EACarlson
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2019
We see many threads here asking about car rental information at MCO. I'm hoping to have this kind of turn into a one stop for questions and answers.
There are ten companies that have their vehicles on site at MCO and do not require a shuttle. To the best of my information, all ten are available at all three terminals. Nine of those ten are owned by three companies: Hertz, Enterprise and Avis. The other is Sixt, which is a European company that is generally busier at Terminal C than it is at the other two. All of the below assume that you are a member of their "loyalty" clubs and have rented from them or one of their corporate cousins in the past. First rentals can have different rules.
Enterprise Group operates National, Enterprise and Alamo. All three offer a skip the counter option, and offer aisles to choose from. The major difference is in the age and quality of the vehicles and how those aisles are allotted.
With National you get access to the Emerald Aisle. If you reserve a mid size or above, you can choose any vehicle that is on that aisle. There can be anything from a Prius, to a Suburban, to a Minivan, to a Pickup Truck available. You never know what exactly is going to be available. If you really need a specific size, you need to reserve that size.
Enterprise you reserve a specific vehicle class and can take any vehicle from that class' aisle. You may be assigned a specific vehicle if you book an class with fewer options, Jeep, large SUV, Exotic, etc.
Alamo seems to work just like Enterprise. I've never rented from Alamo at MCO.
Hertz operates Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar. Only Hertz let's you skip the counter. Thrifty and Dollar stopped offering that in 2023.
Hertz offers Gold Canopy service, you walk out to the garage and your name is on a board with either Gold Aisle or a space number for your assigned vehicle. Gold Aisle operates much like National, you can take anything on the Aisle without regards to the actual class and pay the reserved amount.
Thrifty and Dollar are pretty much identical and operated as such. With no way to skip the counter, sometimes their lines get long and it can take a while. The offset to that is that they are generally much less expensive than Hertz. The vehicles are usually older and have more miles than the Hertz fleet and sometimes their maintenance isn't as good.
Avis operates Avis, Budget and Payless. Avis let's you skip the counter, Budget and Payless do not.
Avis doesn't operate an aisle, when you skip the counter you get assigned a vehicle, usually while you're in the air, in the app. It will have the make, model, color and spot number in the garage. Upon arrival you just walk out to the garage and get in your assigned vehicle.
Budget has changed recently and they do not pre print the contracts anymore and have them in the garage. Everyone has to go to the counter, which the few times I've walked by a Budget counter since the change, is always the busiest one in the airport. When you get your contract it will have a spot number assigned.
Payless I know almost nothing about, but I would assume it operates much like Budget since I've found they often share fleets and counters much like Dollar and Thrifty do.
Sixt is an outlier. It's the only European based company, does offer a check in online option but says you still need to visit the counter to get the keys. I don't have any firsthand knowledge but that seems out of whack with how MCO usually works. They are also going to be much more meticulous when you return the car about damage. A scrape or scratch with most of the other US companies will likely not be noticed or reported. With Sixt you can expect them to find and charge for any damage done. Definitely take pictures and/or video when picking up and dropping off. Because they are a very large player in Europe, many of the European visitors that come into Terminal C are more likely to use them than the domestic travelers at Terminals A and B.
General Tips.
Download the apps.
Book direct or at least with a third party that allows you to put in the loyalty number, I personally use www.autoslash.com.
If you need a specific size vehicle, book that size. Minivans are hard to come by on the aisles of National and Hertz. It's possible but don't count on it.
Always fill up before return, the best place is the Wawa at 6500 S Semoran Blvd, about a mile and a half north of 528. Any stations closer than that charge drastically inflated prices for fuel.
Keep checking for rate drops, very few things change in price as drastically as rental cars. I've had rental cars start at $700 for the week that when the trip actually came, I paid less than $200.
Know your insurance. Does your personal insurance cover you while driving a rental car? Does your credit card offer rental car insurance? If you have an American Express, almost all of them allow you to purchase a very good rental car policy for $20/rental, most of the rental car companies charge something like $20/day.
There are ten companies that have their vehicles on site at MCO and do not require a shuttle. To the best of my information, all ten are available at all three terminals. Nine of those ten are owned by three companies: Hertz, Enterprise and Avis. The other is Sixt, which is a European company that is generally busier at Terminal C than it is at the other two. All of the below assume that you are a member of their "loyalty" clubs and have rented from them or one of their corporate cousins in the past. First rentals can have different rules.
Enterprise Group operates National, Enterprise and Alamo. All three offer a skip the counter option, and offer aisles to choose from. The major difference is in the age and quality of the vehicles and how those aisles are allotted.
With National you get access to the Emerald Aisle. If you reserve a mid size or above, you can choose any vehicle that is on that aisle. There can be anything from a Prius, to a Suburban, to a Minivan, to a Pickup Truck available. You never know what exactly is going to be available. If you really need a specific size, you need to reserve that size.
Enterprise you reserve a specific vehicle class and can take any vehicle from that class' aisle. You may be assigned a specific vehicle if you book an class with fewer options, Jeep, large SUV, Exotic, etc.
Alamo seems to work just like Enterprise. I've never rented from Alamo at MCO.
Hertz operates Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar. Only Hertz let's you skip the counter. Thrifty and Dollar stopped offering that in 2023.
Hertz offers Gold Canopy service, you walk out to the garage and your name is on a board with either Gold Aisle or a space number for your assigned vehicle. Gold Aisle operates much like National, you can take anything on the Aisle without regards to the actual class and pay the reserved amount.
Thrifty and Dollar are pretty much identical and operated as such. With no way to skip the counter, sometimes their lines get long and it can take a while. The offset to that is that they are generally much less expensive than Hertz. The vehicles are usually older and have more miles than the Hertz fleet and sometimes their maintenance isn't as good.
Avis operates Avis, Budget and Payless. Avis let's you skip the counter, Budget and Payless do not.
Avis doesn't operate an aisle, when you skip the counter you get assigned a vehicle, usually while you're in the air, in the app. It will have the make, model, color and spot number in the garage. Upon arrival you just walk out to the garage and get in your assigned vehicle.
Budget has changed recently and they do not pre print the contracts anymore and have them in the garage. Everyone has to go to the counter, which the few times I've walked by a Budget counter since the change, is always the busiest one in the airport. When you get your contract it will have a spot number assigned.
Payless I know almost nothing about, but I would assume it operates much like Budget since I've found they often share fleets and counters much like Dollar and Thrifty do.
Sixt is an outlier. It's the only European based company, does offer a check in online option but says you still need to visit the counter to get the keys. I don't have any firsthand knowledge but that seems out of whack with how MCO usually works. They are also going to be much more meticulous when you return the car about damage. A scrape or scratch with most of the other US companies will likely not be noticed or reported. With Sixt you can expect them to find and charge for any damage done. Definitely take pictures and/or video when picking up and dropping off. Because they are a very large player in Europe, many of the European visitors that come into Terminal C are more likely to use them than the domestic travelers at Terminals A and B.
General Tips.
Download the apps.
Book direct or at least with a third party that allows you to put in the loyalty number, I personally use www.autoslash.com.
If you need a specific size vehicle, book that size. Minivans are hard to come by on the aisles of National and Hertz. It's possible but don't count on it.
Always fill up before return, the best place is the Wawa at 6500 S Semoran Blvd, about a mile and a half north of 528. Any stations closer than that charge drastically inflated prices for fuel.
Keep checking for rate drops, very few things change in price as drastically as rental cars. I've had rental cars start at $700 for the week that when the trip actually came, I paid less than $200.
Know your insurance. Does your personal insurance cover you while driving a rental car? Does your credit card offer rental car insurance? If you have an American Express, almost all of them allow you to purchase a very good rental car policy for $20/rental, most of the rental car companies charge something like $20/day.
I guess I should edit my post to ask whether that process was discontinued after January!
