Long car rental: airport vs local

paulm_1974 · 6 February 2019 at 11:59PM

Hi, I need some advice. Here is the dilemma:

I will be in the US for 3 weeks.
I will need a car for the duration.
I will be landing at JFK, but then staying >1 hour away.
If I hire a car for the 3 weeks from the airport it’s coming back quite expensive.
I can save over 16% if I:
- rent a car for 1 day from the airport and drop off at my destination
- rent a car at the destination for the reminder of my stay and then drop it off at the airport

The savings include the additional fees for dropping the car off at a different location (both ways).

Sounds ridiculous, but it does work out much cheaper.

Anyone else ever been in this scenario? Am i missing anything or shall i just go ahead and grab the savings?

Thanks
Paul

richardw · 7 February 2019 at 8:02PM

Are you booking with a reputable car hire firm?

paulm_1974 · 7 February 2019 at 11:19PM

yes, Avis.

mad_rich · 20 February 2019 at 4:42PM

Very common.

My only suggestion - if it's not too late - would be to book a 'pay at location' rate with Avis for now, if it's not massively more expensive, and keep checking for cheaper deals. If you prepay, you're locked in.

Also, depending on where you're staying, would a cab or public transport be an option for day 1?

robjoffery · 22 February 2019 at 7:01PM

The first things is to choose a reliable car rental company that is cheap and best.

Long car rental: airport vs local

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