One way car rental
 

Does anyone know of a car rental company that doesn't charge astronomical rates for one way rental? Looking from SEA to SFO.
Many thanks in advance!
Linlins

Check out Thrifty. They do one-way rentals. Be sure to add any discounts to which you may qualify: http://www.carrentalsavers.com/

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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

An additional issue is that when you rent a car outside of CA and return it in CA you must have a "California car" - that means one that meets CA emission standards - since they can not re-rent the car out of CA unless it does.

In the 2 times we have rented one way and returned to CA this was cited as the reason for a somewhat higher one-way rate - even more than usual.

The need for a "California car" also caused delay getting car in Las Vegas that we were returning to San Diego - since it left the lot guy running around looking for an eligible car. Also, beware of "upgrades" since it may mean they are trying to get the car back to California - could be a good deal, maybe not. They tried to "upgrade" us to a full sized van (from an SUV) that had a terrible transmission.

And I don't remember who "they" was - I know it was one of the major rental brands - not being cryptic about the company involved.

If you can do your entire drive in a timespan that qualifies you for "weekend rates" (Thurs noon to Mon 11pm)....use Hertz and plug in rate code DRIVE

Budget used to have the best one-way rates, but that may have changed. I'm fortunate to work for a State of Florida institution and am able to use Avis' state contract which eliminates one-way fees (with great rates). We are renting a car next week in San Jose, using it for 7 days, and returning it up the road in San Francisco. I had previously priced the same trip you are taking and was quoted $224 for one week. If you happen to have a State of Florida ID, it's AWD# A113400. Good luck!

I just tried to do this frustrating effort SLT to Cody WY.

NO Car rental agency would allow a SUV drop off one way at all.

So your odds increase with no SUV prefeerence. Also Thrifty was good for a 4 day oneway rental but as soon as I tried 5 days it went into a skyrocketing weekly rate.

The Thrify guy was helpful in that he sugested you do point to point drop off for less than weekly and get a new car, new daily rental rental to avoid weeky rates...that was a new option I never heard of before...

You can also try to call the actual rental location not 800 number and ask if they have a car that needs to be rtned..you can rarely make a deal...

Moneeman- Though I now live in the UK I used to reside in FL and still have my FL driving license. I've just used your code on the Avis site and got and INCREDIBLE rate. Can I double check what the code is for, a bit worried if they start asking questions or asking for a State of Florida institution id?!? Really appreciate your help on this, as at the moment the new quote is saving us over $500!!
Many thanks
Linlins

autoslash, I realize you are new here and that this is your first post. You should be aware that advertising here is a no-no. Read #4, entitled "This is a no-advertising zone.": http://www.fodors.com/faq/joining.cfm#join3

_______________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

The best way for you to do is to choose between available options. Like what I am doing, I use priceline.com and vroomvroomvroom.com; they give you options to compare prices.If you would only choose Thrifty or any other car company, you only get some choices within their fleet. It's always best to have a lot of options to choose from.

That Florida State code has been posted before on other boards and several people have noted that Avis requires state I.D. to use it. Moneeman, have you ever been asked for I.D.?

I've seen other corporate codes get posted on discussion boards with the car companies voiding those codes a few weeks later. More people read these boards than we may realize, and apparently a sharp upturn in the use of any code can alert the car company that something is amiss.

I work for a state government agency in another state. We have negotiated car, hotel, and airline rates, but I am only supposed to use them when traveling on state business, not my vacation.

I'm sorry if I misled anyone. The Florida rate I quoted is designated for individuals working for the state of Florida (or, as in my case, a state college). I have found that VERY few people who fall in this category are aware of this contract, so I mentioned it above. I have personally read the contract and it specifically allows use for personal reasons (eliminating the automatic insurance coverage, I believe). Yes, the rates are fantastic. I have used the code MANY times and have had an ID requested once. The guy told me at that time they were instructed to check IDs (probably a recent memo). I have rented several times since that instance a year and a half or two ago without any requests for ID. That's not saying the next time won't include a request, it's just my experience. If you have an ID or business card (which is what I used) that you think would qualify, you can't beat the rate. As far as risking it without an ID, that would be your call. If you got "caught" they would switch you to their base rate, so check your alternatives and be prepared.