I have written about cheap one way car rentals before, but each spring and fall, there is the possibility of cheap one way car rentals. In the spring, you can get great deals going northbound, and in the fall, you can get the great one way car rental deals going southbound.
I saw a note from the Deal Mommy about this the other day, but Alamo is currently offering $9.99 / day car rentals for leaving Florida.
Alamo deal
Alamo is offering a deal where you can take a one-way car rental for as low as $9.95 / day.
You can start travel on April 1st, and you must pick up the car by May 31st. I priced out an Economy car from Miami to Cincinnati for 4 days, and my $9.95 rate came to $78.15 total including taxes and fees and such. You may be able to save some of that by picking up your car at a non-airport location, should that work for you.
Hertz one-way car rental deal
Hertz is also offering a one way car rental deal (affiliate link), but the rates are not as good. You have to leave from Arizona, and have to drop it off in Texas, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Michigan or Northern California.
The rates start at $30.99 / day for an Economy car, which is not bad for a one-way rental, but not so great that I’d be interested in any kind of speculative booking. Especially since you can get a minivan from Alamo for less! 😀
The deal is valid from March 22nd through May 31st.
Ever taken a one-way car rental? One way car rentals make me think about county trips… I did take a one-way car rental from Sault Ste. Marie back to Cincinnati after the completion of #DiveInAllFive (Jumping in all 5 Great Lakes in one day) – it was expensive but not outrageously so, from what I remember.
Share your experiences in the comments
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One thing a person can do is book a one-way trip on Megabus to Orlando; then take public transportation to the international airport; then rent a car out of Orlando to take advantage of the low one-way rental car rates…
…or perhaps take public transportation to a location which is not at an airport — as you have suggested, Dan — which could be a shorter and even cheaper alternative.
Play your cards right and getting to the car could cost as little as six dollars; but even if it cost $75.00, it still could be worthwhile to take advantage of those low rental car rates.
The one-way exodus specials from Florida are my favorite annual travel deal. I have done the Hertz deal from Florida back to Northern Virginia a few times. I usually go for a RAV4 (or similar) for under $100 a week. I tack on my Hertz discount for another 15% off.
The advertised price of $9.95 comes out to $78.15 for a four day rental. That is $19.50 per day. Nearly all the car companies in several Florida cities have $20 all-in rentals. I found them for April and May travel from Miami, Orlando and Tampa and $15 all-in from Key West.
http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2015/03/13/drive-out-of-florida-rental-car-deals-april-and-may-2015/