1958
3 minutes readHistory of the brand
Alamo belongs to a large holding called Enterprise, which also owns hire companies Enterprise and National.
The company’s first four offices opened in Florida 1974, and they immediately introduced the concept of unlimited mileage.
Before and after
Car hire companies used to limit free mileage, and they charged for every extra mile. Alamo did away with this rule.
Such an obvious solution — not to limit mileage — became a breakthrough in the history of car hire. The company continued to grow thanks to innovations: in 1995, it launched the first real-time online booking mechanism in the industry, and ten years later, it launched the first and only system of online registration in the business.
As a result, it became one of the industry leaders in the US at an incredible pace and ranked among the global car hire leaders.
Special features
Apart from its reputation, impressive fleet, and truly bargain prices, a special feature of the company is its Choice service, which allows you to choose independently any car from its fleet in the class that you have booked.
It works like this: after the client fills in the documents, he is told the car park number (e.g., car park 2A) where he can choose any car. The keys are already in the ignition — the client comes to the cars, chooses the model he likes, and drives off.
How to get a higher class car
At the exit, the car hire staff compare the booked class with the car you selected at the car park, but you have the chance to take a higher class car! Sometimes when the car park is busy, higher class cars get placed in the rows of lower-class ones. If such a gem appears in your row, you can take it without any question.
Insurance options when hiring a car with Alamo in the USA
Two insurance options are available for tourists:
- Super insurance with no excess
The most popular option. If the client had not violated the agreement at the time the accident happened (intoxication, violating the highway code, and so on), the company assumes all costs of repairs. You would need to take out extended insurance to insure the windows and tires.
- Basic insurance
If the car is damaged or stolen, your liability is limited to paying a certain amount (the excess). For example, if the excess is $300 and the damage is $500, you only owe $300.
Basic insurance
For US residents, there is a rate with a basic insurance policy according to which in the event of damage to the car, an amount is deducted from the US citizen’s credit card in accordance with the excess agreement.
Advantages of Alamo
- Credibility and reputation on the car hire market.
- A large selection of cars in good condition.
- A large number of new cars.
- Service support.
- Phone support 24/7.
- Market price for car hire.
- Simple and convenient hiring procedure.
When setting off on a journey across an unknown country in an unfamiliar car, you really don’t want to worry about dodgy companies — hence, we recommend selecting a hire company that has already earned a reputation on the car services market. Pay attention to the cars available to choose. Study their history and reviews, and find out the phone numbers and working hours of the support service, if you want to enjoy the road and views from the windows with peace of mind!
