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[laorfamily]

I had to rent a car this weekend and to my horror and embarrassment I found out (the hard way) that there is a $4 PER DAY “Homeland Security” legal blackmail charge …um I mean tax EVERY DAY!!!

Buyer beware.

[mmbcross]

I had to rent a car this weekend and to my horror and embarrassment I found out (the hard way) that there is a $4 PER DAY “Homeland Security” legal blackmail charge …um I mean tax EVERY DAY!!!

Buyer beware.

You can say that again!!! Whenever you rent a car, be it in the USA or anywhere else, it's good policy to find out how much is tax and how much is rental. Renting from an airport location is always much more expensive than a city location due to hefty airport fees.

I just put in a request for a well known car rental agency for 4 days at Miami International Airport. The total cost was US$ 628.00, of which US$ 123.62 was additional taxes and fees. I then requested the exact same car from the same company at a city location in Miami Beach with airport drop-off, and the quote was US$ 347.00, just US$ 35.00 of that being tax. It's usually much better to arrive at the airport, take a shuttle to your hotel, and then pick up a car at the nearest city office.

Cheers
Martin

[starlagurl]

That's funny, because recently I went on a road trip with my best friend, and she rented from the Ottawa airport instead of the city locations, BECAUSE the fees were cheaper.

She did a ton of research, because she's a cash strapped student, but I didn't really look around at all to verify it.

It didn't really cost that much for three of us to drive all the way out to Halifax for the weekend. $160 x 3 = $480
That's including all the gas and insurance, etc. etc.

Maybe Canada is different...

[mmbcross]

That's funny, because recently I went on a road trip with my best friend, and she rented from the Ottawa airport instead of the city locations, BECAUSE the fees were cheaper.

She did a ton of research, because she's a cash strapped student, but I didn't really look around at all to verify it.

It didn't really cost that much for three of us to drive all the way out to Halifax for the weekend. $160 x 3 = $480
That's including all the gas and insurance, etc. etc.

Maybe Canada is different...

Hello Starlagurl,

You're not wrong...you are right! I tried the same company and same car category at Ottawa Airport and the city location. It came out CAD 5.00 less at the airport, in fact, CAD 153.00 for 4 days. Shows nothing is written in stone and you should always check before you buy. Now I know why Canadians are happier!
Cheers
Martin