Had no trouble with thrifty, actually got a great free upgrade from compact to jeep for no extra money for a week. You have to call them from the airport. They actually game in 5 minutes. If they are out helping a customer in the parking lot they may not answer right away. Do not call until you have your bags, they are right outside the gates of the airport.

Ditto cocosmom, we've rented from Thrifty the past few years with no problems , and they seem to be the least expensive. We were also up-graded from a compact to a Jeep last year 🙂 it was great driving around topless.

Just rented from Budget last week in STT and drove it over to STJ. We rented a full size sedan for $250 for the week which is way lower than anything else I found. Here's the trick: don't rent from the airport - they're almost double the cost of the Sapphire Beach location. Rent from Sapphire and when they ask if you'll be returning the car to them, tell them you'd prefer to return it to the airport. No extra charge that way!

We rented from Dependable in June and had no problems whatsoever. We had an SUV and when I compared their prices to what I could get on Hotwire, Depenable was slightly less.

thanks! do you ask to be upgraded or do they offer it up themselves?

quick question...when I try to look up Buget rates at Sapphire versus the airport --online the rates are the same. Did you book online for the lower Sapphire location rate or by phone? thanks for your help!

Nam's,

Last year when we were up-graded went into Thrifty to get my "economy" car (Echo) and the guy waiting on me said "You qualify of an up-grade" I said "I do"? he said "Yes you have enough points" I said "What points"? he said "you rented hear last year...you have enough points to up-grade.....do you want a Jeep" I said "Let me think...OK !!!!" Never asked for the up-grade, We've rented though Thrifty this year, lets see if we get an up-grade 🙂

We did not ask for the upgrade. There was a lady in front of us who was very impatient. She had attitude written all over her. I kept thinking, come on be happy it's the islands! Daniel was very nice, running here and there getting his job done it was not like he was sitting there wasting time. When he finished with her we started chatting with Daniel like normal people would when they finally get to the beautiful VI's :). Next thing we know he asks us if we want a jeep, no extra charge. Duh! Hubby was thrilled. So we paid something like $190 for a week for a jeep.

The budget code location I used was S5P. I booked online. If you book to return it to the airport instead of Sapphire, it'll be more expensive. Just keep it as returning to the same location and then when you get to the counter, tell them you want to return to the airport.

Hope this helps.

Thanks all!

Maybe I'm doing something wrong but, when I try to book either Thrifty or Budget (at Sapphire) the cost for a mid-size is greater than Hertz at the airport. For Thrifty it's $3. more for Budget it's $50. more (for an 8 day period in October).

To be fair....I'm using the AAA discount for Hertz.....as far as I know Thrifty & Budget do not discount on STT.

Hertz still seems to be the best value......even at the airport! The breakdown is: $197.99/week + $28.79 for the extra day + their fees & taxes = $275.63 (8 days)....or $34.78 per day.

Also, how does one get to the Budget location at Sapphire without paying the $40. taxi fare (2 people)?

F.I.

Future Islander --

Budget will pick you up from your location. Now that I think about it, I used the "Costco" discount when I booked. If you're not a member, the offer code is U072400. Try that and see if it works!

-Bimini

Thanks.

I just tried it and came up with $305.98 for 8 days.....still $30. more....and we'll need to wait for the pick-up at the airport.

I guess I'll keep the Hertz reservation.

F.I.

Make sure that Hertz lets you drive the car in St. John! Some rental agencies won't let you take it on the ferry.

Yep I was getting the lowest rate using my AAA discount with Hertz but then I read on this board that Hertz wont let you drive over to STJ...so I'm going to go with either Dependable or Thrifty

Google thrifty discount codes or coupons. Put these codes in ( keep trying them all) until you get a discount. They may not be the cheapest..just depends, I find that you have to do some work to find the cheapest & it could be budget this time. Hertz charges you $1000 if you take the car to STJ ( read the fine print ) No problem with thrifty it was in the fine print.

We took an Avis car over to STJ once.....and prefer not to use the car ferry again....too much trouble and waste of time (IMHO).

F.I.

I didn't read ALL of your replies, just going to offer my thoughts...
First, as an airport greeter, I have had MANY problems with Thrifty! I do not recommend them at all!
Budget at the airport has an airport tax, but to me, worth it as you get your car right there! If you rent at Sapphire, remember that you will have to pay a taxi to get there! To me, that does not make sense! If you have a greeter for any reason (which you would have if you are staying at a villa on STT), DO NOT DO SAPPHIRE BUDGET! This will take alot of extra time! If you do Sapphire Budget and have a greeter, have the greeter meet you at Sapphire.
For the most part, I do not have any issue's with Dependable.
I also would like to say that I love Amalie....the usually tend to be more expensive, BUT you will NOT wait for you car, they will be there, car ready to go, with a smile! We sometimes do have a wait for Budget, can be up to an hour!
Hope I am helpful to you!

why do you advise against using the car ferry?