San Francisco SFO car rental rules: age, debit, deposit and pickup

San Francisco’s Rental Car Center is reached on AirTrain’s Blue Line. Some off-airport agencies provide an additional shuttle from the center.

1. Go to your terminal’s AirTrain station and take the Blue Line to the Rental Car Center.
2. Use the airport’s rental-company directory to identify your counter floor.
3. For an off-airport company, request its shuttle and follow pickup instructions for the center’s south curb.

Official SFO airport directions · transport source checked 2026-09-30

Match the branch on your reservation to this airport service. Pickup counter hours, vehicle-return hours and after-hours collection are separate conditions.

These charges and programmes are set by the airport, the state toll agency or state law, not by the rental company. Each line is copied from the official source linked beside it, with the period the source states. Confirm the total on your rental agreement.

• Airport charge

  Customer Facility Charge (CFC): $10 per rental contract (approved 1 March 2022).

  “the Airport’s implementation of a new Customer Facility Charge requiring on-Airport rental car companies to collect $10 per contract from each customer for improvements to the existing Airport Rental Car Center on March 1, 2022” — SFO Airport Commission, Notice of Result of Public Hearing (1 March 2022) ↗

  Checked 2026-10-19 · next review due 2027-01-17

• Airport charge

  SFO Transportation and Facility Fee: $18 per rental contract (fiscal year 2026-27).

  “SFO Transportation and Facility Fee = $18 per signed rental car contract” — SFO Summary of Airport Charges FY26-27 ↗

  Checked 2026-10-19 · next review due 2027-01-17

• State toll programme

  FasTrak (also Short-Term License Plate Account), run by Bay Area FasTrak (Metropolitan Transportation Commission).

  Bay Area bridges and express lanes; Southern California toll roads are run by other agencies.

  “There are several options when paying tolls for a rented vehicle: using the rental company’s toll payment plan, using your own FasTrak toll tag while in the rental car and setting up a Short-Term License Plate Account.” — Bay Area FasTrak, Rental Vehicles Guide ↗

  “PlatePass is the only rental agency toll payment service that can be used to pay tolls in Bay Area Express Lanes” — Bay Area FasTrak, Rental Vehicles Guide ↗

  Checked 2026-10-19 · next review due 2027-04-17

• State rental charge

  California Tourism Assessment (passenger car rental): 3.5% of the rental (Cal. Gov. Code § 13995.65 (Tourism Marketing Act)).

  Assessed on the rental company's revenue; the company may pass some, all or none of it to renters, so the line on a rental agreement can be lower or absent.

  “Current Tourism Assessment rates are: Accommodations: $1,950 per gross $1 million (.00195) Restaurant & Retail: $975 per gross $1 million (.000975) Attractions & Recreation: $975 per gross $1 million (.000975) Transportation & Travel Services: $975 per gross $1 million (.000975) Passenger Car Rental: 3.5% of monthly revenue” — California Office of Tourism, Tourism Assessment Program: Passing the assessment fee to customers (FAQ) ↗

  “Yes, the Tourism Assessment Fee can be passed to customers. The Tourism Marketing Act (Government Code: 13995.65 (f)) allows any assessed business to pass on some or all of the assessment to customers.” — California Office of Tourism, Tourism Assessment Program: Passing the assessment fee to customers (FAQ) ↗

  Checked 2026-10-19 · next review due 2027-04-17

Each company’s most common reviewed value across covered airports, with the airports that differ.

• Young-driver fee by company
• Age 20 by company
• Debit card by company
• Deposit by company
• Foreign licence by company
• Additional driver by company
• Tolls and one-way by company
• Young-driver fee waivers by company
• Under-25 Fee Index (CSV)

Open a profile for its age, debit, deposit, document and cardholder conditions. Unreviewed entries are research gaps and do not assert a branch's presence.

• Enterprise

  Sources reviewed

  Profile checked 2026-10-19; individual facts have separate dates.

• Alamo

  Sources reviewed

  Profile checked 2026-10-19; individual facts have separate dates.

• Avis

  Sources reviewed

  Profile checked 2026-10-19; individual facts have separate dates.

• Budget

  Evidence incomplete

  Profile checked 2026-10-09; individual facts have separate dates.

• SIXT

  Conflicting sources

  Profile checked 2026-10-19; individual facts have separate dates.

• Hertz

  Evidence incomplete

  Profile checked 2026-09-30; individual facts have separate dates.

• National

  Sources reviewed

  Profile checked 2026-10-03; individual facts have separate dates.

• Dollar

  Evidence incomplete

  Profile checked 2026-09-30; individual facts have separate dates.

• Thrifty

  Evidence incomplete

  Profile checked 2026-09-30; individual facts have separate dates.

1. Confirm the exact collection branch, arrival terminal and pickup time on your reservation.
2. Match your own physical card, age, vehicle and return itinerary to that branch's rules.
3. Bring the original licence and the required passport, IDP or translation. Keep enough available funds for charges still due and the applicable authorization.