Need a car from Orlando Airport 2/11-2/16. Went to Kayak, everything is so expensive. There are some agencies I’ve never heard of, like Sixt and Economy, that are a bit cheaper, but they have a bunch of negative reviews. Any ideas, Redditors, on how to get a cheap rental car and not set myself up for rage due to long lines, no service, hidden stupid things?
As well, do I need to get a Fast Pass thingie for tolls in Florida? Thanks, Dopers.
Renting off-airport is usually much cheaper. If you’re hotel has a shuttle, great, if not, the cost of a taxi offsets some of your savings.
I believe most of the car rental companies charge you something just to rent the SunPass/E-Pass & then I believe they charge you later for actual toll usage. If it’s for work, it may just be easier to pay cash, get receipts & turn in one expense report as opposed to an addendum later. For personal, you’re paying, say, $5 to save 30¢. Given the more relaxed pace of a vacation, it’s probably not worth it as the extra few seconds in the cash line aren’t that big of a deal.
More details. Need to drive to St. Augustine, just arriving in Orlando. Would like to get in the car sooner rather than later as we get in kinda late. Thanks for the tips.
For most toll roads in FL, there is no way to pay cash. You either have a transponder (“SunPass”) installed or their spy cams read your license plate and charge the toll plus some extra service charge for their effort.
Check with your rental company on how they handle it. Some have transponders, others will check online for charges accrued to your car’s license plate while you had the car and then tack that on to the bill along with another extra service charge.
My general attitude to car rentals is to go to carrentals.com and take the best rate from a name I recognize. 3rd tier suppliers operating out of hotel lobbies and car dealerships are a great way to waste an extra hour picking up & returning. My work or vacation time is more valuable than that.
Dropping off at a different place than picking up? Sometimes your can’t even do that. I tried to pick up at O’Hare and drop off at Milwaukee and only Budget would allow that at any price.
Unless things have changed, all the toll roads in the Orlando area accept cash. You get completely ****ed if you try to rent a transponder from the rental company, for example Dollar charges $62.93 a week for what will probably be a couple of dollars with of tolls. Another option is buying a Sunpass sticker for $5.00 and setting up an account with your phone. You can either keep it by scotch taping it on the window or just destroy it by using the adhesive and then peeling it off at the conclusion of you trip.