Car Rentals????

[juicefruit00]

HI

I have a question on car rentals. I have never rented a car before and i have heard that there are alot of hiddin cost in doing so. I have found a car for 117 dollars for the week. Can anyone help me with this. I am a member of the Disney Club, maybe you can tell me the best deals. I also don't have a credit card in my name, just the visa debt card. Can i use this or does my boyfriend have to put me on his car?

Thank you....Juicefruit00

 

[SandraC]

There are other costs that go on top of the 'too good to be true' prices. BUT, you don't necessarily have to BUY the additional stuff. For example the extra insurance. Call your car insurance broker first ask about your car rental extended coverage. It's likely that you already have insurance for rental cars. I figured my cost of a basic to standard car to run about $300.00 Canadian Funds that is all inclusive with gas cost too. $190.00 USF. We don't use lots of gas, maybe $9.00 - $15.00 for the week. Hope this helps.

 

[KarenT]

There is also the following:

Airport Fee (9.07%) - One time fee
FL Sales Tax (6%) - Of total
FL Waste/Battery Fee ($2.05) - Daily
License Recoupment Fee (.52) - Daily


All fees are estimates. Depending on how long you'll be renting for, you can expect to pay about an extra $30-$40 per week.




KarenT

 

[juicefruit00]

Thank you so much for your help. I am so excited about this trip and everything that comes along with it. You guys are a great help. Keep up the good work

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says.....................................................We got a 109 rate for a week and did none of the extras. By the time you add tax, tax on the tax, service fee, airport fee, the dreaded " you are actually going to drive the car fee". We ended up at $140. Don't know if a debit card will work, but be prepared for the $13999 "you don't have a credit card" charge. And if you are under 25 you probably owe them you're first two children!!

 

[castleri]

If you are a Disney Club member go to the National Car Rental Site and sign up for Emerald club. Then put in the Disney Contract Code - it is on a coupon that you should have gotten with the last mailing they sent. After that you can get the rates for a reservation and it will show you the "extras" that others have mentioned. The big one is if you don't already have rental insurance through you own car.. If you don't have a credit card they have some information about that on the web site also. I was able to get a full size car for 12/22/01-1/1/02 for $210 which includes all the "extra" stuff except the insurance which I don't need. Also if you or your boyfriend get a gold or above credit card and use that you don't usually need the insurance. If both of you are planning to drive there may be an extra driver charge also. The first time I rented a car I had to go through a travel agent here in RI and pay ahead of time because I did not have a credit card and I also had to pay for all the expensive insurance. I got a credit card immediately after that trip just for that reason. Sorry to be so wordy - hope you have a marvelous trip. I know we are looking forward to ours.

 

[RocknCoaster]

I am paying $98 for nine days. True it's a small 4 dr. car but it's all inclusive. Unlimited mileage too. I booked with one company for $170.00. Another called to see if I had booked yet and when I told him I had and what I was paying he said he could beat it. And he did!

 

[ncbyrne]

rockncoaster...what company called? Never heard of any doing that before!

 

[RocknCoaster]

I had originally emailed probably 20 companies asking for there rate. I ended up going with Payless. Then Anchor called with the lower rate. It was some kind of promotion for a hotel. I made sure that I don't have to go to some kind of tour or something and they promised me that I didn't.

 

[leebee]

OK...I have never had a problem with car rental, but my sister frequently does (she is handicapped so doesn't drive but has credit card- her DH is the driver, til recently <25, but has no credit card!), so here is what I've learned thru my experiences and theirs.
1. RENTER must have a credit card in their name. Although debit cards can be used to pay for the rental at the END of the rental period, a credit card must be used when you pick up the car.
2. Insurance is optional if you have FULL insurance (comprehensive and collision) on your own vehicle. Call your insurance agent to check this; you may have a rider that says they will cover rentals. The Dollar agent once told me that anyone who has a car loan for a car will have adequate insurance to cover rentals (I guess banks are very picky about insurance on the vehicles that they technically own!). They also said that if you say you have insurance, they usually trust that you are telling the truth. I've never been asked for proof of insurance, but carry a copy of my policy with me when I travel, JUST IN CASE!!! Also, check into gold/platinum credit cards, as most include automatic rental car insurance but remember that for the insurance to be valid, THAT is the card that you must use for renting the vehicle.
3. Drivers under 25 will pay an additional fee, MAY be required to carry rental company's insurance (although the legality of requiring company's insurance is questionable).
4. Additional drivers usually pay an additional fee of about $3-$5/day. HOWEVER, check out some things. My DH's employment at MSU gave him certain travel benefits, one of which is a contractual agreement with National. For business OR personal travel, using the MSU recap code, both rental insurance and additional drivers are free- and the contracted rental prices are generally very good (usually we can get an intermediate car for the price of an economy).
5. Budget accepts Sears credit cards! I don't think that Budget usually has the best rates, BUT if you don't have a major credit card and don't have time to get one before leaving, rent from Budget and use a Sears card. Need a Sears card? They usually will approve your application and give you your account number when you apply for the card at any Sears store.

FYI- my sister rents the cars with her credit card, then puts DH on as an additional driver so he can do the driving. It seems messed up to me- they'll rent a vehicle to an UNLICENSED person, as long as they have a credit card!
Hope this info helps--I'd hate for you to get to the rental car counter and have an "unfortunate" experience!

 

[juicefruit00]

I would hate for that to happen also. I don't know what i would do. I think i would sit in the airport and cry. LOL. thank you so much for your help. My boyfriend is calling the credit card company and putting me on his card.