Dollar - Pick up MCO, drop off FLL...one way charge?

Ok, picking up at Orlando airport, dropping at Fort Lauderdale airport two days later. They are wanting to charge me a one way fee of $100!! The entire rental is not even $100. I could have sworn I read somewhere that in Florida, they cannot charge a one way fee if you are returning in Florida.

Does anyone know the scoop on this? I am not paying $88 for the car plus another $100 for a drop off fee for a 2.5 hour drive. (they must think the average driver is stupid I'm assuming) So far, I'm sticking with National who does not charge this at all.

In these poor economic times, Dollar is not helping themselves to get new business.

Not sure about the no-one-way-fees-in-Florida thing (though you're right--it does sound familiar, though it may have been [or still be] part of a special discount or corporate code you have to enter--I don't think it's any actual legal requirement or policy), but as far as Dollar vs. National, it's just two different business models.

National (as well as Hertz and Avis and possibly Budget) operates on the premise of charging a higher daily rate without a separate drop fee when a customer wants to do a one-way drop.

Dollar (as well as Thrity and--when they do allow it--Enterprise) operates on the idea of charging the same base rate but then adding a drop fee.

What this results in is National, etc. being cheaper for short rentals, whereas Dollar, etc. can be significantly cheaper for long rentals.

For example, when I was looking at some one-way prices for a rental last year, I found a rental from Thrifty at the very attractive rate of $22 per day. There was a $150 drop fee added on if I opted to return to the other city I was looking at, but the $22 per day stayed the same whether I returned it at the same location or a different one.

On the other hand, Avis had cars available for non-one-way-rentals at $45 per day. For the one-way rental I was considering, the rate jumped up to $75 per day.

So, how it works out is this. For a week-long rental, Thrifty came out to about $350 ($22 per day plus taxes plus the $150 drop fee). Even without "a ridiculous drop fee," Avis came out at the, umm, low, low price of $560--$75 per day plus taxes.

Now, had I been looking at just a quick, two-day drive between the cities, I would have paid about $250 with Thrifty but only $190 with Avis.

So it's not that Dollar is pricing themselves out of the one-way market; it's rather that they are focusing on picking up the longer rentals (typically booked by leisure travelers), which fits with their business model (since leisure travelers tend to keep cars longer than business travelers, they can have an equivalent amount of revenue with less staff, since they process a lower volume of transactions).

Also, one-way rentals may not always be in the company's best interest, which is why one-way rentals are priced higher (whether with a listed drop fee or a higher rate hiding the cost of the drop) than normal rentals. If the volume of cars between any given city pair were equal, then rental companies probably wouldn't charge any more for drops. However, that's not usually the case, and without drop fees to "discourage" one-way rentals, a large number of cars would end up pooling up at the more popular destination. The one-way fees are therefore a way to both discourage one-ways (i.e. "we'll be OK with you doing it if you pay for the convenience") and to recoup the costs of moving the cars back to the original renting location (even if it means shipping by truck). Also, you then end up with logistical issues that represent a cost to the company as cars move from one city to another and then to another and pretty soon end up on the opposite side of the country (i.e. MCO-FLL-CLT-MEM-ORD-MSP-ORD-DEN-SFO-SAN-LAX-SEA or something).

Granted, you do bring up the point that it may be worth Dollar looking at discounted drop fees for certain types of rentals such as yours, but consider the possibility, too, that they have and, given the cost factors involved I mentioned above, they have determined that it is not profitable for them to have an MCO car end up in FLL for less than $100.

Also, Dollar and others often offer discounted drop fees or even heavily discounted rentals for certain one-way moves which are advantageous to them. For example, at the beginning of the Florida tourist season, they usually offer extremely cheap rentals with no drop fee for people picking up in the Northeast or Midwest and dropping off in Florida. They do the same thing in reverse at the end of the Florida tourist season (conveniently coinciding with when those northern states start warming up and attracting their own tourists!).

You may wish to search online for any references to a code that removes or reduces drop fees within the state of Florida, or you can consider other affordable alternatives (Amtrak offers service between Orlando and Fort Lauderdale for $34). Or you can, of course, stick with National...

"If the volume of cars between any given city pair were equal,"

It's not just a city pair. They don't compare equal rates of one-ways between two specific cities because what matters is nationwide flow.

Let's look at between NY and FL, for instance. They compare how many cars are coming in to NY from anywhere, (Chicago, California, the South, the Midwest, whatever) and how many cars are coming in to FL from anywhere. (Texas, the South, the Northeast, the Midwest, a few from CA, etc.) If inventory drops below a certain level, the price is hiked to discourage one-ways out.

For instance, at the MIA Hertz garage last week, I was picking up a $5 / day special one-way to NY. All the shuttle buses from all the agencies said, "Cars Available," whereas when I visited Ft. Lauderdale last winter, some buses said, "Reservations Only." Now I see some shuttle buses at NYC airports saying "Reservations Only." When I was in FL, a lot of people said they plan on vacationing in the NY area soon. So, cars are clearly needed more up here.

MIA had a very large number of cars in inventory. No wonder they want to get rid of some. At the same time, I met someone who just returned an Impala originating from EWR, with PA plates. She said her rate was very very high. I explained it's likely because they're trying to discourage this.

In general, major rental car companies do not charge one-way within the state of Florida, I have done this with other companies before without issue. That being said, maybe Dollar's policies are different. I don't believe there's a requirement preventing them from charging such fees, rather it's just a policy the major companies have adopted for whatever reason.

In general, major rental car companies do not charge one-way within the state of Florida, I have done this with other companies before without issue. That being said, maybe Dollar's policies are different. I don't believe there's a requirement preventing them from charging such fees, rather it's just a policy the major companies have adopted for whatever reason.

When initially responding to this post, I did a sample price check for a rental next month with National to make sure I wasn't talking out of my rear. MCO-MCO was a base rate of $199, whereas MCO-FLL was a base rate of $251. So, clearly, National is charging for the one-way--it's just obscured by pricing it as a higher rate rather than charging a separate listed drop fee.

Auto Enthusiast: yes, flow is what matters. I was speaking in simplified terms.

I do a lot of one ways in Florida and would often use Dollar or Thrifty as they have a bunch of good Florida codes. I believe this is something they have implemented in the last month as many of the codes did not have one way fees and the ones that did only charged $30. The $100 now seems to be standard across all the codes I have tried. I guess no more Florida one ways with DTAG.

I am actually considering a one-way rental MCO-FLL for two weeks, but rates are extortionately high. Rates come close to $1000! Whereas MCO-MCO is about $350. Any suggestions? Ever used Priceline to bid on a one-way rental?

It's not possible. Priceline and Hotwire are only to improve fleet utilizations at specific locations, and so do not deal with one-ways.

It's not possible. Priceline and Hotwire are only to improve fleet utilizations at specific locations, and so do not deal with one-ways.

As I mentioned in another thread, this is not true (with Priceline). You can bid on one-way rentals...Go to the regular car rental page first and click on the link for something like "return to another location" that's under the box for the renting city. If you go to the bidding page after filling in all the info, it will carry over, and you can bid for a one-way. Whether you'll get one at a decent price, that's another matter.

I booked a SAN-LAS one way through Priceline bidding last year for around $100. The prevailing rates were in the $300+ range for the various car rental companies..So I saved a bundle..

Back maybe 5+ years ago, you could get a ridiculous rate in Florida, like $15 a day, and return to another location for no additional charge...

when bidding one ways always look for a one way for 1 day and the remaining days on a different reservation to save money.

That's a good strategy for direct, short distance one-ways, such as a one day drive from SF to LA on I-5 and then a week exploring LA. It's not necessarily a good idea if one wants to spend an entire week exploring the scenic coastal towns between SF and LA, for instance. It's also impractical for a long haul one-way, such as 1,500 miles from Burlington VT to Disneyworld in FL that was mentioned elsewhere on this board.

when bidding one ways always look for a one way for 1 day and the remaining days on a different reservation to save money.
Depends on the company. National/Avis/Hertz: yes. Dollar/Thrifty: doesn't matter. (The rate is the same, and you'll pay the flat drop fee regardless of how long you keep the rental.)

On top of that, the Orlando Magicard discount appears to waive one-way drop fees at most Florida locations with Dollar and Thrifty:

http://www.orlandoinfo.com/magicard/listings.cfm?searchCategory=transportation

On top of that, the Orlando Magicard discount appears to waive one-way drop fees at most Florida locations with Dollar and Thrifty

I checked. This gives a good rate, but returning to a different city still quotes a separate drop charge.

On top of that, the Orlando Magicard discount appears to waive one-way drop fees at most Florida locations with Dollar and Thrifty

I checked. This gives a good rate, but returning to a different city still quotes a separate drop charge.
Odd. You may want to give Dollar MCO (and maybe FLL, too) a call directly to see if they can clarify this (since it's a published benefit on the site I linked to).

Dollar MCO: 407-583-8000 (try option 2 or remain on the line for an operator)
Dollar FLL: 954-359-7800

Might not hurt to also call the Orange County V&CB, since they run the Magicard program:

(800) 972-3304