Car Rental in San Francisco

horsebox7

Hi guys,

Could anyone recommend a good car rental company in San Francisco? Only need a small car as there are only 2 of us travelling Highway 1(coastal route) for a week.

Thanks.

Bannerman7

I always use Alamo.

If you pick up a car from Alamo at SFO you get to choose the car yourself.
At the Downtown locations you are given a car and don't get the option to choose.
In general its less expensive to book & prepay here before you go.


https://www.alamo.com/en_US/car-rental/home.html

http://www.flysfo.com/to-from/rental-cars

horsebox7

Thanks for that.

I am looking at going with Alamo, the only thing I am unsure about is the insurance that I need. Alamo say that insurance is optioanl. Seems a bit strange but maybe its ok?
I rang my own insurer here and they say that I cant drive in the USA under my own policy. Anyone have this expereince? Who are the best insurance company to go with for a short period of 5-6 days? I think I would feel safer having some kind of insurance..

Thanks

InTheTrees

You buy the insurance at the car rental desk when you rent the car. Each company offers insurance. When they say insurance is "optional" it means you dont have to buy it from them it doesn't mean you can drive without insurance. Note that Insurance can cost as much as the price of renting the car.

Dont skimp. Medical costs in the USA are astronomical, and if you hurt someone you'll be paying for many years.

InTheTrees

horsebox7 wrote: »

Hi guys,

Could anyone recommend a good car rental company in San Francisco? Only need a small car as there are only 2 of us travelling Highway 1(coastal route) for a week.

Thanks.

Generally I've had good experiences with the major companies so go with whomever has the best deal.

Avis, Hertz, National, Enterprise, Budget, Alamo

They're all pretty similar.

Dont get a city car, get something suitable for a road trip. If you just get the smallest car you'll be exhausted after a day behind the wheel.

InTheTrees

You've got a credit card and are over 25 right?

And are you driving back to SF or dropping the car off in LA?

horsebox7

Thanks.

Yes im over 25 plan to pick the car up in San Fran and also return to San Fran.

iusedtoknow

The reason they say insurance is optional is that many americans just use their personal car insurance. you'll need to buy it, and I'll be honest, get the CDW and as much as you can afford. Also ensure that you check the car before you leave the lot, as they try and stick you with any damage that was already there.

Nelly 21

http://www.blueinsurance.ie/

I have used this insurance company in the past when booking car insurance for the US.

Bannerman7

horsebox7 wrote: »

Thanks for that.

I am looking at going with Alamo, the only thing I am unsure about is the insurance that I need. Alamo say that insurance is optioanl. Seems a bit strange but maybe its ok?
I rang my own insurer here and they say that I cant drive in the USA under my own policy. Anyone have this expereince? Who are the best insurance company to go with for a short period of 5-6 days? I think I would feel safer having some kind of insurance..

Thanks

I use Trailfinders for car rental in USA who use Alamo.
The Trailfinders link below has most of the info your looking for re insurance.

http://www.trailfinders.ie/car-hire/usa

InTheTrees

I would use the travel sites, kayak, travelocity and orbitz to check prices between the Big Companies.

Nelly 21

Also check out www.arguscarhire.com

InTheTrees

Nelly 21 wrote: »

Also check out www.arguscarhire.com

Interesting, the european company Sixt seems to be starting up in the USA and has some good deals.

Nelly 21

InTheTrees wrote: »

Interesting, the european company Sixt seems to be starting up in the USA and has some good deals.

I just looked up that company, I've never heard of them. They don't seem to run from LA (or SF) as far as I can see, won't come up for me anyway!

InTheTrees

Nelly 21 wrote: »

I just looked up that company, I've never heard of them. They don't seem to run from LA (or SF) as far as I can see, won't come up for me anyway!

Oops. I put in Seattle (where I am), where they do seem to be operating. They were listing a Hyundai for $13/day but only for 3 days max.

I know they're all over Europe but I didnt think they were in the US.

northknife

Be careful who you get your insurance with. I'm not trying to scare you, but just be careful when you pick up the car.
Last year I was there and rented a car through Budget. As far as I was aware I had paid for all the insurance I needed on their website. When I was picking up the car after a long flight (14 hours +) and a couple of really tired children along with ourselves, I signed for all extra insurance that I didnt need and paid through the nose for it. Got most of it back after e-mailing them for a couple of months giving out about the way I was treated. It was mostly my own fault as I didnt go through with a fine tooth comb what I was signing.
Again be careful that you dont pay for any unnecessary insurance or charges.

horse7

so on a standard alamo or hertz car rental,if one buys CDW also,are 3 rd party costs covered, ie if someone bumps into you,or you to them,are their health and car damage costs covered?

horsebox7

Hi guys,

I have made a booking with Alamo company through rentalcars.com.The rental includes insurance (collision damage waiver, theft protection, 3rd party liability, supplementary liability insurance, uninsured motorist protection). Is there other insurance required such as PAC(personal accident cover)? Also what is the going rate for excess cover? I see blueinsurance provide excess cover for €3.99 per day but not PAC. Does anyone know a good company to purchase PAC from? I feel that I may be charges a lot for PAC when I arrive to pick up the car.

Thank you

InTheTrees

...and you've doubled checked that Alamo will take a debit card in California?

iusedtoknow

Alamo say this on their website

Debit/check cards are considered to be any non-credit card bearing the VISA, MasterCard or Discover Card logo. Any other non-credit card without one of these logos is not accepted.

Please review the following guidelines:
For pick-ups in the United States, without proof of round-trip ticket, debit or check cards are accepted only when returning the vehicle. A credit card in the name of the renter must be presented at the time of pick-up.

However...from experience - they prefer credit cards. If they DO take debit cards, they will try do a credit check (american). If they can't get a number from experian etc, they will take a few grands worth of a deposit frozen on the debit card.

If you can...get a credit card - it just makes life a lot easier in the US

keltoms05

Am renting a car in 2 weeks time from san fran, spoke with rentalcars.com yesterday and he confirmed that it was fine to use my visa debit card and said that the deposit would be 500 dollars (the cost of the rent plus 20%).

Nelly 21

northknife wrote: »

Be careful who you get your insurance with. I'm not trying to scare you, but just be careful when you pick up the car.
Last year I was there and rented a car through Budget. As far as I was aware I had paid for all the insurance I needed on their website. When I was picking up the car after a long flight (14 hours +) and a couple of really tired children along with ourselves, I signed for all extra insurance that I didnt need and paid through the nose for it. Got most of it back after e-mailing them for a couple of months giving out about the way I was treated. It was mostly my own fault as I didnt go through with a fine tooth comb what I was signing.
Again be careful that you dont pay for any unnecessary insurance or charges.

+1 on this. Be very careful what they ask you to buy at the rental desk, they try to include as much as they can and will ask a million questions. Its hard coming off a long haul flight to have your wits about you. Know about your insurance. They'll also ask you want a full tank of gas or if you want to wait and fill it yourself, if you take the full tank you need to return it empty as you'll pay premium rate for it!

Nelly 21

keltoms05 wrote: »

Am renting a car in 2 weeks time from san fran, spoke with rentalcars.com yesterday and he confirmed that it was fine to use my visa debit card and said that the deposit would be 500 dollars (the cost of the rent plus 20%).

Hope this isn't a stupid question but is the $500 on top of what you have paid for your car or just 20% of the cost along with what you have paid. I ask this because I heard that if you use a debit card when hiring a car they can put a hefty hold on your card that isn't taken off your card till you leave back the car. I've a fear of running out of money a few days before your holiday ends!!

ProudDUB

Nelly 21 wrote: »

Hope this isn't a stupid question but is the $500 on top of what you have paid for your car or just 20% of the cost along with what you have paid. I ask this because I heard that if you use a debit card when hiring a car they can put a hefty hold on your card that isn't taken off your card till you leave back the car. I've a fear of running out of money a few days before your holiday ends!!

The "process" to remove the hold of the funds off your card, will begin when you have returned the car. This can take 3-7 business days, on average. The money oh hold, will not be returned to your account, at the click of a mouse, when you hand the car keys back.

When you return the car in one piece, the car rental company will contact the bank that your debit card is linked to, to alert them that the hold is to be taken off your account. This can take several days to actually take place. Once the car rental company make the request, it is out of their hands. How long the process takes, is up to your bank in Ireland to determine. How long that will take, is like asking how long is a piece of string.

If you are worried about money being tied up while you are away, pop into your bank and explain the situation to them. There is no way that they will be able to tell you exactly how long it will take for the money to be back in your account, but they will be able to give you guidelines on what the banks policy on the matter is & give you rough guidelines on how long it takes.

I know that a lot of Irish people have personal reasons for not getting credit cards and I respect that. But you are really, really making life hard for yourself, if you are traveling without one and you want to make hotel and car reservations.

Nelly 21

Thank so much for the lengthy reply!!!! We do use a credit card when we book. I was just wondering as I've heard some stories about using debit cards when booking!¡

keltoms05

Nelly 21 wrote: »

Hope this isn't a stupid question but is the $500 on top of what you have paid for your car or just 20% of the cost along with what you have paid. I ask this because I heard that if you use a debit card when hiring a car they can put a hefty hold on your card that isn't taken off your card till you leave back the car. I've a fear of running out of money a few days before your holiday ends!!

Its $500 on top of what ive already paid. Renting the car for 14 days which came to 311 euro, about $425. Add the 20% ($85) = $510

dave2pvd

I'd caution using debit cards while on holidays in the US. If your card gets skimmed, the money is gone from your bank account. Is your bank going to help you out if this happens? At least with a credit card you're usually covered if you're a victim of card fraud.

Why are people anti-credit cards anyway?

ProudDUB

dave2pvd wrote: »

I'd caution using debit cards while on holidays in the US. If your card gets skimmed, the money is gone from your bank account. Is your bank going to help you out if this happens? At least with a credit card you're usually covered if you're a victim of card fraud.

Why are people anti-credit cards anyway?

I'd say a lot of people are trying to be fiscally prudent & not give themselves a tool with which to acquire debt & possibly get themselves in trouble financially. Also, with the banks being so snotty about lending money and extending credit, it is a lot harder to qualify for a credit card than it used to be. So a lot of people have no choice but to stick with their debit card.

Only having just a debit card on your holliers is fine, if you prepay for everything online, or with a travel agent and you only ever need it to pay for meals, drinks, souvenirs etc while you are away. But if you need to book hotels, cars etc etc, not having a credit card, can a real pain in the you know what.

iusedtoknow

ProudDUB wrote: »

I'd say a lot of people are trying to be fiscally prudent & not give themselves a tool with which to acquire debt & possibly get themselves in trouble financially. Also, with the banks being so snotty about lending money and extending credit, it is a lot harder to qualify for a credit card than it used to be. So a lot of people have no choice but to stick with their debit card.

Only having just a debit card on your holliers is fine, if you prepay for everything online, or with a travel agent and you only ever need it to pay for meals, drinks, souvenirs etc while you are away. But if you need to book hotels, cars etc etc, not having a credit card, can a real pain in the you know what.

In most hotels I've been to, even though something is prepaid, they still require a cc for a deposit for damage/mini bar etc.

As for being financially prudent, if you use a cc right - pay it off every month etc, they you're fine. I think the most I've carried on my US CC was $100.

I've had my debit card skimmed 4 times since I lived here (in 18 month), had to fight tooth and nail to get the cash back. Had the same thing happen once on my CC and the balance was restored over night. Now I use CC for everything (even to pay my rent),get BA air miles , keep the majority of my cash in an account that doesn't have a card and pay off the CC at every billing cycle.

dave2pvd

iusedtoknow wrote: »

In most hotels I've been to, even though something is prepaid, they still require a cc for a deposit for damage/mini bar etc.

As for being financially prudent, if you use a cc right - pay it off every month etc, they you're fine. I think the most I've carried on my US CC was $100.

I've had my debit card skimmed 4 times since I lived here (in 18 month), had to fight tooth and nail to get the cash back. Had the same thing happen once on my CC and the balance was restored over night. Now I use CC for everything (even to pay my rent),get BA air miles , keep the majority of my cash in an account that doesn't have a card and pay off the CC at every billing cycle.

+1

Card security tech in the US barely exceeds medieval levels.