Pre Book Car Hire or wait and arrange at airport?

Hi There

I was just wondering whether it%26#39;s easier/cheaper to pre book car hire from Fort Myers Airport or to pre book it online and whether anyone can recommend a company to use?

Thanks

Julia

Pre Book Car Hire or wait and arrange at airport?

If you are travelling from the UK,(didn%26#39;t realise you could fly to a small regional airport like Fort Myers) then make ALL your car hire arrangements in the UK. Holiday Autos have an offer on for the USA starting 20th August I think

Pre Book Car Hire or wait and arrange at airport?

That sword cuts both ways -- you could just show up and arrange things at the airport, and possibly score an enormous discount if business has been slow.

You could also show up and be completely without transportation if it%26#39;s busy that week for some reason.

You might (MIGHT! -- I know that laws regarding insurance and such is vastly different there) consider making a booking on one of the US sites -- most US bookings are cancellable with no penalty -- so you%26#39;d have a reservation just in case, but would be able to have a look round on your arrival to see if a better deal could be had.

There%26#39;s been much discussion about this sort of thing on the Orlando forum, so you might want to talk to your car insurance company about what coverage you do and do not have for foreign car hire, as well as any coverage your credit cards might or might not offer.

Don%26#39;t bother with any of that. Your Bristish inurance will certainly not cover you for driving in the USA and would be totally unacceptable to the car hire compnay. Credit cards similarly.

After all, they don%26#39;t even cover you other than basic third party if you cross to France!!

Hi thanks again for the tips.

We%26#39;re going to New York for a few days first, so flying from Newark, we then go onto Las Vegas via somewhere in Texas I think!!!

Will definitely pre book!

Jules

You may be all sorted by the time I post/you read this but I would say pre-book.

As others have indcated, make sure you sort out the insurance. I%26#39;ve found the hire car firms will only recognise their own or their agents policies - not any cover you arrange yourself in the UK etc. Therefore book the full package including FULL insurance - not just the minimum %26#39;third party %26#39;legal requirement. Law suits can be very expensive in the US should something unfortunate happen....

I recommend searching the various firms via something like Google - I%26#39;ve had really good deals from carhire3000.com and yescarhire.com - they offer a %26#39;Silver%26#39; or %26#39;Gold%26#39; arrangement wich includes full insurance. The Gold gives cover for additional drivers and usually a tank of petrol paid upfront so you take the car back %26#39;empty%26#39;. They use the major car hire firms to supply the vehicles - Alamo, Dollar etc.

Bear in mind the rate/day depends on how long you have the car - a two week hire costs no more than say 10 days - they still have to clean it etc.

Cheers - Tony - Ipswich Uk.

If you require insurance I would definately book in UK pre-travel.

If not book online and use as many discounts (coupons, contract ID%26#39;s) as you can. You will get a MUCH better rate pre-booking. For Fort Myers I like Alamo.com and use either online check in or their Kiosk to avoid lines.