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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Doyal Stewart Salt Lake City, UT
I used Thrifty while visiting southern Oregon a few years ago. The car wasn't great, and was a bit dirty. The service was a little slow, but we did appreciate that they picked us up from our hotel room. We ended up driving the car back to Utah and dropped it off at a local Thrifty. It wasn't the best price wise, but it was convenient.
9 years ago
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Brian Cowley Riverton, UT
Yes, the price is good, but if you have any chance at bad weather, don't use them. Their inventory is really small and they can't handle your order if they have delays in their returns. Only redeeming quality is they are backed by Hertz, so if you are in a larger city, like I was, you have a chance of getting a car. I wouldn't ever use them in a smaller city where Hertz might have large inventory to back them up.
4 years ago
Mark Troxel Provo, UT
I use Thrifty when I travel and they have the best rate. I alway compare rates on mass car rental sites. I have found their cars to be of good quality and condition. They do not always have the best rate and so make sure you shop around.
5 years ago
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Tom Gourley Pleasant Grove, UT
Thrifty prices are very reasonable but their selection of vehicles isn't as varied as other rental companies. Their customer service is acceptable but nothing outstanding. Some of their locations aren't as handy as other companies. If cost is the driving factor in the decision, Thrifty should be considered.
6 years ago
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Joanna Hester Gilbert, AZ
I recently rented a car from the SLC airport. My only complaint was that the line was very long and I ended up waiting about 30 minutes to get my car. They have such good deals that they were busy, but they should have been more prepared for the amount of people needing to pick up their cars that day.
8 years ago
Jen Burt Herriman, UT
We received a nice car when we rented from Thrifty but I was not happy when we were at the Orlando airport that it was the furthest away rental agency. It was an extremely long walk to the checkout and then to the car
5 years ago
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Erik Lewis Minneapolis, MN
When all else fails try thrifty. They have locations in a lot of the smaller airports we fly to so they are not a bad option.
4 years ago
David Glauser Salt Lake City, UT
Rented a car in Mexico. Got to the counter and they tried to charge us over eight times what the online reservation amount was.
5 years ago
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James Hare Drexel Hill, PA
Slow, forced me to pay for CDW/LDW coverage when my business rental policy had it already, service was mediocre
4 years ago
