Like snowbirds, rental car companies’ move their fleets south for the winter. Instead of paying a fee to move the cars north, they offer special one-way rentals out of the state of Florida. This is a great opportunity to take in a Florida vacation for a fraction of the price, by combining a one-way fare to Florida through a low-cost carrier like Allegiant, or Spirit, with a one-way car rental home. 

We ranked the following offers starting with Alamo. We felt they offered the most flexible options and was the first to post complete program details. That said if you can earn points with one of the other companies, by all means, stack a cheap rental with points towards the next free rental or reward level.  

1. Alamo – Base Rate $9.99/Day

• Available on one-way rentals picked up at participating Florida locations and returned to a participating Enterprise location in the Continental US outside of Florida.
• Offer valid for reservations picked up between March 26-May 31, 2018 from the following participating Florida locations:  Fort Myers, Sarasota, Naples, Punta Gorda, Orlando, Disney Hotels, Daytona Beach, Melbourne, and Sanford.
• Offer valid for reservations picked up between April 1-May 31, 2018 from the following participating Florida locations:  Tampa, Clearwater, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, West Palm, Key West and Boca Raton.
• Offer rate as low as $9.99 base rate per day applies to an Economy through a Full-Size vehicle, as low as $19.99 base rate per day applies to Intermediate and Standard SUVs and as low as $24.99 base rate per day applies to Minivans.  Base rate excludes taxes, fees, and surcharges.

Although Alamo advertises a base rate of $7.99, lower rates are available, depending on the renal location. The program may also be available through select National Car Rental and Enterprise locations, however, it is not advertised. We list Alamo as #1 because it offers the most flexibility for outbound locations.

2. Hertz – Base Rate $7.99/Day

• Pending Confirmation: Their offer is usually a little better than Avis. We will update as soon as the program terms are published. Be sure to subscribe to this post for updates. 

3. Avis – Pending Confirmation Usually has a base rate of $10.00 Per/Day

We have no details, and nothing has been set, but with a rate that is often lower than Budgets advertised rate, we fell that whatever they offer will be better.

4. Budget Car Rental – Base Rate $14.49/day

• Valid for rentals April 1, 2018 – May 31, 2018, with BSD Code BCD code S374100
  
  
• Vehicle must be picked up at a participating Florida location and returned to a different participating U.S. location outside the state of Florida; excludes pick-up from Pensacola and Jacksonville

Participating drop off cities include: Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, San Antonio, St. Louis, Boston, Buffalo, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Washington/Baltimore, Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, Raleigh Durham, Albuquerque, Northern California, Portland, Seattle, Southern California

The base rate is higher than the other offers, with a short offer window. The one plus is the option of going coast to coast for a flat rate; which may work for college students heading home, or someone relocating. But the offer is available through Alamo for a lower price with a better vehicle inventory.