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Rental Car One Way Drop Fees

Discussion in 'Getting There & Getting Around' started by bnlphan, Apr 18, 2017.

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  1. bnlphan

    bnlphan Degenerate In Training

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    So my original plan for the next trip was to fly into Phoenix, rent a car, spend the night at the grand canyon, and return it in Las Vegas but apparently there's a racket fee of at least 350 dollars if you drop a car somewhere other than where you rent it if it is covered by a a different airport. In fact its just as cheap for me to rent a car here in Kentucky for two weeks than it is to rent in Phoenix and return in Vegas the next day. Does anyone have any idea if there is a way around this? As it now stands I may be driving to Vegas and picking up the rest of my party at the airport.
    Any help appreciated.
    Brian
     
    NYNY,Cannery,Sam's Town Jun4-11
  2. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Check different agencies.

    Check out slash.com and see what they have.

    Drop off fees have been around for a long time. I have even seen them when you rent at a hotel and then drop at the airport in the same city.
     
  3. nickle

    nickle Low-Roller

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    Visited Phoenix a few years ago and drove to Sedona. Our original plan was to go on to Flagstaff, Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. As it turned out, it was cheaper for us to return to Phoenix and fly to Las Vegas rather than drive and pay the dropoff!:nono:
     
  4. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    Both airports in the DFW area - if you rent at the airport & drop elsewhere, there is a significant drop-off fee; eg - I can rent a car at DFW for $40...but the drop-off fee adds another $60..... I figure it's the cab-lobby's doing.
    For me to take a cab home from DFW would run me about $80... Uber/Lyft is about $60.

    Edit to correct!
    Just checked out Budget, and they don't have a drop fee! So, only $60 or so, after taxes & fees...not bad!
    The "big-boys" do... $75 drop fee.
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2017
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  5. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    The fee means they don't really want to car left in another market. I can see Vegas and Phoenix as two locales where there would be good consistent demand for cars all year and if the fee is that high, it probably reflects some of their costs to return the car to Phoenix as well as a high markup to serve as a deterrent. In places where business is more seasonal, they will practically pay you to move the car to a higher volume market at the start of a low season.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  6. nhcris

    nhcris VIP Whale

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    I prefer to rent from Alamo, but for one ways I have found that Avis is far better. I definitely would check their prices for comparison.
     
  7. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Personally,I think it is partly the above idea and that they CAN GET THE MONEY from folks that need to do a dropoff.

    No facts, just my opinion.
     
  8. Camp Rusty

    Camp Rusty VIP Whale

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    Just rented a car in New Jersey for three weeks........dropping it in Seattle.....drop charge from Hertz was $240.00.

    Not sure if there was a reason, but one odd thing is the car is licensed in North Carolina and only has a rear plate, Washington requires front and rear plates.
     
  9. The Rumor

    The Rumor VIP Whale

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    That only matters when they renew the car, it's perfectly legal for them to rent a car licensed in another state that has only a rear plate

    Drop charges exist because they know you will pay them
     
    • Informative Informative x 1
  10. merlin

    merlin MIA

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    Several years ago a friend rented a car in seattle and dropped it in minneapolis, he paid something like $600 extra to drop it off.
     
  11. remmerde

    remmerde VMB's Resident Cigar Sommelier

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    Amazed that people think this is just a profit-grabbing ruse.

    So when your neighbor borrows your lawnmower, you would totally be okay with it if he dropped it off at his cousin's house in Omaha? You'd just eat the cost of paying some LTL trucking company $500 to $1000 to ship it back?
     
  12. chidog

    chidog Tourist

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    I used to work for Budget at the Chicago airport and occasionally we would have cars that needed to get back California or the state of Washington. And they would offer a discount to anyone who would drive there and drop it off. I would call the car rental agencies to see if they needed to get an car back to their original destination. Same for rental trucks. I have been gone over ten years tho.
     
  13. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

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    AVIS. You can rent a car in Phoenix (almost any size) and drop off in Vegas. Total fee for a week including taxes: $142. Book now.
    These rates are good approximately 3/15/17-6/15/30. If you travel in the Fall, you can get a similar deal renting in Vegas with a drop off in Phoenix. I've done this both ways as I combine a visit to my sister's home in Phoenix. Other rental car companies do this also to move their fleets but I haven't located them, yet. Just Avis.
     
  14. Rush

    Rush MIA

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    A discount? They should pay a person to drive that far!
     
  15. tatterdema

    tatterdema VIP Whale

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    Depending on your dates, you might wait and see if it drops. Last summer, PHX to LAS was under $50 for a week. Add the $25 worth of SW airlines points I received, and it was a pretty cheap rental. Almost any size was available.
     
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