Useful Information

Policies

Additional drivers must qualify with a valid driver's license in their own name. There are no charges for additional drivers in the State of California.

Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) and Liability Insurance Supplement (LIS) are optional. Additional charges apply.

Driving is restricted to the continental United States and Canada. Please advise the rental counter upon your arrival if you intend to cross the Canadian border and return to the renting location. When driving into Canada, you will need a copy of your rental agreement and must provide a valid passport. Vehicles rented in the United States may not be driven into Mexico without obtaining Mexico Insurance at the rental counter. Mexico Insurance provides a customer with liability and damage protection on the rental vehicle to be in compliance with Mexican law when visiting Mexico. Vehicles must be returned to the location from which they were rented, unless prior authorization has been given by the rental car company at the time of the reservation that the vehicle can be returned to a different location. No offroad driving is permitted.

Blue Chip Rewards service is available during the locations regular hours of operation. Blue Chip Members should proceed to the Express Booth located in the parking garage to retrieve their rental agreement and vehicle.

To qualify to rent a Thrifty vehicle, the renter must present at the time of rental a valid driver’s license and valid major credit card or debit card (see Debit Card Usage below) in the renter's own name with available credit and funds. Non-prepaid Debit cards issued under a VISA, MasterCard or Discover logo which draw funds directly from the cardholder’s account may be used at the outset of a rental when the following requirements are met: Vehicle class reserved is Compact through Full-size ONLY, present two (2) valid forms of identification; and proof of a return travel ticket to coincide with the rental (airline/train/cruise). Debit cards are NOT accepted at the outset of a rental to qualify on Premium vehicles and above, including Convertibles. At the time of rental, an authorized hold will be secured on your credit/debit card provided to cover the estimated rental charges and any additional charges that may be incurred. These funds will not be available for your use for the duration of the rental. We will place an authorization amount of $200 for a Major Credit Card and (effective April 1st) $500 for a Debit Check Card, plus the cost of the rental. The above incremental hold will not be applied to established Express members with a VISA card in their profile. In most cases, the location will perform a credit check for Debit Card customers to determine credit worthiness at the time of rental. The customer must meet the minimum criteria to rent using a Debit Card. In addition, the acceptance of debit, prepaid or store value cards is contingent upon the card having available funds to cover the estimated charges plus an authorization of up to $200.00 for a Major Credit Card and $500.00 for a Debit Card given conditions depending on location, length and date of rental that will be outlined at time of rental. If Thrifty cannot secure credit approval or funds for this amount and/or proper identification credentials are not supplied, Thrifty will decline your rental. Upon completion of rental, a different debit or credit card can be accepted for payment at the end of your rental. Cash rentals which require an up-front deposit of cash are accepted from customers who have obtained a Cash Deposit Identification (ID) Card. Applications for a Cash Deposit ID Card are available from Thrifty.com. Prepaid Debit cards or store value cards are accepted for payment at the end of your rental. Franchise locations may set their own requirements for debit card acceptance. Please contact location for more details.

At time of rental, customers paying with a credit card at ALL locations will have a hold of $200 for a Major Credit Card and (effective April 1st) $500 for a Debit Check Card, incidental amount added to their estimated total. These funds will not be available for their use. No incidental amount will be added for established Thrifty Blue Chip members with a VISA debit card in their profile.

When the renter chooses to receive Frequent Flyer miles, we will collect a Frequent Flyer surcharge, not to exceed $1.50 per day, at the time of rental to offset a portion of the annual cost of participation in the Frequent Flyer program.

Reservations will be honored for 6 hours after original scheduled pick up time unless the location is closed. Customers with reservations who experience weather or mechanical delays with airlines will be accommodated.

Non-Smoking Fleet

Courtesy shuttle will pick up at the airport. From Terminal 1, go over the sky bridge to the courtesy shuttle island. From Terminal 2, cross the street to the courtesy shuttle island. Pick up is available from 5am to 12am Sunday thru Saturday. For pick-up from the commuter terminal, customer must call the location. Phone: (619) 247-4799.

Many roads throughout the United States are “all-electronic,” which means that there is not an option to pay for tolls with cash or credit/debit cards when utilizing these toll roads. As a convenience, Thrifty offers its customers an all-inclusive tolling product - PlatePass® - which is an optional product to pay for all electronic tolls that the customer encounters during his/her rental. If a customer declines the PlatePass® option, Thrifty will charge the customer the cash/highest undiscounted price for each electronic toll incurred plus a $15.00 administrative fee (FL and MA - $9.99 per occurrence) for each toll incurred (subject to a $90.00 cap for such toll-related administrative fees for the rental period) unless the customer makes some other arrangement to directly pay for the electronic tolls he/she incurs. These toll-related charges can be avoided by staying off toll roads, using a personal transponder – where permitted – or by making direct-pay arrangements with the toll authority – where allowed.

Customers who do not purchase our refueling option must refill the vehicle within a 10 mile radius of the rental return facility and present a fuel receipt to avoid refueling charges.

A valid driver's license in the customer's own name must be presented at the time of pick up. A mobile or digital driver’s license does not replace a valid physical driver’s license and Thrifty customers will still need to supply their hard copy license until further notice. The minimum age to rent a vehicle at most locations in the United States and Canada is 20 years of age. In Michigan, New York, and the province of Quebec, the minimum age to rent a vehicle is 18. Please see special Vehicle Requirements. Renters under 25 may be subject to an additional fee. International Renters must present a valid license from their country of residence. An International Driving Permit (IDP) is strongly recommended for a driver’s license that is in a language other than English. Renters with driver’s licenses issued outside of the United States must provide a valid passport. Learner Permits or Photocopies are NOT accepted.

Any changes to your reservation or rental may result in a change of rate or additional fees.

State and/or local taxes may be applied to the rental. Customers who rent from an on-airport or airport serving rental facility where the rental car company is a provider may be subject to the airport fees. All car rental companies are required to collect a $3.50 Rental Car Transaction Fee for doing business on the Port of San Diego. This charge is not included in your approximate rental costs, but instead will be imposed at the rental counter.