Travelers should be able to rent a car in one city and drop it off in a distant city without incurring an additional charge. Maybe some day this will be true, but it certainly isn't yet. But some companies are better than others in facilitating one-way rentals.
Travelers should shop around for the best rates, and they have to be flexible in their itineraries. It's much easier to find an affordable one-way rental within a popular tourist state, such as Florida and California, or between two major tourist cities. Expect to pay the highest one-way rate between two distant, out-of-the-way destinations."It's confusing for the consumer," acknowledges Armstrong, "and I don't know what the solution is."
If you are planning a one-way rental, check first with these firms:
- Hertz 's daily one-way rentals generally are slightly higher than the rates charged for cars returned to the pick-up location. But this isn't always so. Earlier this month, Hertz was quoting a weekly rate of $206.99 for the one-way rental of a mid-sized car between San Francisco and Seattle, including unlimited miles. For the same week (Feb. 13 to 19), Hertz was charging $232 for a car picked up from the San Francisco airport and returned there.
- National also charges one-way rentals at a slightly higher rate than for round-trip rentals. But sometimes one-way rentals actually are cheaper. On the same San Francisco to Seattle run, a week's rental is $185.50, and the rate for pick up and return in San Francisco is $208.99.
- Budget has established national rates based on the length of rental and the distance traveled. They increase in six steps. On a two-day rental, travelers can expect to pay a daily rate of $59, $69, $79, $89, $119 or $139, depending on the distance. For the next three days of the rental, the daily rate is $39, $39, $49, $49, $49 and $49. Six or seven days is considered a week's rental, and the rates are $269, $289, $309, $349, $399 and $449. For extra days beyond a week, you start all over with the first week's sequence. For example, someone renting for a week and a day at the minimum rate would pay $269 plus $59. On the San Francisco to Seattle drive, Budget's weekly rate is $309. Returning the car to San Francisco, the week's rate is $199.89.