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Avis vs Alamo: Which Is Better For You? [2024]

Avis vs Alamo: Which Is Better For You? [2024]

Avis vs Alamo:  Car- synonym of comfort for today’s generation. With a car or without the urge to travel by a perfect car is all this generation crave. Having a car can soothe a little bit for getaway trips but when it comes to renting a car, we need a serious discussion to choose the best.

Before renting a car means 10 things followed up with huge contact lists and map directions to find one place who rents a car within our budget. Thanks to technology here, now we have websites and applications to select as the car renting service to pull up a car for trips.

But the question here remains the same, which is the best car renting service among many? How to choose the service which offers not just cars but many handy features like rewards, discounts and much more? Which site costs more than one? Which is the best fit according to our requirements?

In this article, we are going to talk about the two popular car renting services namely Avis and Alamo. By the end of the article, you will get to know about both of these car renting services in detail.

Avis vs Alamo: What are They?

avis vs alamo

Avis is American based Car Rental company that has headquarters in 3 different locations geographically in Parsippany, United States, and New Jersey. Avis Company was founded approximately 76 years ago in the United States.

Avis currently serves its car renting services in more than 165 areas worldwide. Talking about the locations its services are used for is more than 5500 in numbers. Avis Company is in the hands of Joe Ferraro who is designated the place of President and the Chief Executive Officer.

Avis Company was parented by Warren Avis is in today’s date it earns revenue up to $5.3 billion. To know more about Avis Car Renting Company, you can check their page here.

Whereas, Alamo is a Clayton-based rental car company that was founded approximately 48 years ago. Alamo is spread worldwide in North and South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania.

Alamo is the full form for Alamo Rent A Car which is being looked out on by Enterprise Holdings and is in hands of Andrew C Taylor designated at the position of Executive Chairman and Chrissy Taylor who is designated at the position of President and Chief Executive Officer.

To know more about Alamo you can check their page here.

Avis vs Alamo: Which types of Car they give on rent?

Currently, Avis Car Renting services offers more than 6,00,000 vehicles to their customers in different categories like cars, SUVs, trucks, vans, and much more.

Whereas, Alamo Rent A Car – service offers luxury and minivans namely Ford Fusion, Dodge Charger, Cadillac ATZ, Nissan Maxima, Chrysler 300, Lincoln MKZ, Toyota Avalon, and much more.

Avis vs Alamo: How Does it Work?

alamo vs avis

The requirements to rent a car from Avis and Alamo are mentioned below:

  • The minimum age requirement to rent a car is 21 years but it may take up a surcharge till your age is under 25. After 25 years of age, you will be free from the youth surcharge. There is no maximum limit of age to rent a car.
  • Alamo and Avis both offer renting options to the US Armed Force members who present as an active members of military ID.
  • To rent a car, the home country’s driving license is must needed with a photograph and validity period to be more than the renting period of the car.
  • If the driving license is in another language such as French, Spanish, or any other than English then the customer must submit a vid International Driver Permit to rent a car.
  • After the required documents are presented they also need to check the payment policy for the payment to be made via credit card, debit card, or cash for renting the car.

Avis vs Alamo: How much do they cost you around?

The payment policy of Avis and Alamo is similar kind as both of their home country is The United States and follows the same rules. Hence the payment policy is stated below:

  • Credit cards namely American Express, Mastercard, Discover Network, and VISA are accepted for renting a car with Avis vs Alamo.
  • Credit cards accepted for renting a car under Avis and Alamo in Canada namely are American Express, MasterCard, and VISA.
  • Credit cards accepted for renting a car under Avis and Alamo in Puerto Rico namely are MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover Network, and Diners Club.
  • Prepaid Cards are not accepted without the logo of VISA or MasterCard.
  • Alamo and Avis both accept pre-paid gift cards under the title of Amex symbol, MasterCard, and Visa.
  • Cash deposits are partially available according to your location, few locations do allow you to rent a car with a cash deposit via Avis and Alamo, but there are few locations where cash deposits are not accepted.
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Avis vs Alamo: How much do they hold on your card?

Avis holds up to $200 plus the rental charges if you rent a car via credit or debit card through their car renting service. These extra funds will be non-returnable throughout the journey. You will get back these extra funds once you return the car in a good condition and gets all the checks screened through their return policy.

Alamo holds a little bit more than what Avis holds on your cards. Alamo currently takes up to $250 with the rental charges if you rent a car via credit or debit card through their car renting service. These funds will be returned when you returned the car in a good condition.

Avis vs Alamo: What are the conditions kept while returning the car?

Avis and Alamo have a quick good condition of returning car where they check some hygienic conditions according to non-smoking conditions, stains, specks of dust, scratches and much smaller details.

Once these small details are checked nicely, they will return the extra hold up the amount when you return the car.  But if you do delay in returning the car by an hour or so then they will cut that charge from the extra hold-ups. They also cut the charges if the condition of the car is not proper according to their return policy.

Avis vs Alamo: Key Difference

Avis Alamo  
Car hiring locations Available in over 160 countries including Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, and Middle EastIt has over 1,500 locations in Asia, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, Caribbean, Latin America, United States 
Types of cars available Vans/trucksSports carsCompact carsSUV/minivansEco-friendly vehicles Sedan Commercial vehicles 4WDSpecialty vehicles SUV/minivanSedanCompact carsHigh performance vehicles Vas 4X4 vehicles Premium/luxury vehicles Hybrid vehicles Utility vehicles 
Type of insurance included All standard rentals come with a loss damage waiver. Third-party insurance is also included at selected locations and additional insurance is available for purchase Standard cover and loss or damage liability. Additional insurance options are available 
Fueling agreement Add Fuel Service Option in advance for a full tank of gas and return the car back empty You can start with a full tank of fuel in your vehicle at the time of rental or pay upon return
Can I smoke or carry a pet in the car?You cannot smoke but you can carry pets at most Avis locationsYou cannot smoke but you can carry pets and you’ll need to clean the car before returning it 
Can I drive out of state?Yes Although most of the vehicles are allowed to travel between the US and Canada, vehicles classes like Large Passenger, Exotics, or Cargo vans and other specialty vehicles cannot be allowed to travel outside of the US
Do I require a deposit?No 
What are the car rental requirements?Drivers should be at least 25 years old Valid driver’s license that has been held for a consecutive 12 months License not in English need an International Driving PermitDrivers must be ages 21 or olderHave a valid driver’s license written in English or accompanied by an International Driving Permit 
Can I pay in cash?Yes Yes 
Will they pick me up?Yes, if you are within five miles of the rental facility No 
Does it allow reservation cancellation?Yes, Changes and cancellations can be made online up to 24 hours before the rental period without a fee. However, changes after or during the rental period need a fee You can make cancellation online before the start of the rental but there will be a cancellation fee 
Can I add extra driver?Yes, Additional drivers include family members and work colleagues without a fee. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay a $5 fee daily which is capped at $25 Yes, additional drivers need to meet Alamo’s age and license requirements and present themselves at the rental counter along with the primary driver. And pay a daily fee which differs by location 

Final Verdict: Is Avis Best or Alamo?

When it comes to the final verdict, the ultimate decision goes upon the car. If we talk about Avis they don’t let you decide the car on your own, they further allocate you the car according to your requirements.

Whereas, when we talk about Alamo, they give you the freedom to choose cars from a particular category that suits your requirements.

FAQs

Is the Alamo better than the Budget?

Alamo has fewer options of payments whereas Budget has many. Hence the comparison is tough to answer.

Is Alamo owned by Enterprise?

Yes, Alamo is being parented by Enterprise Holdings.

Is Alamo part of Budget?

No. Alamo is a different car renting service. Budget and Avis are together in the same company holding.

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