Thrifty Car Rental - Oakland International Airport - Oakland, California

Jack D.

I had a great experience with Thrifty at OAK. After the shuttle, I pulled into the rental center and was the second person in line. The manager, who had just clocked out, asked if I needed help checking in. She walked me through the online check in, saw that a car of my class wasn’t available, then upgraded me at no cost. The Prius I received was clean and has no issues for my drive. I returned the car and was kindly greeted, then sent to the shuttle to return to the airport. While on the shuttle I received the emailed receipt that all was good. Overall, it was a great experience that I would recommend!

Greg S.

We had a terrible experience with Thrifty, and never intend to rent from them again. Having already paid for our rental before picking up our vehicle, when we arrived we were manipulated into paying an extra nearly $800 extra for INSURANCE WE DIDN'T NEED!! If you already have car insurance or a credit card with perks, YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE INSURANCE!! We brought the vehicle back a couple hours later based on talking with an agent over the phone who told us this could be adjusted, but in person they had horrendous customer service and told us it was too late to change the agreement. It ruined our trip, can't say enough bad things about this company.

Todd S.

They have very limited inventory. I booked manager special car when I got there they only have EV available but I am looking for a gas car. The staff leave me only one option for gas car which is full size SUV and I have to pay almost $100 for the upgrade. Don't recommend to rent the car here.

Ross T.

Expensive, way higher than the reserved price. At return, 4 staff members standing around chatting and Michael talking sports while the clock is ticking on my departing flight. Nice that they can all be so relaxed and take their sweet ass time but I've got to get moving.

John M.

I have had a terrible experience with Thrifty. Easy to rent the car. But the after return service has been absolutely terrible. I sent in an email almost a week ago and I am still waiting for a response. I was overcharged by $400 and I have contacted my bank credit card to dispute the charges. The simple fact that I have had no response in nearly a week is unacceptible. As it stand now I will never ever rent from you again. A simple phone call could of solves everything. The fact that you claim I brought back the thank empty is mind blowing. I filled the thank up 10 minutes before I returned it.

Tierra S.

The WORST experience. I would not recommend renting from them. We booked through Expedia- thrifty was showing it was open 24 hours. And even confirmed our pick up time. My husband and friends landed at 12:15am , went to the rental area, come to find out they were closed and nobody to talk to. I contacted Expedia to see if it was an error but they also confirmed that Thrifty shows their hours of operation is 24/7. My husband was then stuck at the airport waiting until 6 am , when Thrifty was supposed to open. Nobody showed up at the counter until 7am. They need to update their hours with booking platforms so this doesn’t happen to anybody else. I reached out via their website, and nobody has tried to make this right. Terrible customer service!

Erica H.

I had reserved a compact car with Thrifty at the Oakland Airport and had prepaid in full prior to picking it up. When I got there, I was sent to the Hertz rental desk.. I waited in line for 45 minutes to an hour before being helped. They prioritized Hertz customers and made everyone else wait. After the long wait, I was assisted by an employee named Dwaine. I get to the counter and he tells me that they don't have a vehicle available and doesn't know when the next one would be available. He said that it could be in 30 minutes, an hour, or even later but had no idea when one become available. I told him that I was running late already and couldn't wait. He said the only thing I could do was pay $50 extra per day to upgrade to a premium car. My other option was to cancel but also get charged extra. Other rental car companies have had this issue in the past and have just upgraded us to a different vehicle free of charge since it is out of our control. He refused to do that. He looked on the computer again he said he could do something for $32 upcharge per day instead. I was left with no choice but to take it. I don't understand why they refused to honor their prices or offer any other option that doesn't make you pay more. I was very upset with my experience. I paid an additional $99 to get "upgraded" to a 2019 Dodge Charger that was extremely scratched and had multiple dents. I will attach pictures of the condition this vehicle for your entertainment. Zoom in on the pictures to get the real experience.

Josh S.

Rented a car for a week through Hotwire where I got a really good deal. But just like other reviews, I had to wait in a very long slow moving line to pick up my vehicle. At one only one person was working the line! It was pretty painful.

When I finally got to the front the customer service person I got was friendly though. And the Nissan Murano they gave me did great driving all around California through lots of twisty roads and mountain highways.

If you are on a strict budget for your trip, this may be an okay option, just make sure to plan for the pickup to take some waiting. Otherwise just rent from someone else.