JFK Car Rental: Federal Circle, AirTrain and Companies

Car rentals at JFK are in one place, Federal Circle. JFK's rental page gives no street address for the center. Its advice for drivers is to enter "Federal Circle Station" in your GPS.

Federal Circle is also the AirTrain stop for hotel shuttles and prepaid parking. JFK's pages do not publish opening hours for the rental counters, so call your company if you land very late or leave very early.

Take the AirTrain. JFK says the rental car center is reachable by AirTrain from any terminal, and the ride between a terminal and Federal Circle costs nothing.

JFK says the AirTrain reaches any on-airport destination in under 20 minutes. One JFK page says trains run every 5 to 15 minutes and another says every 5 to 10 minutes, so check the monitors in the station for service changes.

You can reserve a car online in advance or see what is available when you arrive.

Coming from the subway or the Long Island Rail Road? Ride the AirTrain from the Jamaica or Howard Beach station to Federal Circle. The AirTrain fare for trips that start or end at Jamaica or Howard Beach is $8.75 per person, and children under five ride free. Fares change, so check jfkairport.com before you go.

You can also reach Federal Circle by hotel shuttle.

JFK lists these ten rental companies at the Federal Circle center, with the phone numbers it publishes:

• Alamo: (844) 648-1611
• Avis: (718) 244-5400
• Budget: (718) 656-1890 or (800) 527-0700
• Dollar: (866) 434-2226
• Enterprise: (844) 648-1609
• Hertz: (718) 656-7600 or (800) 654-3131
• National: (844) 648-1610
• Payless: (718) 244-8277
• Sixt: (888) 749-8227
• Thrifty: (877) 283-0898

Phone numbers change, so check the company's own site too. Call the company directly for hours.

When you return the car, enter "Federal Circle Station" in your GPS to find the rental car center. Refuel before you get there. JFK points to gas stations within two miles of the airport and to the JFK Airport Travel Plaza.

After you drop off the car, take the AirTrain to your terminal.

New York State tolls are cashless, so you are billed electronically. Ask your rental company about its toll policy before you drive away.

Some companies provide E-ZPass tags. If yours does, make sure you understand how it works, including fees and charges. The company may also charge an administrative fee for using a toll road.

If you do not get or want the company's tag, you have two options:

• Pay by plate, and the rental company bills you later.
• Pay with your own E-ZPass transponder. In that case, do not add the rental car's license plate to your account.

Some on-airport rental companies offer vehicles with hand controls. JFK says to contact the rental company directly for details or to arrange shuttle service to or from your terminal.

JFK's rental page lists only the ten on-airport companies. We found no official list of off-airport rental companies, no airport rules for peer-to-peer pickups such as Turo, no center-wide opening hours and no published airport rental fees.

If you booked off-airport or through a host, follow the pickup instructions in your confirmation. For any rental, read the full total on your reservation before you pay.