Can I return my car hire early and still earn the Double Tier Point Offer?

[Janie]

I’ve booked a flight plus car hire (for the duration of my trip) in order to get the double tier point offer.
I’ve since discovered that parking is going to cost USD 50 plus a day for the last 3 nights of my trip (to Austin) and that I might not actually need a car for those days anyway.
Will I still get the double tier points if I return the car early? I’m presuming the answer is yes, as it was booked for the duration of my trip, even if I return it early?
Are there any other potential issues with returning the car early does anyone know?

[Andrew.]

Be very careful and read the fine print, then read it again.

The key concern is if returning your car early switches you from the negotiated airline tariff to a daily tariff. Eg your car costing you $500 for 7 days hire via the airline, but if you return after 4 days you switch to a $200 a day tariff and owe the car hire company $300.

Here’s an example:-

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2021/nov/13/i-returned-a-hire-car-two-days-early-and-was-charged-double

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[Londonsteve]

I agree with this warning. The T&Cs of car rental are often arcane and beggar belief but that’s how they operate. You would think they would be delighted to have the car back early without having to rebate any money, but no, they may claim that ‘someone’ now owes them extra, generally you. I would be scrupulous to collect and drop off exactly as per your booking otherwise you may risk not receiving the double tier points. Rather than pay an outlandish parking fee to use the hotel car park, for example, work out where you can park nearby for free or at low cost while ensuring the car remains safe. Tripadvisor forums are brilliant for this and full of local advice. Tell them where you’ll be driving from, where your hotel is and what airport you then need to return the car to and they might, for example, suggest you leave it at X commuter station when approaching Austin and take a train the final stretch. With any luck there might be free parking within a reasonable walk of your hotel and the local experts will tell you where this is. Private car parks not related to the hotel are generally half the price of the hotel rate in my experience and there might be one a couple of minutes walk from the hotel.