None of the car rental companies I spoke with would answer the allegation that they stopped certain

Good question. To find out, I first checked the Avis site, running a query for a rental from JFK in early March. I identified myself addict celebrity cruise as a resident of Israel in the first search, and the site offered me a rate of $59 a day. Not bad for a set of wheels in the Big Apple.
Car rental pricing is market-driven and very dynamic, says Alice Pereira, a spokeswoman for Avis. Many factors determine price, including level of demand, cost of service, currency exchange rates, and the competitive environment. Travel companies may offer promotional rates to take advantage of growing markets or other fluctuations in demand, or simply to respond to competitive pricing.
So what determines the rate you pay? A driver s nationality, the currency exchange rate and the inclusion or exclusion of the costs of damage and liability coverages that, in some countries, are required charges for foreign travelers, according to Avis.
The competitive influences in each source market typically pattern the resulting non-resident rates and promotions to be among the lowest available in the destination markets, says Paula Rivera, a Hertz spokeswoman. However, there is no guarantee that this will always be the case and there may be instances whereby local promotions are offered to residents at lower rate levels.
But dynamic pricing is creeping into our lives beyond the travel industry. Remember your last trip to the grocery store? Maybe they offered a special price based on your club membership in the grocery store s loyalty program, or a two-for-one offer members only.
I m not surprised at any of these answers, although I m a little taken aback that any company would refused to rent a car to anyone based on their nationality. I tried to duplicate that result on the site, but couldn t.
None of the car rental companies I spoke with would answer the allegation that they stopped certain travelers from renting their cars, although that isn t necessarily illegal. Just try to rent a car if you re under 25 or have a questionable addict celebrity cruise DMV record. Your rental company might tell you it s out of cars, too, or turn you down flat.
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