Our flight was moved up - car rental advice please!!

[PaulaMurf]

OK - our flight times changed, we were supposed to land at MCO around 10:50am so I have a car reserved at a really good rate but not till 11:30 am

NOW our flight lands at MCO at 9:50am, I really dont want to change my car ressies, so, does anyone know if National will charge me extra if we leave the garage before 11:30am?? I figure with getting off the plane, baggage claim, potty break, etc. We will probably be driving out closer to 11am -

ANyone ever do this??

TIA
Paula in CT

 

[beattyfamily]

I don't think it will be a problem but I would try and change it online first and see if the rate stays the same. I changed my reservation by an hour and it didn't change at all. They give you the opportunity to see the old rate and the new rate side by side and if it changes at all, you can keep the old reservation with no harm done.

National is one of the only websites that you can actually make changes and keep your rate...as long as you aren't changing it into another 24 hour period.

Good luck!

 

[minniemee]

Our flights were changed also and I went to the National website and changed my times. The price stayed exactly the same. Our arrival time changed by 1 hour and our departure, or drop off time changed by 2 hours. so this added 3 hours to our rental. There was no additional charge. I hope this helps you!

 

[goofyforlife]

THey car rental go in 24 hr periods....so whether or not your rate changes depends on when you plan to return the car.

Ex: if you were picking up at 11:30 and returning at 11:30 on day of departure...... If you now pick up an hour early you may have an extra charge (but most places give you a hour leeway)

What is your drop-off time on departure day?

 

[seashoreCM]

Usually if you try to modify a car ressie on line, the system will re-quote the entire rental price at today's rates, which may be either higher or lower.

Should you be quoted a higher rate, best bet is to not OK it, leave the ressie unchanged, and simply show up at the rental counter early. Chances are (although not guaranteed) that they will roll out the car for you early.

Even if the rental company offers a 59 minute grace period after exceeding the 24 hour limit of your last day, you should still endeavor to get the car back before the 24 hour limit. You never know if you might have a real delay such as a road blocking accident on the way back

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[BonnieA]

I tried to change a reservation last week with National. I wanted to return the car 1 hour later (but still within the same day). They wanted to charge me $80 more. I kept my old reservation.

 

[PaulaMurf]

It was $150 more when I tried it, but did not see the side by side comparison thingy, just the new rate.

I will go login and check again.

I currently have it set for pick up at 11:30 and return at 12:30 its a full week, Saturday to Saturday.

Thanks for the advice!!

Paula in CT

 

[beattyfamily]

It was $150 more when I tried it, but did not see the side by side comparison thingy, just the new rate.

I will go login and check again.

I currently have it set for pick up at 11:30 and return at 12:30 its a full week, Saturday to Saturday.

Thanks for the advice!!

Paula in CT

Yes, you didn't go far enough. At the point where you pick the size car, you might see the CURRENT rate/quote but once you click on the size you want and get to the next page, you will see the side by side and it give you the option to keep your old rate or take the new rate but they should be the same at this point UNLESS you are into another 24 hour period by changing the times.

That's what I experienced. On the page where you select size, it looks like they are going to give you the CURRENT high rate but it adjusts on the next page.

 

[PaulaMurf]

Yes, you didn't go far enough. At the point where you pick the size car, you might see the CURRENT rate/quote but once you click on the size you want and get to the next page, you will see the side by side and it give you the option to keep your old rate or take the new rate but they should be the same at this point UNLESS you are into another 24 hour period by changing the times.

That's what I experienced. On the page where you select size, it looks like they are going to give you the CURRENT high rate but it adjusts on the next page.

Hey, thanks. I was able to look at it this way. Its still about $75 more for the extra hour so I left it alone, but now I know how to check it.

THANKS!!!!

 

[safetymom]

You may be charged extra since you said you are picking up at 11:30 and returning at 12:30. The rental goes in 24 hour periods. You may pay an extra fee for returning the car 1 hour late.

 

[DebbieB]

I had a reservation once for noon and we arrived around 8:00am and it was no problem. It didn't add another day so it didn't matter.

 

[manning]

It was $150 more when I tried it, but did not see the side by side comparison thingy, just the new rate.

I will go login and check again.

I currently have it set for pick up at 11:30 and return at 12:30 its a full week, Saturday to Saturday.

Thanks for the advice!!

Paula in CT

Your going to get charged for an extra hour.

Call the 800 number and discuss this with them. Often they can make adjustments you can't on the internet. It's worth a shot and could save you $75.00.

I rent with Hertz and they go by the checkout time. There are times when I go from eastern time zone to central time zone and bring back the car at the same time I checked it out. The computer always wants that extra hour. The counter people alway override it.

 

[my3princes]

We flew into Tampa on Oct 14. Our flight was delayed which meant that we would miss our connecting flight so they ended up putting us on a direct flight that got us into Tampa 3 hours early. We didn't have time to contact National. When we got there I went to the counter and announced that I was really early and they asked how early. I said three hours and they laughed. They thought I was a week early or something. I was able to take the car then and was not charged any extra.

Deb