kakijalan

I'll be renting a car in England in May and noticed a peculiarity... Total charges for 6days car hire is higher than 7days. I guess that's due to *special* weekly rate?

I don't really need a car for 7 days but it will be foolish of me to pay more for 6. I'll be travelling into London on Day7 and with all the story about hassle to find parking, congestion charge etc, thought that it would be more convenient to drop the car at Heathrow, take a train into the city and the next day catch a train to Stanstead.

It will cost me more for 3 pax train travel Heathrow-London and London-Stanstead as compared to paying for 1 night parking and congestion charge, but the less hassle is attractive (although GBP is 6.4x MYR now, phew!)

[Don't ask why only 1 day in London... long story. Anyway, we've been to London twice before]

So questions:

1) Will car rental agency charge penalty for early returns?

2) Which is better option?
A - drop car, take train, and train again
or
B - drive into city, park and drive to airport next day

Appreciate your views

WillTravel

Why not ask the agency, and get a response in writing, about whether it is okay to drop off the car early? It doesn't seem logical there should be a problem, but I have heard of extra fees for this in the US.

Do you really want to go to Heathrow at all? Maybe skip London entirely on this trip and go to Cambridge, which is quite close to Stansted?

CarolA

In the US they can and do flip you from the weekly to the daily (walk up) rate if you return a day early.

I have never done it in Europe so I can't comment there. From somewhere in my memory I recall that I read of someone doing this with a prepaid AutoEurope rental without an issue so that might work, but probably on a normal rental there's a risk.

ira

Hi K,

Ditto CA.

AFAIK, with AE, you pay in advance. If you return the car early the agency doesn't charge any more.

However, call www.autoeurope.com

Also see if you get a better rate at www.auto-europe.co.uk

You will be billed in GBP.

NeoPatrick

While most agencies will charge you the same for 5 days (or even down to four days in some instances) as the weekly rate, there is sometimes a clause about "must include over Saturday night" or similar in the weekly rate, so missing one of those type requirements WILL add to your cost. I agree the only way to find out is to ask them.

I've seen and heard enough though about extra charges being added after you return your car, so if you returned it before it was contracted and prepaid to be, I'm not sure how prepaying guarantees they won't go back and hold you to the terms of your contract. I mean, if that were true -- why couldn't you also prepay and drop it off at a different location that contracted expecting them not to charge you extra? Same kind of deal -- it isn't what you contracted for.

ira

Hi NP,

>...why couldn't you also prepay and drop it off at a different location

We have changed drop off location when using AE without charge, within the same country.

Again, it is best to ask.

NeoPatrick

Well, yes, ira, but I'm assuming that there wouldn't have been a charge anyway for dropping off at those locations -- no? Or are you suggesting that by doing it without asking you avoided a charge that clearly would have been on a contract otherwise? This poster is talking about returning it at a time which if on the contract WOULD add an extra charge. I just thought it seemed odd, that not following your contract, but doing something that would be charged otherwise wouldn't necessarily result in avoiding that regular charge.

ira

Hi NP,

We decided to change drop-off locations.

We called AE.

They said OK

We did it.

As I said, ne has to verify.