When going to Florida, it’s very advisable to rent a car – especially if you plan to see something other than just South Beach. Here are a few pointers on your car rental when arriving at the Miami International airport (MIA) which I wished I’d remembered now that we did it a second time.
What you need to do from the comfort of your home before taking off on your trip is research the different rental companies. There are actually sixteen of them! You might be interested to know that most of the rental companies are actually owned by three big ones – Avis, Hertz and Enterprise. There are also rental companies outside the MIA rental car center (RCC), so double check the location of the rental center you have chosen. I only have knowledge of renting from the MIA RCC and thus this post covers only that.
The prices vary a lot and there are different conditions involved. This time round, we travelled during peak season (Christmas and New Years) which unfortunately meant that the prices of car rentals were up. If travelling other times of the year, you may get your car for half the price. We went for Budget since they had a second driver for free but only in the case that the second driver is the spouse of the renter.
After disembarking the airplane, it’s time to get your luggage. After you have done that, look for signs indicating the MIA Mover to the car rental center. You will first take an elevator to the third floor. From there you will proceed to a moving walkway which will take you to the Mover.
What you need to know is that the RCC is not going to be right next to your baggage claim area and it will take you at least half an hour to get there. From the moment you land to the moment you are actually in your car driving out of the rental car park, almost two hours may have passed by.
Once you actually get on the MIA mover, you are beginning to be closer to the RCC.
When you exit the Mover and finally see this sign below, you will know you are in the right place. Next proceed to find the car rental company you had selected at home and have your drivers licence and the rental papers handy. You will then go through the motions with the rental company. If coming from Europe, you will be very tired at this stage but try to stay focused – the rental companies often will try to put extras on your invoice at this point. Make sure you understand what you are paying for.
If your final destination is far from Miami, you have already travelled for hours and/or there’s a huge time difference compared to home, it may be a good idea to book a hotel near the airport for the first night. Then you will not risk nodding off when driving and will be more refreshed to start off in the morning.
Driving in Florida is nice and easygoing (except in Miami). It is useful to know the rule about turning right on a red light. You must first come to a complete stop and after stopping, you can turn right on red at most intersections if the way is clear. However, some intersections have a “NO TURN ON RED” sign, which you must obey. We can’t turn right on a red back home, so at first it caused me a bit of confusion. Car parks and parking spaces are big, so for once parking will be easy even if you have a huge car.
Something to take note of are the petrol stations in the proximity of the airport. If you have opted for filling up the gas tank yourself, you should know that the prices at the gas stations near the airport are shocking. Do fill up somewhere else and then just top up at the airport. The gas station is not right on the way of the RCC which is quite annoying, so have your passengers be on a lookout for it once you drive into the airport area, otherwise you will easily miss it.
Do make sure you reserve enough time for returning your car, as again, it will take you some time to actually get to the area where you will be doing your check-in and your bag drop. Also finding the gas station and filling up the tank may take surprisingly long. Hand in your car at the designated area, return your keys, grab your stuff and then off you go on the MIA Mover to the MIA Station.
Have you rented a car in Florida? How did it go? What do you think would be handy to know?
xx
The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi 
Your experience seems quite typical. I have rented a lot of cars over the years and it’s always time consuming. You have to remember that almost always the rental cars are nowhere near the airport — except in Fort Myers. Cars are directly across the street here.
I always carefully inspect the car before I drive it; checking for dings and dents. And with the car rental person there I take pictures of the dings and dents and email them to myself. I’ve never had a problem but I’m going to be ready if someone challenges me when I return a car with a dent in it. (Maybe I’m overzealous!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
No you are absolutely correct! That is a very good tip and everyone should do an inspection before leaving the car park. In some countries they really look for those dings and dents but for example in France they didn’t seem to care! I would still check even there 😛 Thank you for your input 🙂
LikeLike
2 hours, huh? That’s good to know. We always leave about an hour extra time to pick up the car because in most cases you actually make it to the rental car counter a little earlier and they always give you the car immediately so basically you save a little in time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If the RCC were nearer, it would go much faster. In Dusseldorf we were done in under one hour 👍
LikeLike
We’ve rented cars often in the US but haven’t visited Florida. I always dread the queues and time it takes to pick up the car even though we have pre booked on line as you have done. Thanks for the useful information.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you once again for your lovely comment! xx
LikeLike
Many many times. MIA was always the airport we would take our international flights from, so I have done that procedure a lot. One thing I’ve noticed from renting cars here in the US, is that they usually have the option to pre-pay the gas, as you’ve mentioned and every time I’ve rented a car here, it was always cheaper than the cheapest gas station around. By doing that, it’s one less ting to worry about when returning the car.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s good to know Camila, will have to look into prepaid gas next time. It really cost us a fortune to fill the tank at the airport. I had to go back over and over again to pay more (for some reason the pump never accepts our credit cards, maybe bc they are foreign)!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It could be. I every now and again have problems when using my International card too.
LikeLiked by 1 person