MCO Alamo- fill tank before return?

[dina444444]

Unless I'm remembering incorrectly, and I could be, that one was closed in March, I think for tank replacement. Not sure if it has repopened yet...

It looked like it was open today when left MK parking earlier.

 

[seashoreCM]

Hint: It is impossible to return the car on fumes without being terribly anxious you might run out of gas before making it back.

So it is rare for a car whose tankful of gas was purchased in advance to come back with less than two gallons.

If you plan and do a lot of driving, and need and buy additional tankfuls of gas, this does not simplify the problem of planning to bring the car back on fumes.

 

[Fangorn]

Pre-paying for gas is like the Disney Dining Plan - it's convenient and appears cost effective, but it's actually a revenue generator. That said, I've used it a time our two (not at WDW) when convenience was of utmost consideration.

I always fill up at the 7-11/CVS at the 535/536 intersection just before getting on 417. Never been charged extra.

Steve

 

[monorailsilver]

We just rented thru Alamo, filled up about 10 miles from the airport (in Ft. Myers). If we didn’t the price per gallon would been about $1 more/gallon, maybe 50-75 cents mire.

 

[Lindaapple]

Thanks everyone. Wondering what the estimated cost would be for prepaying for a full tank for a mid-size SUV with Alamo? I am in Canada and have no clue about US gas prices. We love the idea of prepaying for convenience, especially since we have to leave so early and it will be still dark but have no idea how much to even guess prepaying would cost. Thanks again!

 

[Ben E N]

Thanks everyone. Wondering what the estimated cost would be for prepaying for a full tank for a mid-size SUV with Alamo? I am in Canada and have no clue about US gas prices. We love the idea of prepaying for convenience, especially since we have to leave so early and it will be still dark but have no idea how much to even guess prepaying would cost. Thanks again!

When I was there in March, it was about 40 cents less than the typical going rate. That may have been a Costco member 'special pricing, or they may have been blowing smoke at me and offered the same deal to everyone. Having them just top it off at the end cost about 40 cents over the typical going rate.

 

[Lindaapple]

When I was there in March, it was about 40 cents less than the typical going rate. That may have been a Costco member 'special pricing, or they may have been blowing smoke at me and offered the same deal to everyone. Having them just top it off at the end cost about 40 cents over the typical going rate.

Thanks! What does it cost to fill a mid-size SUV in Florida?

 

[Ben E N]

Thanks! What does it cost to fill a mid-size SUV in Florida?

Keep this website handy: https://www.gasbuddy.com/GasPrices/Florida/Orlando
Here's this one for reference: https://www.cars.com/articles/2017-mid-size-suv-driving-ranges-1420693064532/

 

[nacho113]

Thanks! What does it cost to fill a mid-size SUV in Florida?

Depending on the vehicle you actually get, the mid-size/standard SUVs have a tank capacity of 18-22 gallons.
The current gas prices are in the $2.60/gallon range and prepay prices were about $0.40/gallon less when we were in Orlando in March.($2.20 ish)
Upfront cost for pre-pay would be somewhere in the range of $36-$44 at the moment.
Return it "on fumes" and you pretty much break even.

Personally, I won't pre-pay the fuel as I can't justify the extra cost. It's a money maker for the rental companies because they know people aren't going to return the vehicles completely empty. Most are going to return with 1/4 to 1/2 a tank which is now pure profit for the company (since you already paid for ALL of the fuel in the tank) . Now, this "convenience" just cost you $15-$20.
And the last thing I'd want to be worrying about is trying to "return the car on fumes" and then run out of fuel at 4am on the way to the airport.

If I can't fill up on the way to the airport in the morning, then I will top it right up just before turning in the night before we leave.
Drive to the airport with an "over-topped" tank in the morning.
If they think that I'm not quite full when I return the car, they can top it off at the higher rate.
Even if you've driven 20-30 miles, it isn't going to take much more than a gallon or 2 to fill it up.

In march, the posted price for them to top it off was about $0.80/gal more than current prices($3.40/gal) if you bring it back "not full"
This would only cost you an extra dollar or 2 if you had topped up the night before.
Chances are that if the fuel gauge still reads "full" or above, you probably aren't going to get charged for a fuel top-up anyway.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Depending on the vehicle you actually get, the mid-size/standard SUVs have a tank capacity of 18-22 gallons.
The current gas prices are in the $2.60/gallon range and prepay prices were about $0.40/gallon less when we were in Orlando in March.($2.20 ish)
Upfront cost for pre-pay would be somewhere in the range of $36-$44 at the moment.
Return it "on fumes" and you pretty much break even.

Personally, I won't pre-pay the fuel as I can't justify the extra cost. It's a money maker for the rental companies because they know people aren't going to return the vehicles completely empty. Most are going to return with 1/4 to 1/2 a tank which is now pure profit for the company (since you already paid for ALL of the fuel in the tank) . Now, this "convenience" just cost you $15-$20.
And the last thing I'd want to be worrying about is trying to "return the car on fumes" and then run out of fuel at 4am on the way to the airport.

If I can't fill up on the way to the airport in the morning, then I will top it right up just before turning in the night before we leave.
Drive to the airport with an "over-topped" tank in the morning.
If they think that I'm not quite full when I return the car, they can top it off at the higher rate.
Even if you've driven 20-30 miles, it isn't going to take much more than a gallon or 2 to fill it up.

In march, the posted price for them to top it off was about $0.80/gal more than current prices($3.40/gal) if you bring it back "not full"
This would only cost you an extra dollar or 2 if you had topped up the night before.
Chances are that if the fuel gauge still reads "full" or above, you probably aren't going to get charged for a fuel top-up anyway.

All good advice.

With Alamo, the premium to have them “top up” the tank is small enough to not be a problem if you have had to fill up too far from the airport. The only time I ever paid for a full tank when I picked up the car was when we were in the Atlanta area for a wedding and I was unsure of the gas options near the airport since I had never driven in that area before. That time, I had driven enough during our stay that the tank was in the bottom quarter by the time we dropped off the car, so I figured it was a convenience fee that was worthwhile that one time, particularly considering that the price per gallon I had paid to Alamo was actually less than what appeared to be the prevailing rate at the stations near the airport. I have heard bad stories about the amounts Hertz will charge to fill the tank if you don’t do it yourself, but never had a problem with Alamo when I filled up just outside WDW and drove directly to the airport.

 

[msb578]

I just returned a mini-van to MCO yesterday, and topping off at the Boardwalk was more than adequate. The needle was still past full at the airport.

 

[Lindaapple]

Depending on the vehicle you actually get, the mid-size/standard SUVs have a tank capacity of 18-22 gallons.
The current gas prices are in the $2.60/gallon range and prepay prices were about $0.40/gallon less when we were in Orlando in March.($2.20 ish)
Upfront cost for pre-pay would be somewhere in the range of $36-$44 at the moment.
Return it "on fumes" and you pretty much break even.

Personally, I won't pre-pay the fuel as I can't justify the extra cost. It's a money maker for the rental companies because they know people aren't going to return the vehicles completely empty. Most are going to return with 1/4 to 1/2 a tank which is now pure profit for the company (since you already paid for ALL of the fuel in the tank) . Now, this "convenience" just cost you $15-$20.
And the last thing I'd want to be worrying about is trying to "return the car on fumes" and then run out of fuel at 4am on the way to the airport.

If I can't fill up on the way to the airport in the morning, then I will top it right up just before turning in the night before we leave.
Drive to the airport with an "over-topped" tank in the morning.
If they think that I'm not quite full when I return the car, they can top it off at the higher rate.
Even if you've driven 20-30 miles, it isn't going to take much more than a gallon or 2 to fill it up.

In march, the posted price for them to top it off was about $0.80/gal more than current prices($3.40/gal) if you bring it back "not full"
This would only cost you an extra dollar or 2 if you had topped up the night before.
Chances are that if the fuel gauge still reads "full" or above, you probably aren't going to get charged for a fuel top-up anyway.

Thanks! Google maps shows us about 38 miles from MCO. So if we fill up the night before and even if it's down some and they want to charge us, we only pay for the amount needed to bring it to full? and if so, this would mean that this is a better option than prepaying? Sorry for all the questions and thanks for the help!

 

[Ben E N]

Thanks! Google maps shows us about 38 miles from MCO. So if we fill up the night before and even if it's down some and they want to charge us, we only pay for the amount needed to bring it to full? and if so, this would mean that this is a better option than prepaying? Sorry for all the questions and thanks for the help!

Yeah that's what I would do. I drove from Alamo at MCO to Port Canaveral, did dinner around there and then parked it for a cruise, then drove it to Disney Springs and back to MCO. It was a mid sized car, and gas was only $9 charged by Alamo. Not bad at all.