Do car hire companies in the USA generally allow you to pick up cars after hours?
I used a car hire company in New Zealand recently, which had a safe with a code where you could pick up your car key when you arrive after hours. I live in the UK, and don't have much experience hiring cars.
Does such a thing exist in the USA? Particularly, is there one in Pittsburgh? Will be making a one-way trip to Columbus Ohio... getting the Greyhound if not!
Best Answer
After hours pickup is incredibly rare in the US - the point that I'd almost say it's non-existent. As a part of the pick-up process the rental company will need to see your Drivers License to confirm you ID, and this is something they can't do with a drop box.
I have heard of some rental locations that are located within hotels allowing you to pickup the keys from the hotel front desk after the rental cars office is closed, but even this is rare.
However rental companies are most major airports are open 24/7 or at a minimum very extended hours (based on the airport hours), so as long as you have a way to get to the nearest major airport you should have no issues. For Pittsburgh specifically it appears that the majority of the rental companies are open from around 6am to 1am.
After-hours drop-off is more common, and whilst not all locations allow it many do - although in many cases the rental will only be considered completed once the office opens (which means you can still end up being charged even after you've returned the car).
Pictures about "Do car hire companies in the USA generally allow you to pick up cars after hours?"
What time should you go to the counter to pick up your rental car?
Arriving a few minutes early at the counter is less of a problem than arriving late. Most rental companies will let you take the car early if it's available. As a general rule, leave 45 \u2013 60 minutes between expected landing time and the car rental pick-up time.What happens if you are late to pick up a rental car?
If you arrive at the location more than one (1) hour after the reserved pick-up time, we will try to provide a vehicle for you, however, availability cannot be guaranteed. If the location closes within that one hour period and you fail to pick up the vehicle, the reservation will expire at closing time of the location.How strict are rental car return times?
How strict are rental car return times? Rental car return times are based on a 24-hour period. Customers have a 29-minute grace period for returning their car within that period. After this point, the customer will be charged an additional hourly rate for the extra time with the vehicle.Do car rental companies track their cars with GPS?
Information Rental Car Companies are CollectingGPS: Used to report the location of vehicles with mechanical problems, recalls, accidents, and also to help when vehicles are stolen or suspected as stolen. Enterprise once lost a car for more than two years without noticing, then used OnStar to quickly locate the car.6 CAR RENTAL SECRETS HERTZ, BUDGET \u0026 ENTERPRISE Don't Want You to Know! (2020 UPDATED)
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