[hn8726]

Can you give an example? I just checked a random rental website for France and I got a very clear `From $xx` price and I could — in one step — go to checkout with that exact price by simply not selecting any other options.

Sure you will have upsells but if a price for a service is presented, that should be a final price. You can't tack on "resort fees", the price presented must be inclusive of all the required charges. For example as much as I dislike Booking.com, the price they show for a room includes everything — tax, mandatory cleaning fee and city tax if applicable.

[octo888]

I was trying to ascertain if we're discussing just taxes etc, or from the article "fees (like baggage, seat assignments, and service charges)" and whether you /need/ to select extras to have a decent standard of a service

Also, so much is unbundled these days, you have to be really careful what that initial price really includes. For example, with Sixt, they often don't include the basic CDW + Theft coverage which for a long time was always included in the base price. I assumed it was law in most of Europe. Luckily Avis, Hertz, Europcar don't stoop that low

You're right - you can book a car, and if you don't inadvertently agree to extras either verbally or on the ipads at the rental desk, and don't incur any extra charges/fees during the rental, the price you pay should be what you initially reserved :-)

And you're right about booking.com - they seem to do a fairly good at at incorporating tourist taxes etc into the final price.

[slaw]

https://www.kayak.com/cars/San-Jose,Costa-Rica-c30707/2025-1...

You can go to the last page and book rental. Only at the airport counter you will learn, there are extra fees you need to pay.

[hn8726]

I did that — picked a booking, it redirected me to Expedia and showed a $0 rental! But then when I changed my region on the top bar from US to "Rest of Europe", that booking no longer worked. When I then search (on Expedia) for the same location and dates, I get very believable prices (200-300 EUR). When I change the region back to the US and search again directly on Expedia, I see the same scam $0 offer as previously.

I think this supports precisely my point — in EU all the fees are presented such that you can get the service without any hidden costs

[octo888]

LOL there is literally a "$0 total" deal ($0.24 rounded down). At least it's REALLY obvious it's a scam:

  Due today: $0.00
  Due at car rental counter: $0.24
  Car rental: $0.20 Scg - lpf $0.01Scg - iva $0.03"

I'm guessing there is some crazy location fee, mandatory insurance at an inflated price and/or "oops the car you booked isn't available"?

[terminalshort]

But it works that way too when I book in the US.

[mathgeek]

Which sites have you found with this feature in the US? Every one I have ever used adds various fees to whatever price shows on the listings.

[aakkaakk]

Lol. No, VAT is never included in US.