UCT car rental and skip the counter

[biochemgirl]

I don't see UCT mentioned much in this transportation section, but they seem to have amazing rates on car rentals! I've rented through them twice so far in 2020 and saved about 40% each time compared to the next best price I could find on Budget.

The problem is, I can't use fastbreak if I book through a third party This is a major time suck as it can easily take an hour to go to the counter.

Looking forward, I see UCT has great rates at both Budget and AVIS. I booked our spring trip at AVIS through UCT in the hopes of skipping the counter. It looks like I can link a third party AVIS reservation to my account and do the digital check-in. Can anyone tell me if by renting with UCT and linking it to my AVIS preferred account I can go straight to the garage?

 

[stultress]

Did you ever try this/find out the answer? I am hoping to book through UCT and skip the counter and trying to decide whether to book.

 

[biochemgirl]

I know budget does not work if you book with UCT. I tried twice in slightly different ways.

I will try Avis in March. The AVIS phone rep said it should work and I was able to put the reservation number from UCT into the AVIS site and receive a text confirmation of my digital check in. But I'm not 100% confident because the reservation does not show in my AVIS account. Fingers crossed and hoping for some luck.

 

[stultress]

Good luck! I'm going to go ahead and book and try this. I will be there in a month, so I can let you know! I will say, when we were there last month we waited an hour at Budget and there was no line at Avis. So that gives me hope that it won't be a long wait anyway. And the good news is you can cancel the UCT booking for no charge if needed.

 

[stultress]

Update! My trip is next week. I did what you did back on 1/23 and put the reservation number from UCT into the Avis site and did digital check in. I also got the confirmation that I was checked in, but the reservation still did not show in my Avis account when I went back in. Today I called the MCO Avis location directly at (407) 825-3700. I chose the option to speak to a live agent. Romando was extremely helpful. I asked him to check my reservation to see if it showed my Avis Preferred account associated with it. He said it did not, but I was able to give him my Avis number and he linked it to the reservation for me. He said I will get all my Avis Preferred benefits for this reservation now. When we arrive all we have to do is go directly to the kiosk in the parking garage. Note: the reservation still doesn't show in my account, but I'm assuming that's because of it being a third party reservation and I'm going to trust that this works. I hope this helps, and I'll let you know the outcome after my trip.

 

[biochemgirl]

Update! My trip is next week. I did what you did back on 1/23 and put the reservation number from UCT into the Avis site and did digital check in. I also got the confirmation that I was checked in, but the reservation still did not show in my Avis account when I went back in. Today I called the MCO Avis location directly at (407) 825-3700. I chose the option to speak to a live agent. Romando was extremely helpful. I asked him to check my reservation to see if it showed my Avis Preferred account associated with it. He said it did not, but I was able to give him my Avis number and he linked it to the reservation for me. He said I will get all my Avis Preferred benefits for this reservation now. When we arrive all we have to do is go directly to the kiosk in the parking garage. Note: the reservation still doesn't show in my account, but I'm assuming that's because of it being a third party reservation and I'm going to trust that this works. I hope this helps, and I'll let you know the outcome after my trip.

Thank you so much for this update! I called and successfully linked my reservation to my Avis Preferred number. The reservation now shows on my dashboard when I log into AVIS. I feel much better about skipping the 1+ hour wait at MCO

 

[Go Sox]

I just made a reservation through UCT for Alamo and I was able to add the reservation to my Alamo account and am able to skip the counter.

 

[MIChessGuy]

I also have an Avis booking made through UCT, for May. Thanks for the heads-up on the procedure for linking Avis Preferred status to a third-party reservation. I'll be honest, I never would have thought of calling the MCO location directly (rather than 1-800-whatever it is) but can't argue with success.

 

[zeferjen]

Update! My trip is next week. I did what you did back on 1/23 and put the reservation number from UCT into the Avis site and did digital check in. I also got the confirmation that I was checked in, but the reservation still did not show in my Avis account when I went back in. Today I called the MCO Avis location directly at (407) 825-3700. I chose the option to speak to a live agent. Romando was extremely helpful. I asked him to check my reservation to see if it showed my Avis Preferred account associated with it. He said it did not, but I was able to give him my Avis number and he linked it to the reservation for me. He said I will get all my Avis Preferred benefits for this reservation now. When we arrive all we have to do is go directly to the kiosk in the parking garage. Note: the reservation still doesn't show in my account, but I'm assuming that's because of it being a third party reservation and I'm going to trust that this works. I hope this helps, and I'll let you know the outcome after my trip.

Hi - I am doing the same thing. did it work?

 

[andigomeep]

Did anyone have any issues with linking UCT with Avis preferred when picking up the car? I have mine linked successfully but wasn’t sure if there’s any worry with there being an issue at pick up.

 

[zeferjen]

I just called Avis again and was told again that they can't add the preferred rewards id to the reservation. I'm not sure how others are having luck with this?

 

[andigomeep]

I just called Avis again and was told again that they can't add the preferred rewards id to the reservation. I'm not sure how others are having luck with this?

I did it the other day. Now I’m not sure if I should feel lucky or worried.

 

[starry_solo]

Someone else mentioned you lose the discounted rate if you link it to your Avis preferred account because you can’t stack benefits/rewards.

what did your T&C say when you booked with UCT?

 

[BUFtoMCO]

For those who used the UCT car rental, do you have to prepay for the reservation?

 

[andigomeep]

For those who used the UCT car rental, do you have to prepay for the reservation?

Yes.

 

[andigomeep]

Someone else mentioned you lose the discounted rate if you link it to your Avis preferred account because you can’t stack benefits/rewards.

what did your T&C say when you booked with UCT?

I can’t find the T&C. I guess worst case I’ll wait in line and have them remove the preferred from the reservation.

 

[stultress]

Hi - I am doing the same thing. did it work?

Yes, it worked for me. While I waited for our checked bags, my husband was able to walk right up to the booth in the garage and get the paperwork for the car with no wait. He was back to me at baggage claim before I even had our luggage. What I learned is it all depends on who you talk to at MCO. Some of the representatives will do it and some will not. I recommend calling back at another day or time if you are told no the first time.

 

[stultress]

I just called Avis again and was told again that they can't add the preferred rewards id to the reservation. I'm not sure how others are having luck with this?

I recommend calling back and talking to another agent. I have found that some agents are willing to do it and some are not. I have also found that it helps to try to add the reservation to your Avis Preferred account prior to calling. Then, you can tell the agent that you are calling to find out whether your Avis Preferred number is showing on your reservation. It has worked for me twice when I've worded it that way. It did NOT work when I told them I was calling because I wanted to add my Avis Preferred number to my reservation. So maybe it helps to ask them to CHECK something for you vs. asking them to DO something for you. Or maybe that part was just coincidence. I hope that helps.

 

[stultress]

Did anyone have any issues with linking UCT with Avis preferred when picking up the car? I have mine linked successfully but wasn’t sure if there’s any worry with there being an issue at pick up.

It worked like a charm for me! It was glorious!

 

[stultress]

I can’t find the T&C. I guess worst case I’ll wait in line and have them remove the preferred from the reservation.

I did this with my prepaid UCT reservation, and I did not lose the discounted rate.