Cheap Car Rentals at San Jose Airport

Car Rental at the San Jose Airport

The Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport is an excellent location from which to rent a car and explore the fascinating Bay Area of Northern California. Flying to and renting a car from the San Jose Airport is often cheaper and more convenient than flying directly to nearby San Francisco. The city of San Jose is also much more comfortable than San Francisco to navigate via rental car!

Make the most of your visit to San Jose by staying mobile and exploring the local and the distant (don’t miss the numerous state and national parks in the nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range!) via rental car. Here is a brief guide to finding the cheapest rental cars at the San Jose Airport.

Important Facts about the San Jose International Airport

• Physical address:

1701 Airport Boulevard
San Jose, CA 95110-1206

• Website address: flysanjose.com
• Contact information:

o By telephone: (408) 392-3600
o By email: info@sjc.org
o Phone calls are answered Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM and emails are typically answered within 72 hours of receipt.

• International Air Transport Association code: SJC
• The San Jose International Airport is comprised of two terminals connected to each other as one long building, Terminal A and Terminal B. International flights arrive at Terminal A towards the middle of the Airport building.

Get the Best Deal on San Jose Car Rentals at EconomyBookings.com

Car rental at the San Jose International Airport typically ranges between $44 and $50 a day. Over 7 car rental companies serve the San Jose Airport.

San Jose International Airport Rental Car Center

There are no car rental companies with desks located directly inside the San Jose terminals, but the San Jose International Airport Rental Car Center is conveniently located directly across from Terminal B. To get to the Rental Car Center from Terminal B, simply exit the building at the Baggage Claim carousels and cross Airport Drive. If you are arriving at Terminal A, look for the stop for the blue shuttle bus on the street outside Baggage Claim and take the shuttle directly to the Rental Car Center.

The car rental companies located at the San Jose Airport Rental Car Center include Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Sixt, and Thrifty. Note that each company holds different opening hours at the Rental Car Center. Be sure to double-check that your rental car company’s hours of operations coincide with both your arrival to and your departure from San Jose.

Tips for Cheap Car Rental at the San Jose Airport

In order to get the best deals on car rentals at the San Jose Airport, be sure to book your rental car at least three months in advance of your arrival. Prices typically rise during popular travel seasons of mid-summer and Christmas, so you can expect to pay at least $46 a day in July, for instance, regardless of how far in advance you book your rental car.

The cheapest San Jose Airport rental car companies are typically Dollar and Thrifty. Keep an eye out for discounts offered by Thrifty and EconomyBookings.com of around 17% that drive the price of rental cars even lower!

When you extend your rental period to over a week, the daily rate for rental cars at the San Jose Airport drops to around $30 a day, so it’s a great idea to book your rental car for the full length of your stay in the Bay Area, especially if your accommodations offer you complimentary off-street parking.

How to Return your San Jose Airport Car Rental

Once you exit into the airport area, follow signs for Terminal B Parking or Rental Car Return. Once you enter the parking garage, continue following signs to the Rental Car Center, then park your car in the appropriate spot for your specific rental car company.

It is recommended that you arrive at the airport 2 hours in advance of the departure of domestic flights and 3 hours in advance of the departure of international flights. Remember that returning a car can often take around 30 minutes, so be sure to add around 1 hour to your arrival time in order to return your rental car and travel to your terminal stress-free. If you are flying out of Terminal A, you will want to add a bit more time to your return, as many passengers have noted that the shuttle is often very slow.

Key Things to Remember When You Rent a Car in San Jose

1. Traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road throughout the US.
2. Most tolls in the Bay Area are westbound on the bridges serving San Francisco, so you can typically avoid paying tolls by renting a car at the San Jose Airport and driving north up the peninsula to San Francisco.