We are saving tons of money renting a car off Airport
Jan 23rd, 2009, 12:47 PM
#1
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We are saving tons of money renting a car off Airport
Here is some advice for those of you who want to save money renting a car. Take a cab or mass transit to the nearest off Airport car rental location that is not classified as an Airport rental.
In Portland last summer we took mass transit to downtown and rented a car from a location in an office building and saved $210 for the weekly rental. We did the same thing in Atlanta.
It is a bit of a hassle but think of the large amount of work you did for the $210 you would have saved.
In Portland last summer we took mass transit to downtown and rented a car from a location in an office building and saved $210 for the weekly rental. We did the same thing in Atlanta.
It is a bit of a hassle but think of the large amount of work you did for the $210 you would have saved.
Jan 23rd, 2009, 01:13 PM
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I agree! Last June, we arrived at the Phoenix airport about 11 P.M. Took a free shuttle to a nearby La Quinta where we spent the night. The next morning, we had Enterprise (not the Airport location) pick us up and take us back to their office to get our rental car.
Conclusion: The off-site Enterprise was much cheaper than the airport Enterprise office. I think we saved about $40 on a weekly rental.
Conclusion: The off-site Enterprise was much cheaper than the airport Enterprise office. I think we saved about $40 on a weekly rental.
Jan 23rd, 2009, 01:31 PM
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I know that this is the U.S. board, but we did this over Xmas in Munich. The taxi ride to the Erding location was about €15. I think it saved us about €230 on a 16-day rental.
You need to be careful, though, if you have a late-arriving flight or are flying on a Sunday or holiday as some of these in-city rental places have shorter hours.
You need to be careful, though, if you have a late-arriving flight or are flying on a Sunday or holiday as some of these in-city rental places have shorter hours.
Jan 23rd, 2009, 01:39 PM
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Going to a location away from an airport may or may not pay off. First of all, what are the opening hours there?
Secondly, how long does it take and how much does it cost to get there, and back to the airport from there?
You can do your sums, then try Priceline for a rental right from the airport, you may save a heck of a lot more and still have it the most convenient way possible. A Hertz car for nearly two weeks from the airport location in Burbank just came to $20 per day including all fees - I bid $15 and got exactly what I wanted.
Secondly, how long does it take and how much does it cost to get there, and back to the airport from there?
You can do your sums, then try Priceline for a rental right from the airport, you may save a heck of a lot more and still have it the most convenient way possible. A Hertz car for nearly two weeks from the airport location in Burbank just came to $20 per day including all fees - I bid $15 and got exactly what I wanted.
Jan 23rd, 2009, 03:47 PM
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To add one more caveat to the above, off site places often have little to---believe it or not, sometimes---NO availability. Last year in SF, if we had not been Gold Club members, my husband would have had to wait several hours in a Hertz city office, as there was only one available car and several people waiting.....
This, of course, does not necessarily apply to places like Enterprise that only exist as non-airport locations.
This, of course, does not necessarily apply to places like Enterprise that only exist as non-airport locations.
Jan 23rd, 2009, 04:39 PM
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I would be wary of that statement you made..after flying all day and getting in late, the last thing you want to do is to go off airport property for miles on end..pay the cab and go to some cheesy lot..not saying all of them are like that but I have rented a lot of cars in my time and only once did we have an off the airport lot in Phoenix and I think we saved $2 a day..it was 10 minutes each way and a major pain in the butt..
I like hotwire or expedia and always get super cheap car rentals..
I like hotwire or expedia and always get super cheap car rentals..
Jan 23rd, 2009, 08:30 PM
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We rented a car from downtown seattle last July because the airport prices were so high. We ended up paying about $200 instead of $475 for a week from Hertz. It was well worth taking the bus downtown!
When we picked up the car we asked if we could drop it off at the airport when we flew home and they said no problem, so we didn't have to get transportation back to the airport from downtown.
Margy
When we picked up the car we asked if we could drop it off at the airport when we flew home and they said no problem, so we didn't have to get transportation back to the airport from downtown.
Margy
Jan 23rd, 2009, 09:26 PM
#8
Like any other tip, this one may work to your advantage, or may not. You have to shop the actual dates and location to see if it will save you anything.
When shopping for the car, run it through a site like Kayak.com or 0rbitz.com and play around by selecting both airport and non-airport locations. After that, call the actual companies and ask them if they have a better price than what's showing from your earlier research. Check for Costco, AAA, AARP, etc discounts.
Some cities have really high airport rental taxes, others don't. The cost and difficulty of getting to the rental site (taxi, bus?), as well as the shortened hours and sometimes limited inventory at non-airport locations need to also be considered.
When shopping for the car, run it through a site like Kayak.com or 0rbitz.com and play around by selecting both airport and non-airport locations. After that, call the actual companies and ask them if they have a better price than what's showing from your earlier research. Check for Costco, AAA, AARP, etc discounts.
Some cities have really high airport rental taxes, others don't. The cost and difficulty of getting to the rental site (taxi, bus?), as well as the shortened hours and sometimes limited inventory at non-airport locations need to also be considered.
Jan 24th, 2009, 02:05 AM
#9
I saved close to 50% on a three week rental by renting from an off airport location in Denver last summer. They sent someone to pick us up at our hotel, and best part, we were able to return the car to the airport upon departure. And no, it wasn't Enterprise, it was Budget.
