High Car Rental Fees - Does this seem right?

[KLWST16]

We are renting a full-size car from National for dates of 1.22-1.29. We are picking up the car from the airport. I'm using the Entertainment Book coupon code for an extra $35 off. The actual cost of just the car rental is $94. That doesn't seem too bad.

We need to rent two car seats for the week, so we need to pay an additinal $99.90.

What really gets me is the cost of all the taxes and other sur-charges. We are paying an additional $66.61 because of all those fees. The Airport Access Fee increased by $10 alone with the addition of the car seats.

Does that seem right? I see everyone else getting really good deals and I have no idea how to get those incredible deals once I add in the sur-charges. Help!

 

[Lewisc]

$94 before fees is a great rate. Rental agencies don't make money with the of rates many of us pay. They make their money on the extras. The extras include car seat rentals. Why not bring your own car seats?

You said your rental charge is $94 + $99 for the car seats? $66 in taxes/fees for a $200 rental cost sounds correct.

 

[juliebean]

I'd suggest bringing seats - we've always brought our own. Our kids are happier, and you can check them with no charge on airlines. That's a lot of what is causing your costs to be so high. And, like many cities, there is a surcharge for renting from an airport. The cities do it because they know it hardly ever affects their voters = easy money for them. You can rent off airport and the taxes will be less, but the hassle isn't worth it for us usually. However, when we were in Seattle last August, it was a difference of about a $200 over the course of the rental, so we paid for a shuttle from the airport and picked up the car the next morning and saved about $160. We could return it to the airport without the extra tax, just not rent it from there, go figure.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Don't fly to DFW if you think taxes and fees are insane at MCO. DFW and a few other airports are notorious for their fees. It's not the rental agencies, it's the states and local governments to blame. They see travelers as an excellent income stream and in some places the taxes can exceed the rental alone.

 

[bumbershoot]

Just bring your own seats. You know where they've been.