Return Fuel at any level ?

[psuchad]

I need this answered very fast as I am pre-paying for the rental car now. Alamo is offering a Return Fuel at any level package for $2.85/gal. Right now in PA gas is $2.90. Considering that we will be driving from CBR to Orlando airport, which option is best.

A) Try to find a gas station on the way and top off
B) Just let Alamo charge us

 

[Alztybrn]

I always fill it myself. Unless you are going to return the car "bone dry" even if the price of gas is a little less than surrounding areas, you are still going to pay more, because they will charge you to fill the entire gas tank.

 

[DisneyMom06]

I'd take the offer of $2.85, what is gas really going to go down too? And lately it only goes up, NY is at $3.17 for regular.

 

[wdwdave09]

Rental question

If return at any level means they only charge you based on what you use, then I'd take the offer. If you are coming from Disney, there is nowhere near the airport to gas up unless you go north of the airport to fill up. The turnpikes (417 and Beeline - 528 I think) don't have gas stations on them. You can fill up before you get on the Beeline turnpike to the airport but there aren't any gas stations once you get one it.

In my opinion, its not worth the hassle of trying to find a gas station near the Orlando airport. $2.85 a gallon is actually pretty cheap right now.

Of course, this assumes that the Alamo return is actually on-site at MCO.

 

[JC03]

I think it is a bad idea to pre-pay the gas unless you know for sure that you can return the car with almost no gas in it. The deal is that you pay for a full tank of gas upfront at the given price regardless of how much gas you return with. There is no refund if you bring the car back full. So if you bring back the car 75% full, you have already paid for a full tank of gas when you could have filled up the remaining 25% on your own for less money.

 

[lamarvenoy]

Gas prices here in Sarasota/Venice are right at $3. So you are only talking about a few dollars at best-I'd just let them do it and save yourself the trouble.

 

[psuchad]

Already paid without the fuel deal. I read the very fine details that were not even located on the offer page. Yes, it was the pay for a full tank upfront thing.

 

[Rob562]

I've found that you can fill up at one of the on-site gas stations and drive to the airport and the fuel tank still reads as Full. It's only about 20 miles, so you're only using a gallon with most car sizes.
Another option, if you're really worried about it like I was the first time I rented a car in Orlando, is to fill up on-site, drive to the airport and top off the tank just north of the airport. (We entered from the South side of the airport and drove straight through out the North Exit. There's a few stations about a mile away) But the gas at these stations is VERY expensive compared to the on-site ones, because they know they'll get a lot of people gassing up rental cars before returning them.

-Rob

 

[RonAnnArbor]

These days with the gas prices what they are, I have found in my weekly travels all over the country that it makes no difference money wise if you pay up front or if you pay as you go and return it full. What makes a difference is how much you use your car. If you are only driving from the airport to WDW, then to the properties within WDW and back to the airport, you are not going to use a full tank of gas. If you drive around more than that, then there is no difference.

Second - it is much more convenient to just drop off your car without topping off the tank - there is nothing immediately on your route between WDW and MCO as far as convenient filling stations. Also - if you have an early morning or late evening flight, why worry about topping off your tank - just drop off your car and go get your flight.

 

[Videoteck]

Yep by the end of the year Disney tickets for 1 day pass will prolly be $70.00

 

[goofyfan13]

Yep by the end of the year Disney tickets for 1 day pass will prolly be $70.00

With tax they already are. My friend spent about $72 on a 1 day ticket last week.

 

[Nemo14]

We always fill the car at the Hess station in DTD. Gas is always cheaper there, and the tank is still full when we get to the airport.


On the subject of 1-day passes, a 1 day park hopper is something like $104.

 

[ErickainPA]

We rent Alamo everytime we go to FL. It's easiest to get the pre-paid fuel and return it at whatever the tank says, even if you loss some money on the tank. At least if you want to run to the store (7-11 or publix) you don't have to worry than about finding a station (which can be a pain) Enjoy your trip and just buy it upfront and have the freedom to return it as empty as you want than.