OT will my ds23 be able to drive our (or his own) rental car?

[mollybeasley]

Does anyone know this off hand??? My plan revolves around the possibility that the (adult) kids will want to go out on their own sometimes. Will we have to pay extra to allow a 23 year old to drive our rental car? Could he rent his own car for a reasonable cost?

 

[exwdwcm]

he should have no problem renting his own car.

Many of the rental agencies will charge a 'second driver' fee though if you want to give him the ability to drive the car you have rented as a family.

There are tons of rental companies to check out online and i would recommend using one of the on site ones at MCO. for reasonable cost- depends on what reasonable means to you and what size car- they vary depending on the size. We have a full size car (like an impala) through National (on site) for $225 for a week in December. Mini vans go up from there. Smaller cars are much cheaper.

try here for great rental car discounts at MCO.

 

[Nayan]

Here's some info from Budget:

http://www.budget.com/budgetWeb/html/en/customer/commonquestions/index.html#What%20are%20the%20minimum%20age%20requirements%20for%20renting?

 

[JaxsonsMom]

Usually, if under 25 the will charge a fee

 

[kathyell]

If you happen to have a Costco membership, you can add a second driver to your reservations you make through them. (There are a few locations that don't participate, but we had no trouble doing this through MCO.)

However, I do believe there was an age minimum of 25 years old for that. They may be able to add a second driver for free via a Costco rental and then just bill you the under 25 fee, but I don't know for sure.

(And depending on how much you can save on the rental doing it through Costco if you do add a second driver to the reservation, the savings on that one rental might make the $50 Costco membership worth it, so even if you aren't currently a member, I'd still look into it if you think it might be helpful.)

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

Depending on where and how often they're going, a taxi may be cheaper.

 

[Ceila]

I remember my husband and I were each 24 when we got married, so it cost extra for us to rent a car on our honeymoon!

I would check with the various rental agencies to determine the best price. Or maybe pop over to the transportation board - they've got great info over there! (I never post but I read over there all the time.)

 

[linzbear]

Depending on where and how often they're going, a taxi may be cheaper.

This - the under 25 fee is expensive, as is the additional driver fee.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

I am guessing you guys are staying off site?

If transportation is going to be an issue you may consider switching to on site, if the rental car is cost prohibitive.

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this to our transportation board.

 

[SOnotLayuh]

Not to be disrespectful to anyone saying it's easy - but the 23 years old thing can definitely be an issue. DH just turned 25 this past September (I am 23), and we travel A LOT. We encountered this issue a lot until we discovered how to pass over it:

Book the car for your DS online through something like AAA or travelocity and choose online check-in (which means you will get to the car rental company and check in at a kiosk). His age will never be asked. I would definitely recommend doing this through AAA if you can

We did this multiple times in the past three years (before DH was 25) and could always circumvent it this way.

 

[safetymom]

Hertz has a program where they will waive the fee for underage drivers. It expires at the end of 2010 but I would imagine they will continue it.

If you have an accident where you are found to be under age there could be even more problems because you weren't honest about the age.

 

[SOnotLayuh]

Hertz has a program where they will waive the fee for underage drivers. It expires at the end of 2010 but I would imagine they will continue it.

If you have an accident where you are found to be under age there could be even more problems because you weren't honest about the age.

That's great that Hertz is doing it

If there had been an accident there shouldn't have been problems because we were never asked for an age when going through these venues (so we were never lying about our age), and nothing in the ToS that we agreed to had an age clause. I looked very carefully - there was no way I was setting ourselves up for legal trouble. I'm smarter than that.

But yes, thank you for pointing out how important it is to be honest!

 

[Lewisc]

Sites like travelocity make it clear the rates shown are only applicable to drivers 25 and older.

Doesn't online checkin ask for your drivers license information including date of birth?

Are you sure it doesn't have a box to check if a driver is under 25?

I'm 100% sure you missed a disclaimer and probably missed a box that had to be checked if a driver is underage.

That said I'm shocked the age wasn't picked up when you supplied your drivers license information.

 

[SOnotLayuh]

Sites like travelocity make it clear the rates shown are only applicable to drivers 25 and older.

Doesn't online checkin ask for your drivers license information including date of birth?

Are you sure it doesn't have a box to check if a driver is under 25?

I have always booked through AAA, where the is never a question of age. I have looked at travelocity to make sure I was getting a good rate, but have definitely always booked through AAA where it doesn't ask. I have gone through the process of travelocity and havent been asked for an age, which is why I mentioned it.

The kiosk does ask for your license number, but not your age. I guess they could check it if they really wanted to, but it's not in the kiosk fine print that you need to be 25.

I didn't mean to hijack the thread or cause an argument about the moral dilemma of circumventing the age thing. The OP wanted to know if her DS was going to be able to drive or not, and the fee is huge, so I was offering help.

I'm sorry if you don't agree with it, but arguing about it isn't what this thread is for.

 

[Lewisc]

I'm not engaging in a moral discussion. The question is if the agency will catch it when you supply your drivers license. Your experience is NO but this is definitely YMMV.

The second question is what happens if you have an accident. Did you miss a check mark.

I have always booked through AAA, where the is never a question of age. I have looked at travelocity to make sure I was getting a good rate, but have definitely always booked through AAA where it doesn't ask. I have gone through the process of travelocity and havent been asked for an age, which is why I mentioned it.

The kiosk does ask for your license number, but not your age. I guess they could check it if they really wanted to, but it's not in the kiosk fine print that you need to be 25.

I didn't mean to hijack the thread or cause an argument about the moral dilemma of circumventing the age thing. The OP wanted to know if her DS was going to be able to drive or not, and the fee is huge, so I was offering help.

I'm sorry if you don't agree with it, but arguing about it isn't what this thread is for.

 

[crashbb]

I'm not engaging in a moral discussion. The question is if the agency will catch it when you supply your drivers license. Your experience is NO but this is definitely YMMV.

The second question is what happens if you have an accident. Did you miss a check mark.

You are right.

Did a mock booking on Travelocity and in the fine print it said that the renter must be 25 years of age (tried Budget, Alamo, and Avis).

Whether one would be caught or not, is a different question....

 

[SuzanneSLO]

You are right.

Did a mock booking on Travelocity and in the fine print it said that the renter must be 25 years of age (tried Budget, Alamo, and Avis).

Whether one would be caught or not, is a different question....

And on AAA it says in the fine print: "Charges for additional or underage drivers may be levied if applicable. These additional fees or surcharges may be applied at the time of rental."

Further the fine prine for a Hertz rental booked through AAA says:

AGE REQUIREMENTS:
ON MOST RENTALS THE MINIMUM AGE IS 25 WITHOUT AN ADDITIONAL
AGE DIFFERENTIAL CHARGE, AND 21 WITH AN AGE DIFFERENTIAL
CHARGE. . .

TO CUSTOMERS WHO ARE AGE 21-24 WITH A PER DAY
AGE DIFFERENTIAL CHARGE IN IN ADDITION TO THE NORMAL RENTAL
RATE. . AGE DIFFERENTIAL CHARGE... ECAR, CCAR, CDAR, FGDR,
XFAR, ICAR, IDAR, ISAR, SCAR, SSAR, EXAR, XDAR, ICAH, FCAR,
FCAH, FSAR, PCAR, LEAR, XSAR...........................USD
15.00 PER DAY. . OTHER CAR CLASSES *SOME MODELS EXCLUDED*...
...............................USD 45.00 PER DAY."

-- Suzanne

 

[kaytieeldr]

Sites like travelocity make it clear the rates shown are only applicable to drivers 25 and older.

Doesn't online checkin ask for your drivers license information including date of birth?

Are you sure it doesn't have a box to check if a driver is under 25?

I'm 100% sure you missed a disclaimer and probably missed a box that had to be checked if a driver is underage.

That said I'm shocked the age wasn't picked up when you supplied your drivers license information.

Well, in a test reservation on Travelocity, there was no box to check - but the site DOES expect renters to read the individual rental company policies. Fox says "Charges for additional or underage drivers may apply at the time of rental." and their additional charge is $20 per day between 21 and 25 (no renters under 21). Alamo's policy is "*ALL DRIVERS MUST SHOW A VALID DRIVER*S LICENSE AT TIME -OF RENTAL. *RENTAL RATES MAY BE HIGHER FOR RENTERS AGED 21-24. " and goes on to list specific amounts in a couple of states. Sorry for the caps, I copied/pasted.

In any case, despite checking in online, isn't any renter required to show a driver's license when pulling out of the lot? I'd be checking my ultimate charge from the rental agency, even if I skipped the counter, if I didn't meet all the rental criteria.

 

[SOnotLayuh]

I've already apologized for offending your morals, lets not continue the witch hunt please!

I shouldn't have to say that I'll be unsubscribing from the thread - so no need to continue on your hard core searches. Thank you all for your input, I'm sure the OP appreciates your research on what she originally asked for.