Rent a car at the airport without flying

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MaskelyneW
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Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by MaskelyneW »

I would like to rent a car from a nearby airport location, but I'm not flying anywhere. Has anyone ever tried this? Are there any issues or problems I could run into renting without a plane ticket?

Thanks!
playtothebeat
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by playtothebeat »

Shouldn't be a problem. I've done it. it's more expensive than non-airport locations however.
Gill
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by Gill »

I’ve done it many times. No problem at all. They don’t care if you’re flying.
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tomd37
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by tomd37 »

You definitely can rent at the airport, but you will definitely pay much higher prices than might be available from off-airport rental sites, even from the same rental company. Renter beware!
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DoubleComma
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by DoubleComma »

Why not find the nearby location and avoid the airport franchise fee and higher rates charged for renting at the airport. Typically the company will have a non-airport location within 10 miles or so. If your not flying this seems like an easy way to save a few bucks.
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rob
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by rob »

I've had to do it a couple of times but it's defn more expensive over off airport location....
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hotscot
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by hotscot »

MaskelyneW wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:11 pm I would like to rent a car from a nearby airport location, but I'm not flying anywhere. Has anyone ever tried this? Are there any issues or problems I could run into renting without a plane ticket?

Thanks!
Apart from paying more?
Nope.
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Watty
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by Watty »

tomd37 wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:21 pm You definitely can rent at the airport, but you will definitely pay much higher prices than might be available from off-airport rental sites, even from the same rental company. Renter beware!
It is not just the rental car company charging more, there are often special taxes and fees for airport car rentals.
tibbitts
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by tibbitts »

MaskelyneW wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:11 pm I would like to rent a car from a nearby airport location, but I'm not flying anywhere. Has anyone ever tried this? Are there any issues or problems I could run into renting without a plane ticket?

Thanks!
Yes, multiple times, but that was pre-pandemic, so it's like saying I rented at an airport on the moon: not relevant to rentals on earth today.
DiMAn0684
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by DiMAn0684 »

I have rented a car for long weekend trips a couple of times, best deals consistently offered at the local airport (BOS).
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Stinky
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by Stinky »

Or course you can rent a car at the airport without flying.

I’ve done it late at night when other local rental locations are closed. I’ll pay the “airport surcharge” when needed.
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UpperNwGuy
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by UpperNwGuy »

Renting a car at the airport may be more expensive, but you're more likely to get the car you want than at one of the smaller off-airport locations. I live five blocks from a major brand rental car "city" location. I'm lucky to get any car from them.
dukeblue219
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by dukeblue219 »

Airport locations have vastly better service, selection, and at least for some carriers are more likely to offer unlimited miles.

Off-airport locations can be very sketchy.
jbuzolich
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by jbuzolich »

I've rented from the airport plenty of times without flying. No issues at all. Most of the time you will pay more though or could pay more because anything at the airport tend to have added transportation taxes for the local area which might not be added when renting from neighborhood locations.
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JoMoney
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by JoMoney »

OP, are you using a credit card for the rental?
I ask because I have seen/heard of some rental agencies that required showing a ticket when renting a car without a credit card.
https://www.budget.com/en/help/usa-faqs ... debit-card
...
Debit Cards at Airport Locations
In addition to a credit or debit card, you might need to show a ticket or boarding pass as well as proof of a return flight to pick up at airport locations.
...
https://www.dollar.com/Car_Rental_Infor ... _Card.aspx
...
If the reservation was not made 24 hours prior to vehicle pick-up OR you are renting a luxury, premium or convertible car class, a debit card may still be used where the following two (2) requirements are met:
...
Show proof of a return travel ticket to coincide with the rental (airline or cruise).
...
https://www.enterprise.com/en/help/faqs ... yment.html
...
Renters without a ticketed return travel itinerary will need to provide a credit card with sufficient funds to cover the cost of the rental plus an additional amount between $200-$400 based on rental location.
...
https://www.thrifty.com/TravelCenter/Tr ... olicy.aspx
... Car Rental Debit Card Policy ...
Thrifty Airport locations, the renter is required to provide proof of a return travel ticket to coincide with the rental and present two (2) valid forms of identification...
Last edited by JoMoney on Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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59Gibson
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by 59Gibson »

I've had good luck w airport locations, better availability and less hassle/issues at p/u and drop off. Prob just many more employees to handle customers.
tim1999
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by tim1999 »

Yes, I've done it, on an occasion when I needed a rental locally and none of the local non-airport Enterprise places had any cars available. Neither that time nor the hundreds of times I've rented cars when actually flying somewhere have they ever asked me for flight information to verify that I came in on a plane. I almost always use Enterprise/National or Budget. 98% of my airport car rental experiences were pre-COVID so I don't know if anything has changed due to the tight availability for rental cars currently.
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MaskelyneW
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by MaskelyneW »

Thanks all very much!
MrCheapo
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by MrCheapo »

MaskelyneW wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:11 pm I would like to rent a car from a nearby airport location, but I'm not flying anywhere. Has anyone ever tried this? Are there any issues or problems I could run into renting without a plane ticket?

Thanks!
I've done this literally dozens of times as its cheaper to rent from the airport.
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JoMoney
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by JoMoney »

MrCheapo wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:27 pm...
I've done this literally dozens of times as its cheaper to rent from the airport.
As mentioned several times in this thread, renting from airport locations is USUALLY more expensive.
Some of the airports themselves impose additional taxes/fees onto businesses like car rentals operating there.
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MrCheapo
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by MrCheapo »

JoMoney wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:29 pm
MrCheapo wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:27 pm...
I've done this literally dozens of times as its cheaper to rent from the airport.
As mentioned several times in this thread, renting from airport locations is USUALLY more expensive.
Some of the airports themselves impose additional taxes/fees onto businesses like car rentals operating there.
Interesting. I've typically found them much cheaper than suburban locations but I live in the west coast.
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Artful Dodger
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by Artful Dodger »

MrCheapo wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:27 pm
MaskelyneW wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:11 pm I would like to rent a car from a nearby airport location, but I'm not flying anywhere. Has anyone ever tried this? Are there any issues or problems I could run into renting without a plane ticket?

Thanks!
I've done this literally dozens of times as its cheaper to rent from the airport.
Really? I find airport car rental prices usually 15-20% higher than non-airport pick up options. I'll agree the airport locations usually are open more hours / days so that can come into decision making, but I can't remember ever doing a cost comparison and getting a better deal renting from the airport.
02nz
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by 02nz »

Contrary to what many posters have suggested here, renting at the airport is not always more expensive. It can be, of course, but that's why you always want do your comparison shopping on a site like Kayak. Even when it's significantly cheaper to rent from a non-airport location, check the cost of dropping off at the same (non-airport) location against the cost of dropping off at the airport. More often than not it will not cost any more to drop off the car at the airport at the end of the rental, and doing so will of course save time and the cost of one trip. I've even rented a car in the city and driven to the airport when the rental was cheaper than taking an Uber to the airport - in one case I drove from Washington DC to Newark airport as it was faster (by eliminating one connection) and cheaper than taking the taxi to Dulles!
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JoMoney
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by JoMoney »

MrCheapo wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:36 pm
JoMoney wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:29 pm
MrCheapo wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:27 pm...
I've done this literally dozens of times as its cheaper to rent from the airport.
As mentioned several times in this thread, renting from airport locations is USUALLY more expensive.
Some of the airports themselves impose additional taxes/fees onto businesses like car rentals operating there.
Interesting. I've typically found them much cheaper than suburban locations but I live in the west coast.
I too am on the west coast, it was LAX in particular I was thinking of with regard to having additional taxes/fees when getting a rental car at the airport locations:
https://blog.autoslash.com/the-fee-dete ... ty-charge/
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by 123 »

I've rented from an airport without flying many times. Usually a very good selection. And if you reserve in advance (and sometimes last minute) prices can be good.

A weekend rental can be a good way to get an extended "test drive" of a vehicle model you're considering purchasing.

If you are not using airport terminal car rental shuttle service (or similar) because you are making your own way to the car rental office you may be able to have the surcharges for such services (sometimes $10+) removed from your bill, ask when you pick the car up.
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Big Dog
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by Big Dog »

Gill wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:12 pm I’ve done it many times. No problem at all. They don’t care if you’re flying.
Gill
Ditto.
workingovertime
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by workingovertime »

DoubleComma wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:23 pm Why not find the nearby location and avoid the airport franchise fee and higher rates charged for renting at the airport. Typically the company will have a non-airport location within 10 miles or so. If your not flying this seems like an easy way to save a few bucks.
My guess is that there are much more options at the airport location rather smaller local branches (usually the case) if OP is looking to rent a specific vehicle.
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by iamlucky13 »

playtothebeat wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:12 pm Shouldn't be a problem. I've done it. it's more expensive than non-airport locations however.
I have comparison shopped airport and non-airport locations numerous times when the nature of my trip does not make the "convenience" (a relative term, since at airports like LAX and LAS, the wait times to get a shuttle to the rental facility are so bad...over 40 minutes during my last trip through LAS) of an airport rental a priority.

The total cost including the extra airport fees and taxes has never been higher in my experience at the airport than a separate rental office. I'm sure it happens sometimes, especially during peak travel dates, but it seems like the volume of business at the airport locations creates a significant advantage from economy of scale.
toast0
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by toast0 »

Cost aside, if you plan on dropping the car off in a far off city, it may be easier to pick up and drop off at an airport. The local lots are more likely to want their specific car back.
criticalmass
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by criticalmass »

iamlucky13 wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 9:44 pm
playtothebeat wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:12 pm Shouldn't be a problem. I've done it. it's more expensive than non-airport locations however.
I have comparison shopped airport and non-airport locations numerous times when the nature of my trip does not make the "convenience" (a relative term, since at airports like LAX and LAS, the wait times to get a shuttle to the rental facility are so bad...over 40 minutes during my last trip through LAS) of an airport rental a priority.

The total cost including the extra airport fees and taxes has never been higher in my experience at the airport than a separate rental office. I'm sure it happens sometimes, especially during peak travel dates, but it seems like the volume of business at the airport locations creates a significant advantage from economy of scale.
It depends. Some airport locations have all kinds of special fees and taxes to fund the local convention center, the new professional sports stadium, and cause du jure that you may avoid by picking up elsewhere. But sometimes off airport locations are subject to the same extra charges that you suffer from at the airport.
When I last did this (Atlanta) I found the downtown locations either had no cars or blocked dropping off at the airport. That’s due to the current car shortages.
I usually just use a local Enterprise/Avis/Budget officec where the only extra charge is regular sales tax.

The rental agency doesn’t know if you are flying or not flying, unless you tell them, nor do they care.

Advantages of the large airport rental locations are better selection, you can usually get in a car and leave without going to a counter (frequent renter account required), better hours, often 24h, and less chance of a hassle of trumped up “damage” that is mysteriously found minutes/days/weeks later, that you are of course responsible to pay.
Disadvantages are you may pay more and have to travel to an airport, if you are already elsewhere ( like home).
MBB_Boy
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by MBB_Boy »

I'm shocked at some of the responses - I've almost always found it cheaper to rent at the airport. The one time it wasn't, I grabbed a rideshare at the airport to that car rental place (this was in St. Louis).

It's held true so often, that I've stopped shopping around. Maybe I should start checking again
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by TheGreyingDuke »

I always rent through Costco, small town, small airport. Enterprise is the only off-airport choice, at the airport I get the big 2 (Avis an Hertz)and their budget subsidiaries. It is a tossup which is the cheapest, varies from time to time. Enterprise will pick me up, that is in its favor.
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michaelingp
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by michaelingp »

criticalmass wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:20 pm The rental agency doesn’t know if you are flying or not flying, unless you tell them, nor do they care.
They might care. For example, if you rent a car in Seattle not at the airport, but close to the airport, they will ask you if you flew into SeaTak in the last [some number I forget] of hours. If you foolishly say "Yes" they are required to tack on all kinds of airport-related fees. They might let you know with a wink that the correct answer is "No".

There seems to be disagreement here as to whether it is more or less expensive to rent at the airport, but in my experience, the really great deals (like for a weekly rental) are always off-site.
cabfranc
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by cabfranc »

Given the vehicle shortages and the fact that rental car companies sold much of their fleets I don't think it matters whether it is more expensive to rent at the airport as it may be your only choice. I was recently looking to rent for a trip and found that all neighborhood locations of Enterprise, Hertz, and National without 25 miles of my house had nothing but cargo vans available within a two week window. The only available vehicles were at the major airport 50 miles away.
bgvg
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by bgvg »

No issues, but taxes and rates can be higher at an airport location. This varies by region as some municipalities impose high taxes for car rentals off-airport.

You could try renting locally and picking the vehicle you want using a car-sharing service like Turo.
stan1
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by stan1 »

MrCheapo wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:36 pm
JoMoney wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:29 pm
MrCheapo wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:27 pm...
I've done this literally dozens of times as its cheaper to rent from the airport.
As mentioned several times in this thread, renting from airport locations is USUALLY more expensive.
Some of the airports themselves impose additional taxes/fees onto businesses like car rentals operating there.
Interesting. I've typically found them much cheaper than suburban locations but I live in the west coast.
Depends on the airport. If the airport has a ConRAC and shuttle busses those have to be paid for.
https://www.lawa.org/connectinglax/cons ... r-facility

LAX is spending $2B on their ConRAC, which includes access by people mover rather than shuttle bus. The customers of the rental car companies end up paying for it with surcharges. But it is all dependent upon yield management; on some days they may expect to have thousands of cars un-rented and a bargain rate will pop that might be cheaper than a local location even with the airport surcharges piled on.
MathWizard
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by MathWizard »

I have a brother who rents a car for a day the day before and day after a weeklong trip . It is cheaper and more convenient for him than either weeklong airport parking or a taxi.
JediMisty
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by JediMisty »

MathWizard wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:39 pm I have a brother who rents a car for a day the day before and day after a weeklong trip . It is cheaper and more convenient for him than either weeklong airport parking or a taxi.
I should try that! I've just moved and am now an hour from an airport. How do you get to/from the rental locations?
robphoto
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by robphoto »

I live near an airport, and the outside-of-the-airport Hertz has a different selection of cars available-- I could rent a big Sprinter-type van to move stuff at the outside-of-the-airport location, wasn't available at the airport. There are additional taxes and fees at the airport location (PVD), as well.
chemocean
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by chemocean »

DoubleComma wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:23 pm Why not find the nearby location and avoid the airport franchise fee and higher rates charged for renting at the airport. Typically the company will have a non-airport location within 10 miles or so. If your not flying this seems like an easy way to save a few bucks.
By company rules, the off-airport Enterprise site can not arrange transportation to their site. Other rental companies probably have similar policies.
FireProof
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by FireProof »

I did it last week. Always the cheapest option in places I've looked (West Coast) and nowadays the only ones that tend to have any cars available at all. Only problem is getting to the airport without a car... they make it as difficult as possible!
qwerty123
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by qwerty123 »

MathWizard wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:39 pm I have a brother who rents a car for a day the day before and day after a weeklong trip . It is cheaper and more convenient for him than either weeklong airport parking or a taxi.
I'm surprised that's more convenient for him than a taxi.
toast0
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by toast0 »

qwerty123 wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:43 pm
MathWizard wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:39 pm I have a brother who rents a car for a day the day before and day after a weeklong trip . It is cheaper and more convenient for him than either weeklong airport parking or a taxi.
I'm surprised that's more convenient for him than a taxi.
It may be less convenient, but if you pick up the car the day before, you know it's going to show up the day of. You only have to have the experience where the scheduled taxi doesn't show up and dispatch keeps telling you its on the way for 30 minutes while you scramble for other options to understand why someone wouldn't want to take a taxi.
MathWizard
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by MathWizard »

JediMisty wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:46 pm
MathWizard wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:39 pm I have a brother who rents a car for a day the day before and day after a weeklong trip . It is cheaper and more convenient for him than either weeklong airport parking or a taxi.
I should try that! I've just moved and am now an hour from an airport. How do you get to/from the rental locations?
You need someone who can drive you the night before.
His wife drives him the night before. She is going with him, otherwise she
would just drop him off the day he left.

The same thing goes if she can't drive him the day of departure due to her daytime work.
MathWizard
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by MathWizard »

toast0 wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 11:52 pm
qwerty123 wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:43 pm
MathWizard wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:39 pm I have a brother who rents a car for a day the day before and day after a weeklong trip . It is cheaper and more convenient for him than either weeklong airport parking or a taxi.
I'm surprised that's more convenient for him than a taxi.
It may be less convenient, but if you pick up the car the day before, you know it's going to show up the day of. You only have to have the experience where the scheduled taxi doesn't show up and dispatch keeps telling you its on the way for 30 minutes while you scramble for other options to understand why someone wouldn't want to take a taxi.
Yes, that is why he does it.

Taxis can be very expensive. I've had to pay over $50 for a taxi several times in large cities when shuttles we're unavailable.
dukeblue219
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by dukeblue219 »

Surely Uber or Lyft is cheaper than any of these rental schemes and takes away any worries about a taxi showing up late...
alfaspider
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by alfaspider »

playtothebeat wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 6:12 pm Shouldn't be a problem. I've done it. it's more expensive than non-airport locations however.
Depends where. In New York City, the airport locations are often substantially cheaper than in the city. I once rented a car at La Guardia for about $50/day when rentals from Manhattan were running $125. It was a little inconvenient having to get a bus to the airport then having to wait for a rental shuttle, but it was worth the savings.
TheHiker
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by TheHiker »

I have done it many times. It is sometimes more expensive at the airport due to extra fees which vary (but, in my experience, it is often similar price or even cheaper).
The airport locations are open at odd hours and you can get there on public transport easily so it may be quite convenient.
In foreign countries I almost exclusively rent at the airports even when not flying as they more likely to speak English, the location is always easy to find and there is no need to drive through city centers to get to/from there.
alfaspider
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Re: Rent a car at the airport without flying

Post by alfaspider »

toast0 wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 11:52 pm
qwerty123 wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:43 pm
MathWizard wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 3:39 pm I have a brother who rents a car for a day the day before and day after a weeklong trip . It is cheaper and more convenient for him than either weeklong airport parking or a taxi.
I'm surprised that's more convenient for him than a taxi.
It may be less convenient, but if you pick up the car the day before, you know it's going to show up the day of. You only have to have the experience where the scheduled taxi doesn't show up and dispatch keeps telling you its on the way for 30 minutes while you scramble for other options to understand why someone wouldn't want to take a taxi.
That is frankly why Uber was invented and why it caught on like wildfire. There's no calling "dispatch" and wondering where your taxi is. The location of your driver is right there on the map.
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