something in Tim Allcott's thread has reminded me... and so as not to hijack his thread i've started a new one
In April SWMBO and I are off to the States, to visit friends and have a holiday....will be flying in to Houston, Texas and will need a car for 2 weeks.
Anyone with more travel experience than me to the States willing to give me advice on the best way of doing it.
I tend to fly with BA and having checked their ticket prices & the flight travel times (hours travelling) will do so again (i know they've got strike action due in Feb, but am hoping that's sorted by April)........they offer car hire, but i've never used it.
I can sit and play on the web and check all the hire car companies...but...... get confused as to what I need i.e CDW, liability insurance etc........all i want is similar to fully comp over here.
Am i better off going with the airline package, booking from here on the web, waiting 'til i get there and queueing or getting my mate to book me something if i give him my details in advance.
I'm not tight and would prefer ease of use than an absolute bargain, but equally if i can get a deal i'll go for it.
thanks, Westpig
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BA were having a January sale (so therefore probably still on) with some competitively priced fly drive packages to the US. The flyers suggested £295 for a week, but a pal booked one and it came to more like £395 - still not bad for a week with car.
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Westpig
I went to Houston in 03 and Dallas in 05 - On Houston trip I booked car online before I went and on Dallas trip took pot luck and picked car hire company at random.- The pre booked car hire was about £120 cheaper than pot luck one -- The pre booked car wasn't back when I went to pick it up so they upgraded me to Dodge people carrier for no extra charge and Dallas one gave me a brand new car - the service from both companies was excellent - Take out CDW as it covers any slight damage and you just throw them the keys back and forget it when you have finished. - From April on first thing to do is get some sun blocker as I got burnt on overcast day. - It get's Hot.
Houston was BA and Dallas was AA - give me BA anyday.
Dave
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For car hire, find trhe company that gives you the best price all-in for the car that best suits your needs.
I have used this company several times for hiring luxury class cars and they have proven to be very competitive and very efficient.
www.americacarhire.co.uk
On my last trip in November, I hired a Luxury class car (A Chrysler Pacifica) insured to the hilt for £368 for a fortnight..
MTC
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I've mostly used www.airline-network.co.uk/ for car hire - always get a Dollar car, and their prices are usually the best.
This year my buddy, who has an Amercican Express card, has hired us a Dodge Charger for a week in Florida in March for $142 plus $26 in taxes and other incidentals. This is for pick up in downtown Miami and return to Orlando airport. It isn't clear whether insurance is included, but his AmEx card automatically gives him insurance cover (SLi, CDW etc) . He also found a voucher code to get a reduction. Quite a deal!
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The 3 or 4 times I have done it in the last 12 years I have hired when I got there, but not at the airport - get a hotel for your first night then phone around the hire companies next morning - If you dont mind too much what you have, go for a pickup truck, you blend in, are up high so can see above the traffic but best of all they are dirt cheap to hire. Last time I hired one was about 5 years ago but even then it was only $22 a day all in - bargain, and good fun to boot.
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Hiring cars is simple its the insurance bit that needs looking at. Firstly examine the car thoroughly before accepting it, they will and when you return it and scratches / dents etc will be charged for. Make sure you you know what insurance is actually needed and not an option. We were charged extra for insurance on pick up and it wasn't needed. I went back and got a refund. Observe speed limits rigorously and remember you can turn right an a red light when it is so indicated. Junctions can be huge and you wait ages for the lights to turn green. If you use wipers then in some States you must have dipped lights on too. Having said all that I enjoy driving over there.
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ive always booked a all inclusive deal from uk that includes all the required insurance, you will be offered additional insurance when you get there, i decline this
other points to mention, make sure you have a credit card for deposit(not debit card) take both parts of your uk new style license, and remember you will be reserving a mid /full size car or whatever chances are you wont get the exact model listed on the website
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You can book at Europcar.com or the UK reservations center for United States rentals. They are in partnership with Dollar.
So if something does go pearshaped at least you can speak to a UK call centre which will have full access to your rental details.
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I had a nasty experience recently when hiring a car in San Jose. The hire itself was in October but 12 weeks later I got a letter asking if I knew anything about damage to the car. When taking out the vehicle I made sure they annotated the form with the location of the numerous dings and scratches, plus made a note of the cigarette burn in the drivers seat (the car only had about 3,000 miles on it though).
I told them I didn't know about any damage and pointed out the time elapsed, and haven't heard anything else since. But my wife checks her credit card statement just in case they decide to deduct a couple of $thousands for spurious 'damages'. And this was a well-known car hire firm.
I wonder if next time I return a hire car, it might be a good idea to photograph every side of the vehicle, at the return location, with that day's local newspaper visible in each shot. At least then you have some more proof than the 'damage' form.
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If you hire a lot of cars in the USA, Amex travel insurance is well worth considering (or get an Amex Platimum or above card for about £200 a year).
It covers any cars up to £50,000 with no excess - the rest of the insurance is well above the £20/year sort too.
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