IAHtraveler

I've done this on European rentals and never had an issue. Now if I get into an accident, that probably would be a different story. But I had insurance through my card/ins company, so I wan't too worried about that.

It's worth noting that even with a Wizard #, you'll have to stop at the desk on your first rental to have your account verified, unfortunately.

USirritated

The part about getting a wizard number is good advice, but IAH is also very correct that in each country (or sometimes each franchise area), it will be necessary to stop at the main counter for verification. Also, please note that Avis is nowhere near the number #2 rental company in most of Europe (I think they are #2 or #3 in the UK, but that is the exception for Europe, especially for Germany, France, and Spain, where Avis is down the list. The reason I mention this is that many of the Avis counters (even at airports) and non-airport Avis rental locations are very small in comparison to the USA.

IAH also mentions having insurance through your credit card, which is almost routine if you have AMEX, VISA, or MC, and totally the case if you have one of those cards in Platinum or Black/Signature, as the case may be. Just check with your card issuer to confirm, then you will probably be safe. I doubt they will be verifying your drivers license against the country of residence as listed on your rental agreement, AND, do you know how many people have foreign DL's and live in the US as permanent residents? Many, many, many! Not really an issue as far as my experience goes.

alterman

Also from my experience, not really an issue.
Why would a rental company admit that they discriminate customers based on place of residence?

USirritated

It never occurred to me that someone would think of it as a discrimination issue. To me it was always either a marketing issue, or an insurance issue.

user123

Just some "intel", I used the CostCo AWD code and also a double upgrade code (now currently no longer on CostCo website however the offer itself expired June 30 2010) at Avis DFW Airport.

Nobody asked me for coupons, my CostCo card (I am a member...), etc etc. Nothing.

All I got were happy smiles and good service

Roger

Well, it is discrimination. Just select different countries of residence from the dropdown box and see how how rates can change.

Note that country of residence is not the same as nationality. I would imagine that a US national resident in, say, Turkey could be a better bet than a Turkish resident in Turkey. (Examples chosen purely to illustrate a difference without implying anything else.)

'Marketing', yes - an excuse to raise prices to unsuspecting clients while retaining competitive rates in major markets. 'Insurance', no, when comparing rates which don't include insurance - though this is more difficult when only insurance-inclusive rates are available in some markets.

VIT-B

When are discount codes applied? I have input codes, but I don't see the discounted price at check-out.

USirritated

I'm sorry, but I still do not see it as discrimination, and I am speaking as an expert, since I have taught classes on discriminatory laws and practices.

Roger

Well, as an expert, you will know that charging people different prices for the same service based purely on their country of residence is discrimination.

mvoight

I think he meant it was not discrimination against a protected class.
An American residing in Turkey would get the same rate as a Turk residing in Turkey. A Turk residing in the US would get the same rate as an American residing in the US.

USirritated

Mvoight is correct, because by your definition, it would be discrimination to charge two different people who live in the US different prices for car rentals, airline tickets, and hotel rooms, all of which we know goes on, and all of which we know is not discriminatory. You are making quite a leap to say "purely on their country of residence." Ideally though, it would not be a requirement for the rez system to know where people live, but in reality, we know it is a necessity. Please also keep in mind that there are countries which are not members of the United Nations, and therefor their driver's licenses are not internationally recognized by treaty.

Roger

Without prolonging the issue unnecessarily, the Country of Residence should not on its own define rates to be charged. There may be other reasons - experience, for example - but Country of Residence is meaningless and is used to raise prices for unsuspecting furinners. UK drivers are well used to this on international bookings and it is not an insurance issue where insurance is a separate item. Of course, Brits are often only offered insurance-inclusive rates.I don't know how many countries' licenses are not recognised, and I guess for these people, the International Driving Permit would come into play. Country of Residence does not imply driving licence qualification. In any case, d/l info has to be provided when renting.

Practical example: I just made a dummy booking at avis.com for an Intermediate (Toyota Corolla) at Cape Town for 2 days in July. Without AWD or other discount, the base price before tax is:

• $95.99 for a US resident;
• ZAR 962 (about $123.88) for a UK resident.

Huh?!

The US resident gets CDW, PAI, liability insurance and TP included, the UK resident just CDW and TP, and liability insurance is not available even for a surcharge. So the UK resident pays 28.5% more for less in this example.

Let's think, is it to do with nationality? No. Is it to do with experience? No. Just Country of Residence.

No matter that the UK resident is more likely to have more experience of driving on the left than the US resident, nor that the UK resident may also have more experience of manual gear change (stick shift) than the US resident. (They drive in the left in South Africa and most rental cars are manual.)

Sorry, guys. This stinks. And you can understand why some posters are asking about the consequences of selecting a different country of residence when reserving.

USirritated

I never thought it did not stink, and I never wondered about why people will use a different country of residence, other than their own, when making a car rental reservation. However, I also wonder if there is some other reason why car rental companies formulate different rental rates based on country of residence.

Roger

Yes, it would be useful to know this.

My suspicion is that destination rental rates are decided to some extent by renters' residence, so that in markets with high local rates, for example the UK, the companies believe they can get higher returns by charging rates higher than to renters in other markets.

I take this as the 'marketing' you mentioned earlier.

I'd also like to know why I can't get rental-only rates in some markets. I have my own comprehensive rental insurance from American Express UK, which by all accounts is superior to that offered in North America - another market-based offer. If I book at avis.com or similar websites, I'm typically offered only insurance-inclusive rates.

I always compare, and in the US and Canada have found alternatives which offer rental-only rates and sometimes offer even more miles on AA or elsewhere than the 1,000 VS miles per rental I get with Avis.

As always, YMMV.

USirritated

Maybe including certain forms of insurance in some countries is due to laws or local ordinances?