First time hirer in US: request for help

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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 32 total)

  • tonyrastall
    Participant

    Go through a Broker (holiday autos, car 3000 moneysupermarket etc) as they will give you all the basic insurances. Buy a top up insurance cover from UK (note this is usually for own damage only, not extra liability cover) and consider buying a USA friendly satnav – I love Garmins – about $130 in usa for a good one or check e bay over here before you go – Car rental companies in USA charge up to $25 a day to rent one!! I agree don’t rent in NYC! Understand the fuel option – if poss don’t pay for gas and return full but they don’t always offer you that option, so you will buy a full tank at the counterr and obviously return the car with some gas in the tank that you don’t get credited with. Finally, don’t get upsold ANYTHING at the counter!!!


    SwissExPat
    Participant

    Last month I rented in NYC from Avis (used. Avisba.com)

    It was a 24 hour rental and if I drove less than 75 miles, I just needed to return the car and pay 14 usd for the fuel used. Handy if you wanted to avoid searching for a garage.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    If you hire in NJ, would the taxes be lower than Manhattan??


    judynagy
    Participant

    Find the best deal through Expedia or like website. Take the train to EWR from Penn Station in Manhattan and pick up your car there. Don’t even think about driving in NYC. Decline the insurance, AmEx will cover you. Decline all prepaid goodies, no toll gizmo, bring the car back full of gas, absolutely bring a GPS or rent one with the car, rent the largest vehicle you can afford so you feel safe and can concentrate on your driving and the scenery. Remember to allow lots of time so you don’t end up racing around on what might be ill-maintained roads, missing exits and making yourself miserable. Have fun and enjoy this beautiful country.


    judynagy
    Participant

    Hotwire is an excellent source of discount rentals, it’s prepaid and nonrefundable, but I’ve saved 30-50% by booking at the last minute and cancelling my regular reservation.


    JordanD
    Participant

    Thanks for the continued tips. Couple more Qs if I may:

    – I drive a Volvo S60 in the UK and am very comfortable at this size of car and also of Ford Focus size. What sort of size (the Volvo) does that convert to in hiring speak – “Standard”?

    – I’ve done a few quotes on the hiring and at the moment Hertz are coming out the cheapest, Avis BA the most expensive; third party sites (HolidayAutos) are coming out a bit less than Hertz (10-15%). One thing I’ve not been able to check – does anyone know what the Hertz additional driver fee is per day? If one has a membership with them, is this fee waived?


    alanorton
    Participant

    If you have an Amex Platinum, you can get free enrolment into Hertz No. 1 programme. I’ve also found the Amex Platinum rate with Hertz to generally be very, very competitive.

    A big perk of Amex Platinum is you do not need any additional insurance when renting in the US. So you are safe to decline all options that would add additional cost.

    I now tend to use National as I’m a member of their Emerald Club programme. Pay for a mid size and you can the choose anything from the Aisle at the main airport locations. Choice of cars are generally full size (at least S60 size, although not this model), often smaller SUV’s and Mini Vans. If paying with an Amex Platinum card again, you can decline the extra insurances.


    tonyrastall
    Participant

    Re your second para, I am always cautious of getting prices directly from the rental companies (i.e. Hertz) because they often dont price in all the ridiculous extras (wth cute three letter acronyms that can double the charge) – wheresas the brokers allways do, and guess what, as often as not you end up with a car from one of the major Hire companies anyway! (and dont even bother trying to ask a manager from Hertz why you can rent one of their cars so much cheaper with all the extra covers thrown in via a trird party Broker!)


    flydrive
    Participant

    A couple of additional suggestions:

    1. I’ve done exactly the same trip as you, and if you are bookending your trip in Manhattan, then the easiest way is to take a train north of the city (Metro North from Grand Central) to a station with a car rental next to it. We used Scarsdale in Westchester, which had either an Avis or Hertz nearby (I can’t recall which we used). The trip by train is quicker out of the city than by car, less stressful driving, and the rental rates are significantly less than Manhattan (up to 50% less). If you are heading further East, you can take Metro North as far as New Haven, CT and pick up a car from there. We returned the car to JFK and coming back from New England you can skirt the city and drive straight there. If you are going back to the city, simply return to where you picked up and take the train back to Grand Central. You’ll then have no drop off fees (which you probably will if you drop in EWR as it is in NJ, but this is not of use to you if you are returning to the city).

    2. Additional driver fees are the worst fee gouging aspect fo car rental. In the US, it is state by state (CA charges nothing for up to 4 additional drivers). Unfortunately, most companies charge around USD 10-15/day, up to a max of usually one week. It is true that some of the companies here in the UK will include this in their rates, but I find it better to go with a major brand so you know who you are dealing with, and I think you get better service going direct. You usually have to search the website in detail to find the additional driver rates, but they are there buried somewhere.

    3. If you book in the UK on Hertz or Avis, you will automatically (in my experience) be quoted the basic CDW insurance. This is normally adequate for me, but the major thing it does not include is excess. If you are concerned about that, then it is true you can get that included going through a specialist. Be careful about booking direct on the US rental sites, as they usually do not include any insurance as most people in the US have insurance through their home car insurance or credit card. Adding CDW this way becomes very expensive.

    4. As others have written, decline the other extras. They are generally not worth it, and return the tank full.

    Once you get out and on the road, the fun begins! Driving in the US is usually a great experience, especially out of the cities. Enjoy!


    JordanD
    Participant

    Sorry to bring this back to the surface, but a couple more questions, which I hope people will indulge me:

    1. Parking in Boston – how easy is it, how do I make it pain free? Car rental will be New York to New York, but in the road trip, there’ll be 2days in Boston, where ideally I’d like to park the car without breaking the bank. Hotel parking? Suggestions welcome.

    2. Amex Platinum Users (Martin, you might especially be able to help): if I book through the Amex Platinum site, how do I get non-airport locations showing up? Does the Insurance that comes with the card only cover me, or also additional drivers on the car (who don’t hold the card)?

    Thanks in advance folks … your help thus far has been extremely helpful.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Hi JordanD

    On both questions, and especially re the additional drivers, I would contact Amex direct on 01293 82 09 25.

    I know that your nominated Plat card holder will be covered but not sure about a non nominated card holder who is the additional driver.


    PeterCoultas
    Participant

    jordan D….have never paid for damage excess in nearly 20 years (on heaven knows how many hires)….always courtesy of my Amex cover….on the one occasion I had a problem (a 90 year old lady backed into my parked hire in a Portland Or supermarket) all was quickly sorted without fuss….you must positively decline insurance cover with the car hire co though..


    JordanD
    Participant

    Martyn (first off, apologies for incorrectly spelling your name last time out): spoken with Amex who inform me that as long as the car hire is taken out in my name and using my Amex Platinum card as payment, the cover is extended to all other named drivers on the rental agreement.

    For others – please note the information, but obviously do check for yourselves before going down this route!


    Papillion53
    Participant

    JordanD

    We recently hired cars in the US and I found booking direct with Hertz, not logged onto the Gold No 1, to usually be the cheapest rates quoted. I think I have read previously on BT that this can sometimes be the case where the rates can be higher on the Gold site.

    When I did it this way, I just walked up to the Hertz Gold counter and smiling said I was a “Gold” but couldn’t “link” my booking to my Gold card, but could they help? They did every time and we never had the car we booked either! I usually just book an intermediate, especially if its only for a short hire. Always given an upgrade, we paid for one, but all the others were given freely, even in Alaska at a franchised Hertz without a Gold counter. There we had a brand new people carrier and the back seats rotated so you could have a table – perfect for having your picnic in the car!! LOL!

    At Victoria, Canada, the people at Hertz couldn’t have been nicer, “told us off” for taking a taxi to their offices – said we should call next time and they would collect us from the cruise ship pier. Again we were given a brand new SUV.

    No charge for additional driver.

    We used our Amex Plat to pay, so had the added insurance benefit, but we already had the annual policy that covers you for all the add on insurance extras, and excess. It could well be a perk of the Amex plat that you get a free upgrade, don’t know? But then we didn’t book on the Amex site – who knows!

    Oh and I have enjoyed using the Amex Plat Travel for booking hotels and their perks can be very useful. Comp upgrades, in house credits, free breakfasts etc., but of course I always check booking direct as well! 😉 🙂


    AlohaHonolulu
    Participant

    National’s the way to go. I prefer new vehicles and they let you select the vehicle you want. Unlimited mileage & you can drop off at a different location without extra charge. Driving through the NE area is always a lot of fun. Driving in NY’s different, to say the least. Street parking is virtually nonexistent in midtown unless you’re in the residential neighborhoods (alternate side parking). After 6 & 7 pm, you can park virtually anywhere if you’re careful. It used to be cheaper to rent in NJ but the car companies have caught on to this. There’s also an early bird rate at garages that will allow you to park it from 6-9 am and leave it there until 6 – 7 pm. I bring my own GPS. If you don’t have one, you might inquire. Well worth it. Most New Yorkers gas up outside of Manhattan – i.e. the gas rates are a lot cheaper in NJ. When you’re driving in the tri-state area, make sure you have small bills and change for tolls. I usually bring a couple rolls of quarters.
    Good luck and remember the cardinal rule about driving in NY? Don’t dawdle or block other drivers. And be security conscious – do not leave valuables in the vehicle.

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 32 total)
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