Learned something new yesterday while looking at options for rental car bookings:
- Chase Travel does not allow you to do one-way rentals.
- American Express Travel does allow one-way rentals, but does not allow you to originate from any location that isn’t an airport.
Strange restrictions, but good to know. Instead of paying ~$650, more than three times the cost of my transcon plane ticket, I opted to take Amtrak from Philadelphia airport to Lancaster where I’m staying overnight with friends ($17 ticket and as fast as driving). I’ll be using 1350 Hertz points for a one-way car rental in Lancaster to visit other friends near Harrisburg before driving to family in Syracuse the following morning. I’ll also be trying the “Minute Suites” in Philadelphia airport for the first time. I’m looking forward to the unconventional start before I reach my final destination – plane, lounge napping, train, rental car.
I’m glad in this case I had the Hertz points to burn to avoid a ~$185 single-day rental charge, but it’s unfortunate that the credit portals aren’t better about one-way car rental options.