USA Car Hire Costs

eslick

have a look at fifteen02.com or usrentacar both include all fees you need and have good deals, we have found fifteen02 the cheapest for the last few years as they have free upgrades. When we went last year the woman at the desk was talking and said we had the best package and there was nothing else she could even try and charge us for. Customer service is also excellent, small company and you speak to the owner.

Nordictat2

LittleMiss...use Netflights.com to book a car. We used them (for Dollar car hire) and when you book get the prem. package it includes gas and extra driver...it includes ALL insurances except personal insurance but if you have travel insurance (like we do) we didn't need to buy that anyways as our travel insurance covers that anyways. The only extra fee you pay is some "new" airport tax fee of $28 that you should get back from netflights because they say allllllll airport taxes are suppose to be cover. You just file a claim (send em a copy of the reciept from the car hire) with netflights when you get back and they will refund the money

I have always been happy with Dollar's service and choice of cars

slopemaster

AndyHo wrote: »

Regardless of what you may hear from the tour operators in this country, who are just out to make a fast buck, there is no charge for additional drivers in California, it's against state law. Just make sure you are both peresent, with full British DLs (Inc paper sheet) at the rental desk on arrival. .

Do you have a source for this?
Not disbelieving, but would like something to refer to.
(As I seem to be quoted at least $10/day for additional driver from SFO)
Thanks

AndyHo

This is one site I've found, although I'm actually going on personal experience of over 20 yrs renting in CA.

checkoutlosangeles.com/servicedesk/rentingacar.php

There are many more examples, Google is your friend

Also whilst googling for you I found that you shouldn't be charged the airport concessionary fees in CA. Now this may have changed in the last year, I'll find out in Sept.

Now if anyone can find me somewhere in UK that I can book a car RENTAL ONLY in CA at UK tour operator rates (Apart from VH FlyDrive) I will be eternally grateful.

AndyHo

Further to my post above, from the horses mouth

Go to Dollar.com

get a quote for a vehicle, when this comes up under Car And Rate, right at the bottom of the page you will see Important Local Policy Information

Click on this and you will see:

4. Additional Authorized Drivers: There is no charge for an additional authorized driver, additional driver must be 25 years of age.

et voila

It does appear that Effective 1/1/07, an airport concession fee of 11.11 percent will apply to all rentals. Although I'm sure I wasn't charged this last year.

slopemaster

Thanks for that.
Budget site also says "there is no additional driver fee in CA".

But UK and international consolidators, which have the cheapest rates, (eg AutoEurope, carhire 3000) are still saying there are extra charges.

Maybe just using a ganeric set of T&C rather than location-specific.

PS if you're looking for rental-only cheap, why not try Priceline?

AndyHo

Just don't pay for the additional driver upfront, they can't charge you for when you get to CA, as I said before it's a UK rip off.

Priceline still very expensive, VH works out at £115 for 19 days, full size 2dr with Dollar....Rental Only........I just didn't particularly want to fly Virgin, still needs must I suppose. Still looking but have had no useful replies to an earlier thread at all.

Nordictat2

Andy...

You have had some helpful tips but you seem to want something for basically nothing and you just won't get that. Dollar is a great car hire company and to be honest £115 for 19 days is a GREAT deal. You don't like Virgin? Suck it up and accept the flight already!

AndyHo

Well strangely I seem to have had 'something for nothing' for the last 8 years. All I'm looking for is a choice. It now appears that there are no choices left, as I've had no 'helpful' tips at all, people seem to fail to grasp the term Rental Only from a UK tour operator. I do however have to accept that these deals are now no longer available, probably due to the fact that people complain so much about the extra charges associated with Rental Only without doing sufficient research in the first place. So Virgin it is then. I just didn't want to be tied to an airline. What I really object to with them is having to pay for an exit row seat, I'm 6'4". With BA you can get these for nothing. Why should I have to pay to assist them. You're right Dollar is a great company and have used them for years and will continue to do so