Wondering how long you have to pick up your car rental?

[MarthaJr.]

Searched around on the WWW for this answer and was unable to find it, hence I've brought it to the experts.

How long do you have to pick up your car rental from the time you originally requested on your reservation?

Also, Does it may a difference if you return the car earlier than anticipated on your departure date?

The reason I ask is that I've noticed that I was able to get a better rate on the hour rather than the half hour and it also seems to make a difference if it is a noon pick up/return vs. other times of the day. I can get a better rate if I say I'm returning at noon vs. 9:30 am. It actually dropped $40.

What do you think?

 

[seashoreCM]

Rental companies have their own policies regarding any grace period for picking up your car. If your flight number is filled in your reservation record you can expect that your car will be held for your flight's arrival. Do not dilly dally in the airport for a meal.

Rental companies are likely to be sticklers about pickup time if it is a high demand time, such as Daytona Week.

You can be subjected to a price refiguring (to be higher) if you return a car early and the total time you had the car ends up below the threshold for a particular rate such as a weekly rate.

I'm not sure what unusual happens if you get the paperwork for your car promptly, choose (or are assigned) your car, inspect your car for pre-existing damage, and then take the keys and walk back into the airport to get family, baggage, lunch, etc. and return later to show the exit guard your paperwork and finally drive off for Disney.

 

[phred52]

I always push the car rental return time waaay backwards a few hours just in case my flights are changed. Which means I normally return my rental a few hours early. NEVER been charged additional to do so.

NOTE: I have never returned a weekly rental 'days' early ..in which case if I did I would expect an upcharge to however many days I had the car.

As for pick up time : I usually select a time 30 minutes after my flight lands which gives me time to pick up luggage, get to the rental counter and wait in line. However, we discovered a "divide and conquer plan of attack" where dd's get the luggage while I get the car rental. TWICE now I got to the counter ahead of my pick up time. And TWICE I was CHARGED an EXTRA HOUR rental. Both times I caught it and asked why the rate was higher than my reservation. It was explained that I was picking up early. ( by a whopping 10 and 15 minutes) I pointed out I was dropping it off with hours to spare on the other end and please remove the extra hour charge. One time a manager okayed the removal of the charge ~~ the other I had to get back in line and check out all over again when it was once again my turn.

Read those pages the car rental counters hand to you. KNOW what you are signing!

 

[vacationclub]

I always push the car rental return time waaay backwards a few hours just in case my flights are changed. Which means I normally return my rental a few hours early. NEVER been charged additional to do so.

NOTE: I have never returned a weekly rental 'days' early ..in which case if I did I would expect an upcharge to however many days I had the car.

As for pick up time : I usually select a time 30 minutes after my flight lands which gives me time to pick up luggage, get to the rental counter and wait in line. However, we discovered a "divide and conquer plan of attack" where dd's get the luggage while I get the car rental. TWICE now I got to the counter ahead of my pick up time. And TWICE I was CHARGED an EXTRA HOUR rental. Both times I caught it and asked why the rate was higher than my reservation. It was explained that I was picking up early. ( by a whopping 10 and 15 minutes) I pointed out I was dropping it off with hours to spare on the other end and please remove the extra hour charge. One time a manager okayed the removal of the charge ~~ the other I had to get back in line and check out all over again when it was once again my turn.

Read those pages the car rental counters hand to you. KNOW what you are signing!

Not sure what company you were using, but they usually don't charge you anything when you pick up, only show an estimate of charges based on what time it is at that moment and the time you've claimed you will return it. So if you show up 1 hour early (extending a 3 day rental into a 4th day) but then return it 1 hour early, it's the same cost that you were quoted in the original reservation. Weekly rentals usually don't get penalized for extra hours, but daily rentals do. So you you rent for 1 day, pick up at 1:00, be sure to have it back by 1:00 the next day, or ask them exactly when the cutoff time is. I've sometimes purposely returned to the airport early to avoid this, or purposely hung around the airport upon arrival on the plane to delay my rental start time knowing exactly when i'd be able to return the following day.