Car hire in the U.S. (Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming)

gt_junkie · 22 May 2012 at 14:26

Going on a 3 week (just over) road trip and booking with Hertz since they seem to come out at a reasonable price.

I'll admit I haven't done any driving outside the UK so not hugely familiar with the logistics/legalities of hiring/driving in the US.

Saw Fox's quote in another U.S. driving thread and wondered if that full cover and discount offer was still applicable to a Mastercard? I assume any Mastercard would do?

[TW]Fox;17391201 said:
Book with Hertz, use the Mastercard CDP (Google it) and you get 10% off and ALL insurance is included with ZERO liability. Thats right, you can return your car by crashing it through the rental office window and there will be nothing to pay*

*Dont do this, they might have you arrested.

Having checked online it doesn't seem like there was any other cover (besides the comprehensive insurance he mentioned) that I might need for a trip like this.

Any advice is most welcome - just didn't want to miss something obvious and then leave myself open to any unfortunate bills/fines/excess charges.

Cheers in advance!

[TW]Fox · 22 May 2012 at 16:28

All UK made hertz bookings on the hertz uk site have the full cover. The MasterCard cdp just gives you 10% off.

sanofi · 22 May 2012 at 17:39

Are Hertz really the cheapest? Have you looked at Alamo or National?

6thElement · 22 May 2012 at 19:28

Hertz are generally the cheapest if it's a one way rental.

[TW]Fox · 22 May 2012 at 19:30

6thElement said:
Hertz are generally the cheapest if it's a one way rental.

Depends on where to - in some areas (ie California and Nevada) they dont charge, in others they do. I paid a one-way fee equal to the cost of my rental on my last Hertz rental from NYC to Washington DC.

OllyM · 22 May 2012 at 19:33

Personally I'd book with National/Alamo because at most large locations you pick your own car from the class you've booked rather than being assigned a car by Hertz.

Sone · 22 May 2012 at 21:07

Only problem with National is the queues in some airports.

MissChief · 22 May 2012 at 22:38

I've used Rentalcars.com for Uk hires several tiems and they've always come out cheaper than going direct.

gt_junkie · 23 May 2012 at 09:23

[TW]Fox;21977219 said:
All UK made hertz bookings on the hertz uk site have the full cover. The MasterCard cdp just gives you 10% off.

Perfect thanks Fox.

sanofi said:
Are Hertz really the cheapest? Have you looked at Alamo or National?

They're the cheapest so far having checked through several but I'm open to any other suggestions/recommendations.

6thElement said:
Hertz are generally the cheapest if it's a one way rental.

Yeah, it's a one way rental - pick up in Las Vegas and Drop off in Denver.

OllyM said:
Personally I'd book with National/Alamo because at most large locations you pick your own car from the class you've booked rather than being assigned a car by Hertz.

Nope haven't tried them so will take a look - cheers!

MissChief said:
I've used Rentalcars.com for Uk hires several tiems and they've always come out cheaper than going direct.

Will look at that as well!

Thanks guys!

[TW]Fox · 23 May 2012 at 09:45

Hertz will probably charge you a one way fee for that. It's not included in the prepay amount and is payable locally.

OllyM · 23 May 2012 at 09:51

[TW]Fox;21981484 said:
Hertz will probably charge you a one way fee for that. It's not included in the prepay amount and is payable locally.

Yes, I expect every rental company will charge you a pretty hefty one way fee for that. Be careful if you book via an agent as some of them don't mention the fee at all.

megakid · 23 May 2012 at 10:05

I'm planning a long-distance road trip over 3 weeks in America early next year and regardless of pickup/dropoff location I can't find any of the Hertz Adrenalin (Mustang GT, Corvette etc) range available. Anyone know why? Should I contact them directly for this?

gt_junkie · 23 May 2012 at 10:05

[TW]Fox;21981484 said:
Hertz will probably charge you a one way fee for that. It's not included in the prepay amount and is payable locally.

OllyM said:
Yes, I expect every rental company will charge you a pretty hefty one way fee for that. Be careful if you book via an agent as some of them don't mention the fee at all.

Will do a bit of checking - thanks for the heads up guys!

gt_junkie · 4 Jul 2012 at 13:57

Just an update for anyone interested.

Hired a focus/corolla sized car from Hertz for just over 3 weeks using a Mastercard as advised. Got the discount along with additional cover with unlimited mileage... came to just over £730 including the one way fee and associated taxes which was within my budget and a lot cheaper than some of the other companies I contacted.

Cheers for the help and advice guys - much appreciated!