Thrifty vs Dollar: Which One Is Better For You? [2024]

Thrifty vs Dollar: Car Renting services have been blessed by digital technology and have now been in the industry of online digital bookings and renting. Before we all know the hustle of finding the best car with the best rates on renting periods.

But now with the right online platforms, you can book your favourite car at a great price with just one click. You can select ample online renting services and portals but here we have brought you two popularly known for their services.

In this article, we are going to talk about two car renting services namely- Thrifty and Dollar. The article will be in the comparison review for both as Thrifty vs Dollar to make the best choice out of the two.

By the end of the article, you will get to know about these two in particular comparison, with the details of their pricing, fleet, how much they hold onto your cards, how they work, etc.

Thrifty vs Dollar: Overview

Thrifty

Thrifty is said to be one of the largest car renting companies in the world. It was established in 1958 and has been in a remarkable position in the industry today. Currently Thrifty offers its services to more than 4000 locations with the best price deals.

Thrifty in-detail offers its services in 472 locations including the U.S and Canada with other international locations at the count of 589. On the country count, Thrifty works with more than 77 countries under the main company-Hertz.

Thrifty is said to have everything on the plate to offer from membership, travel centers, free signing up, locations from cities to suburbs, etc. Thrifty and Dollar are said to be sister companies because of the same parent company- Hertz.

Dollar

Dollar Rental and Thrifty car rental both are brands of Premium Company-Hertz. But when we talk about the differences among them, it can be easily noticed that their locations and type fleets may give you different comfort and quotations for the same.

Dollar Car Rentals seems to offer more locations than Thrifty has and both of them have different policies and deals to look out for car renting services ahead. The car renting services offered by Dollar is limited only within the U.S and Canada.

The Dollar is not yet that out in the world as per Thrifty but it offers unique car deals, locations, and pricing for the customers which may attract a lot of attention while booking car rentals.

Thrifty vs Dollar: How do they work?

Thrifty

The website and user interface of Thrifty are quite user-friendly and are easily understood by new users too. The main menu and sub-menu are divided with all the keywords regarding car, policy, and rentals.

The main menu of Thrifty is divided into the options of Reservation, Our Cars, Location, and Blue Chip Rewards panel. Next to it, you can easily check the login and sign-up option with the contact us feature.

You can also simply set your pick-up location for the car rentals and then view, modify or cancel your bookings. For booking, it will ask you for details like pick-up location, drop-off location, date, time, promo code if any, blue chip ID, etc.

Then after filling in all the details you can then simply continue to book your car rental further. Car selecting option is quite easy. You can simply choose by rates and vehicles available as per your date and location.

Dollar

The user interface of Dollar Car Renting is very eye-catching and attracts an audience easily with great graphics and easy navigation available. The main menu of Dollar Car Rentals is divided among the heads namely- Reservations, Specials, Cars, Locations, Express Rewards, Business, and Travel Center.

You can easily look out for the airport and domestic locations which are allowed for car renting. The working of Dollar is quite similar to Thrifty where you have to choose the pick-up location of the car and then move ahead as per dates and cars available for the location selected.

Then the further procedure in short is to define the rates, select the add-on and insurance and choose the car you want for your location and dates.

Thrifty vs Dollar: Pricing

Thrifty

Thrifty’s pricing is customized as per the locations selected and period with car type. The pricing depends on the insurance selected and extra services selected with the car for renting period.

The base rate of your car renting is calculated by considering the charges of mileage, mandatory coverages, surcharges, taxes, etc.

Dollar

Dollar’s Car Renting also offered customized prices depending upon your selection of vehicle, location, and dates. Dollar Car Renting rate is calculated as per minimum charge of one day with the mileage expected to cover and then added fees, taxes, surcharges, etc.

Late Fee is also charged for late return or car damages made while returning the vehicle at the end of your renting period.

Thrifty vs Dollar: How much do they hold onto your card?

Thrifty

The cards accepted by Thrifty are Visa, MasterCard, and Discover cards. At the time of car renting from Thrifty, they will hold a particular deposit amount as security against the car given for the renting period.

Thrifty holds up to $200 for the credit cards and $500 for debit cards as deposits against the car rented with them. On the safe return of vehicles without any damage, the deposit will be released from their ends.

Dollar

The cards accepted for hiring a car from Dollar Car Rentals are- American Express, MasterCard, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, Visa, and China Union Pay.

Dollar holds the same rates on your cards compared to Thrifty. As mentioned, Dollar car rentals hold up to $200 on your credit cards as security against cars and hold $500 for debit cards.  

Thrifty vs Dollar: Fleet

Thrifty

The fleets available with Thrifty are under the main head -Our Cars on their official website. The fleet collection is then divided among different categories such as BMW Rentals, Convertible Rentals, Minivan Rentals, Luxury Rentals, Economy Rentals, Prestige Rentals, SUVs Rentals, Truck Rentals, Wild Card category, and many more.

The cars divided into brands available with Thrifty namely are- Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Dodge, Hyundai, Jeep, Lincoln, and many others.

Dollar

When we talk about the fleet collection of Dollar Car Renting it is observed that though being a sister company to Thrifty, it does have a unique collection of cars and hence makes Thrifty and Dollar different from each other.

The fleet collection offered by dollar Car Rentals for car rentals is divided among- Search for a car option, manager’s special, truck rentals, minivan rentals, SUVs rentals, Pacifica rentals, Economy Rentals, Convertible Car Rentals, and many more.

Thrifty vs Dollar: Which one is better?

Features	Thrifty	Dollar
Locations	For car hiring processes, you can choose up to 1000 locations worldwide with locations in the US and Canada.	For car hiring processes, users can choose more than 1500 locations with Dollar Car Renting excluding Africa, Asia, and Mid East.
Fleet	For Thrifty's Collection, it has SUVs, Vans, sedans, Buses, Utility vehicles, and commercial vehicles too.	Dollar’s Collection has 4WD, Elite Cars, SUVs, Vans, and much more.
Insurances Provided	Thrifty Car Rentals offers both insurances as Theft Protection and Collision Damage Waiver.	Dollar Car Rentals offer the same as Thrifty for insurances namely Collision Damage Waiver and Theft Protection.
Fuel Agreement	It has a prepaid charge agreement or full tank within a 10-mile radius of the return feature.	It has returned the car with a full tank or prepaid charge options to choose from.
Smoke and Pet Allowances	With Thrifty Cars, smoking is not allowed and if done $400 is charged. Pets are still allowed.	With Dollar Cars, smoking is not allowed and the same charge is a fine to be $400. Pets are allowed with the cleaning fees to be $50-$250.
Driving Out of State	With Thrifty Cars, you can go out of state but with relevant details submitted at their offices.	With Dollar Cars, you can go out but only within US and Canada.
Cancellation Policy	Yes, it can be canceled with the fee of $50-$100 as a cancellation fee.	Yes, car pickup and the ride can be canceled before pickup time with a $50-$100 fee charged as cancellation fees.
Extra Driver Facility	You can have extra drivers with valid ages and licenses at no extra charge.	Extra drivers are accepted by Dollar Car rentals with no extra charge but who meet all requirements.
Deposits Requirement	Thrifty Car Rentals need deposits as per your car choices.	Dollar Car Rentals will need up to $200 for credit cards and $500 for debit cards as deposits.
Car Rentals Requirement	At least you need to be 20 years old in the US and Canada whereas 18 years old in New York and other locations. Valid Driving Licenses and credit cards are a must.	For Dollar Cars, you need to have a valid driving license and credit cards with 18-20 years old requirements as per locations.
Cash Payment	They accept cash payment only if it is paid 30 days prior in advance with a $15 deposit which stays nonrefundable.	They allow cash payment before 30 days from the car renting period with $15 as a deposit which is non-refundable.
Pick Me Up Feature	Yes only with prior notices and courtesy phone facilities of the airport.	Yes. They can pick you up with pre-arrangement for disabled drivers.

Final Words

When we talk about Car Renting Services Thrifty and Dollar Car Rentals both come in the top 10 online services which offer the best car renting services to the citizens of the U.S and worldwide.

And when we talk about Thrifty vs Dollar, then the better final decision depends upon which location is selected by you and cars available from both the websites for your car renting period with more benefits and reasonable pricing.

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