One way car rental USA

breffnij

Hi all,

Looking for some advice/help for car rental in the USA. Myself and fiancée booked honeymoon cruise & looking to rent a car for a one way journey from the Port/Airport in Fort Lauderdale to Myrtle Beach.

Anyone have/know of any decent discount codes to use or recommendations? Best price so far is €180 for 3 days rental all in. Thanks in advance.

InTheTrees

Just some random thoughts; Americans drive slowly and badly in huge vehicles on massive freeways.

Dont skimp and end up in a "compact" car for that kind of drive. You'll need A/C too.

If its your honeymoon (congratulations!) what about getting a convertible?

Idbatterim

try carhire3000.ie and hertz despite what you may think are also usually very reasonable... ust put 3 random days in May and price came up as E87 all in for cheapest car, including one way rental. Id agree with going for a compact or preferably an intermediate. Last time i booked with hertz to upgrade to the next level, was 2 or 3 dollars a day online, when I enquired what it would be at the counter when collecting the car, it was like ten times more than the cost to upgrade online...

ProudDUB

InTheTrees wrote: »

Just some random thoughts; Americans drive slowly and badly in huge vehicles on massive freeways.

Dont skimp and end up in a "compact" car for that kind of drive. You'll need A/C too.

I disagree. I used to live in that part of the world. A compact car is perfectly adequate for a drive like that, that will be largely done on the interstate highways. A lot of the drivers on the roads will be tourists in rental cars too. It's not as if its West Texas or Montana, where the OP will be surrounded by big ass pick up trucks and SUV's. A bigger, fancier car may be more fun to drive, but the compact will do perfectly fine for a drive like that imo.

Yes, you will need A/C, but it comes as standard in US car rentals, especially in that part of the world. So don't worry about that.

OP - are you driving straight thru in just one day? I'd highly advise you to stop and break your trip at least once in St Augustine, Savannah or Charleston, or if possible all three. They are gorgeous, gorgeous old world Southern cites that often get over looked by Irish tourists amid all hype & hoopla that the bright lights and theme parks of Miami and Orlando get.

breffnij

OP - are you driving straight thru in just one day? I'd highly advise you to stop and break your trip at least once in St Augustine, Savannah or Charleston, or if possible all three. They are gorgeous, gorgeous old world Southern cites that often get over looked by Irish tourists amid all hype & hoopla that the bright lights and theme parks of Miami and Orlando get.

We are planning on staying in Charleston for one night. We will enjoy popping into the towns and maybe even checking out some places on Man vs Food to eat!! I am looking to rent the car from 31st of March at 08:30 until the 3 April at 08:00. I know I've no chance of getting €87 :eek:

lynchie

Idbatterim wrote: »

try carhire3000.ie and hertz despite what you may think are also usually very reasonable... ust put 3 random days in May and price came up as E87 all in for cheapest car, including one way rental. Id agree with going for a compact or preferably an intermediate. Last time i booked with hertz to upgrade to the next level, was 2 or 3 dollars a day online, when I enquired what it would be at the counter when collecting the car, it was like ten times more than the cost to upgrade online...

Anytime ive rented from them the one way fees are NOT included in their quote. They dont handle the one way fee and instead notify you once you make the booking what the one way fee will be. You can cancel if you dont want to pay it at that stage or accept. If you accept, you pay the fee at the rental agency when picking up the vehicle. Ive done it twice so far and have always had to pay $250 for a one way rental with national.

InTheTrees

The one way fees seem to vary company by company and sometimes state by state.

InTheTrees

ProudDUB wrote: »

but the compact will do perfectly fine for a drive like that imo.

...its their honeymoon... they should get a convertible.

Ponster

InTheTrees wrote: »

The one way fees seem to vary company by company and sometimes state by state.

I agree. Hiring a one-way rental in the USA is one of the only times that you should avoid sites which give quotes from multiple companies and instead Google what companies are available at the airport and get a quote on each of their websites instead.

Some companies offer free one-way rentals and for others it depends on where you start/end.

InTheTrees

Ponster wrote: »

I agree. Hiring a one-way rental in the USA is one of the only times that you should avoid sites which give quotes from multiple companies and instead Google what companies are available at the airport and get a quote on each of their websites instead.

Some companies offer free one-way rentals and for others it depends on where you start/end.

Yup. I think there's insurance issues and state laws, and also greed...

You cant do any better than a phone call really. They should be able to tell you exactly what to expect.

Ponster

InTheTrees wrote: »

You cant do any better than a phone call really. They should be able to tell you exactly what to expect.

I've got the best rates by phone, every time. Just know what the Internet rate is first before calling. The stores seem to offer a discount that the web doesn't. (Hertz and Avis)

honey83

Hello American girl here who drives huge vehicle, follows the speed limit, and hasn't managed to take out any foreign travelers yet lol. Try some of our travel sites! sites like Expedia etc. They give you cheap deals on rentals too. I think you will enjoy it here. North Carolina beaches are some of my favorite if you get a chance to visit those. Congratulations.

honey83

Also if you are driving one way then it's only going to matter in the state you pick it up in. We don't have to do different things just because we drive to other states. As long as the car has legal tags registration to the rental Co. You will be okay. As far as foreign.licensing goes and rules, I can't help much but any big company like Expedia, Hertz, or travelosity most likely can.