Rental Car - Picking Up/Dropping Off Early or Late?

[MickeyCrazed]

We are renting with National, and we are not exactly sure about our pick up and drop off times.

It most likely will be within an hour of what we have reserved, but if I change my existing reservation to compensate for those additional 2 hours, the rate goes up considerably.

So of course, I don't want to pay for time that I most likely will not use. Did you have an experience where you returned the rental car slightly late? If so, were you charged additional fees?

National's web site says fees may apply, but they do not go into specifics. I don't wan't to pay the extra fees upfront (about $40), but then again I don't want to be charged an unreasonable amount at the airport if I do happen to need those extra 2 hours.

What would you do? Thanks.

 

[CarolA]

Generally there is a 59 minute grace period (it may be less, it's been a while since I checked National) after that you are charged the extra hour fee which is specified in your rate. (On Hertz they show that on the page where they give you the total fee, you might look there and see what it is.) Charges are calculated on a 24 hour day starting from the time you check out at the National booth or counter (depending on your pick up arrangements)

 

[lawgs]

ntional's grace period is now <30 minutes, it changed in the spring.....try making your return time 30 minutes later than a full 24 hours and they add charges....

 

[PlutoPony]

Watch picking up early if you have a special rate that's time sensitive - i.e. weekend rates that start at a specific time. I had a National reservation to p/u at 10 a.m. on a Thursday and got a weekend rate. Flight actually got in early so it was 9:45 when I went in to get the car, not knowing the significance of 10 am. They gave me the contract to sign and the price was sky high . Once we figured out the problem they cancelled the contract, I waited a few more minutes and voila - they printed the contract again and it was the correct price.