I have a car rental from 9pm Friday to 9pm Sunday, currently at $32 per day. It doesn't mention any hourly rate.

There is a strong chance I will be returning the car ~11pm (2 hours late). Pricing out 2 day 2 hour options this late now is not giving any good rates, so I'm thinking of doing a late-fees. But I've never done this before. So what can I reasonably expect in overage charges for late fees here (this is for LAX rental if it matters).

 

Totally depends in your rate conditions. When booking on Avis.com, on step 3, hit the Rate Terms on the left side. It will pull up any conditions. It might be that there is a special rate that is only valid up to 48 hours, the car must be returned by 10pm, etc. Without knowing those terms, it's impossible to guess how your rate will change by being late.

 

you need to check the rate you are getting. in some cases being late by more than 15 minutes can trigger a reprice of the full rental

 

As you seem to know already, going over could mean a different rate applies. Some places charge by the hour and some by the day.

As an alternative, I usually rent with Hertz in these scenarios. The Amex Platinum Card includes a rate code with a 4 hour grace period. I'm not saying this to promote either Hertz or Amex, but it's something I often use for weekend trips like what you describe.

 

Thanks. Yes, I'm aware of the hertz-amex offer, and priced it out also. At this point the price is way more than my current 2-day rate. Which is why if the late-fee for 2 hours is simply $20 or so, I'd prefer to do just that. I'll comb through the rates.

 

If you need help, let me know. Without the rate details (even with them, I guess), you can't tell what the charges will be. If your rental still falls within the rate terms, then it will probably just add an extra day (2 hours is often similar to a full daily rate). If you're outside of the quoted rate terms, they can put you in any rate that fits your terms and you won't know what that is until you try to return (it could be the same price they're quoting for 2 days/2 hours now, much more, much less or anywhere in between).

The other thing that might be worth trying: what if you move the pickup to 11pm so it's still a 2 day rental? If you're signed up for preferred, they might pre-print the contract and not update if you show up at 9pm. Or just pickup closer to 11, if possible.