Dr_Fly_A_LOT

Dear community,
we are planning a trip to California in autumn and will travel from LAX to SFO. Rental fees for one-way are twice as much as return and pickup at LAX.

Does anyone have experience with the one way fees? What would happen if we book LAX to LAX, then change to SFO during the rental. In the past this resulted only in a moderate fee, so it should be significantly cheaper than renting LAX to SFO in the first place

Thanks!

AutoSlash

A few thoughts:

1. Trying to game the system in the way you describe is very dangerous. It will almost certainly end up costing you more. The rental companies aren't dumb. You are not the first person to think of doing this and you are basically at the mercy of the rental company at that point since you will have to return back to LAX or be stuck paying whatever they want in order to return to SFO--which may end up being much more than if you just paid upfront.

2. Rental rates are likely to change a hundred times between now and the fall. The prices you are seeing today are almost meaningless. The smart move is to just book at the best deal you can and then track it with AutoSlash (or keep re-checking every day manually for better deals). AutoSlash will re-price your rental on a daily basis and keep looking for lower rates. We email you if we find one so you can re-book and save. There's a good chance this will happen multiple times between now and the fall and your final rate will end up being much better than whatever you are seeing today. It's a free service. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, but be sure to book a pay-later rate, or at least one that doesn't have a cancellation penalty, otherwise you could end up being stuck.

3. For a one-way rental, be sure to check multiple permutations to ensure you get the best deal:

a. LAX to SFO
b. Off-airport in LA to SFO
c. Off-airport in LA to off-airport in San Fran
d. LAX to off-airport in San Fran

You never know which option will end up being less expensive. You may have to pay for a cab or Uber, but may save money in the end. Just keep in mind that off-airport locations have more limited hours than airport locations which are typically 24x7.

4. Never focus on the drop fee as it's almost meaningless. Wait, how can a drop fee of potentially hundreds of dollars be meaningless? Let us explain... Some companies will charge a hefty drop fee while others won't charge a drop fee at all, but they'll jack up the daily rate to the point that you'd be better off taking the deal with the drop fee. For example, let's say Company A is charging $250 plus a $150 drop-fee for a total cost of $400. Then you have Company B charging $450 with no drop fee. Which is the better deal? Obviously, the one with the drop fee, since you'd be paying $50 less, but many people are conditioned to look for a deal without a drop fee. This is misguided. All that matters is the final price you'll pay inclusive of all taxes and fees. In short, just look at the bottom-line price and ignore everything else as it's not relevant unless you think you may extend your rental beyond the scheduled return date and then you need to look a bit more closely at the deals.

Hope this helps!