Taxes and Fees outrageous!
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 3
Taxes and Fees outrageous!
Trying to book a month long rental in the Northeast. I checked LGA, EWR, PHL, etc and all have exorbitant taxes and fees ranging from $400-$500!
Fees include:
Concession recovery? - $85
Customer facility charge? - $240
Other Fees? - $75
Domestic Security Fee? - $140
The last couple of years I rented I don't remember the fees being that high.
Fees include:
Concession recovery? - $85
Customer facility charge? - $240
Other Fees? - $75
Domestic Security Fee? - $140
The last couple of years I rented I don't remember the fees being that high.
#2
Moderator: Avis and Rental Cars
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 8,032
Avis isn't alone in this. Some of the fees are by the rental agency, others are "taxes" imposed on out-of-towners by locals since the travelers don't vote locally.
If you're renting for more than a few days, your best bet is to take a taxi/train/bus/other to a non-airport location and rent from there. You can avoid nearly all of the crappy fees. The risk is that the off-site location won't have much of a selection, but you can always get the vehicle there and then swap at an airport location during your rental sometime.
If you're renting for more than a few days, your best bet is to take a taxi/train/bus/other to a non-airport location and rent from there. You can avoid nearly all of the crappy fees. The risk is that the off-site location won't have much of a selection, but you can always get the vehicle there and then swap at an airport location during your rental sometime.
#3
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: UA, AA, BA, National EE, Hertz President Circle, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Plat, Marriot Silver
Posts: 301
rent from a local location, and won't see all the fees, except in NJ where there a daily $5 fee plus tax, which is non sense, but there is nothing you can do.
#4
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I used to live near LGA/JFK, and when I needed to rent a car for a week or a weekend, I usually did so through the combined Avis/Budget locations at either New Hyde Park or Lynbrook/Rockville Centre, in Nassau County. I believe that both locations will pick up from nearby Long Island Rail Road stations by pre-arrangement made 24 hours in advance.
I used to live near LGA/JFK, and when I needed to rent a car for a week or a weekend, I usually did so through the combined Avis/Budget locations at either New Hyde Park or Lynbrook/Rockville Centre, in Nassau County. I believe that both locations will pick up from nearby Long Island Rail Road stations by pre-arrangement made 24 hours in advance.
#5
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Definitely price a 30-day rental at the New Hyde Park Budget office. With either the AARP or Entertainment Book BCD, I'm getting a rate in October of $737 all-in for a compact (not counting optional insurance) per Orbitz. Of that total, taxes/fees are only $121.
Not sure if Budget would offer an even lower price on budget.com for a prepaid on a monthly rental.
The Entertainment Book also has a coupon for $50 off a monthly rental with Budget, but only for an intermediate or larger car. With the coupon, you should be able to get the intermediate for a few dollars less than the compact.
Definitely price a 30-day rental at the New Hyde Park Budget office. With either the AARP or Entertainment Book BCD, I'm getting a rate in October of $737 all-in for a compact (not counting optional insurance) per Orbitz. Of that total, taxes/fees are only $121.
Not sure if Budget would offer an even lower price on budget.com for a prepaid on a monthly rental.
The Entertainment Book also has a coupon for $50 off a monthly rental with Budget, but only for an intermediate or larger car. With the coupon, you should be able to get the intermediate for a few dollars less than the compact.
#7
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: ZRH / YUL
Programs: UA, TK, Starwood > Marriott, Hilton, Accor
Posts: 7,295
You can also consider making a 1 day reservation at the airport with a return at a neighborhood office, and then a separate reservation from that neighborhood office for the rest of the time. This way, you pay airport facility fees ("concession recovery" and "customer facility" in your breakdown) only on 1 day worth of rental.