VS027 - MCO August - Car hire question

First of all hello and congratulations on such a brilliant website.

Now the help please ....

By the sounds of it you all frequent travellers to america, I am going to florida in august with VH flying in PE so can't wait ... wish it was UC but hey ho!!

Can anyone suggest decent car hire over there as I declined VH's as it was quite expensive, sure there must be some discounts floating around!

We are booked in row 80 (on recommendation by your user guide!) what happens if they change the aircraft to one without a row 80?

Many thanks on your help and keep up the good work!

J

[Nottingham Nick]

Welcome to V-Flyer J,

There have been a couple of discussions about car hire recently, with suggestions provided by forum members.

This was one:

http://www.nhad.co.uk/nhad/mlflights/index.asp

I have no personal experience of them. If you do a forum search for car hire, I am sure there are a couple more.

One thing I have found is that car hire isn't too expensive in the US, but car hire insurance is!!

One thing I would say, especially if it is your first trip, is - make sure you have adequate insurance and make sure you know what you have paid for. Fla. car hire reps have a reputation for selling unknowing Brits expensive upgrades and packages for insurances that they are already covered for.

Car hire in the US is a minefield of acromyms - CDW, LDW, SLI, PAI etc. etc. Very, very briefly as I am not an expert - CDW / LDW are the same thing (Collision / Loss damage waiver) this covers damage to your car - however it may be caused, and is a must have. SLI (Supplementary liabilty insurance) This bumps up the amount of third party cover you have. The third party cover that the hire company have to provide is woefully low, and this puts it at a reasonable level - it used to be regarded as optional, but due to a change in the rules a few years ago when the cover provided by the company got even lower, I also regard this as a must have.

PAI is personal accident insurance - if you have decent travel insurance, you should be covered for this - but look at the medical limits - hospital bills in the US can be BIG, so ensure you have adequate cover.

IF you have Amex Plat or Centurian - or another high end card you MAY be covered, but however you pay for it - make sure you are confident that you have enough.

Cheap car hire may finish up very expensive.

Sorry to be a bit of a doom merchant, I am not an insurance salesman but it is one thing that can easily ruin a holiday.

Nick

Nick,
What you say is tatally true. If its your first time to the USA, driving is different, especially "Four ways" It is easy to get the car damaged, we have been some twenty times, and the majority have been safe, but in Texas, I reveresd into a low pole and damaged the back of the car. Without CDW, it would have cost me for the repair AND the loss of rental for the car being off the road.

[RichardMannion]

Surely you mean Centurion Nick....

I've used http://www.holidayautos.co.uk many times in the past for rentals in the US - worth looking at, quotes supplied are fully inclusive. You cna try calling them in advance, as I remember there was some kind of top-up pack to add on an additional driver and a full tank of fuel for a small amount of money.

A little bit more expensive, but very well known, Avis, they are currently on there summer promo rates which are low for them - I just booked a week with them for £155, which will also net me 1000 FC miles.

Thanks,
Richard

[buns]

J
Welcome to the site.

I tend to use http://www.airlinenetwork.co.uk as this seems to offer you the same Dollar Car Hire as VH - which is useful at Orlando as it is on site.

Happy Surfing

Buns

we use Flights n autos,
http://www.nhad.co.uk/nhad/mlflights/carhire.asp?fa=usa

Again, another company who use Alamo, on site and you get to choose your car model in the garage

I have used 'Cheap Car Hire' through Kelkoo and the voucher is issued by Airline Network for a Dollar car (!!). The price is good but seems to always include a full tank and all drivers over 25.
cheers
GO

Go for Hertz.

A little more expensive than Alamo and the rest but worlds away in the amount of locations and choice of cars.

[Nottingham Nick]

quote:Originally posted by VRN
Go for Hertz.

A little more expensive than Alamo and the rest but worlds away in the amount of locations and choice of cars.

While I completely agree that Hertz have a much better range of cars and quality of service, I think to call them 'a little more expensive' is being very kind to them.

I am (was?) Hertz Gold and think their Neverlost is wonderful, but I find them SO much dearer than Dollar / Alamo that they have priced themselves out of my market.

Nick

Here is a good site for discounted car hire. They use both Dollar and Alamo so pick-up is in the airport rather than off site which does make life easier with a ton of luggage and a tiered family in tow:

http://www.onlineautorentals.at/keybreeze

Have a great vacation.

Matt

Hi,
Not wanting to duplicate all of the above, id just say this..

whomever you pick make sure that they are onsite as it can add an hour to your journey if the renters are off terminal and busy!!

The MCO website says these companies are available:
Alamo
Avis
Budget
Dollar
L & M
National
Payless Car Rental

It doesnt say which are on terminal though!!
From Personal experience I know that Alamo, National and Avis are..not sure of the rest as I tend to use Alamo..

[RichardMannion]

I've just been 'reminded' that Virgin Atlantic have preferential rates with Dollar (apparantly cheaper than VH so the little bird tells me).

I just checked, and yes they are cheaper - only slight issue is that you don't earn your 1000 FC Miles. But then it depends on how much you are saving!

Thanks,
Richard

Just spend £100 on a Pre-order (Duty Free) and You'll get 1000 miles anyway!

or get a job in the travel industry and get a massive 40% off car hire with ALAMO anywhere in the US.

Alamo and National are the same company now and are both on site at the airport.

Once you choose your grade of car you simply walk over the road to the car park and pick any car YOU like, not one the rep decides.

GREAT!!

[HighFlyer]

We use either Alamo or Dollar for our trips to MCO. We prefer them as they are reliable and are airport based (and that doesnt include 'airport based' companies that are a bus ride away!!

What kind of car did you want anyway? a small compact or an intermediate? as different companies can specialise in different cars.

I guess you have to balance low cost with reliability. There are some companies offering really cheap prices but often come with hidden extras. If you find a company, check with us to see if anyone has used them before.

BTW, I wouldnt hesitate to recommend Dollar/Alamo, and will be using one of them next Easter.

quote:Originally posted by declansmith
or get a job in the travel industry and get a massive 40% off car hire with ALAMO anywhere in the US.

any car YOU like.

GREAT!!

We cant all get 10% flights and 40% car hire;) - I guess its a bit of a busmans holiday though as I imagine travel is the last thing you want to do in your free time if you work in that industry!

Alamo is handy that you get to pick the car in the class you hired..and if they've all gone you just pick the next size up!!

Another vote for http://www.airline-network.com.

We have used them several times, all over the US and never had a problem, nor found anything else significantly cheaper.