AutoSlash

That's correct--they only show the field for pay-later rates. Going straight to the exit booth should still work with National. They are the only ones we know of that work this way. With Avis, Hertz, etc. it doesn't work. Safe travels!

Travis123

Hi everyone, rental car newbie here, I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and recently enrolled in National Car Rental and booked a reservation for next month. Am I automatically an executive member if I have the Sapphire Reserve as my default payment method? I have a feeling I was supposed to register through the Chase portal and probably cost myself some dough. Any advice would be great, thanks!

ClaudeA

Hey all, long time lurker but first time poster! I don't rent cars often so I just wanted to double check my plan for renting. I have Executive Elite status through some American Express promo a little while back. I'm planning on renting a car one way from Houston to the DC area for my upcoming move, and probably need a SUV or minivan. I'm planning on making a reservation at HOU since it's closer to me, and also making a backup reservation to IAH in case I don't find anything large enough at HOU. I have nothing to worry about over cancellation fees, right? The FAQ states that it's unheard of to actually be charged the fee (I hope that's still accurate) and National's site says there are currently no cancellation fees due to COVID. I'm still about 2 months out and I guess I'm worried they'll get rid of the COVID no-fee policy before then. Thanks!

Xyzzy

Your biggest bstacle is going to be whether they actually have a suitable vehicle for you. If you need a minivan / SUV I'd make sure to reserve one and not hope to find one in the Emerald Aisle.

ClaudeA

Thanks for the insight! Unfortunately, I'm not seeing any options for anything above a fullsize, I'm guessing because it's a one way. I may end up having to ship some things if need be, I guess, especially since all the other companies are so much more expensive than my corporate rate.

m907

There is no cancellation/no-show penalty unless you prepay for the rental.

I would try IAH first. It's a larger location with better service than HOU.

atourgates

Question: What can I expect as far as hassle or upward rate adjustment for returning a car early on a weekly rental?

I'm looking at cars out of PWM for 4-days next week.

There were lots of weird things going on with my rental - but one of them is that a 7-seater (that I need for the rental) is only available as a weekly rate, but that weekly rate (with my CDP) is actually lower than the 4-day rate from any other company with a 7-seater available.

So - what happens if I just reserve for a weekly (6-day) rental, and return the car after 4-days? Can I just pay the weekly rate? Will I be charged more? Will I get dirty looks from the sales team?

I have EE status if that matters.

AutoSlash

The "sales team" has nothing to do with it, nor does your status. The computer just calculates the rate automatically. That may end up being more, less, or the same as what you booked. It's really hard to predict.

Note though that anything over 4 days and 2 or 3 hours is generally considered to be a weekly rental, so if you can keep the car for at least that long, it will probably be safer and you shouldn't have to pay any more than your originally booked weekly rate plan.

Luis Molina

Do you know what is the current lineup of Alamo�s Standard SUVs, please? Thank you!

EAJuggalo

For today's stupid question that I'm sure is answered somewhere but I can't find it: Thanks to Autoslash I got a great deal for a Standard car for MCO in Oct. Would I be able to choose something from the EA there if I see something I like better than the full size? I know I could if I had mid-size, but those prices are higher.

kxc262

Yes - a standard car is larger than intermediate and gives you access to the Emerald Aisle.

Antonio8069

I am a longtime FT member, never before posted in this thread..........
Last week, I had a reservation from hell " at YQR. I am a NE member.. On arrival, I was told they did not have my res. Called the toll free number, and asked them to call the counter. Done? Hardlly. The excuse changed - twice. We don't have a car. That's a problem. The, it switched to wait until my supervisoer arrives? The bottom line? National honoured the res and gave me a 'complimentary' upgrade - 2.5 hours late.
My question..............what is appropriate compensation? Do they negotiate ? I have had rec'd credits for poor service & dirty rentals. But this issue is in another league IMO:
- I wasted more than 2 hours at the airport;
- I missed a crtical meeting;
- the stress (no cars) was horrible. (NB every other counter was SRO)
On reflection, I asked customer service why I did not receive a confirmatory email prior to my arrival? I don't rent cars often - but - isn't this standard?

kerfuffle

At IAD they let me take a Kona EV. They didn�t say anything about recharging, the attendant just said �no need to buy gas� which, well, duh. I forgot to ask if I needed to return it recharged. I assume I don�t but can anyone confirm? I probably won�t drop the level below 50% anyway.

m907

I've only rented an EV from them once and they said not to worry about recharging.

kerfuffle

Thanks. I can confirm that I was able to return the car this morning with the battery ~65% charged and they didn�t care. My receipt just shows that the car�s �fuel� was �full� when I picked it up, and the place on the receipt for fuel level on return is blank.