Thrifty car rental at MCO - Skip the counter line with Blue Chip membership?

[CritterToronto]

Can somebody tell me if Thrifty at MCO Orlando International Airport has the option to bypass the counter (long lines) and go straight to the garage for car pick-up if you are a Blue Chip member?

When I asked Thrifty customer service online, they responded with "I do believe MCO is part of this."

That doesn't sound too reassuring. Has anybody skipped the line with Blue Chip there?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Yes, if you have your profile (drivers license, credit card, etc) set up properly and up-to-date in your account, you can absolutely go right to the car. We always include the airline we're flying in, so Thrifty knows which terminal you are landing at.l

 

[WDWLODGE]

I just did it recently on April 27, very quick & easy.

 

[Donna M]

Their website was not letting me join their club when we went down last time. I had to stand in a very long line.

 

[peacefrogdog]

is thrifty like national car rental and you pick any car ? Or do you check in with attendanuts who are inside the parking garage ?

 

[Akck]

is thrifty like national car rental and you pick any car ? Or do you check in with attendanuts who are inside the parking garage ?

We were directed to where our class of car was located and told to pick anyone we wanted. I believe they were all the same model, so I let my granddaughter pick the color.

 

[peacefrogdog]

We were directed to where our class of car was located and told to pick anyone we wanted. I believe they were all the same model, so I let my granddaughter pick the color.

And you didn't have to stop by the main counter in the terminal, right?

 

[Akck]

And you didn't have to stop by the main counter in the terminal, right?

Yes, unfortunately we did. It took about 20 minutes to get through the line.

 

[peacefrogdog]

Yes, unfortunately we did. It took about 20 minutes to get through the line.

I assume you did because you don’t have a Blue chip membeeship?

 

[Akck]

I assume you did because you don’t have a Blue chip membeeship?

I had just signed up for Blue Chip, so my number was associated with the reservation. It did speed up time at the counter as they didn’t push the extras (insurance, fuel prepay), on me. Another poster on the June rental thread posted that she had to return to the counter as they no longer do direct to the garage for Blue Chip.

 

[Maliki2]

If I prepay do they require a hold or deposit other than the price!?!

 

[Mle8308]

If I prepay do they require a hold or deposit other than the price!?!

They will do a hold on a credit card. It can be a decent amount, so you may want to ask in advance how much it is. Back in my hotel days, people would check in and we would authorize their credit card for the remaining balance. It was not unusual for cards to be declined because they carried a balance on the card and then a hold from the rental car company they were not expecting. Plus the Disney hotel charge and the extra for incidentals would put the card over the limit. Made for an interesting situation. We were used to it so we would advise the guests to call their credit card company to request an additional authorization. Most of the time it worked out.

 

[EACarlson]

If I prepay do they require a hold or deposit other than the price!?!

Yes, you will be required to provide a major credit or debit card which they will place an authorization hold of $200 for a credit card and $500 for a debit card. Actual policy can be found at https://www.thrifty.com/AboutUs/content/GeneralPolicies.aspx under sections F and G.

 

[delsol]

Can anyone confirm if Thrifty is still doing "skip the line" with Blue Chip?

I am guessing not but thought I'd throw it out there if anyone has had recent (like past couple of months) experience with this.

Thrifty and Dollar have joint operations at MCO and Dollar quit doing this over the summer. I asked about it at the counter last week and the agent said they had no plans to start doing it again which is quite disappointing as I had to wait in a 30 minute line where before I could just skip the line.

Thanks

Update: Never mind - I found a good "MCO Car Rental Information" thread which covered my question and answer which was definitely that Thrifty quit line skip at the same time as Dollar.