Avis Car Hire in San Francisco

Hola Car Rentals is the only premium partner of the top car hire brands operating in San Francisco, giving you exclusive access to our All Inclusive+ rate. This rate includes benefits that no other company can match:

• Free liability coverage starting at US$ 300,000 in case of an accident (applies only to certain rates and itineraries)
• Toll cashback: recover up to 5% of the reservation's total value for toll charges incurred during your hire period
• Premium travel medical assistance providing up to US$ 150,000 in coverage for a maximum of 5 passengers in case of a medical emergency, excluding pre-existing conditions
• No Extra Charges© guarantee: if the counter charges you for something not listed on your confirmation and not an optional add-on you accepted, Hola Car Rentals will work to remove or reimburse the charge after verification

All of this comes at no extra cost, ensuring a fully protected car hire experience and peace of mind throughout your trip in San Francisco.

No. With Hola Car Rentals, all costs and charges for your booking in San Francisco are clearly shown at the time of reservation and in your confirmation email, so you know exactly what you are paying before you arrive at the counter.

On top of that, every Hola Car Rentals booking includes the No Extra Charges© guarantee. This is a pricing guarantee (not insurance) that protects you if the counter in San Francisco charges you for something that was not listed on your confirmation and was not an optional add-on you accepted. If that happens, Hola Car Rentals will work with the hire partner to remove or reimburse the charge after verification.

The only costs outside this guarantee are:

• Optional add-ons you choose at the counter (GPS, child seats, prepaid fuel)
• Usage-based charges (tolls, fuel shortfall, traffic fines)

After collecting your bags at San Francisco International Airport, follow the signs to the AirTrain and board the Blue Line towards the Rental Car Centre (RCC). The journey takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes, and the AirTrain is free and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with frequent departures from every terminal.

Once you arrive at the Rental Car Centre station, proceed inside the RCC building and locate the Avis counter. From there, Avis staff will direct you to the vehicle level for your hire.

A few things to have ready before you reach the Avis counter in San Francisco:

• Your booking confirmation or printed voucher
• A physical, major credit card in the main driver’s name for the excess
• Your valid driver’s licence and passport or government-issued photo ID

The Avis location at San Francisco International Airport operates 24 hours a day, so late arrivals and early-morning flights are both accommodated without issue.

The Avis location at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including public holidays. This means you can collect or return your vehicle at any time, regardless of your flight schedule.

If you are hiring from one of the Avis city centre locations in San Francisco rather than the airport, hours are more limited:

• Union Square (675 Post St): Monday to Thursday and Saturday to Sunday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM; Friday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• Howard St (821 Howard St): Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM

If your flight is delayed, Avis at San Francisco International Airport will hold your reservation for up to 24 hours from the original pickup time. For delays beyond 24 hours, contact support as soon as possible to avoid losing your booking.

To collect your Avis hire car in San Francisco, you must present the following physical documents at the counter:

• A valid, unexpired driver’s licence in the main driver’s name
• A physical, major credit card with the driver’s name printed on the card, for the excess hold
• A passport or valid government-issued photo ID
• Your booking confirmation or printed voucher
• Round-trip flight or cruise tickets (required for visitors from outside the United States)

If your driver’s licence uses a non-Latin alphabet, such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or Cyrillic, an International Driving Permit (IDP) is mandatory. For licences in other non-English scripts, an IDP is strongly recommended. The IDP is a translation document only and must be carried alongside your original licence.

At the Avis counter in San Francisco, all documents must be physical originals. Digital copies shown on a phone or tablet are not accepted. Debit cards and prepaid cards are not accepted for the excess, even if you prepaid your booking online.

San Francisco and the wider Bay Area rely on a fully cashless toll system. The regional electronic toll platform is FasTrak, which covers all Bay Area bridges and express lanes. There are no cash toll booths on most facilities.

Common tolls you may encounter when driving an Avis hire in San Francisco include:

• Bay Bridge (San Francisco to Oakland): approximately US$8.50 per crossing, westbound only
• Golden Gate Bridge: approximately US$9.75 with FasTrak or US$10.75 by invoice, southbound only
• Express lanes on regional motorways: dynamic pricing that varies by time of day

Your Avis vehicle in San Francisco will include an electronic toll device or plate-based billing system. At the counter, you can choose between two options:

• Unlimited toll package: a fixed daily rate, typically US$11 to US$25 per day, covering all tolls during the hire
• Pay per use: actual toll charges plus administrative fees billed to your card after the hire, sometimes weeks later

You may also opt out and pay tolls directly via the FasTrak website or app, but you must inform the Avis counter agent so they can deactivate the vehicle’s default device and prevent duplicate charges.

Yes, all bookings made through Hola Car Rentals, including Avis hires in San Francisco, include Tolls Cashback of up to 5% of your total booking value for tolls paid during the hire period.

Given that San Francisco and the Bay Area have some of the highest bridge tolls in California, including the Bay Bridge at approximately US$8.50 per crossing and the Golden Gate Bridge at approximately US$9.75, this benefit can add up significantly over a multi-day hire.

To claim your Tolls Cashback after returning your Avis vehicle in San Francisco:

• Email [email protected] within 30 days of returning the car
• Use the subject line: Tolls Cashback, followed by your reservation number
• Attach your Hola Car Rentals confirmation, the Avis hire agreement, and a toll receipt or statement showing charges paid

Refunds are issued to the original payment method used for your booking and typically process within 7 to 10 working days after approval. Submissions received after 30 days are not eligible.

Picking up an Avis hire car at San Francisco International Airport means your base rate will be subject to several mandatory local fees and taxes that are not always visible in the initial search price. These are standard charges applied to all airport hires in San Francisco and are not specific to Avis alone.

Typical surcharges added to airport hires in San Francisco include:

• Customer Facility Charge (CFC): approximately US$4.50 to US$6.00 per hire period, covering the cost of the Rental Car Centre
• Concession Recovery Fee: typically 10 to 12% of the base rate, reflecting the airport’s concession agreement with rental companies
• San Francisco city hire tax: approximately 9 to 10%
• Tourism and state surcharges: approximately 1 to 2%

Combined, these surcharges can add 25 to 35% on top of the advertised base rate for Avis hires at San Francisco International Airport. Your booking confirmation will show which fees are included in your prepaid rate and which are payable at the counter under the total to pay at destination section.

Yes, Avis in San Francisco applies a young driver surcharge to renters aged between 21 and 24. The standard Avis underage fee in the United States is US$13 per hire day, with a maximum charge of US$65 per hire period, plus applicable taxes.

Drivers under 21 are not eligible to hire from Avis in San Francisco. Drivers aged 21 to 24 may hire but are subject to the daily surcharge and are restricted from certain vehicle classes, including full-size saloons, SUVs, minivans, luxury, premium, and convertible categories.

There is one exception worth noting: if you are a citizen or resident of Latin America or the Caribbean, certain Hola Car Rentals rates fulfilled by Avis may waive the underage fee for the main driver aged 21 to 24. To qualify, the waiver must appear explicitly on your booking confirmation, and the vehicle must fall within an eligible category such as economy, compact, medium saloon, standard saloon, compact SUV, or medium SUV.

Check your Hola Car Rentals confirmation carefully before arriving at the Avis counter in San Francisco to confirm whether the waiver applies to your booking.

San Francisco presents some of the most demanding urban driving conditions in the United States, and first-time visitors in an Avis hire car should be prepared for a few specific challenges.

Key points to know before driving in San Francisco:

• Steep hills: San Francisco's street grid is laid over challenging terrain. Many streets have sharp inclines that require careful use of the handbrake when parking and confident hill-start technique when moving off
• Extensive one-way street network: Much of the city uses one-way routes, including paired streets such as Bush and Pine, and Turk and Eddy. These were designed to funnel traffic quickly into the centre and can be disorienting for visitors unfamiliar with the layout
• Complex motorway interchanges: The US 101 and I-280 interchange near Cesar Chavez Street is one of the most congested and confusing in the Bay Area, with tight connections and split-level ramps
• Cashless tolls on all Bay Area bridges: Every bridge crossing requires FasTrak or plate-based billing. Your Avis vehicle in San Francisco will have a toll device, but confirm your preferred billing method at the counter

California fuel prices are typically 20 to 30% above the national average, with San Francisco stations often among the most expensive in the region.

Yes, one-way hires are possible with Avis in San Francisco, but a drop-off fee may apply depending on your return location and the route you choose.

Common one-way scenarios and what to expect:

• Returning between Avis locations within San Francisco, such as from the airport to Union Square or Howard St, may not incur a drop-off fee, but confirm during booking
• Returning to a different Californian city, such as Los Angeles or San Diego, typically incurs a one-way fee that varies by distance and vehicle class
• Cross-state returns may be restricted or attract higher fees depending on Avis partner rules

Any applicable drop-off fee will be shown on the details page of your rate during the booking process, listed under the total to pay at destination section. This fee cannot be prepaid and is settled directly at the Avis counter in San Francisco or at the return location.

If you need to change your return location after booking, contact support as soon as possible, as mid-hire route changes must be approved by the partner and may reprice the hire or increase the drop-off fee.

Avis hires in San Francisco follow a Full-to-Full fuel policy by default. This means you receive the vehicle with a full tank and must return it full to avoid additional charges.

Steps to follow to avoid fuel charges on your San Francisco Avis hire:

• At pickup, check the fuel gauge with the agent and confirm the starting level is recorded on the hire agreement
• Take a photo of the dashboard showing the odometer and fuel gauge before leaving the lot
• Refuel within approximately 10 miles of the return location before dropping off the car
• Keep your final fuel receipt showing the date, time, and station address
• For after-hours returns at San Francisco International Airport, leave the receipt in the return envelope and keep a photo of the full gauge

Note that fuel prices in San Francisco are among the highest in the United States, typically 20 to 30% above the national average. Budgeting for this is especially important if you plan to drive across the Bay Area or beyond during your Avis hire.

If you return the vehicle below the recorded starting level, Avis may charge for the fuel shortfall at their own refuelling rate, which is usually higher than pump prices, plus a service fee.

Yes, you can add an additional driver to your Avis hire in San Francisco, but the extra driver must be present at the counter at the time of pickup with their own valid driver’s licence.

Whether the additional driver fee applies depends on your booking:

• If your Hola Car Rentals confirmation states additional driver free of charge, the first extra driver is included at no cost
• If not included, Avis in San Francisco charges US$13 per hire day for an additional driver, with a maximum of US$65 per hire period, plus applicable taxes

Important conditions for adding a driver to your Avis hire in San Francisco:

• The additional driver must be at least 25 years old for Avis bookings
• They must meet the same document requirements as the main driver, including a valid licence and, if applicable, an International Driving Permit
• Both the main driver and the additional driver must sign the hire agreement at the Avis counter
• Only drivers listed on the agreement are covered by the hire protections, including CDW and liability cover

If you need to add a driver after pickup, visit an Avis branch in San Francisco to update the agreement in person.

The insurance and protection options included in your Avis hire in San Francisco depend on the rate plan you selected when booking through Hola Car Rentals. Your booking confirmation will list exactly what is covered.

The two main protections to look for are:

• Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) or Loss Damage Waiver (LDW): reduces your financial liability for damage to the Avis vehicle from a collision, theft, or vandalism. A deductible may apply unless your confirmation states zero excess
• Third-Party Liability (LIS/ALI/SLI): covers bodily injury and property damage you may cause to others while driving the Avis hire in San Francisco. Some U.S. states require a minimum level of liability, but not all, so check your confirmation carefully

CDW and LDW do not cover third parties, and LIS does not cover damage to the hire vehicle itself. They are separate protections that work together.

Common exclusions regardless of coverage level include prohibited use such as driving under the influence, off-road use, and drivers not listed on the Avis hire agreement in San Francisco. Always report any incident immediately using the contact number on your hire agreement.

Yes, most bookings made through Hola Car Rentals, including Avis hires in San Francisco, include travel assistance provided by Terrawind Global Protection at no extra cost. However, this benefit does not apply to residents of the United States or Canada.

If you are an international visitor driving an Avis hire in San Francisco and something goes wrong, such as a medical emergency on a Bay Area motorway, a breakdown on the Golden Gate Bridge approach, or a flight cancellation affecting your return, travel assistance can help with:

• Medical cover for up to 5 passengers for non-pre-existing conditions and accidents
• Legal assistance in the event of a road accident
• Compensation for luggage lost by the airline
• Flight cancellation insurance

To contact the assistance team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

• Call: +1 888 980 9992 (toll-free or collect)
• WhatsApp: +1 208 910 1001
• Email: [email protected]

Have your full name, Hola Car Rentals confirmation number, current location in San Francisco, and a brief description of the situation ready when you call. This cover is separate from the Avis vehicle damage protection and does not replace CDW or liability insurance.