/intermediate car, for me, DH, DS11 and DS 17. The price includes a 20% discount from Cosco.
I reserved by phone, and they told me that if I can find other discount codes, I can call back and have my rate adjusted.
I was actually calling just to get some prices, but I was told that since it was a peak holiday time, there might not be any suitable cars left if I wait too long.

We really only need the car for the one day, fourth of July, but had to pay for 3 because of timing.
It seems like a lot of money, but at least I'm sure to get to the Lunch With An Astronaut thing at KSC!

 

[safetymom]

Where are you renting Hertz from that opens at 10 AM? Why not try the airport location. I rent from them quite often and they always have plenty of cars. It just depends when you are renting about the rate. I was here in Orlando in Feb. and paid 24 a day for a full size, this time the cost was 46 with a AAA discount.

Hertz is a great company to rent from.

 

[Aisling]

I'm renting from the Royal Pacific Resort onsite at Universal. That's why I'm stuck with the 10 AM time.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by Aisling
We really only need the car for the one day, fourth of July, but had to pay for 3 because of timing.

Actually, you're only paying for two days. Hertz charges on the basis of 24-hour days. So if you return a car within 24 hours, you pay for one day. If you return a car within 48 hours, you pay for two days. (There's also a 59 minute grace period, but you should only consider this a buffer if it takes a while to check the car back in, not as an invitation to get almost an extra hour for free.)

I assume you don't want to be back from the Space Center before 5:30 p.m. So, maybe you should consider this an opportunity to use a car on July 5. You could go to a water park, or to somewhere at Walt Disney World, or shopping, or whatever.

$97 for two 24-hour days, including all taxes and fees, is not a bad price. You can get better daily rates on weekends, especially at airport locations. When safetymon paid "$24 a day for a full size," that might have been a weekend rate, before adding taxes and fees. (Or it might have been a good off-season promotional deal.)

The Hertz location near Orlando International is open 24 hours, but taking a cab to and from there from Universal would eat up any cost savings. And it would be a waste of time.

Three pieces of advice if you've never rented before:

(1) Don't buy the rental car company's "full tank of gasoline" option, which is usually a bad deal. The tank should be full when they give you the car. Stop at a gas station before you return the car. That way, you only pay for what you use, and you pay self-serve prices.

(2) Ahead of time, find out what your car insurance policy and your credit card benefits plan covers. Rental car companies will offer various kinds of insurance to you. It's very costly, and for most people, it's unnecessary. Some rental car companies will scare and intimidate renters into buying coverage that they don't need. (I haven't seen this problem at Hertz.)

(3) Hertz's idea of a midsize care and your idea of a midsize car may not match. I recently received a "midsize car" -- a tiny Subaru -- from Hertz on a business trip. Go to http://www.hertz.com/ to look at definitions of car classes. (For example, a Ford Taurus is a "full-size 4-door.") A full-size may only cost a few dollars more.

 

[Aisling]

Horace Horsecollar (gotta love that name!),

Thank you for the advice!