First Time National Rental
Jul 24, 2014, 1:39 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1
First Time National Rental
Hello everyone,
I've been reading the forums for a couple of weeks now and finally managed to get enough information to precisely state my questions and not lose anyone's time! I've rented cars in Europe before but this will be my first trip to the US, so I'm trying to not mess things up.
Our plan is to rent a car in Florida and drive all the way up north to Boston but as you probably know the drop-off fees are quite hefty. I resorted to looking for coupons/codes on the internet and found the Ohio State leisure code (no LDW) which drops the price down to a good $300 for a weekly rental (signed up for the Emerald Club, so that'll be any vehicle we can pick up from the aisle). But then again there are all those stories about people getting asked to return the vehicle asap,etc,etc. Would it be worth it to risk it with a first-time Emerald Club rental? I saw that they will ask me to sign a contract for the rewards program but how thoroughly do they verify the codes on the rental? If I say I've done an exchange programme or that my father works for the university, do I have to prove it? I know it's quite difficult to give a precise answer but any directions will be of great help!
How can I know how much the security excess is? It is usually stated in the terms and conditions on European rentals but I haven't seen a single quote in the US which gives any information about that? My credit card has a limit of 500 EUR - will that be enough?
The next thing I saw is that some of Florida's toll roads do not allow cash or card payments and you need a device to pay. How does that work exactly?
And finally how bad is traffic on the I-95 during this time of the year? Is it worth it to take alternative roads, if it will slow us down a lot?
Thanks in advance!
I've been reading the forums for a couple of weeks now and finally managed to get enough information to precisely state my questions and not lose anyone's time! I've rented cars in Europe before but this will be my first trip to the US, so I'm trying to not mess things up.
Our plan is to rent a car in Florida and drive all the way up north to Boston but as you probably know the drop-off fees are quite hefty. I resorted to looking for coupons/codes on the internet and found the Ohio State leisure code (no LDW) which drops the price down to a good $300 for a weekly rental (signed up for the Emerald Club, so that'll be any vehicle we can pick up from the aisle). But then again there are all those stories about people getting asked to return the vehicle asap,etc,etc. Would it be worth it to risk it with a first-time Emerald Club rental? I saw that they will ask me to sign a contract for the rewards program but how thoroughly do they verify the codes on the rental? If I say I've done an exchange programme or that my father works for the university, do I have to prove it? I know it's quite difficult to give a precise answer but any directions will be of great help!
How can I know how much the security excess is? It is usually stated in the terms and conditions on European rentals but I haven't seen a single quote in the US which gives any information about that? My credit card has a limit of 500 EUR - will that be enough?
The next thing I saw is that some of Florida's toll roads do not allow cash or card payments and you need a device to pay. How does that work exactly?
And finally how bad is traffic on the I-95 during this time of the year? Is it worth it to take alternative roads, if it will slow us down a lot?
Thanks in advance!
Last edited by mykhi; Jul 24, 2014 at 1:50 pm
Jul 24, 2014, 2:12 pm
#2
Moderator: National Car
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SE MI
Programs: Delta PM, National EE, Hertz PC, Hilton DM
Posts: 2,168
Welcome to Flyertalk. To answer your questions:
Our plan is to rent a car in Florida and drive all the way up north to Boston but as you probably know the drop-off fees are quite hefty. I resorted to looking for coupons/codes on the internet and found the Ohio State leisure code (no LDW) which drops the price down to a good $300 for a weekly rental (signed up for the Emerald Club, so that'll be any vehicle we can pick up from the aisle). But then again there are all those stories about people getting asked to return the vehicle asap,etc,etc. Would it be worth it to risk it with a first-time Emerald Club rental? I saw that they will ask me to sign a contract for the rewards program but how thoroughly do they verify the codes on the rental? If I say I've done an exchange programme or that my father works for the university, do I have to prove it? I know it's quite difficult to give a precise answer but any directions will be of great help!
As an initial matter, I assume you plan to return the car to a corporate-owned location in Boston; in the event you plan to return to a non-corporate location, you will likely not have Emerald Aisle access. I don't know what you mean by being expected to "return the vehicle ASAP" but if you are paying for a rental of X-days, you are not expected to return it prior to the reserved return rate.
Regarding your rate question. The official answer is neveruse a code to which you are not entitled. Sometimes people have reported being asked for proof, other times it's never brought up. It seems especially risky to me if you have never rented from National before and you will have to deal with counter agents, who might ask for proof of the rate entitlement. Of course, everyone has their own individual risk tolerances, so you have to decide what's worth it to you.
There are two layers of consequences here. From a financial perspective, if you are caught trying to use a rate and cannot prove eligibility, you might have to pay the full walkup rate for the one-way rental which will be much, much higher. Alternatively, if the counter agent is having a bad day, they could deny you the rental altogether and/or put you on the Do Not Rent list. Unlikely, but it's still possible.
The second layer of consequences comes with respect to what happens in case of an accident or other damage to the car. While the odds are slim that something bad happens, if in fact something (such as an accident) were to occur, you could find yourself in trouble. For example, using a code to which you are not entitled would be a technical violation of the terms and conditions of the rental (even if you are not using insurance or LDW provided by the contract ID), which could negate any insurance coverage from your credit card or from your personal auto insurance. Again, everyone has different risk tolerances, so you have to decide what's worth it to you.
Unless you're using a debit card, I do not believe there will be a security excess above 500 EUR. You will probably be charged a hold for the amount of the rental. Given that you are not U.S. based, however, I hope one of our regular European members can chime in here and confirm this.
You can rent a SunPass (or EZPass) from National. You will pay a fee for its use on a per day basis, in addition to any tolls incurred. Note that there are tolls elsewhere along your drive outside of Florida as well.
No worse than any other time of the year. If you are looking to minimize your on-the-road time, interstates will always be faster than backroads. If you are looking for a more "authentic" American experience, however, you might want to stray off the highway.
Our plan is to rent a car in Florida and drive all the way up north to Boston but as you probably know the drop-off fees are quite hefty. I resorted to looking for coupons/codes on the internet and found the Ohio State leisure code (no LDW) which drops the price down to a good $300 for a weekly rental (signed up for the Emerald Club, so that'll be any vehicle we can pick up from the aisle). But then again there are all those stories about people getting asked to return the vehicle asap,etc,etc. Would it be worth it to risk it with a first-time Emerald Club rental? I saw that they will ask me to sign a contract for the rewards program but how thoroughly do they verify the codes on the rental? If I say I've done an exchange programme or that my father works for the university, do I have to prove it? I know it's quite difficult to give a precise answer but any directions will be of great help!
Regarding your rate question. The official answer is neveruse a code to which you are not entitled. Sometimes people have reported being asked for proof, other times it's never brought up. It seems especially risky to me if you have never rented from National before and you will have to deal with counter agents, who might ask for proof of the rate entitlement. Of course, everyone has their own individual risk tolerances, so you have to decide what's worth it to you.
There are two layers of consequences here. From a financial perspective, if you are caught trying to use a rate and cannot prove eligibility, you might have to pay the full walkup rate for the one-way rental which will be much, much higher. Alternatively, if the counter agent is having a bad day, they could deny you the rental altogether and/or put you on the Do Not Rent list. Unlikely, but it's still possible.
The second layer of consequences comes with respect to what happens in case of an accident or other damage to the car. While the odds are slim that something bad happens, if in fact something (such as an accident) were to occur, you could find yourself in trouble. For example, using a code to which you are not entitled would be a technical violation of the terms and conditions of the rental (even if you are not using insurance or LDW provided by the contract ID), which could negate any insurance coverage from your credit card or from your personal auto insurance. Again, everyone has different risk tolerances, so you have to decide what's worth it to you.
No worse than any other time of the year. If you are looking to minimize your on-the-road time, interstates will always be faster than backroads. If you are looking for a more "authentic" American experience, however, you might want to stray off the highway.
Jul 24, 2014, 2:37 pm
#3
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: DTW/FNT
Programs: Delta (nee NW), Hilton Diamond. IHG (PT)
Posts: 4,823
The safest discounts to use are probably the Ent Publications coupon books ones and this time of year you can buy the books for next to nothing.
I know someone who was found guilty of a felony and is being sued for a bad crash he had with a rental car and two years after the accident, things aren't settled.
His lawyer fees alone are now well over 50,000 and it still isn't clear whether the insurance companies involved will support him.
Bob H
I know someone who was found guilty of a felony and is being sued for a bad crash he had with a rental car and two years after the accident, things aren't settled.
His lawyer fees alone are now well over 50,000 and it still isn't clear whether the insurance companies involved will support him.
Bob H
Jul 24, 2014, 3:27 pm
#4
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: PDX
Programs: DL Plat, UA Plat 1MM, AS MVP, Hyatt Discoverist, Avis Presidents Club, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 3,938
To be a bit of a contrarian here, I don't think there is a significant risk to use a discount code like the one you've identified (Ohio State Leisure Code) that is purely a discount that doesn't carry any insurance benefit. There are thousands of codes, and chances are extremely slim that you'll be asked for any proof, especially at a large airport location.
All of the National fleet is equipped with electronic toll transponders, and/or you can drive through automatic tolls that use your license plate information to charge you. Beware though, if you use the electronic transponder then you are charged a daily fee for the duration of your rental (even days you don't use it). It may still be worth it for you as you'll discover a lot of tolls between Washington and Boston, but that daily fee does add up over an extended reservation.
RE: Traffic on I-95 -- you are talking about a journey of over 1000 miles -- you will hit traffic some of these places. You obviously want to try to avoid doing something like crossing the Washington, DC or New York metro area during evening rush hour, but then you could also find yourself in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina in traffic on I-95 for no apparent reason, an accident, or just congestion. I second the suggestion to get off the highway and explore the backroads -- you really won't get to experience much of America out the window of I-95, but it will be much faster if you are in a hurry.
Have a great trip!
All of the National fleet is equipped with electronic toll transponders, and/or you can drive through automatic tolls that use your license plate information to charge you. Beware though, if you use the electronic transponder then you are charged a daily fee for the duration of your rental (even days you don't use it). It may still be worth it for you as you'll discover a lot of tolls between Washington and Boston, but that daily fee does add up over an extended reservation.
RE: Traffic on I-95 -- you are talking about a journey of over 1000 miles -- you will hit traffic some of these places. You obviously want to try to avoid doing something like crossing the Washington, DC or New York metro area during evening rush hour, but then you could also find yourself in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina in traffic on I-95 for no apparent reason, an accident, or just congestion. I second the suggestion to get off the highway and explore the backroads -- you really won't get to experience much of America out the window of I-95, but it will be much faster if you are in a hurry.
Have a great trip!
Jul 24, 2014, 3:46 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York suburbs
Posts: 4,207
Better yet, wait until next spring for the FL outbound one-way specials. I'm not sure of availability and insurance for Europeans, but if I remember correctly, some have done it and posted about it here. Try searching for it.