# Renting a car in the USA for a 23 year old...avoid surcharge? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 22, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644 "2006-02-22T16:27:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlyingCowOfDoom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyingcowofdoom/32/21776_2.png) [@FlyingCowOfDoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingCowOfDoom)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/1 "2006-02-22T16:27:15Z")
If you want to rent a car in the US and you are under 25, there is a $25/day surcharge (in FL at least…IDK about other states). I don’t think this is very fair, as I have a PERFECT driving record. No tickets, accidents, etc… I’ve been driving since I was 16 (learner’s permit) and got my license the day after my 17th birthday. Does anyone know of a way to avoid this surcharge? TIA! –FCOD ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/2 "2006-02-22T16:51:42Z")
Yeah. Wait two years. You’re not going to get anywhere with trying to prove to the reservations clerk that your record is perfect when they have mountains of actuarial data that says rental cars are much more likely to be damaged when rented to people under the age of 25. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/3 "2006-02-22T17:14:16Z")
Last time I checked, the only way to avoid the surcharge is if you’re on a business trip using your company’s credit card, or if you’re in the military. Also, I don’t think U-haul has a surcharge, so a cargo van may turn out to be cheaper than a rental car. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/4 "2006-02-22T17:14:20Z")
Check with Enterprise. I think their surcharge is only $15 per day. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/5 "2006-02-22T17:16:44Z")
Some locations are even less. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/6 "2006-02-22T17:32:57Z")
You try try a mom and pop rental place or maybe something like Rent-A-Wreck. I am sure somebody is trying to satisfy this niche market. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingCowOfDoom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyingcowofdoom/32/21776_2.png) [@FlyingCowOfDoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingCowOfDoom)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/7 "2006-02-22T21:37:28Z")
Bleh! There is no enterprise at the airport I’m going to. Thanks for your tips, everyone. –FCOD ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/8 "2006-02-22T21:46:44Z")
Some companies don’t have a surcharge. At least, they don’t in California. I rented from enterprise twice in Los Angeles before I was 25. I chose Enterprise because they rent to under 25s. ---
**Author:** ![Otanx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Otanx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otanx)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/9 "2006-02-22T22:09:32Z")
In my experiance there is no way to get around it. That little surcharge adds up too. When I went to SC to see my wife graduate basic training the surcharge was more per day then renting the car itself. Also I had problems even finding a place that would rent to me. Some places have a nobody under the age of 25 can rent type policies. I tried to get around it by renting in my moms name and adding me as a second driver (no $25 surcharge for under 25 second driver). She had to pick up the car if she was the main renter, and she wasn’t going with me. Also as someone mentioned if you are in the military you can get the fee waived. Dependent ID card didn’t work, and I wasn’t in the Army myself yet at the time. If you have a friend/familly member that can rent it for you as the primary driver that might be a way to go. -Otanx ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/10 "2006-02-22T22:16:15Z")
I second the motion that you try a non-national rental car company. We almost never rent from the big rental car companies. Google rental cars in the area you going to be renting. You will come up with a lot more than Hertz, Budget, National, etc. We find that the local car rental firms are more accomodating and very reasonable. Many will pick you up at the airport, deliver the car to you at the airport or even leave the car with the keys under the matt at a predetermined spot in the parking lot (you do have to pay the parking fee for this though). Many of these type of operations do not charge a surcharge for those under 25. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/11 "2006-02-22T23:42:22Z")
When I went to San Francisco a few years ago when I was 24, I found out that if you have one of those Student Advantage cards they keep pushing at you in college, at least at the time, you could rent at Alamo without the surcharge. (Couldn’t use any other discounts, though.) It saved me a huge amount of money. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/12 "2006-02-23T04:35:25Z")
> [@Otanx](#): > > If you have a friend/familly member that can rent it for you as the primary driver that might be a way to go. So if the under-25 driver gets his/her parents to be the primary driver just to save a few dollars, gets into an accident and investigation reveals the primary driver had no intention to actually be the primary driver, common sense thinking in me calls it fraud. What money is saved now? ---
**Author:** ![rwhbyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@rwhbyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rwhbyu)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/13 "2006-02-23T04:52:13Z")
Also, the military thing only applies if you are on official orders. So trips on leave and all that don’t count. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/14 "2006-02-23T14:10:37Z")
> [@FlyingCowOfDoom](#): > > Bleh! There is no enterprise at the airport I’m going to. Thanks for your tips, everyone. > > –FCOD How about telling us what airport you’re going to and when. ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/renting-a-car-in-the-usa-for-a-23-year-old-avoid-surcharge/345644/15 "2006-02-23T18:01:24Z")
The beauty of Enterprise rent-a-car is that there doesn’t have to be one at the airport - remember- They’ll pick you up ! 🙂