France car rental pricing question

I always add in an extra day as the late fees are usually outrageous. Also be sure to check out all the different scenarios... the exact days you will be renting vs. the # of weeks at the weekly rate. You said 'about four weeks' so sometimes even if I return a few days early (as in a 10 day trip vs 14 day) it is cheaper for me to pay the two week rate, then return early.

Exactly what Tk said. Every word of it.

A couple of thoughts: Be sure to consider leasing. Since you're in France, you won't have any pick-up or drop-off charges and you can pick the car you want. Full CDW is included in the price - which made it a very good deal overall for a seven passenger car (renting seemed better for an economy car - especially with AmEx CDW coverage). Do you have an AmEx card that offers CDW insurance for rentals? If not, you may want to consider it. It has some limitations (what state you reside in, where and how long you rent) but when it works, it's a great deal.

In response to Brad: I've leased in France a couple of times, but having compared prices now, the extra cost is substantial. As to CDW, I've always relied on my VISA coverage, which is pretty much identical to AMEX and no cost.

You didn't indicate with which outfit you're considering renting your car, but you can simply use Hertz's website to get an idea of the difference in cost for returning on time, much later in the day, or even the next day. Just for fun, I plugged in a one-week rental, renting at 10 am and returning at 10 am. Price from CDG was $256.02 USD. Return at 5 pm, and it goes to $285.11 USD. Return the next day at 10 am, and it's still $285.11 USD. You could play around with several scenarios. If it were me, I would probably book for an extra day just in case and enjoy some savings if you return it real early but maybe no savings if you return it late in the day a day early. If it turns out you need to keep it that extra day, you're already covered. Cheers!

I still haven't ruled out leasing, although the price difference is substantial. But as to credit card coverage, VISA is primary outside the US; it's only secondary in the US. And VISA does limit the rental period to 30 days outside the US, which is why I'm returning the car after 4 weeks and then renting another car in a different city a few days later.

We like to use Gemut.com for our European car rentals. Andy Bestor is an expert on this stuff and can advise you as what would be best to do. He always seems to be able to find a better deal than I can find online anywhere, so he might be able to find a good deal for your 4-weeks. We have gotten our rentals from Europcar through him and there always seems to be a discount of some kind. Last year we picked up our car in Rheims on 12 June and returned it in Aix-en-Provence on 26 June. The basic cost was $320.28. Rheims didn't have the Compact 4 door Golf or similar we requested and had to substitute a Renault Laguna at no extra charge to us. This year we have reserved a Renault Twingo or equivalent for pick up and return at the Amsterdam airport. We will have to pay a surcharge for airport pick up, but it turned out to be the most convenient way to do it. The basic cost will be $428.47 for 3 April to 23 April. I include these prices just for comparison purposes. Good luck with your rental and have a blast driving around France, but watch your speed. My husband got 2 speeding tickets while we were there. The French are very efficient at taking your picture going too fast and getting the bad news to you in a timely manner. You can pay the fines online with your credit card and the form even comes up in English.

Thanks Lo for the advice. I previously was in touch with Gemut, but the price was much too high. The problem is we need an automatic, and also will be returning the car to a different city in France. Most, if not all, European car agencies will no longer do that through a broker, so I'm going directly to the Europcar web site. For the past 25 years we've always used Kemwel or Auto Europe in France, but now that's less feasible with our requirements.

Many use AutoEurope.com, which is a consolidator out of New England. Many times, you pick up and drop your car off at a Hertz location. Check out Hertz' prices for comparison. Beware that some European rental car companies are licensed and run under U.S. car rental names. But not rental companies all created equal. With AutoEurope or Hertz, you cannot go wrong. And if you pick your car up in France, you'll want to drop it off in France. And French car rentals may be more expensive than in other countries. With $9.50 per gallon gasoline, I prefer to fly open jaw'd into one city and out of another. Sometimes that means dropping a car off before taking a train or flight to another country. The whole idea is not having to backtrack to the original destination city to fly home.

"As to CDW, I've always relied on my VISA coverage, which is pretty much identical to AMEX and no cost." There's one difference between VISA and AMEX: for $24.95 per rental period, AMEX's coverage becomes primary. Regular AMEX and VISA coverages are always secondary - they pay only what you can't first recover from other insurance. Given the duration of your trip, another thing to check is the time limit with your credit card coverage. Most credit cards limit coverage to 30 or 31 days. For long trips like yours, I prefer leasing - because the insurance is full, no-deductible coverage with no claim filing hassles. Also, the Renault leasing program - the only one I've used - offers free 24/7 roadside assistance. You'll see Renault service garages all over France. And you get a brand-new car, every time. http://www.renaultusa.com/