Most companies will allow you to drop your rental car off in a location different from the one you got it from. Say for instance you rented a car in New York; you could drive it all the way across country, drop it off in Los Angeles, and simply fly back home. But did you know the cost of such convenience? Depending on the company, the drop-off fee can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars!
The car rental companies are quick to point out that most of the time, the company has to ship the car back to the original location, and must pass the costs onto the customer. What they won’t point out is that sometimes they don’t need to ship the car back, but will charge you the fee anyway. However, there is hope thanks to friendly competition.
If you’re interested in utilizing the drop-off service, your best bet is to shop around and compare fees amongst the different companies. Of course, it’s hard to compare directly because some companies will have low drop-off fees and high rental rates, while other companies utilize the opposite approach. There’s really no way to know until you compare. Frequent travelers in elite car rental clubs, such as Hertz #1 Gold (among others) might even waive the fee entirely.
Any hardened traveler will tell you shop around for the best rates, and drop-off fees are no exception. In this tough economy, you could even haggle; get the right customer service representative and anything is possible.

