cheap-car-rental.com

Frequently Asked Questions.

Additional Drivers.

Can be added at the location at a charge from $10 per day plus taxes and fees. An indication of the additonal charge is given at the bottom left hand side of our rates quote page. No charge for additional drivers for rentals originating in California. Additional drivers must be added locally. In order to be an additional driver, they must be present with the lead/main driver at time of collection, Dollar will not accept a copy of licence (must be original).

When offered it is probably best to take advantage of our Inclusive Plus option as this includes additional drivers as well as the initial tank of fuel.

Alamo T & C

Car Driving Licence.

Rates are not valid for US or Canadian citizens or holders of a US or Canadian Licence. 

Please ensure that you have available ID and a valid and full national driver's licence held for a minimum of 1 year (in case of a UK photo-card licence the card and paper counterpart) and that you are at least 21 years of age. 

If your driving licence is written in "non-Roman alphabet", you will need an International Driving Permit in addition to your national driving licence.

Car Rental Fuel Policy

Renter’s have 3 fuel options:

Car Rental upgrade fees

When renting a car in USA be sure to book the correct size car for your purposes.  When booking a car through cheap-car-rental.com the difference in price between each group of car is $3-$5 a day.  If an upgrade is arranged at the location local rates are applied which are much more ie 4 -7 times more expensive ie $20- $25 a day more.  Just a single group upgrade will cost about 50% of your original price.

There seems to be two reasons to upgrade your car at the location 

1) You see a nice car and arrange an upgrade on impulse - If you can not resist  do look at  the cost on the rental agreement.

2) When you take delivery of the car you discover it does not have enough space for your luggage.  American cars generally have less space for luggage than European/Asian cars.

A family of 4 visiting USA for a two week holiday, will not be able to fit in a small car even with luggage on their lap.

Suitcases can be huge. We recommend that you look at this link which shows the luggage capacity of cars and consider that British Airways free luggage allowance is 35 inches x 29 inches x 16 inches = 9.4 cb ft. You will need to work out the cb ft of your suitcases to get an idea of the size of car you need but remember that because of the shape of the car  luggage space, it may still not fit. If you then need to upgrade it may well double the cost of your car rental'

Child Seats.

Age and weight of child are required when booking. Child Seats are available for children weighing between 5lb and 40lb. Parents/Guardians will be asked to install the seat into the vehicle.

All children 5 years of age or younger must be properly restrained in Florida, no matter where they are sitting in the vehicle. The daily charge is $12.00 per day, with a maximum of $72.00 per rental plus taxes and fees. Please be advised that we cannot guarantee child seats. We provide ONE type of child seat which can be adapted, depending upon the weight of the child and will accommodate 5lb - 40lb.

The Florida Department of Transportation advises parents to use a booster seat to correctly position the lap and shoulder belts for children once they outgrow forward facing child safety seats at about 40 pounds (approximately 18 kilograms) and around 4-5 years old. Children from approximately 40-80 pounds (approximately 18-36 kilograms) and 4'9" (1.45 meters) should ride in a belt positioning booster seat. Infants must ride rear facing in Florida until they are at least one year old and weigh 20 pounds (approximately 9 kilograms) or more. 

Booster seats are available at some Dollar locations and we have only a few rear-facing infant seats for children below 20 pounds (approximately 9 kilograms) so we suggest taking your own or buying one when in Florida. 

Customers are also permitted to use their own car seats in Dollar vehicles.

Complaints

We hope you do not have cause to complaing but, in the unlikely event of a problem or complaint please send an email to callcentre@cheap-car-rental.com. We can only deal with your complaint  if we are notified within 8 weeks of return of your car and you have the relevant paperwork. It is important, therefore, that you keep your copy of the rental agreement. On receipt of your complaint we will immediately start an investigation and email you with our conclusions as soon as possible.

Over 90% of complaints arise from charges raised at the time the rental agreement is drawn up and concern extra's signed for as requested by hirer. At the time the rental agreement is raised please ask for the cost of anything you sign for and do not initial acceptance unless you understand the item and require it as we can not obtain a refund for such items after rental has commenced.

To investigate most complaints we may need to contact the rental location concerned and this may take a few weeks. 

Cross Border (Canada or Mexico).

In most cases, vehicles can be driven in any state in the continental United States. Dollar Rent A Car vehicles are not permitted to be taken on ferries or to island locations without prior authorization from Dollar Rent A Car. Travel is also not permitted via rail.

 Travel to Mexico is permitted with prior authorization, from certain locations only (check with reservations). An additional insurance must be purchased locally. Vehicles may be driven into Canada (some geographic restrictions may apply) from the following Tour Participating locations only: New York Area Locations (JFK, EWR, LGA and Manhattan locations), ORD, MDW, DTW, PHL, IAD, DCA, LAX, SFO, SEA, PDX, BOS. Travel to Canada must be requested via reservations, once confirmed noted on voucher. 

Florida Cruise Procedure

Port Canaveral

Car rental reservations need to be made for 'CAPE CANAVERAL Orlando cruise port.' Drop off/Pickup should be carried out at 
    MELBOURNE - CAPE CANAVERAL
    6799 N ATLANTIC AVE
    CAPE CANAVERAL, 32920      Tel: 321 799 2620

Free shuttle buses operate to/from cruise port. Pickup from the Cruise Line: Customer must call (321) 799-2945 after disembarking with luggage and advise which cruise line they have arrived on. Service available MON - SUN 07:00 - 17:00

Fort Lauderdale/Port Everglades

Customers should book 'FORT LAUDERDALE (inc Port)' location.  Drop off/Pickup of cars should be arranged at:
    FORT LAUDERDALE OFFICE
    2400 MIAMI ROAD 
    FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33316      Tel: 954 463 8060
Customers will be shuttled to and from  the Port of Everglades. No shuttle provided to or from the airport. The shuttle bus runs when the ships dock. Service available MON - SUN 07:00 - 23:00

Miami

Customers should book 'MIAMI Cruise Port' locations. Cars should be dropped off/picked up at 
    MIAMI INT'L AIRPORT (Car Rental Centre)
    3670 NW SOUTH RIVER DRIVE
    MIAMI, FL 33142                           Tel: 305 894-5020
A free shuttle bus service is operated between Miami airport and Miami port. At Miami port customer must walk to the designated pick up area and look for 'Dollar' pick up vehicles. Shuttle frequency is 30-45 minutes. Shuttle distance to the vehicle is 8 miles. Service available MON - SUN 07:00 - 15:00
*** Vehicle may NOT be returned to the Port of Miami***

Dollar rent-a-car general information.

Additional drivers must qualify with a valid driver's license in their own name.

 In California there is no charge for additional drivers age 25 and older.

Leave the vehicle at Dollar Car Rental. Note the mileage and gas reading on the rental jacket. Lock all doors and leave the keys in the drop box located at the counter/front door. Charges are final once the rental contract is closed the next morning.

Driving is restricted to the continental United States and Canada. Vehicles may be driven into Mexico with the purchase of Mexican Insurance at $27.80 per day. Mexican Insurance may be purchased at the Dollar Car Rental location in San Diego. All customers must present a passport prior to selling Mexican Insurance. A U.S. citizen must provide a U.S. passport in order to cross the border from Mexico to the United States. Mexican Nationals may not drive our vehicles into Mexico.

A hold will be placed on all credit/debit cards for the estimated amount of the rental plus 15% OR a minimum of $250.00, whichever is greater. We will remove the hold at the end of the rental when the final charges are settled. Dollar does not accept the small key ring credit cards. In the event a customer presents the key ring credit card at the time of rental, the location may ask you to present the standard size credit card or another form of payment.

A major credit/debit card in the renter's own name must be presented at the time of pick-up. Customers using debit cards to qualify to rent at the beginning of the rental will be subject to a debit card screening. If the screening fails to meet our debit card criteria, the customer will be required to present a major credit card in order to qualify to rent. Prepaid credit cards and gift cards are accepted for payment at the end of the rental when the final charges have been settled.

When the renter chooses to receive Frequent Flyer miles, we will collect a Frequent Flyer surcharge, not to exceed $1.50 per day, at the time of rental to offset a portion of the annual cost of participation in the Frequent Flyer program.

Reservations will be honored for 6 hours after original scheduled pick up time unless the location is closed. Customers with reservations who experience weather or mechanical delays with airlines will be accommodated.

Non-Smoking Fleet

Go to the Shuttle pick up area outside the terminal. Take the Common Car Rental bus from the airport terminal to the Car Rental Facility. Rental counter is located in the Car Rental Facility.

Return the vehicle with a full tank of gas to avoid refueling charges.

For rentals 30 days or longer, the customer must return the vehicle for maintenance or to renew the contract every 30 days to the location.

A valid driver's license in the customer's own name must be presented at the time of pick up. Minimum age is 21 on all vehicles. Renters under 25 are subject to a surcharge of $25.00 per day.

Any changes to your reservation or rental may result in a change of rate or additional fees.

Extending Rentals.

The procedure used to extend vehicle rentals has been changed and is now as follows:

• A new reservation for the extension period that the vehicle is required
• The new booking made will be sold at the current rate available at time of reservation. .  This means the more expensive daily rate will be charged when extensions are less than a week even if the the original reservation plus the extension is longer than a week.
• The new booking must have a new confirmation number and voucher number
• New confirmation/voucher number must be included in the new reservation to extend the vehicle
• Customer will need to return to a participating tour location (it would also help if the reservation is booked for that location)
• Dollar rent-a-car has experienced various issues due to rentals being altered on the original booking voucher, which include billing and customer service problems including keeping the customer legally compliant. 
• Dollar  are not able to accept a reissued voucher to an existing rental and a new voucher will be raised. 

Any extension rental not made via a new reservation will not be honoured and customer will be required to pay locally for additional days.

Hand controls.

Available at some locations on request at no extra charge - to be requested at time of reservation..

One day/short rentals.

Whilst we confident that our rates represent really good value for rentals more than a couple of days this may not be the case for short rentals with our car rental companies when the mileage travelled is low.  This is because it is the car rental companies policy to charge for a full tank of fuel (perhaps $80) when you collect the car and you are asked to return the car with as little fuel as you can,  as no refund is given for fuel still in the car. To avoid this excessive charge most locations will now

One Way (Inter City) Rentals in USA

It is often possible to rent a a car from one location and return the car to another location.  Not all locations participate in this scheme and it is not possible with all car groups. The cost of renting a car on a one way basis is as quoted amount plus a 'drop off' fee, payable locally when you pickup the car, and is shown on our quote pages. This has to be arranged at the time of reservation. To arrange a one way rental from www.cheap-car-rental.com , answer NO to the question 'will you be returning the car to the same location. The drop off fee is shown separately on the left side of our quotation page.

 The fee is calculated as shown below.

Extra Cost of One Way Car Rental (Drop off charge)

There is no drop off fee when cars are picked up and returned to locations within Florida or within California.   There is also no extra cost for one way rentals between participating Dollar/Thrifty Corporate locations between California, Arizona and Nevada. Exception: One way fee is charged on rentals from San Francisco in the high season.

Exception:  The above drop fees do not apply to Hawaii, please ask for applicable fees.

All one way fees are payable locally when you pickup the car and are subject to change without notice, and local taxes and fees are additional.

Mileage between Major Cities

* No One-Way Fee applicable

Personal accident insurance.

This optional extra is always offered at rental desk as part of the rental agreement process. By Dollar Rent-a-Car it is shown on the agreement as PERSNLPROTPLAN (Personal Protection Plan).

Personal Protection Plan ("PPP"): PPP includes Personal Accident Insurance ("PAI") and Personal Effects Insurance (PEI) and where offered must be purchased together. Price available locally 

cheap-car-rental.com suggests that you check your travel insurance to see if it provides similar cover, prior to the start of your journey.

PAI: provides benefits to the renter and the renters passengers for accidental medical expenses, ambulance expenses and accidental death benefits during the rental. If this optional coverage is purchased by a renter, the renter is covered twenty-four hours a day for all accidents, whether the renter is actually in the rental vehicle or not at the time of the accident. 

Passengers in a DOLLAR vehicle are only covered for accidents occurring while the passengers occupy the DOLLAR vehicle. Price available locally but is likely to be in the region of $6.99 a day plus tax.  Tax varies from state to state but allow 15%.  Price is approximate and should be checked when taking out this option.

cheap-car-rental.com suggests that you check your travel insurance offers similar cover, prior to the start of your journey.

Deposit requirements.

The credit-card holder must be the main driver. Please note that the Dollar Rent A Car renter will be subject to a credit worthiness test and must provide a major credit card in their name with a minimum of $400.00 line of available credit. This takes the form of an amount blocked on the primary drivers' credit card. Deposits will be returned in full at the end of the rental, provided the vehicle is returned in the same condition as rented. Cash deposits may not be accepted, and must be requested at time of reservation if this facility is required.

 Optional Items such as - child seats, satellite navigation, additional drivers and one-way drop-off charges etc... are payable upon arrival and are subject to local taxes and fees.

When should bookings be made.

Normally booking a couple of weeks before rental is good enough, earlier if you want a particular type of car eg Minivan.

However you should reserve peak dates such as Christmas, and Easter, well in advance as demand exceeds supply in most places. If you do not book early you risk not having the car of your choice and paying a higher price, which maybe twice the earlier price or more.

Our system is extremely well placed to process short notice bookings as, providing the car is available and your payment authorised by your credit card company, the car is reserved immediately and the voucher link is dispatched immediately. However making a booking involves at least 8 different computer systems (ie Yours, cheap-car-rental.com's, Dollar's, Alamo's, Flexible's, credit Card Acquirers, Credit card companies & your bank's) and whilst they all work amazingly well nearly all the time, if a computer fails or a communications line fails or power interruption occurs, a complete booking may not be possible immediately.  Another problem can be that credit cards companies may not immediately approve the transaction because the charge is unexpected from the UK and will require a call from you to approve the transaction. 

You can not be sure of availability of cars at very short notice, particularly if the pick up time is at night, when there is likely to be only one member of staff on duty, as it is subject to the staff having time to prepare and position the car in the time frame you have given. If you choose to proceed, in the event of non-availability of car our liability is restricted to a refund of the amount paid to cheap-car-rental.com

We recommend therefore that you make every effort to book 48 hours in advance so that we can sort out any problem.

NOT included in the rental price are:

• Flat Battery caused by leaving the lights on. (Covered if faulty battery)
• Tyre replacement (e.g. if damaged by hitting the curb. Covered if worn)
• Key replacement if you lose or damage the key 
• Roadside assistance if you lock yourself out of the car
• Broken windows or windscreen
• Damage caused by putting the wrong fuel type in the car (e.g. putting diesel in a petrol car) 
• Damage to underside of vehicle if you are found to be driving 'off-road' which is not permitted
• Damage to the roof of the car if you place goods on the roof or drive under a low barrier etc.
• Damage to the interior (caused by spilling drinks, cigarette burns in seats etc
• Fuel (unless specified in prices), traffic violations, young driver fees, one way fees, extras

Many of these items can be covered by purchasing Roadsafe / Roadside Plus, see the next item below

Roadsafe / Roadside Plus.

All US/Canada rentals booked through cheap-car-rental.com include any mechanical assistance necessary to sort out any mechanical problems encountered with the car provided by the car rental company. Roadsafe / Roadside Plus is a scheme which covers other problems which can arise whilst the car is the renters responsibility.

Roadside Plus is offered by Alamo and Roadsafe is offered by Dollar and are similar in concept offering to sort out problems which can really spoil your holiday/arrangements if they should happen.   Roadsafe / Roadside Plus is offered by the rental companies whilst the rental agreement is drawn up. Roadsafe / Roadside Plus is not included in cheap-car-rental.com's prices and costs about $10 a day extra and if accepted will be charged to your credit card. Do not to initial acceptance if you do not require this cover as refunds can not be obtained later.

Dollar's "Roadsafe" covers:

• Accident Towing -If you get into an accident, we will pay to tow your vehicle to the nearest rental facility - no matter how far that is. Just call our Roadside Assistance toll-free number. We will give you an accurate estimate of how long it will take. In many cases, this will include a replacement car towed to your destination.
•  Lock-Out Service -You lock the door and close it, only to realize the keys are still in the car. It's a terrible feeling, but it doesn't have to be a disaster. Call our 24/7 Roadside Assistance toll-free number. Whether the key is lost, broken, or locked inside, we'll dispatch an expert immediately to help you gain entry and get back on your way. 
• Flat Tire Service -Whether you have a blowout or hit a curb, realizing you have a flat tire can be a high-stress situation. Our roadside assistance staff will send someone quickly to install your spare tire. 
• Fuel Service -Out of gas? You're not out of luck with our roadside assistance. Don't hesitate to call and we'll deliver two gallons of fuel wherever you are, night or day. We'll get you to the nearest gas station so that you can fill up and be back on the road in no time.
• Battery Service -If your car won't start, dial our toll-free number. We'll send someone over to get your vehicle started quickly.

The following are included Alamo's "Roadside Plus" 

• Key replacement: replacement keys or a locksmith will be sent
• Glass replacement: if the glass is damaged through no fault of the renter (or authorized driver), the glass will be replaced
• Flat Tire: if the vehicles spare tire is installed and serviceable, it will be installed to replace a flat tire. If no inflated spare tire is available, the vehicle will be towed in accordance with the towing provision. 
• Tire Replacement: If the vehicles tire is damaged, the tire will be repaired or replaced at no additional charge. 
• Towing: Towing charges will be covered at no additional cost should the vehicle be inoperable. 
• Jump start: A battery boost will be provided in an attempt to start the vehicle. 
• Lockout service: If the keys are locked inside the vehicle, service will be sent to gain entrance.
• Fuel delivery: A limited supply of gasoline will be delivered to the vehicle to enable you to reach the nearest open service station. (Up to three gallons or equivalent liters). 

In both cases cover is void and of no effect if, at the time of the incident necessitating roadside assistance, the renter (or an Authorized Driver) were in violation of the rental agreement, including, without limitation, the Prohibited Uses and Violations set forth therein. In such cases, roadside assistance may be available, but standard charges may apply.

Car Rental Toll Passes.

Electronic toll by-pass option: In a few cities, Dollar offer an option to purchase an electronic toll bypass service for a per/day charge that allows the driver to bypass all toll booths and avoid electronic toll charges on all the toll roads in the city or state, as applicable; and, as many times a day as necessary. 

If you decline to purchase the toll bypass option, you will pay Dollar for all unpaid toll roads violations (including violations captured by camera) charged by the toll authority plus a $25.00 administrative fee per violation. If you have a personal transponder or account, it may not transfer to the rental vehicle and you will be charged a toll violation. Please be advised that some toll roads are managed electronically and have no manned booths. GPS units rented from us can be programmed to avoid toll roads. 

Price available locally 

Winter sports.

Ski Rack
Available on request at below locations. Payable locally between $5 - $10 per day plus local taxes and fees. Note: No Ski Racks at LAS. 

SKI RACKS ASE $13.00
SKI RACKS BOI $13.00
SKI RACKS DEN $13.00
SKI RACKS ELP $5.00
SKI RACKS LAX $5.00
SKI RACKS SMF $7.50

Snow Chains
Available at below locations. Payable locally at $35 per rental plus local taxes and fees. No Snow chains can be picked up from LAS or SFD. 

SNOW CHAIN LAX $35.00
SNOW CHAIN SMF $35.00

Youths

You will need to check with your chosen car rental company their policy on this. Car rental companies will always have a minimum age restriction and sometimes a maximum age. cheap-car-rental.com are able to rent cars to persons between the ages of 21 and 25 but there is a supplement charge for this age group of about $25 a day depending on location. The actual charge with Dollar rent-a-car is shown near the bottom left side on our quotes page. The fee will need to be paid locally when picking up the car. Please read our terms and conditions link on the prices page for more information.