Travel

Car Rental return to different city

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Deal Addict
Mar 8, 2013
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Car Rental return to different city

Does anyone have experience with renting a car in one location (in my case Vancouver) and returning to another (Victoria / Sidney)? I know that there sometimes is a surtax for picking up / returning to an airport. What about returning to a different location (airport or otherwise)? Any recommendations for such a rental - Friday pickup Sunday return (9 days total) ?
18 replies
Sr. Member
Jan 19, 2017
893 posts
1056 upvotes
Kitchener
I just did this on a trip out west to calgary and returned in edmonton. First, book through costco if you have a card, great prices. From there, I found the best deals (substantially better pricing) we when I selected a pick up point away from the first citys airport. So we cabbed to the car rental place in Calgary, and saved $400 on the week. Most of the time, at least at the costco site, the car had to be dropped off at the airport location of the second city. I used Avis through Costco travel, it worked out great.
Deal Addict
Jul 14, 2006
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Done it many times. You will pay extra, sometimes quite a bit depending on the locations and how far apart they are.

2nd the Costco suggestion.
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Jan 3, 2014
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Vancouver(ish)
akaManny wrote: Does anyone have experience with renting a car in one location (in my case Vancouver) and returning to another (Victoria / Sidney)? I know that there sometimes is a surtax for picking up / returning to an airport. What about returning to a different location (airport or otherwise)? Any recommendations for such a rental - Friday pickup Sunday return (9 days total) ?
If you put this information in the online portal of the rental agency, you'll get an idea of the cost and possibility of doing this. You'll be able to compare quotes and make your decision from there, from the companies that will allow this sort of return.
Proud RFD member since January 31, 2007. Feel free to add 3,034 to my post count.
Deal Expert
Feb 7, 2017
27765 posts
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Eastern Ontario
Drop fees are killers in car rentals... as typically it’s because the Co has to get the car back to its home base

In B.C., the added issue is the ferry.

My best advice, do 2 car rentals ... one for the mainland and one for the island... cross on the Ferry as just a regular pax with no car
Deal Addict
Mar 8, 2013
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PointsHubby wrote: Drop fees are killers in car rentals... as typically it’s because the Co has to get the car back to its home base

In B.C., the added issue is the ferry.

My best advice, do 2 car rentals ... one for the mainland and one for the island... cross on the Ferry as just a regular pax with no car
Yes, 2 rentals is a good suggestion, except there is a cost to get from the drop off to the ferry and vice versa.
Deal Guru
Oct 6, 2007
11211 posts
10057 upvotes
Kootenays
Not sure of your dates, but I checked both www.costcotravel.ca and www.costcotravel.com (it's always best to check both as there can be a 25% difference) and the Canadian site had a mid-sized for 9 days, Friday the 28th to Sunday the 7th pick-up downtown Vancouver, drop off at Victoria international for $350. The ferry will cost you around $100 for 2 people one way.
Deal Addict
Mar 8, 2013
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smacd wrote: Not sure of your dates, but I checked both www.costcotravel.ca and www.costcotravel.com (it's always best to check both as there can be a 25% difference) and the Canadian site had a mid-sized for 9 days, Friday the 28th to Sunday the 7th pick-up downtown Vancouver, drop off at Victoria international for $350. The ferry will cost you around $100 for 2 people one way.
Thanks, I got the same $350 from expedia.
Deal Fanatic
Nov 21, 2013
8130 posts
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Montréal
smacd wrote: Not sure of your dates, but I checked both www.costcotravel.ca and www.costcotravel.com (it's always best to check both as there can be a 25% difference) and the Canadian site had a mid-sized for 9 days, Friday the 28th to Sunday the 7th pick-up downtown Vancouver, drop off at Victoria international for $350. The ferry will cost you around $100 for 2 people one way.
I never had issues booking rentals through Costco.com (actually done it one time only) but some fellow RFD'er pointed out some possibility of issues if you are a Canadian booking through American costco site... https://forums.redflagdeals.com/costco- ... l-2217943/
Deal Guru
Dec 11, 2008
13064 posts
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I just did this in Atlantic Canada, picked up at airpot Moncton and dropped off at Halifax airport.

No issues whatsoever,

Did pay a small drop off fee of about $150 or something.

We paid a total of $575 all in for 11 days and we filled up our own gas at the end. Ended up with a Nissan Qashqai
Deal Guru
Oct 6, 2007
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Kootenays
DoorCrasher wrote: I never had issues booking rentals through Costco.com (actually done it one time only) but some fellow RFD'er pointed out some possibility of issues if you are a Canadian booking through American costco site... https://forums.redflagdeals.com/costco- ... l-2217943/
I've done it 6-8 times and have never had an issue. All reservations were within Canada and charged in Canadian $.
Deal Fanatic
Nov 21, 2013
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Montréal
smacd wrote: I've done it 6-8 times and have never had an issue. All reservations were within Canada and charged in Canadian $.
If you been charged in CAD it's because you made your reservation on the Canadian site
Deal Guru
Oct 6, 2007
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Kootenays
DoorCrasher wrote: If you been charged in CAD it's because you made your reservation on the Canadian site
Sorry, no. When you book with Costcotravel, you pay at the car rental counter. Booking a car in Canada on the Costcotravel.com (or .ca) site from Canada for a rental in Canada will result in CAD rates.

As an example, we're looking for a 15 day rental from YYZ for my wife in October right now. The .ca site has an intermediate car from Budget for CAD$758 and the .com site has an intermediate car from Alamo for CAD$715.
Deal Fanatic
Nov 21, 2013
8130 posts
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Montréal
smacd wrote: Sorry, no. When you book with Costcotravel, you pay at the car rental counter. Booking a car in Canada on the Costcotravel.com (or .ca) site from Canada for a rental in Canada will result in CAD rates.

As an example, we're looking for a 15 day rental from YYZ for my wife in October right now. The .ca site has an intermediate car from Budget for CAD$758 and the .com site has an intermediate car from Alamo for CAD$715.
Ha? as I said, I booked through Costco..com just once… As far as i remember I have been charged in UDS, but I may be wrong.
Deal Guru
Oct 6, 2007
11211 posts
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Kootenays
DoorCrasher wrote: Ha? as I said, I booked through Costco..com just once… As far as i remember I have been charged in UDS, but I may be wrong.
Did you pick the car up in the USA? AFAIK, you will always be quoted/charged the currency of the country you pick the car up in, as you pay nothing online, only at the counter.
Deal Fanatic
Nov 21, 2013
8130 posts
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Montréal
smacd wrote: Did you pick the car up in the USA? AFAIK, you will always be quoted/charged the currency of the country you pick the car up in, as you pay nothing online, only at the counter.
Yes, that is obviously why I paidin USD
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Mar 30, 2004
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Durham Region
DoorCrasher wrote: I never had issues booking rentals through Costco.com (actually done it one time only) but some fellow RFD'er pointed out some possibility of issues if you are a Canadian booking through American costco site... costco-car-rental-2217943/
You can also just get the discount codes from the Costco Travel website (US or Canada) and then book directly with the rental agency by using that code, which is what I usually do.
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Sep 22, 2005
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Ottawa
Booked a Caravan in Victoria and returned it in Vancouver a week later - was $1K in 2010, more than the $400 that I'd pay if dropping off at the same location - yikes! I don't think it was available from Costco back then or I didn't know. In Canada the extra cost is considerably more than the US. I could book a car in Orlando and return it in Miami without any additional charge.
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Mar 8, 2013
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gumby wrote: Booked a Caravan in Victoria and returned it in Vancouver a week later - was $1K in 2010, more than the $400 that I'd pay if dropping off at the same location - yikes! I don't think it was available from Costco back then or I didn't know. In Canada the extra cost is considerably more than the US. I could book a car in Orlando and return it in Miami without any additional charge.
Ouch, I feel your pain. I finally booked my rental with Enterprise through expedia for $351, but when I checked a week later the going rate was $405. If I had a choice, I would return to the place I picked it up, but didn't have a choice this time. Thanks to all for the feedback.

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