Need advice on car rentals

[bcla]

Yep they will charge an extra day if late returning.
I worried about a rusted area on a car I rented recently but when I returned it the guy went out to check the car and said I was fine. I thought to myself how could a car rust in a week, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they tried to blame me. I was feeling a bit of relief that I took a picture of the car in the garage before I left to show my husband. If I zoomed in I could see the little area that was the issue. Anyway, it was a non issue but I worried a little about it.
We rented a one way rental in Savannah last year. It was a small location that also had moving vehicles. The guy did not try to sell me any insurance since I declined it on my reservation, but he did require me to provide my insurance card, which no one had done before. He typed it into his computer.

Whenever I've rented I saw it right in the rental agreement what the cost would be per week, day, and hour. I've never seen one that didn't have an hourly rate if late or just baked into the scheduled return time as an estimated total (like a 50 hour rental). And often I've shown up a half hour late and was waived the extra hour. So who has only a daily rate? I've never seen that from any of the majors like Avis/Budget, Hertz/Dollar, National/Enterprise/Alamo. I've also seen some weird situations like once I was renting from Budget but there was nobody behind the counter. The Avis agent at the adjacent counter went right up and handled it, but it was really joint Avis/Budget. And from what I could tell they pulled the cars out of the same inventory even if they had different prices.

 

[kymom99]

Whenever I've rented I saw it right in the rental agreement what the cost would be per week, day, and hour. I've never seen one that didn't have an hourly rate if late or just baked into the scheduled return time as an estimated total (like a 50 hour rental). And often I've shown up a half hour late and was waived the extra hour. So who has only a daily rate? I've never seen that from any of the majors like Avis/Budget, Hertz/Dollar, National/Enterprise/Alamo. I've also seen some weird situations like once I was renting from Budget but there was nobody behind the counter. The Avis agent at the adjacent counter went right up and handled it, but it was really joint Avis/Budget. And from what I could tell they pulled the cars out of the same inventory even if they had different prices.

Last week the girl at budget said I was early picking up (flight hot in early) and was I going to be able to return it on time? Otherwise I would be charged an extra day. She also told me to hero my gas receipt and refill within 5 miles from the airport. I’d never heard that in my life. And mo one asked for a gas receipt.

 

[bcla]

Last week the girl at budget said I was early picking up (flight hot in early) and was I going to be able to return it on time? Otherwise I would be charged an extra day. She also told me to hero my gas receipt and refill within 5 miles from the airport. I’d never heard that in my life. And mo one asked for a gas receipt.

That's unusual. However, the hourly rate can often be pretty high (found one sample where it's $27/day but $20/hr), to the point where it doesn't matter all that much. However, the thing about waiving it if it's a little over each 24 hours is that often the taxes and fees are daily. The other really strange thing is an additional day fee where it's basically a penalty where the daily rate might double if it's returned past the scheduled return.

 

[Imzadi]

Last week the girl at budget said I was early picking up (flight hot in early) and was I going to be able to return it on time? Otherwise I would be charged an extra day.

With everything being computerized nowadays and returning a car is timestamped into the system as soon as the clerk logs in, one can't hope for or expect fees or penalties to be waived. The days of a mom and pop operation fudging rules is gone. Those automated systems are designed so managers/supervisors can't get in and delete/cheat big companies like Enterprise from making their monies.

She also told me to hero my gas receipt and refill within 5 miles from the airport. I’d never heard that in my life. And mo one asked for a gas receipt.

Wow, that's weird.

 

[bcla]

With everything being computerized nowadays and returning a car is timestamped into the system as soon as the clerk logs in, one can't hope for or expect fees or penalties to be waived. The days of a mom and pop operation fudging rules is gone. Those automated systems are designed so managers/supervisors can't get in and delete/cheat big companies like Enterprise from making their monies.

They've got their keypads and they might have the authority to do it. And at least once I was told when I was signing the rental agreement that maybe up to 1 hours late would be waived as the manager had already authorized it.

 

[_19disnA]

She also told me to hero my gas receipt and refill within 5 miles from the airport. I’d never heard that in my life. And mo one asked for a gas receipt.

Have rented in a few cities over the years where they specifically tell you at the time of rental to provide a gas receipt when returning. Always assumed they must have had issues with people not refilling the vehicle. Does happen but found that to be very rare. If you fillup the night before your vacation ends, have never had an issue when returning. Typically you can drive 20 miles after filling up and the tank will still register full. Filling up when returning to the airport can take extra time and in some cities, you may have trouble finding a gas station near the airport. Prices always seem a lot higher if you fill up on airport property.

 

[kymom99]

Have rented in a few cities over the years where they specifically tell you at the time of rental to provide a gas receipt when returning. Always assumed they must have had issues with people not refilling the vehicle. Does happen but found that to be very rare. If you fillup the night before your vacation ends, have never had an issue when returning. Typically you can drive 20 miles after filling up and the tank will still register full. Filling up when returning to the airport can take extra time and in some cities, you may have trouble finding a gas station near the airport. Prices always seem a lot higher if you fill up on airport property.

Yes that’s for sure about those airport prices. We were more than 5 miles away but not by much. I honestly think she just wanted me to buy the gas from them.

 

[_19disnA]

Could be. I think they know that travelers are often running late and/or in a hurry when returning to the airport and try to capitalize on that. Part of the reason to always fill the gas tank the last night of your trip, one less thing to do on the day of departure. At some very small airports, you have to park your own rental car and return the keys to a counter in the terminal. With that sort of arrangement, I could see how some might try to cheat by not returning the car full and then say they did, hence the need for a gas receipt. Major rental car companies I have used at large airports always have employees in the return area using those handheld computer devices to check-in your vehicle return and print a receipt. They usually look at the gas gauge to insure it is full.

 

[Kennywood]

 

[bcla]

Have rented in a few cities over the years where they specifically tell you at the time of rental to provide a gas receipt when returning. Always assumed they must have had issues with people not refilling the vehicle. Does happen but found that to be very rare. If you fillup the night before your vacation ends, have never had an issue when returning. Typically you can drive 20 miles after filling up and the tank will still register full. Filling up when returning to the airport can take extra time and in some cities, you may have trouble finding a gas station near the airport. Prices always seem a lot higher if you fill up on airport property.

They often try to sell the prepaid gas.

I've dealt with company prepaid with Hertz before - many times. It's also awesome because they never ask for a credit card. The corporate travel agent advises to not worry about filling up as they've negotiated good rates with Hertz. I think one time I forgot about it and said OK, but I'm sure the corporate contract handled it. The final receipt still has the regular rate (often a ridiculous price per gallon) but I was told that it's reconciled later.

There are some oddball things, like getting a car without a full (or nearly full) tank. They don't fill up and figure it out, but eyeball the fuel gauge, which has got to be the most imprecise way because of how these things work. I was a little bit ticked off once because I got a car without a full tank, and it was marked something like 5/8 full on the rental paperwork. The company would only reimburse through a prepaid debit card that often arrives after the trip and that is mine to use for anything - essentially a per diem for any incidentals. I was planning on a side trip after business was done (OK with the company of course) but didn't because I wasn't going to pay for gas. However, one of the pitfalls of getting a car without a full tank is that the rule is to return it with about the same amount of fuel. How do you do that? I think in many cases they have people return cars with a full tank (after receiving it no full) and they basically get to keep it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The corporate travel agent advises to not worry about filling up as they've negotiated good rates with Hertz.

A few years back my husband's company did the same with Avis. Originally you could book through Avis or National (exception was if neither of those were available) but they switched to Avis exclusively. They got tired of their employees wasting time filling up gas and so what they do now is actually have a contract where they don't fill up at all. The company just pays whatever the negotiated rate is and lets Avis fill up the tank. The first few times we rented a vehicle after they made that deal it was a bit of learning curve for the employees because they would ask if we filled up we would say no, then my husband would have to explain to look up in the rental car agreement on their electronic device that we didn't have to but it's been a long while since that conversation was needed, seems they figured it out.

As far as asking for receipts we've had that a time or two and we just left the receipt in the car itself. Whether they looked it at or not I don't know but we def. have had in the past "fill up within 5 miles of the airport, leave receipt" directive. It's probably not utilized as much these days.

 

[bcla]

A few years back my husband's company did the same with Avis. Originally you could book through Avis or National (exception was if neither of those were available) but they switched to Avis exclusively. They got tired of their employees wasting time filling up gas and so what they do now is actually have a contract where they don't fill up at all. The company just pays whatever the negotiated rate is and lets Avis fill up the tank. The first few times we rented a vehicle after they made that deal it was a bit of learning curve for the employees because they would ask if we filled up we would say no, then my husband would have to explain to look up in the rental car agreement on their electronic device that we didn't have to but it's been a long while since that conversation was needed, seems they figured it out.

As far as asking for receipts we've had that a time or two and we just left the receipt in the car itself. Whether they looked it at or not I don't know but we def. have had in the past "fill up within 5 miles of the airport, leave receipt" directive. It's probably not utilized as much these days.

I've done that so many times though that I've gotten used to it. The receipt might still say that it's 8.3 gallons at $6/gallon, but I'm sure that after it's over they don't end up paying that much.

I still hate it when they don't fill up the tank. I get that it's not so easy when it's something like a neighborhood location without an onsite gas pump. I think that a lot of those consolidated rental car facilities have their own pumps.

 

[GreatLakes]

I've only skimmed the thread so some of these might have been entered but my $0.02:

• Check your employer, any organizations you belong to, and if you belong to a community bank or credit union their perks to see if you get a corporate or member rate. I qualify for a few but my wife's company account is the best discount.
• Much like airlines and hotels pick one large nationwide rental company and stick with them. As you rent more you get better perks. I go with Budget, have rented a lot with them, and at places with Fastlane pickup it is very quick to get out of the garage. I've never had a mistaken charge from them or a hard upsell.
• Check with your Insurance company to see if you have rental car coverage.
• Many credit cards have the perk of rental coverage if you reserve and pay for the car with them. American Express used to have this but now that my personal insurance covers rental cars I don't check any longer.
• Speaking of credit cards check any of your cash back cards for bonus cash back on travel.
• Don't pre-pay and continuously check rates. Rental companies will adjust rates to push you towards cars they have a high inventory of and away from cars with low inventory. I've been able to move from an Intermediate car to an SUV and actually save money.
• Don't use their toll passes. I have an EZpass at home and when I travel I bring it with me if the toll system where I'm going is compatible.
• Lastly, don't under reserve your car. If you think you will get 4 adults into a compact when 3 of them over pack you will have a miserable time.

 

[EACarlson]

www.autoslash.com should be the first place you go when you start thinking about renting a car. You put in when and where you're picking up, what frequent flyer programs you have, what credit cards you have, AAA, AARP and what warehouse stores you're a member of. They check all the available public rates and send you a link to see what they've found. If any are acceptable you book through Priceline, where you can put in your loyalty membership number for whatever rental company you choose. After it's booked you can set up rental alerts, Autoslash will check multiple times a day and let you know if they find a cheaper rental for your booked car class or higher. If something is found they send you an email, you can even customize the search to only include certain companies. I generally use the 10 companies that have cars onsite at MCO as my guide. In the last 3 years they've saved me over $1500 on rental cars. I have a rental next week that started at $468 and is now down to $156 for a week thanks to Autoslash.

Use a real credit card if you have one, debit cards are accepted at most rental companies but expect a big hold to be put on it if you use one. Most credit cards have rental insurance included, but almost all of them are secondary insurance, meaning your personal auto insurance pays first, then the credit card insurance, usually it works out to the credit card paying your deductible. Some credit cards have primary rental insurance, it is included on some Chase cards with annual fees and is available to purchase for a relatively small amount on most American Express cards. I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred that is primary with $50,000 of coverage before my insurance would find out anything about it.

Don't use their toll service if you can avoid it. All of Florida now participates in the EZ-Pass program, if you have a transponder, you can bring your own. There is also the Visitor Toll Pass, a great system if your rental car is onsite at MCO. The biggest limitation is that right now you can only pick up the VTP on the A side, if you're flying one of the domestic legacy airlines, they are all on B side, somewhat of a pain to have to go there to get your pass if you have checked bags.

Don't go to the nearest gas station on Semoran Blvd to fill up, they always charge twice the normal rate. Drive another two blocks up the road to the Wawa, they charge normal prices.

If renting from Avis, make sure to get their app and check the fuel level on the car in the app when you first get in it, take a screen shot. Do the same thing when you fill up and when you get return the car. Their sensors are buggy and they have charged people $30 because their sensor says the tank is one gallon less than when it was rented, even though they filled up two miles up the road.

 

[smokeyblue]

I guess I'm a little late to the party here, but I pretty much only book with Hertz and Avis if they have better rates and will only use walk-up to the car and drive away type service like Hertz Gold. Waiting in a line for a rental car is the most painful experience, especially after being cooped up on a plane for any length of time. If need be, would rather pay an extra hundred and just drive away.

 

[NotUrsula]

Tampa in particular makes it worthwhile to bring that receipt when returning; they have tried several times to ding me for an entire tank of gas when the tank is perhaps 1/8 gallon short. (They have told me that the scanners register to the 1/8 gallon; if it's that much short the system will charge you unless you have a receipt to prove that you filled it in Tampa -- NOT in St. Pete or Lakeland or Brandon.) It is quite common for beach tourists to fill the tank on the St. Pete side of the Howard Frankland bridge so as to go straight into the airport after crossing the Bay, but that bridge is very long and often has traffic backups because of construction, so you can easily lose a gallon or so in bridge traffic.)

Filling up near TPA can be just a wee bit tricky because stations near the airport are a bit hard to find; we always go to the BP right by Westshore Mall at 4843 W. Kennedy; (search your GPS for "Curry Leaves" Indian restaurant, which shares a building with the gas station, and is, oddly, a bit upscale.) From there is it easy to navigate the ground route (W. Spruce St.) back to TPA rental car return without getting back on the highway.

Note that all rental car contracts define a "day" as 24 hours, so you'll get the best rate if you can pick up and drop off at the same time of day; if you are booking a leisure rate the daily rate often kicks in if your drop-off time is more than 2 hours after your pickup time, so you will be quoted something like 1 week + 1 day if you plan something like a Sat. pickup at 10 am and a return Sat. at 2 pm. However, most of the major name companies will give you a grace period to return a car past scheduled drop-off time without starting to incur the hourly charges, most of the time it is either 30 minutes or 1 hour; read the fine print on your rate to find out what it is. Once I got stuck behind a wreck on the Howard Frankland and ended up 2 hours late to TPA; I begged nicely, and the traffic jam was noted on Waze, so they let me slide and did not charge the penalty. (I had planned to turn the car in well before the flight anyway.)

 

[Ricguz]

I’ll also add that I never pay for their insurance. Well, one time I did and ended up paying almost double for the rental. I was frazzled at the counter and said yes to the pressure. No more. They try to scare you but if you have car insurance you should be covered. You should check with your agent beforehand though.

Certain credit cards such such AMEX have as primary coverage insurance so you won’t need to get insurance from the car rental. AMEX is a one time fee of $24.99. Great deal over the hundreds of dollars the car rental company wants