rental car help Anchorage

[Lisa S.]

My Hubby and I are going to have the last day of our tour free in anchorage.

we will be checking out of hour hotel the morning our flight does not leave till 9:47pm

We are trying to decide about renting a car for the day vs finding somewhere to store our luggage and use someother type of transportation.

 

Does anyone know the best way to do this.

 

I will take any help I can get..

the date I am looking at is august 14th..

 

Thanks

Lisa

[Nancyquilts]

Lisa - Have you googled something like "rental cars Anchorage"? If possible, rent one downtown. The airport has multiple charges added. Nancy

[Budget Queen]

Determine what you wish to do, there is plenty to keep you busy downtown and some shuttles. http://www.anchorage.net A car is great and necessary for other areas. Your hotel should be able to store your bags for the day.

 

I do believe however, if your car goes to the airport for return, you still are charged the taxes even if picked up downtown?

[NancyIL]

Determine what you wish to do, there is plenty to keep you busy downtown and some shuttles. http://www.anchorage.net A car is great and necessary for other areas. Your hotel should be able to store your bags for the day.

 

I do believe however, if your car goes to the airport for return, you still are charged the taxes even if picked up downtown?

 

No - airport pick-ups tack on an "airport concession fee" and a "customer facility and facility maintenance charge." I checked Hertz for August 14. With AAA discount, a fullsize car picked up at their downtown location at 8 a.m. and returned to the airport at 9 p.m. is $77.95 with taxes. If you pick up the same car at the airport, the total is $89.49. The difference in taxes can be $40-$50 when you're renting the car for multiple days.

[Lisa S.]

I checked with the hotel they will only store our luggage for a several hours not the time we need.

 

Its my understanding that we can store our luggage at the airport for $15.00 per bag and with 4 bags that over half the price of the car.

 

I googled and saw the prices thats why I decided to post here to see if any one had a better idea..

 

The lowest price on a rental is for a company called Fox and I have never heard of them..

[Budget Queen]

Try priceline, have had some deals in the past.

 

Try Alamo, Thrifty, Enterprise, Dollar, Payless, plus the majors.

[NancyIL]

I checked with the hotel they will only store our luggage for a several hours not the time we need.

 

Its my understanding that we can store our luggage at the airport for $15.00 per bag and with 4 bags that over half the price of the car.

 

I googled and saw the prices thats why I decided to post here to see if any one had a better idea..

 

The lowest price on a rental is for a company called Fox and I have never heard of them..

 

Hmmm...I don't think $78 for the day (with Hertz) is bad at all. Even less with a smaller car.

[Budget Queen]

Hmmm...I don't think $78 for the day (with Hertz) is bad at all. Even less with a smaller car.

 

 

No it's not. :) Plus gives you plenty of freedom for a great day of touring.

[greatam]

I checked with the hotel they will only store our luggage for a several hours not the time we need.

 

Its my understanding that we can store our luggage at the airport for $15.00 per bag and with 4 bags that over half the price of the car.

 

I googled and saw the prices thats why I decided to post here to see if any one had a better idea..

 

The lowest price on a rental is for a company called Fox and I have never heard of them..

 

Fox is a MAJOR car rental company on the west coast. In addition, they own a LOT of airport parking on the west coast (LAX, SFO, SEA). They are perfectly OK and if the cheapest, that's who I would go with.

[Lisa S.]

I think I will rent from either hertz or avis at the airport they are open later than any of the in town locations..

 

I'm an insurance claims adjuster I want a rental employee to walk around the car when I turn it in and verify no damage.. I do not want any surprises from a rental company telling me I returned a damaged car when I am almost 5000 miles away.

 

Thanks for all your help.

[NancyIL]

I think I will rent from either hertz or avis at the airport they are open later than any of the in town locations..

 

I'm an insurance claims adjuster I want a rental employee to walk around the car when I turn it in and verify no damage.. I do not want any surprises from a rental company telling me I returned a damaged car when I am almost 5000 miles away.

 

Thanks for all your help.

 

You don't have to pick it up at the airport to return it to the airport. However, if you want to pick-up the car the evening before, then the downtown locations will be closed.

[Nancyquilts]

Unlike most rental car operations, I haven't seen anyone from the companies checking the cars in at the Anchorage airport. Usually we just turn the key in at the airport booth. Of course, I have been known to be wrong.

[stan wood]

I went to the Alaska Yellow Pages on the net and that gave me a number of rental companies away from the airport that I could not find in any other manner. For those trying to save money for excursions and souvenirs, stay at a hotel with a shuttle and then call the rental company from the hotel. It eliminates the extra taxes.

[NancyIL]

I went to the Alaska Yellow Pages on the net and that gave me a number of rental companies away from the airport that I could not find in any other manner. For those trying to save money for excursions and souvenirs, stay at a hotel with a shuttle and then call the rental company from the hotel. It eliminates the extra taxes.

 

All rental car companies charge taxes. Ones with airport locations charge a LOT more. But as I posted above, renting from Avis or Hertz's downtown location and returning to the airport eliminates the airport concession fee, which is a hefty chunk of the taxes.

 

Not sure if "call the rental company from the hotel" refers to reserving the car or getting picked up at your hotel for a ride to the rental company's location. If you plan to rent from a local no-name company, I hope you reserve long before you arrive in town.

[stan wood]

That was what I was trying to say. Many hotels have shuttles and once at the hotel, there are rental car companies that will come pick you up. If you're renting the car for several days, it can be cheaper to take a taxi both ways from the airport to get your car.

 

I was trying to give another option-but it appears like I may have added confusion to the mix. If a person is just renting for the afternoon, I would think renting at the airport eliminates a lot of the hassles.

 

It may also be a good idea for those with large memory cards on their digital cameras to take several pictures of their car when they receive it (and after) to eliminate any arguments or later claims that you're responsible for any damage.

[gwynnetx]

after researching prices on all the airport car rental companies, i found dollar to be the cheapest. but then, we are renting a compact for $24.99 a day.