Experiences with Silvercar
Apr 15, 2019, 9:06 am
#256
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 37
Experience with JFK
I am flying through JFK in the fall and would love to try Silvercar (rates are actually comparable to other non-toy car rates when searching) but the location looks to be somewhat inconvenient.
Does anyone have any experience renting from JFK versus simply going for something from Hertz/Enterprise? Worth it to schlep to their nearest location (any tips on which is most convenient to access via public transit or Uber if so?)?
Thanks a bunch!
Jeff
Does anyone have any experience renting from JFK versus simply going for something from Hertz/Enterprise? Worth it to schlep to their nearest location (any tips on which is most convenient to access via public transit or Uber if so?)?
Thanks a bunch!
Jeff
Apr 16, 2019, 7:03 am
#257
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: nomadic
Programs: QR Gold/OW Sapphire
Posts: 74
I rented a Silvercar from the CLT location. Their cars are kept off site - around ten minutes from the airport (fairly close to Billy Graham headquarters). I was picked up by a friendly rep in an A4 and taken to the lot. As it was my first rental, he talked me through the whole process in the drive over & then verified my credit card & license. Next time I rent, he said I can just scan & go.
I had the Q5 which was great - I couldn't think of a way to improve the experience. If Silvercar were everywhere, I would never rent from another car company again.
I had the Q5 which was great - I couldn't think of a way to improve the experience. If Silvercar were everywhere, I would never rent from another car company again.
Apr 16, 2019, 2:24 pm
#259
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 998
I'm very tempted to use this discount code... I would totally use the weekly code if they had that, but since they did away with it I'm looking for something else. Does anyone see any other terms anywhere? In those terms it doesn't actually even state you must currently own an Audi or limit it to specific model years or anything. If someone in your household owned an Audi could you consider that as "an Audi owner" ? What proof would you even show at pick up? I'm not going to carry my Audi keys around if I'm traveling out of town and was dropped off at an airport. I'm not going to carry insurance paperwork around if it's a spouse that drives the car or something. Has anyone been asked to verify this during pick up? (I used to own an Audi, but got rid of it because it drank fuel like crazy... lol)
"Bookings must be made by 12/31/19. No blackout dates. Complimentary one-day rental applies to reservations of two days or more. Complimentary two-day rental applies to reservations of 4 days or more. Offer not valid with any other offer. Discount applies to base rental rate before surcharges and taxes. Offer subject to change, and is based on the individual merchant's terms and conditions. Any taxes are the sole responsibility of the purchaser."
"Bookings must be made by 12/31/19. No blackout dates. Complimentary one-day rental applies to reservations of two days or more. Complimentary two-day rental applies to reservations of 4 days or more. Offer not valid with any other offer. Discount applies to base rental rate before surcharges and taxes. Offer subject to change, and is based on the individual merchant's terms and conditions. Any taxes are the sole responsibility of the purchaser."
May 10, 2019, 10:23 am
#260
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Mass
Programs: Independent
Posts: 4,829
I've got a VISAINF20 code for Silvercar. I am suspecting, but not sure, that this may be a Visa Infinite code. Does anyone know if you need a Visa Infinite card for this to work, or does it work with any Visa card?
May 30, 2019, 12:29 pm
#262
Join Date: May 2019
Programs: Delta Gold, Bonvoy Gold, National EC
Posts: 34
Experience in BOS
This was my fifth time renting with Silvercar; unfortunately, while I'll consider it in the future, it may be my last. (I've rented it twice out of downtown Brooklyn and twice out of LAX.)
The Boston location in particular is a bit tough, because it's a 10-minute drive away from the car rental center, to which you have to take a shuttle from the airport anyways. So the convenience factor isn't really there. (This may be particular to my situation, but I also had trouble getting a hold of the rental agent, which meant that I was waiting at the car rental center for an additional 20 minutes after arriving. That may be a challenge of their lean staffing model.) On the other hand, they paid for an Uber/Lyft to take me directly to my terminal when I dropped the car off. All in all, I found the experience a bit like they were flying by the seat of their pants, not a seamless process of getting customers from the airport to the Silvercar rental center and then back again.
My real gripe, though, is that the value proposition seems to be going away. The discount for holders of the CSR went from 30% to 20% (which I suppose was inevitable), and as other posters have noted, you often end up with high-mileage cars. I also was (unpleasantly) surprised to see that the fuel surcharge is $9.95, not the $5 anymore. And while they used to only charge you for the tolls you incur, now there's a one-time $4.95 fee for using the transponder. That seems out of character for a company that sold itself as taking the hassle out of rental cars. Sure, it's great to get an Audi, but at least for me, the things I liked about Silvercar are the lack of add-on fees (i.e., transparent pricing), comparable pricing to a legacy rental company, without sacrificing significantly on convenience. I'm not sure I see that Silvercar bring that when compared to, say, National (heretofore my go-to when there's no Silvercar available).
One thing that remains good about Silvercar is that there's no additional fee for adding an additional (qualifying) driver.
Have other folks experienced similar things?
The Boston location in particular is a bit tough, because it's a 10-minute drive away from the car rental center, to which you have to take a shuttle from the airport anyways. So the convenience factor isn't really there. (This may be particular to my situation, but I also had trouble getting a hold of the rental agent, which meant that I was waiting at the car rental center for an additional 20 minutes after arriving. That may be a challenge of their lean staffing model.) On the other hand, they paid for an Uber/Lyft to take me directly to my terminal when I dropped the car off. All in all, I found the experience a bit like they were flying by the seat of their pants, not a seamless process of getting customers from the airport to the Silvercar rental center and then back again.
My real gripe, though, is that the value proposition seems to be going away. The discount for holders of the CSR went from 30% to 20% (which I suppose was inevitable), and as other posters have noted, you often end up with high-mileage cars. I also was (unpleasantly) surprised to see that the fuel surcharge is $9.95, not the $5 anymore. And while they used to only charge you for the tolls you incur, now there's a one-time $4.95 fee for using the transponder. That seems out of character for a company that sold itself as taking the hassle out of rental cars. Sure, it's great to get an Audi, but at least for me, the things I liked about Silvercar are the lack of add-on fees (i.e., transparent pricing), comparable pricing to a legacy rental company, without sacrificing significantly on convenience. I'm not sure I see that Silvercar bring that when compared to, say, National (heretofore my go-to when there's no Silvercar available).
One thing that remains good about Silvercar is that there's no additional fee for adding an additional (qualifying) driver.
Have other folks experienced similar things?
May 30, 2019, 1:50 pm
#263
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Programs: One World
Posts: 557
Experience in SAN
Last week arrived at SAN at 8.35pm. Received text from Silvercar to welcome me to SAN and told me to text "landed" so they could order me an Uber to drive me to rental location (rather than taking shuttle bus to car rental center and then Silvercar shuttle to off-site location). Was in Uber less than 15 mins from leaving plane and at Silvercar location (which is co-located in a larger airport parking garage) 10 mins later. Silver Q5 (5,100 miles) was ready to go. On return drop-off was taking only a few minutes and was then directed to the parking shuttle bus leaving from the same location directly to terminal building. So neither on way in or out did i go through the car rental center, saving me time and making it an even easier process. Can't comment on toll or refueling charges as i didn't use either. Overall a very positive experience.
Jun 3, 2019, 12:35 pm
#264
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 998
This was my fifth time renting with Silvercar; unfortunately, while I'll consider it in the future, it may be my last. (I've rented it twice out of downtown Brooklyn and twice out of LAX.)
The Boston location in particular is a bit tough, because it's a 10-minute drive away from the car rental center, to which you have to take a shuttle from the airport anyways. So the convenience factor isn't really there. (This may be particular to my situation, but I also had trouble getting a hold of the rental agent, which meant that I was waiting at the car rental center for an additional 20 minutes after arriving. That may be a challenge of their lean staffing model.) On the other hand, they paid for an Uber/Lyft to take me directly to my terminal when I dropped the car off. All in all, I found the experience a bit like they were flying by the seat of their pants, not a seamless process of getting customers from the airport to the Silvercar rental center and then back again.
My real gripe, though, is that the value proposition seems to be going away. The discount for holders of the CSR went from 30% to 20% (which I suppose was inevitable), and as other posters have noted, you often end up with high-mileage cars. I also was (unpleasantly) surprised to see that the fuel surcharge is $9.95, not the $5 anymore. And while they used to only charge you for the tolls you incur, now there's a one-time $4.95 fee for using the transponder. That seems out of character for a company that sold itself as taking the hassle out of rental cars. Sure, it's great to get an Audi, but at least for me, the things I liked about Silvercar are the lack of add-on fees (i.e., transparent pricing), comparable pricing to a legacy rental company, without sacrificing significantly on convenience. I'm not sure I see that Silvercar bring that when compared to, say, National (heretofore my go-to when there's no Silvercar available).
One thing that remains good about Silvercar is that there's no additional fee for adding an additional (qualifying) driver.
Have other folks experienced similar things?
The Boston location in particular is a bit tough, because it's a 10-minute drive away from the car rental center, to which you have to take a shuttle from the airport anyways. So the convenience factor isn't really there. (This may be particular to my situation, but I also had trouble getting a hold of the rental agent, which meant that I was waiting at the car rental center for an additional 20 minutes after arriving. That may be a challenge of their lean staffing model.) On the other hand, they paid for an Uber/Lyft to take me directly to my terminal when I dropped the car off. All in all, I found the experience a bit like they were flying by the seat of their pants, not a seamless process of getting customers from the airport to the Silvercar rental center and then back again.
My real gripe, though, is that the value proposition seems to be going away. The discount for holders of the CSR went from 30% to 20% (which I suppose was inevitable), and as other posters have noted, you often end up with high-mileage cars. I also was (unpleasantly) surprised to see that the fuel surcharge is $9.95, not the $5 anymore. And while they used to only charge you for the tolls you incur, now there's a one-time $4.95 fee for using the transponder. That seems out of character for a company that sold itself as taking the hassle out of rental cars. Sure, it's great to get an Audi, but at least for me, the things I liked about Silvercar are the lack of add-on fees (i.e., transparent pricing), comparable pricing to a legacy rental company, without sacrificing significantly on convenience. I'm not sure I see that Silvercar bring that when compared to, say, National (heretofore my go-to when there's no Silvercar available).
One thing that remains good about Silvercar is that there's no additional fee for adding an additional (qualifying) driver.
Have other folks experienced similar things?
Jun 14, 2019, 1:59 pm
#265
Join Date: May 2005
Location: SEA, formerly DCA, PDX and JNU
Programs: AS MVPG75, UA 1K, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Gold, Starwood Gold, Hilton Platinum
Posts: 121
I just had my first experience with Silvercar in Newark. The pickup was super fast (less than 2 minutes after my text) and the ride to their location was quick (less time that the train to the rental facility). There was one employee who was just finishing up with another customer so I waited another two minutes. He described the nav/entertainment system, twice noting that it is not touch screen, I scanned the QR and was on my way. Great car with about 15K miles. The return was even faster, I was on the bus back to the airport in a minute or two. The neighborhood is a little sketchy (it is Newark), but I will rent again.
Jul 11, 2019, 5:55 am
#266
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: BNA (Nashville)
Programs: HH Diamond
Posts: 6,225
Picked up an Audi Q5 in Denver for a week long trip through CO, NE, SD, ND, MT, WY. What a great choice. It was the same price as Hertz or Avis, but I knew what I was going to get.
The Q5 is a fantastic automobile. Panorama Sunroof, stability at high speeds, satellite radio, great room for 3 adults on long drives. (Last time we prepaid for an SUV with Avis, we ended up in a Chrysler minivan). We spent a lot of time in that SUV and really enjoyed it.
Pickup took a little longer, but it was worth it for having such a nice automobile for a long week of driving.
The Q5 is a fantastic automobile. Panorama Sunroof, stability at high speeds, satellite radio, great room for 3 adults on long drives. (Last time we prepaid for an SUV with Avis, we ended up in a Chrysler minivan). We spent a lot of time in that SUV and really enjoyed it.
Pickup took a little longer, but it was worth it for having such a nice automobile for a long week of driving.
Jul 11, 2019, 8:08 pm
#267
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dreamland
Posts: 927
Q5 rental in DEN week of July 4th (interestingly, got a 2018 with no sunroof whatsoever, but not a big deal on that front, had just read previous post 
). Picked up on 7/3. Apparently they had just moved facilities the day before. The shuttle driver didn't even know what Silvercar was, but via text everything confirmed.
We needed two car seats, but I had forgotten to add to reservation when I made it almost 6 weeks earlier and by the time i remembered, they were fully committed.. not their fault, mine... I mention b/c staff on site really did check around for me, even offered other boosters to see if theyd work for us... I appreciated their effort. (BTW - Silvercar in this case was *CHEAPER* than Hertz and Avis... and I even bought online and picked up in store 2 Scenera car seats from the Walmart on tower road near DEN... all in *STILL* cheaper than Hertz/Avis with their car seat fees... and a guaranteed Q5.
Here's a datapoint on roadside assistance:
- just after pickup, we were headed to Aspen, and outside Golden, along the highway, we blew a tire... I mean totally shredded somehow. Audi roadside assistance towed us to an Audi dealer who swapped in a new tire in about 90 minutes... and I haven't heard a thing about it.. they said they'd bill Silvercar directly and good to go.
- it seemed seamless... roadside assistance got the VIN, and checked coverage, tow truck came, dealership knew what was up... done
- I declined their coverage, paid on CSR.. just in case this comes up later... but i'm guessing it wont
Only frustration was on return.. the nav AND the app had return instructions for their old address... some confusion and 20 minutes of wasted time near DEN airport later, all good. I sent a note to their customer service to be sure to update their app and vehicles immediately.
All in all, love the Silvercar experience. Having the Q5 on those mountain roads was awesome.
). Picked up on 7/3. Apparently they had just moved facilities the day before. The shuttle driver didn't even know what Silvercar was, but via text everything confirmed.We needed two car seats, but I had forgotten to add to reservation when I made it almost 6 weeks earlier and by the time i remembered, they were fully committed.. not their fault, mine... I mention b/c staff on site really did check around for me, even offered other boosters to see if theyd work for us... I appreciated their effort. (BTW - Silvercar in this case was *CHEAPER* than Hertz and Avis... and I even bought online and picked up in store 2 Scenera car seats from the Walmart on tower road near DEN... all in *STILL* cheaper than Hertz/Avis with their car seat fees... and a guaranteed Q5.
Here's a datapoint on roadside assistance:
- just after pickup, we were headed to Aspen, and outside Golden, along the highway, we blew a tire... I mean totally shredded somehow. Audi roadside assistance towed us to an Audi dealer who swapped in a new tire in about 90 minutes... and I haven't heard a thing about it.. they said they'd bill Silvercar directly and good to go.
- it seemed seamless... roadside assistance got the VIN, and checked coverage, tow truck came, dealership knew what was up... done
- I declined their coverage, paid on CSR.. just in case this comes up later... but i'm guessing it wont
Only frustration was on return.. the nav AND the app had return instructions for their old address... some confusion and 20 minutes of wasted time near DEN airport later, all good. I sent a note to their customer service to be sure to update their app and vehicles immediately.
All in all, love the Silvercar experience. Having the Q5 on those mountain roads was awesome.
Jul 13, 2019, 6:31 pm
#268
Moderator: Alaska Mileage Plan
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 12,315
Jul 28, 2019, 6:48 pm
#269
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dreamland
Posts: 927
180 day booking window
Was looking for an end of January 2020 rental today... in a location w/ Silvercar... wasn't able to book on app... got errors, went on laptop... said unable to book out past 180 days (actually technically I am within 180 days, but maybe they release by the week in blocks, etc)... I haven't tried to book Silvercar this far out before, just wondering if this has always been the case? A tad annoying, but wont stop me from checking back.
Jul 31, 2019, 11:04 pm
#270
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 385
Anyone find their prices went way up?
Booked last September for a few days in NYC and averaged $92/day. It is now averaging $144/day here in NYC with the CSR discount. Definitely not as attractive as it used to be.
Booked last September for a few days in NYC and averaged $92/day. It is now averaging $144/day here in NYC with the CSR discount. Definitely not as attractive as it used to be.