Alamo Guide (OLCI & Skip the Counter)

[Yorkshire_Dan]

Please make sure that you read ALL of the following information. I appreciate that it is lengthy but some people have encountered troubles because they have missed parts. You do not need to read through all of the additional pages but a lot of really good information is contained within them if you are struggling with a particular problem.

There has been a lot of confusion lately surrounding Alamo and their system in terms of avoiding the counter and going straight to the garage to collect your car. Alamo do not make this process straight forward and the information is quite hard to find hence why I have been asked to write this (by Lisa29) step-by-step guide to avoid any doubt.

Whilst I understand and accept that people in the past have gone straight to the garage and been successful whilst only completing SaveTime. This, according to Alamo, is NOT sufficient and lately people on this forum have been sent back to the desk because of this. As mentioned by myself previously, I for one do not want any issues when arriving in Florida after a 9 hour flight!

The procedure is as follows, in order to bypass the counter and head straight to the garage you need to complete the following, in this exact order (after booking your vehicle): *Please see update below

• SaveTime
• Online Check In
• Skip the Counter (sometimes referred to as Bypass the Counter)

*Update: Please note that I only completed SaveTime because I received an email link for it, there is no need to complete it, you can now proceed straight to Online Check In and then onto Skip the Counter

The definitions of each, according to Alamo, are as follows:

SaveTime
“Speed up your rental with our SaveTime process. Simply provide us with your driver details online, after you have made your reservation to save time at the rental counter”
The most important aspect here is the final part of the paragraph “to save time at the counter”. This is also stated on your paperwork and has been the root of most of the problems because people presume that SaveTime is for skipping the counter when it clearly is not. All this process does (officially) is provide the check in staff at the desk with information to enable a quicker process before you head off to the garage.

Online Check In
This is where the Alamo system becomes most confusing as it would appear that SaveTime and Online Check In are essentially the same process. Their definition is:
“Save time at the counter when you check in online. Just give a few details now like your driver's license information and date of birth and we will be ready when you arrive. You'll be on the road and on vacation before you know it!”
The most important part to remember is that you must complete Online Check In to enable you to Skip the Counter which is the next part;

Skip the Counter
Skip the Counter does just as it says, it allows you to bypass the counter/kiosks and head straight to the garage to select your vehicle. Here’s the official line from Alamo:

Many of our top locations offer “Skip the Counter” after you check in online.

Here's how it works:
• When you “Skip the Counter,” you don’t need to visit the counter or kiosk. You can go straight to your car!
• This optional service is offered free of charge at select locations in the Online Check-In process. Check if your location qualifies for "Skip the Counter."
• To “Skip the Counter,” you will be required to confirm your protection options, agree to the Rental Agreement Terms & Conditions, and enter a valid credit card. (No charge is made until you return your vehicle.)
• Certain restrictions apply.

First of all you need to make sure that the airport you are flying to offers the Skip the Counter service. As we are mainly dealing with Orlando International Airport, I can confirm that Skip the Counter is available here. However, please note that this service is NOT available at Orlando Sanford Airport. To check this, please follow this link which explains the entire procedure and includes restrictions which is my next point:

alamo/en_US/car-rental/checkin.html

In order to complete the Skip the Counter process, you must check that you meet the requirements, these can be found below:

Skip the Counter Requirements
In order for a reservation to be eligible for "Skip the Counter," it must meet these requirements:

• Reservation must be at a rental location that offers “Skip the Counter” Check a location for eligibility.
• Reservation must not exceed 30 days.
• Reservation must be made at least 24 hours in advance.
• Reservation cannot include certain add-ons that need to be added to vehicle (i.e. fuel, mobility devices, etc.).
• Reservation cannot be prepaid or direct billed to a 3rd party (i.e. Voucher, Business Account, etc.).
• Renter must use a major credit card (or debit card) to secure rental.

Please note that if you have pre-paid or have billed via a 3rd party (does not include Alamo Brits) you cannot complete Skip the Counter. This also applies if you have included any add-ons when you originally made the booking such as fuel etc. **There is now a workaround for this contained within the comments.**

Throughout the Online Check In and Skip the Counter processes you will need to agree to the Rental Agreement Terms & Conditions, and enter a valid credit card. (No charge is made until you return your vehicle). You will also need your driving licence details.

The procedure
This is the exact method I used to go through the process. Other people have confirmed this method as being successful also.

• Book your vehicle either via Alamo.com, .co.uk or Brits (you should receive a confirmation email).
• Once you have this email there should be a link on there for SaveTime. Click this link and complete the SaveTime process. As per update, this is no longer necessary. Proceed directly to Online Check in below.
• You should receive another confirmation email thanking you for using the SaveTime feature.
• Next, you need to go to Alamo.com or follow this link to Online Check In:

alamo/en_US/car-rental/checkin.html

Log in entering your first name, last name and confirmation number and complete the Check In procedure.

• You should then receive another confirmation email thanking you for checking in online with a link to bypass the counter. Again, follow that link or log into Alamo.com using the link above and finding the option for it on the right-hand side of your booking page.
• Once you have completed Skip the Counter you will receive another email confirmation which tells you to go straight to the garage. This is also confirmed on all of your paperwork, print off your barcode and paperwork and head straight to the garage!

Issues
One problem I encountered was the flight number information. If you have included your flight number on your original booking, you will need to remove it from the additional information section which is a drop down menu when completing Online Check In and then re-submit.

If you have booked with Virgin you will need to complete this via their own booking system on confirmation emails etc. Virgin differs slightly in that once you have completed Online Check In with them this is sufficient as it seems to include Skip the Counter during this process.

The latest issue is when Rachy tried to do Online Check In and Skip the Counter but couldn't due to some unknown error within the Alamo system even though she clearly qualified for this. Rachy originally booked via Alamo.co.uk and I believe she also tried with the .com site. I suggested she tried with Alamo Brits and the process worked flawlessly. Please bare this in mind when choosing who to book with.

If you are getting the dreaded "protection type invalid" message upon check in, which a few people have reported (generally the screen is populated with your details briefly then disappears taking you to a new reservation page), try checking in again, then open up another page in Google (whilst leaving the check in tab open on your original page) and then search Alamo Bypass the Counter and complete the process that way (special thanks to Orlando 2004 for this).

Another workaround for the issue directly above is to log into your completed SaveTime booking page, click save and continue at the end then attempt Skip the Counter by pressing the button on the right of the page (thanks to oeamon for this). You will still need to have completed OLCI prior to this.

Good luck!

Dan

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Fantastic work Dan. Well done.

[Yorkshire_Dan]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

Fantastic work Dan. Well done.

See more...

Thank you sir!

Not really sure how to create a page in the Guidebook though!

[Yorkshire_Dan]

Also, could an admin please make this a sticky?

Thank you.

[adamtoonarmy]

Thanks Dan just what I needed and I now have my 'skip the counter' paperwork. A couple of variations for me though.

I added fuel when I did my original booking and I also left my flight number in.

Savetime was no problem

Online check in was no problem - But - there was no link to skip the counter in the message.

My OLCI confirmation page was still open in my browser (firefox) and I opened a blank tab and Googled Alamo skip the counter. I clicked on the appropriate result and when the page opened it was already populated with my details. I declined the upgrades added my CC information and was promptly given my skip the counter voucher. I also have it in email.

Not the most simple system is it?

Adam

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Originally Posted by Yorkshire_Dan

Also, could an admin please make this a sticky?

Thank you.

See more...

Maybe worth doing a PM to Stu or one of the others to achieve this?

[Yorkshire_Dan]

Originally Posted by PixieVacadam

Thanks Dan just what I needed and I now have my 'skip the counter' paperwork. A couple of variations for me though.

I added fuel when I did my original booking and I also left my flight number in.

Savetime was no problem

Online check in was no problem - But - there was no link to skip the counter in the message.

My OLCI confirmation page was still open in my browser (firefox) and I opened a blank tab and Googled Alamo skip the counter. I clicked on the appropriate result and when the page opened it was already populated with my details. I declined the upgrades added my CC information and was promptly given my skip the counter voucher. I also have it in email.

Not the most simple system is it?

Adam

See more...

There are definitely some issues with the system! Some people get there by doing my approach, some get there with slight variations and others don't get there at all for no real reason!

It's very confusing but the important thing is that you did it!

[paultall90]

hi great guide but can you clear 1 point up for me
"Reservation cannot include certain add-ons that need to be added to vehicle (i.e. fuel, mobility devices, etc.)."
so I assumes this means to use this service I cannot pre pay for fuel and I would have to fill the car up before I return it.

[Yorkshire_Dan]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

Maybe worth doing a PM to Stu or one of the others to achieve this?

See more...

Any chance you could help? Really not sure who is who!

[adamtoonarmy]

Originally Posted by Yorkshire_Dan

There are definitely some issues with the system! Some people get there by doing my approach, some get there with slight variations and others don't get there at all for no real reason!

It's very confusing but the important thing is that you did it!

See more...

Too true. I cannot be bothered with the upgrade stuff at the end of a long flight. I have quite a short temper when I'm tired so its not the best time to try and sell me stuff I don't want or need.

Thanks again for the guide