Tampa car rentals

[estreet03032]

Who in your opinion has the best service. Do any of the companys offer their version of Nationals emerald aisle?

 

[gw_lit]

Just off-hand, Hertz has #1 Club Gold ($50 fee to join, you can find discounts and maybe even free enrollment if you do a web search), but you don't get to pick your own car. You bypass the counter and go straight to your car, just look for your name and car space number on the display board.

Avis has their preferred service, similar to Hertz #1 Club Gold, same type of service, you bypass the counter go out to the booth and pick up your keys.

Usually the first time you rent after joining these "clubs" you'll still have to go to the counter and get your credit card and drivers license confirmed.

At TPA, the National lot is not in the terminal, but it is on the way out of airport property, so it's not really out of the way. Avis and Hertz are both in the parking garage attached to the terminal.

 

[estreet03032]

Thank you for the Information

 

[Melknor]

I've used Thrifty both times I few into Tampa. If you google the code for orlando tourist bureau (or something like that; sorry can't recall exact one), you can get a really good deal. We had a compact last fall for $17/day, which they ended up being out of and they gave us a mini van instead..........

 

[proud_canadian]

We're looking for Tampa as well for Sept!

No good deals so far...

 

[JoeCathyAngelina]

Stay away from Thriifty, I'll never rent or make reservations at Thrifty again !!!
3 years ago the agent at Tampa charged the person in front of me $200 for an upgrade to a full size car because they didn't have his mid-size reservation available or he would have to wait for a mid-size car to become available.
I had my reservatiom confirmation, Orlando Magic Card and all the back up documents I needed to pick up a Full size car.
The agent wanted to charge me $200 for an upgrade to a premium because they didn't have any Full size cars available or I'd have to wait for a full size car to become available.
When I told him I heard and saw what he did to the person in front of me, he shrugged his shoulders and told me he's doing his job.
I got made started yelling at him and damanded to speak to a supervisor.
After about 10 minutes of fustration standing at the counter and telling him I wasn't going to move away from the counter untill I got a car or spoke to a supervisor. Someone showed up at the counter and said something to him, all of a sudden he had a full size car available.
Not a good way to start a Vacation we spent a year carefully planning so we could afford the trip.
Stay away from Thrifty!!!
Good luck all,
Joe

P.S.
This year we're flying into Tampa on Delta.
When I made our flight reservatons last May I reserved a car with Delta from National.
We're picking up a Cadillac at National, $250 total for the week.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI if you are renting from National/Alamo out of TPA.

The service roads area to the NW of their rental office (between the office and the airport) has had a lot of construction changes that have closed intersections recently. Be aware of this if using a GPS to navigate away from the rental office; there is about a 50/50 chance that it will attempt to either send you down a closed road or send you the wrong way down a one-way street just at first.

It is best to turn LEFT out of National's gate and go to Spruce Road or Dale Mabry from that direction, even if you are planning to head for the coast. Once you get out onto one of those main roads, your GPS should be reliable again. (Note that if you look at Google Maps, it says that the National office is ON Spruce. It is not. The office is on the Airport Access Road that runs parallel to Spruce on the north.)

 

[mmouse50]

Has anyone found any good deals from Tampa for rental cars? I can get a good deal for air but the rental car is killing me - I might as well just fly into MCO and rent a car there