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Just wondering is any experience of firms that do not charge to return car to different airport, for example I see Avis charging me £40 to rent from IAD and return to JFK?
Or does it depend on airports?Thanks
It depends on airports and states. California and Florida have no drop off fees within the state. Outside that you’ll typically find Avis have the lowest drop off fee, followed by Hertz, followed by Alamo/National etc. Some rental companies won’t allow it at all from certain branches, some won’t depending on the booking channel.
For example getting a one way from SLC to LAS was a complete nightmare when I tried it.
You just have to shop around. Almost all of my US rentals for the past 15 years have been one ways.
Thanks 🙂
We tend to use Alamo but have been stung for £100+ for return to different location (phx-sfo and iAd-atl)
We tend to use Alamo but have been stung for £100+ for return to different location (phx-sfo and iAd-atl)
$50-100 is reasonable. National/Enterprise typically want $300-500 but it varies massively by location. One year Enterprise were lot cheaper than Avis from Philadephia to Baltimore.
I often use a consolidator like easycar.com to find who’ll do it the cheapest and then go direct.
As above, use a comparison site (my favourite is usrentacar.co.uk) to quickly see which firms are adding on a one-way fee, and which are not – then usually go direct.
Things have changed in recent years, and it’s more complicated than it used to be. Until recently there were routes which never used to have a one-way fee (with any of the big brands)… Now you have to check.
In addition to the above, check out Hertz separately too, using the Amex Plat CDP 633306 if you hold the card, or something like the IHG (22754) or Virgin Flying Club CDP (708870) if you do not hold Amex plat.
One-way fees are so random. I have 3 cross-state one-way rentals this year: Raleigh-Atlanta, Bangor-Boston, Philadelphia-Washington and it’s the BGR-MHT one that attracts a one-way fee of $150. All these rentals are with Hertz on my Platinum rate.
The most I’ve had was $700 for Seattle-Boston.
It all feels like a money grab as US rental cars are always from a mix of states.
You may also get an older / higher mileage vehicle as the rental office sees an opportunity to move on one of these to another location.
Using Amex Platinum CDP, I have done Hertz one-ways multiple times (Michigan – Illinois, Michigan to New York, etc) and have never been stung by one way charges.
Using Amex Platinum CDP, I have done Hertz one-ways multiple times (Michigan – Illinois, Michigan to New York, etc) and have never been stung by one way charges.
That’s because it’s a perk of Gold Plus via Amex Plat.
Not everyone has an Amex Plat and personally I wouldn’t rent with Hertz again in the US if they were the last rental company in the country.
Using Amex Platinum CDP, I have done Hertz one-ways multiple times (Michigan – Illinois, Michigan to New York, etc) and have never been stung by one way charges.
That’s because it’s a perk of Gold Plus via Amex Plat.
Not everyone has an Amex Plat and personally I wouldn’t rent with Hertz again in the US if they were the last rental company in the country.
I have a Hertz reservation that is the opposite of that. Booked through Hertz and clearly says there is a one-way fee. I’m Gold Plus and used the Platinum CDP.
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