Pre-Pay for Gas OR Not

[LeeAnn]

What is best to do... Pre-pay or look for a Gas satation on the way back to the airport?

Where is there a Gas station by the airport?

 

[cra-z-4-dizney]

I never pre-pay for gas, cause I am never sure if I am going to use a full tank or not. I always fill up in Disney and drive back to the airport, they have never said anything, as the meter still reads full for the most part. Good Luck and have a great rtip!!

 

[TEK224]

I never pre-pay. I don't usually use a full tank when I'm there. I fill up at a gas station that's just off the highway before the toll booth at the exit just before the airport. (I forget the exit #, but it's easy off and back on).

Terri

 

[disneysteve]

Never pre-pay for gas. It's a rip-off and the rental car companies make a bundle on this option.

 

[MariDisney]

I never ever pre-pay. Finding gas is easy, though of course I can't tell you specifics at the moment. You will pass at least one station coming into a park (hmmmm...is it EPCOT?, I can't remember)...and depending on where you exit the property they're there, trust me. Clear as mud? Just don't pre-pay!

 

[dhuba]

When we went in August we found it beneficial to prepay. They only charged 2.39 a gallon and it was 2.59 at all the gas stations, and we had several day trips planned and used more than a tankful that week. It all depends on how much you are going to drive and what they are charging you a gallon I guess.

 

[disneysteve]

When we went in August we found it beneficial to prepay. They only charged 2.39 a gallon and it was 2.59 at all the gas stations, and we had several day trips planned and used more than a tankful that week.

You apparently missed the catch - lots of folks do. It doesn't matter how much gas you used. What matters is how much was left in the tank when you returned the car. If you pre-paid for a full tank and returned the car with gas still remaining in the tank, then you paid for gas you didn't use. You would literally have to push it back on empty for pre-paying to be worthwhile.

Let's say you returned the car with 5 gallons remaining. That means you paid $11.95 (5 x $2.39) for gas you didn't use. Even better for the rental company, if the next renter also prepays, they've now sold the same 5 gallons of gas twice. It's quite a good racket for them.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Disneysteve has hit the nail on the head. Don't ever prepay for gas in a rental car unless you can guarantee that you will be able to coast into the car rental return lot on nothing but the fumes in the empty gas tank.

On our trip to WDW in January we drove to WDW from the airport, used the car to get around the property to restaurants, etc., used the car to go to Clearwater Beach for a day, got lost in the Tampa/Clearwater/Sarasota area for a little while and returned to the airport on the last day -- all without using a full tank of gas.

The best solution is as cra-z-4-disney has suggested -- fill up at WDW and use the full tank of gas to get you to the airport and also get credit for that full tank of gas when you return the rental. 'Tis the best of both worlds.