One way rental

[czmom]

We have always returned at the same location and gotten great deals with our rentals before. But our upcoming trip is different. We plan to pick up at OAK and return in Anaheim, preferably at DTD as we are staying at the Grand Californian. So our best option is Alamo.

I have been checking through Costco and carrentalsavers. Both are at $1000 for 6 days. That is crazy!!!

Any tips on one way rentals? Maybe the price will drop since it's not until August.

 

[nacho113]

One ways are tricky things. If the rental company doesn't want to move a car out of a popular location they try to dissuade it by having a restrictively high price. I don't think that legally they can deny you the rental, just make it so expensive that you don't want to do it.

Keep checking and also try other agencies, things can change if they end up with extra vehicles coming in from one ways and they want to move them back.
Check several agencies if you can and check different vehicle sizes.

We lucked out on one of our winter vacations, flew into Miami and spent a few days but our return flight was out of Orlando, Our one way rental from MIA to MCO was over $450 for 9 days until suddenly one day the rate dropped to $1/day plus taxes ($57 total) because they needed to move cars back to the Orlando area.
Once we got an amazing deal on a Dodge Quad cab truck for a one way (TPA to MCO). We usually book midsize-fullsize but the truck was $80 for the 2 weeks compared to $250 for a full size. Just depends if they need to move things around and if it works in your favor or not

 

[bumbershoot]

Just because there's an Alamo at DTD doesn't mean it's the only rental company in the area. There's a National/Alamo on Katella next to Alpine Inn. You might check to see if Enterprise drops off there, too, since it's all the same company. And check others, too.

Definitely keep on checking.

 

[czmom]

Thanks! I check all the time. Lol.

Nacho- what great deals you found!!!

 

[OHDisneyMom]

Keep checking. I'm doing a 2 week one way rental at the end of May. The price dropped dramatically about 2 months out. This is with Alamo using the VISA code and coupon, 7015504 and AD2338FDF.

 

[nacho113]

Thanks! I check all the time. Lol.

Nacho- what great deals you found!!!

Unfortunately, it can go both ways. One of our winter vacations had us landing in Orlando on Feb 10, didn't realize this was race week at Daytona (Daytona 500 was on the 13th). Car prices were high and just continued to climb. Some agencies even started to show car sizes as being sold out for our dates. We had booked a full size with Alamo several months out for $450 for our 10 days and continued to check almost daily waiting for the price drops that we usually see. The prices got higher and higher. The last time I checked, which was the day before we left on vacation, the price had risen to over $1200 for the 10 day rental.
It's all supply and demand, demand goes up and so do prices. If something isn't renting then the prices drop to stimulate sales

 

[czmom]

Seems like Alamo is our only option due to return time on a Sunday evening. Many others are closed. I found a Hertz for $800 but they are closed on Sundays.

Hoping prices drop or coupons show up for my dates

 

[BigTigger]

Seems like Alamo is our only option due to return time on a Sunday evening. Many others are closed. I found a Hertz for $800 but they are closed on Sundays.

Most dropoff locations can accept a car 24/7. You just drop the keys in the secure key drop and they process it when the open the next morning. I do this quite regularly with Dollar, Alamo, and Enterprise which are usually open limited weekend hours in the local locations.

One other thing to try on one way rentals is to drop the unlimited mileage. You pay for mileage but it's generally less than half the daily rate with the unlimited mileage rate on a one way rental, even at 40 cents per mile. My NJ to FL one way rental was $1100+ with unlimited mileage but just over $500 with most of that being mileage on a 40 cent per mile rate.

 

[czmom]

Good to know! Thank you.

 

[czmom]

Most dropoff locations can accept a car 24/7. You just drop the keys in the secure key drop and they process it when the open the next morning. I do this quite regularly with Dollar, Alamo, and Enterprise which are usually open limited weekend hours in the local locations.

One other thing to try on one way rentals is to drop the unlimited mileage. You pay for mileage but it's generally less than half the daily rate with the unlimited mileage rate on a one way rental, even at 40 cents per mile. My NJ to FL one way rental was $1100+ with unlimited mileage but just over $500 with most of that being mileage on a 40 cent per mile rate.

Well it looks like Hertz does not accept drop offs after hours. Bummer because they are much cheaper!

 

[BigTigger]

Interesting as Hertz owns Dollar and Thrifty and both allow courtesy drop-offs when they are closed. You simply put the keys in the drop box and they check you in when they open. You may want to play around with other drop-off locations as I can actually leave my Dollar rental at a Hertz location in the northern NJ area after hours as they are the "fulfilling" location for my drop-off of the Dollar rental. I believe they pool the rental cars now too as I get many Dollar rentals with Hertz Never Lost GPS in them.

 

[czmom]

Interesting as Hertz owns Dollar and Thrifty and both allow courtesy drop-offs when they are closed. You simply put the keys in the drop box and they check you in when they open. You may want to play around with other drop-off locations as I can actually leave my Dollar rental at a Hertz location in the northern NJ area after hours as they are the "fulfilling" location for my drop-off of the Dollar rental. I believe they pool the rental cars now too as I get many Dollar rentals with Hertz Never Lost GPS in them.

It's very strange. Hertz reservations online say I cannot choose a drop off location at my time because they are closed. Costco will not allow it either, but carrentalsavers will allow me to reserve with my preferred drop off time. I have tried to reach the local Hertz office to verify but they do not answer their phone. I must have called at least 5 times now.

How do they know if you return it on time? Honor system? We need to return on a Sunday and the location near DL is closed on the weekends.

 

[bumbershoot]

You definitely need to contact the local place where you'll be dropping it. If they don't have a way to do dropoffs when they are closed (they'll have a key drop, etc) then it will not go well.

Be sure to keep on looking and don't get yourself locked into something that can't be cancelled or modified.

 

[elaine amj]

Keep checking and I agree - a rate that can be cancelled is best this far out.

I booked a one week, one way rental with Hertz from San Jose to Anaheim for $314 (taxes incl.). I am staying at the Fairfield Inn across the street. It's not a bad rate for California (I have heard one way rentals are pricey in Cali) but I'm hoping for prices to drop even more since I am not travelling until July.

This does include an extra day than I need because I also hit the closing time stuff. I figure I will shell out for parking that night and just return the next day.

Good luck! Closing times can be a pain and in the last couple of years, I have not had any luck being allowed to drop off after closing hours. Every location is different though!

 

[czmom]

Keep checking and I agree - a rate that can be cancelled is best this far out.

I booked a one week, one way rental with Hertz from San Jose to Anaheim for $314 (taxes incl.). I am staying at the Fairfield Inn across the street. It's not a bad rate for California (I have heard one way rentals are pricey in Cali) but I'm hoping for prices to drop even more since I am not travelling until July.

This does include an extra day than I need because I also hit the closing time stuff. I figure I will shell out for parking that night and just return the next day.

Good luck! Closing times can be a pain and in the last couple of years, I have not had any luck being allowed to drop off after closing hours. Every location is different though!

Wow, $314 is great! How did you get that rate? My lowest is $652 for an intermediate car. We don't travel until August so hopefully it will drop more.

 

[elaine amj]

I went into Hertz and used the AAA Socal CDP Code ("4"). The airport we were flying into (San Jose) ended up being more expensive so I chose a local Hertz just a $5 cab ride from the airport. I set the drop in Anaheim and it quoted me $314 for an intermediate car. It says it was just a 10% discount for using the AAA code, which is a very small discount in the car rental world. I think I can still get it lower since we are still so far out but it was an acceptable rate so I grabbed it. I will keep looking since I can easily cancel if I find something cheaper.