How to Avoid Rental Car Fees at the Airport
Skip extra-driver charges and optional waivers you may not need with simple airport counter checks.
You avoid airport rental car fees by declining optional extras you do not need and limiting who is authorized to drive. You cannot remove mandatory airport pickup charges from an airport rental, so compare the total with taxes and fees before you book. An Airport Concession Recovery charge is a fee tied to the airport pickup itself.
Hertz states this charge covers part of the fees Hertz pays for the right to do business at each airport, hotel or train station, as described in Hertz rental fee terms.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 02, 2026.
What does the airport charge cover?
Hertz states its Airport Concession Recovery charge covers part of the fees Hertz pays for the right to do business at each airport, hotel or train station. Renters pay it on airport pickups because the company passes part of that operating cost through. That means the line item is linked to where you pick up the car.
Review the receipt breakdown before you sign and look at the total with taxes and fees, not only the daily rate.
Who should be listed as a driver?
Each added driver can add a daily charge. Enterprise charges $15.00 per day for each additional authorized driver, with a $5 rate in New York, according to Enterprise additional-driver answers. A spouse or domestic partner meeting age and license rules is authorized at no additional charge under those same Enterprise terms.
Keep the authorized-driver list short when only one person will drive.
- List only people who will drive the rental.
- Check age and license rules for a spouse or domestic partner.
- Remove a prior added driver when plans change.
Do you need the damage waiver at the counter?
Loss Damage Waiver, often shortened to LDW, is optional coverage that relieves responsibility for loss or damage. Hertz describes LDW in those terms and notes that various credit cards provide damage protection, as explained in Hertz rental location details. That card protection generally applies when renters pay with that card and decline the optional LDW.
Check your own card terms before you travel, including what vehicles and losses it covers.
How do you hold the total down at pickup?
Ask which charges are required for an airport pickup and which items are optional. Decline optional coverage you already have and avoid adding drivers who will not drive. Read the fee section on the rental agreement before you sign.
Keep the driver list short and keep payment on the card that carries the protection you plan to use.