Las Vegas NV: Be Aware Of Rental Car Bait & Switch Print


It seems to be an ever-growing travel industry practice. Quote a price on a room, cruise, flight and everything else, but actually charge considerably more. A typical car rental bill in Las Vegas is just an example of the growing add-on trend that infuriates savvy senior travelers.

The advertised price may be as low as $15 a day for the vehicle. Very reasonable, you believe, if you intend to drive around the city and visit nearby desert attractions. However, when you add up all the extras, the actual out-of-pocket costs could hit $50 and more daily. Here’s the typical list you’ll get in your face when you ask the innocent-looking rental agent how your bill suddenly almost tripled: State sales tax 8.1%, Nevada rental service fee 10%, Clark County rental fee 2%, airport concession recovery fee 10%, and “variable reimbursement of registration and license fee”, whatever that means.

Of course, there’s more. Something called a consumer facility charge, higher busy night and weekend prices, fuel-down fee, fill-up charge, tips to attendants, hotel and street parking fees and other add-ons.

Solution: If your Vegas adventure is limited to staying in and around your hotel, don’t rent a car. Grab a limo, bus or taxi from the airport no more than about $25 each way. For wandering around in Vegas, take the local bus and/or do some gawking and walking downtown and on the Strip. Add-on: The same advice applies, of course, if your destination is Honlulu, Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, Paris, Rome or Singapore.