How long after arrival do you reserve your rental car??

[PaulaMurf]

I am trying to determine if I can save a day off our rental rate - Our flight lands at 10:46 am - so - if I reserve my rental car for 11:30 am will that be too long?

What do they do if you drive out a few minutes before you reserved? Will they charge another day??

I have never really kept track of how long it takes once we get off the plane at MCO, we are flying JetBlue - I am figuring about

10 minutes to get off the plane
10 minutes for restroom stops
10 minutes to pick up luggage
and
10 minutes for walking through the airport -

Have I overestimated this? (we are renting from National, using Emerald Reserve) - I just dont want to be sitting in the car waiting for 11:30 to leave the airport - if I make it 11am reserved time, they charge me another days rental.

TIA
Paula in CT

 

[G00fyDad]

You should be just fine. It may take you that long just to deboard the plane, get to luggage claim, find your luggage, then make it out of the airport, and then finish all the paperwork for the car. (supposing that you dont have the new quick service for car rental)

 

[betterlatethannever]

I see you are using National Emerald Reserve so you will get to select your car first and then check out at the kiosk.

Our place usually lands at 11:24am and we get our luggage and get to the garage, pick out our car and usually wait a few minutes so we check out after 12 noon.

National bases the rental time from the time you go through the kiosk to the time the attendant gives you the receipt upon return.

Once you have gone over one hour into the next 24 hour period, you are charged a full day.

However, National has a one hour grace period.

so lets say you get to the kiosk at 12 noon on Friday and return the car at 12:59pm on Monday, you will be charged three days. If you get there at 1:01 pm you will be charged three days one hour. and if you get there at 2:01 you will be charged for four days.

Ed

 

[deltachi8]

In 2003, we rented with Hertz. In order to get the best price we needed to pick up at noon, but our flight landed at 10:00. We went over and told the CSR that I would be happy to wait if i had to to get that rate and she said, thank you for saying that and then proceeded to get me processed early and on my way.

With National, it probably would be different as your ocntact with CSR is limited to the booth attendant.

You could also, stop for a soda or something in the airport to kill a little time.

 

[DebbieB]

One time I made a reservation for noon with National. I expected to be on a flight landing around 11:30am. Ended up flying in the night before to get a good fare and staying at an airport hotel. By that time the National rates were much higher. So we took a shuttle to the hotel, took it back in the morning and picked up the car at National at 8:00am (Emerald Aisle). They did not say a word. There have been other times I booked National before my airfare and the time was off by a couple hours, no problem.

 

[Blueberry]

We land at MCO at 9am (normally always take the same flight) and we reserve our car for 11am, to allow for flight delays or whatever.....Never have been delayed and we pick our car up right around 9:30am and not a word is said to us ever.....

 

[Rpsemont]

I think generally they hold reservations for a few hours anyway. And time in/time out is determined by when you leave with the car and return it, not when you reserved it. If you want the reservation to price up without the extra day, just plan you pick up time for the dame as your drop off time. I think they do usually give an hour grace, but I'm not sure you could "book" it with an hour grace.

 

[PaulaMurf]

I booked it for pick up at 11:30 - so - I think I will be fine!

Thanks again for all the responses.

Paula in CT