Thrifty
Is This Your Business?3.4
4.4
Overall Score
Author: Kaitlyn Short
LAST UPDATED: February 28th, 2022
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The Good
- Competitive pricing
- Available in 46 states
- Online check-in
Economy Price Range
Thrifty's economy cars are priced low in the car rental industry. We found that, with Thrifty, car rental prices were contingent upon location and the type of car procured. Thrifty does a unique price-matching program, where they will honor lower rental rates and give you a ten percent discount.Luxury Price Range
Thrifty also rents luxury vehicles, the rental price is average in the industry. For customers who would like to rent luxury cars, Thrifty may be a great option with the high availability and theStates Available
Thrifty can be found in 46/50 states. This almost covers every state-a huge advantage over the average car rental company who covers only a fraction of that. It also benefits travelers and local residents who are in these places or are traveling to these places.Airports Locations
Thrifty has rental counters at most major airports throughout the United States and Canada. This makes renting cars for travelers more convenient and easy.Online Check-In
Thrifty has online check-in, allowing you to check in before you show up. Customers are required to provide a few pieces of information, including license number, date of birth, and a few pieces of information about driving records. While rental counters can have slow lines and long waits, checking in online speeds up the process and gets customers driving away in their vehicle more quickly.The Bad
- Roadside assistance availability
- No instant return
- No on-site fuel discount
Roadside Assistance
Thrifty offers what they call Protection Packages, which offer 24 hours a day Premium Roadside Assistance Service. These packages, although good, are only available at U.S. Corporate Locations and at participating licensee locations. You have to ask the rental counter for the availability of any of the packages. Thrifty sets it up so that if you want one of the following protection packages you add it to your online reservation and get more information about the package (i.e. price) when you pick up your vehicle. This is not a good option because you should be informed of how much these packages cost before you get there in person to rent the car. Other companies charge an additional fee for roadside assistance as a separate item without having to buy a whole package that you may not be able to afford.Instant Return
With Thrifty, vehicles must be returned to the rental counter. This is standard operating procedure with most rental companies. Instant return can be a very convenient feature that some companies offer which allows the customer to leave the keys in the car and leave.On-Site Fuel Discount
There is no on-site fuel discount with Thrifty. They do have a prepaid fuel option. When you return the car with an empty tank, you pay the amount to fill it up, multiplied by the manufacturer's gallon-per-tank capacity. It would make it more advantageous if an on-site fueling discount was offered to help offset traveling expenses.The Bottom Line
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Rachelle Orlando, FL
Had a terrible experience with Thrifty. Went to Texas last week for a girls trip we scheduled months in advance. My girlfriend was in contact with them from months in advance to ensure everything was perfect. Got to the rental place and had been told she could use a debit, she was refused that option at first bc of the size of the car (SUV). We had to show the website to the lady that says debit can be used even for SUV, then she didn’t pass her credit check, another thing we had no idea they would be doing. We’re first time renters and we’re unaware of a lot of things hence the multiple calls to make sure of things. They could have easily sent us a checklist or coming closer to the date gave us a call to see if everything was in order. Except everything is pay now and figure it out later. We’re still disputing them for a 200$ rental booking that we were unable to use we had to go to Budget instead. Spent a day in a strange city taking Uber and contemplating public transportation because of how pricey Uber was. I understand part of this was us to blame but they made my girlfriend go thru hell with long wait lines, impatience, no sympathy, ugh no never again
4 years ago
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Chelsi Day Ghiorzi Columbus, OH
Have used Thrifty twice for rental cars. The first time was ok, they were just understaffed so it took longer than I would have liked. The second time was like an episode of Seinfeld. We reserved a car and the line was crazy long when we arrived. They were telling people they were low on cars and we might not get one. When new people arrived to the line we shared that we were told they were out of cars and the person at the counter screamed at us not to talk to the other patrons. We ended up leaving and going to another company that day but paid way more than we had budgeted.
4 years ago
CoachTrista Saratoga Springs, UT
The rates are typically good through Thrifty but there customer service has been difficult to work with there there have been billing issues.
5 years ago
Review Source
David T Ogden, UT
Although their prices are lower, thrifty didn't have many cars to choose from and they were dirty on the inside.
6 years ago
