Book Thrifty car hires at San Francisco Airport

• Where can I find Thrifty counter at San Francisco Airport?

  If you're looking for Thrifty car rental at San Francisco Airport (SFO), the best place to start is on Level 4 inside the Rental Car Center at SFO.  Go to the AirTrain station and take the blue line to the 780 Mcdonnell Road, San Francisco, CA, 94128 through the Rent-A-Car Center (RAC).

• What is the documentation required to rent a Thrifty car rental at San Francisco Airport?

  To rent a Thrifty car rental at San Francisco Airport, you must present a valid driver’s license and an international driver’s permit. The driver’s license is used to verify that you are legally allowed to drive in California, while the international permit is required because the state of California does not recognize other countries' licenses as valid proof of driving status. You will also need to show a credit card or debit card to rent the car. This is due to a law passed in California requiring all rental companies a security deposit for renting the car and against potential damage caused by customers who rent vehicles from them.

• What are some of the protections offered at Thrifty car rental at San Francisco Airport?

  At Thrifty car rental at San Francisco Airport, you can expect a variety of protections from the minute you pick up your vehicle. Thrifty offers Loss Damage Waiver protection, which means that if your rental vehicle is damaged or stolen, you won't have to pay for it. You also have personal accident cover, which means that if you are injured in an accident while driving the rental car, they'll pay for medical expenses. Premium Roadside Assistance is also included with all Thrifty rentals in San Francisco. This includes 24-h roadside assistance and emergency road service like flat tires and lost keys.

• How much does it cost to hire a car from Thrifty at San Francisco Airport?

  On average a hire car from Thrifty at San Francisco Airport costs $82 per day.

• What is the most popular hire car from Thrifty at San Francisco Airport?

  Luxury car hire (RAM Pickup or similar) are the most frequently booked car type from Thrifty at San Francisco Airport.

• Where can I find Thrifty hire cars at San Francisco Airport?

  780 Mcdonnell Rd is the closest Thrifty hire car location to San Francisco Airport. The telephone number for this location is +1 877 283 0898.

• Does Thrifty offer shuttle or airport pick-up services from San Francisco Airport (SFO)?

  Yes

Reviews

Recent reviews

Traveller rating

Wonderful

16

Very Good

5

Good

2

Okay

5

Fair

4

Mediocre

0

Poor

73

2.0

What a scam. The rental cost I locked online more than doubled after they added their fees and CA taxes - the counter agent also lied and said liability was required in CA but it’s not if you have your own. She also said it was cheaper to have them refuel. Not even close. I am waiting for a resolution but wouldn’t rent from them again.Reviewed 3 Apr 2026

review from

2.0

I was told I'd have a large van and was given a mini-van. The cost I agreed to was in the $900 range. I called ahead to be sure they had the van and also that they confirmed the price. When I arrived to pick it up, after waiting nearly 2 hours in line, I was charged upwards of $1600. I would never have agreed to this and found another option, however, my family was all arriving that day for a very important event and all of it depended upon having a van - and the van we received was not large enough and did not match the van that I reserved online.Reviewed 31 Mar 2026

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2.0

Terrible. Don’t use them. They jacked up the price every way possible. They also wouldn’t honor the price booked online. Then they thought it funny to stick me with a 9 seater van instead of mid size sedan. Then they charged me more again. Also all agents were actively misrepresenting how fuel worked tricking people into paying for a full tank. It is shyster scam level stuff. Do not rent from them.Reviewed 12 Oct 2025

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2.0

Actually giving me a hybrid as I paid for instead of partial hybrid. Having the windshield clean on the inside instead of what ever white residue was blinding me when other cars had their head lights on. Removing the awful smell in the car before giving it to customers.Reviewed 30 July 2025

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10.0

liked the car and the service. Pickup was slow because of the large crowd and limited number of agents in the very early hours.Reviewed 1 July 2025

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2.0

We ended up paying $ 1700+ instead of the $600+ that came up on the Kayak website. Would NOT recommend.Reviewed 9 Mar 2025

review from

2.0

Bait and switch- got sent to another site and had to pay up front with no refund option.Reviewed 5 Feb 2025

review from

10.0

Excellent customer serviceReviewed 8 Jan 2025

review from

2.0

This was the worst rental in my life and I have been renting vehicles for over 30 years.Reviewed 6 Jan 2025

review from

8.0

The electric suv I had booked was not available when I arrived for pick up but the desk agent spoke to someone at a different counter and was able to arrange the vehicle we had booked without any problem. Quick, polite and vehicle was greatReviewed 16 Dec 2024

review from

2.0

Even though we had a car reserved and used the online check-in, we had to wait for almost an hour in line (and then check in again). They did not have the car we reserved available (even though we reserved it not long in advance). The bathrooms were disgusting.Reviewed 21 Oct 2024

review from

2.0

My poor experience about pricing transparency. The cost of the rental car was 30% more than the kayak quote, and the initial estimate from thrifty. I was charged the additional 30% after returning the car, and had zero add ons. The receipt / charges are extremely unclear what the additional cost was. I attempted to reach out to their customer service and the process is to send a vague complaint form . I feel like I was scammed- but have no recourse- I definitely will not be using thrifty ever again. Also in the car pick up, the process took more than an hour and the first car had a check engine light on, that I needed to change carsReviewed 20 Oct 2024

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