1-way rentals offer bargains for road trips
Car-rental companies are back with their annual one-way bargains out of Arizona, perfect for snowbirds and travelers who want to take a one-way road trip and fly home. Avis, Budget, Hertz and other agencies are dangling the offers, which range from $4.99 to $8 per day plus taxes and fees, to get their cars out of town after peak tourism season ends in April and the summer doldrums set in. Similar specials are available on rentals out of Florida. Normally, one-way rentals are much pricier than regular rentals and include drop-off charges that can run in the hundreds of dollars.
Travel dates vary by agency but are generally between April and mid-June. Drop-off destinations vary, too, with some companies offering up to two dozen options, including most major cities in California. Most limit rentals to two weeks.
Carol Jones and her sister Elaine Thompson, who live in Sun City, booked a one-way deal two years ago for a leisurely road trip to visit family and friends in Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. They flew home from Minneapolis on Southwest Airlines, saving days of driving time.
“We thought it would just be so much easier,” Jones said. “That’s what appealed to us.”
They are itching to take another oneway trip or two this spring, maybe to
Seattle and San Diego.
I’ve used the one-way deals several times for Memorial Day trips to San Diego. That last day on the beach is so much sweeter when you don’t have a nearly six-hour drive ahead. Unfortunately, the math doesn’t work out as well these days, given higher airfares between Phoenix and Southern California. I hope to use frequent-flier points for my one-way flights this year.
The offers
DOLLAR AND THRIFTY Price: $4.99 per day for an economy through full-size car.
Total tab for weekly rental (includes mandatory taxes and fees but not options including insurance, prepaid gas and satellite radio): $99 if picked up at Sky Harbor or $80 at Tucson International Airport. Dollar has just one off-airport location in metro Phoenix, at the Embassy Suites Scottsdale, and pick-ups there do not appear to be available for this promotion. Nor do pick-ups at Thrifty’s one offairport location in Glendale. Pick-up dates: April 5-June 15. Destinations: Burbank, Los Angeles, Ontario, Orange County, Palm Springs, San Diego, Fresno, Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif.; Las Vegas; Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo.; Salt Lake City; Seattle; Albuquerque; Bozeman and Billings, Mont.; and Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio, Texas.
Details: dollar.com/specials/featured /driveout_az.aspx, thrifty.com/Deals/ Featured/DriveOut_AZ.aspx.
HERTZ
Price: $7.99 per day for an economy through full-size car.
Total tab for weekly rental: About $70 if picked up at an off-airport location in metro Phoenix or Tucson (there are many). $131 if picked up at Sky Harbor or $80 at Tucson International Airport. Pick-up dates: April 5-June 15. Destinations: Burbank, Los Angeles, Ontario, Orange County, Palm Springs, San Diego, Fresno, Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif.; Las Vegas; Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo.; Salt Lake City; Seattle; Albuquerque; Bozeman and Billings, Mont.; and Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio, Texas.
Details: hertz.com/rentacar/rental -car-deals/arizona-driveout.
AVIS AND BUDGET
Price: $7.95 per day for Avis and $7.89 for Budget for an economy through fullsize car. SUVs start at $9.95 per day at Avis and $8.89 at Budget. Note: The websites say $11.99 and $11.95 per day but the lower rates show up when you book.
Total tab for weekly rental: About $71 if picked up at a neighborhood location (there are many) and $145 at Sky Harbor. Pick-up dates: April 16-June 15. Destinations: California, Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque. Details: avis.com/en/offers/us-offers /az-oneway, budget.com/en/offers/us -offers/one-way-car-rental-from -arizona.
Tips for booking a one-way rental deal
» Avoid airport pick-ups to avoid heavy surcharges. Search for an off-airport location instead. The larger agencies have locations in office complexes, strip malls and even resorts. These are sometimes called “neighborhood locations” on the agencies’ websites. Hotels levy small surcharges, so avoid picking up there if you want a rock-bottom rate. The difference is dramatic: A one-week, one-way Hertz rental at $7.99 per day is $66 all in if picked up at a Hertz on Bell Road and $131 if picked up at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Now, $131 is still a great price for a one-way rental but not when you can get the same car for $66. Airport drop-offs don’t affect the price. » Make sure the offer includes unlimited mileage. All of the deals I saw included it. » If you intend to fly home, check airfare before you plan your adventure to make sure it’s in the budget.
» Don’t find the lowest rate on the dates you searched? Check multiple
dates for best availability. » Want to save a even more money? See if there is a prepay option. Avis and Budget offer it, for example. » Have you always wanted to drive a
luxury car? Rent one during this promotion, as those rates are discounted, at some companies, too.