Alamo Overview

Alamo Rent A Car is a car rental company focused mainly on serving the rental needs of airport travelers. Alamo is an internationally-recognized company which offers low rental rates to their customers. Their services can be found in popular travel destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia. Alamo Rent A Car began operating in 1974, mainly in Florida. Alamo has been named the official rental car of Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.

Alamo is considered to be the the third-largest car rental company in the US. For its many locations, it earned the “Extra Mile Travel” award from the Budget Travel magazine in 2007.

Alamo  is the largest car rental company providing rentals to international travelers who are visiting North America as it is also a part of Europcar, the world’s largest car rental network.

Services Available by Alamo

Unlimited Mileage

Alamo offers unlimited mileage to its customers, a concept that Alamo founded. However, if the rental is one-way, there may be additional charges.

Protection/Insurance

Alamo Rent A Car implemented a plan to transform collision damage waivers by introducing price and coverage option for all renters. Alamo Rent A Car created three new consumer-driven optional collision damage waiver products in Florida, named Waiver Savers®, which provided customers with three choices of price and coverage options tailored to their needs.

Alamo offers roadside assistance to customers at no extra charge, provided they select the option at time of reservation.  Consumers can also choose extra insurance options: extended warranty coverage, accident and personal effects insurance, deductible protection etc.

Loyalty Program

Alamo Insiders is Alamo’s loyalty program.  The program promises its customers that they are guaranteed to receive a discount of at least 10%. The program is open to anyone and bookings must be done through the website.

Reservation Process

Alamo encourages its customers to book online by providing their best rates on their website. They also have an incentive called “Prepay and Save” in which customers may receive an additional 10% discount by booking a rental online.

Alamo was the first car rental company that offered real-time booking capabilities on their website, beginning in 1995.  On their website, customers could use their website to find locations of rental sites, view rental car rates as well as select the vehicle they wanted.

Also on their website, Alamo reminds customers that all cars are controlled by the car category chosen and not by car make or model. They make no guarantees about features, seating capabilities and luggage capacities for the vehicle and indicate that such capacities listed on their site are a general guideline only.

Check-In Process

In 2005, Alamo created and implemented the industry’s first and only online check-in system. Customers can go online to check in, making it very convenient as that can be done anywhere in the world. It also makes the delivery of the rental car that much faster, as the customer will not need to go to the rental desk.

There are also several check-in kiosks that are offered as well, again avoiding the step of having to go to the rental desk.

Delivery Process

As Alamo operates more than 159 self-service kiosks at 65 U.S. locations, there is generally a convenient place for travelers to pick up their rental vehicles.This service is even faster by allowing American customers to choose their own vehicles, provided they have a reservation in advance and have requested a car class. They can then simply drive away from the airport.

Drop-Off Process

As there are so many locations to choose from, drop off locations are easy to find across the country.  One-way rentals are allowed at Alamo, so that customers do not need to drop off the rental vehicle at the same location as they picked up the vehicle.

Conclusion

Alamo was the founder of the “unlimited mileage” concept which other rental car companies quickly instituted shortly after. Alamo also offers roadside assistance to its customers at no extra charge whereas many other car rental companies charge a per day or per week fee. Customers are encouraged to book online with the “Prepay and Save” program which guarantees customers the lowest price plus an additional 10% savings for booking online.