STL Car Rental: Shuttle Pickup Spots, Companies and Return

There is no rental car center on airport grounds. Every company at STL runs from an off-airport lot, and the companies run free shuttles from both terminals. Plan on a shuttle ride, not a walk to the counter.

The airport lists seven brands with a vehicle return address: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, National and Payless. Hertz is listed separately as an off-airport rental with its own pickup spots. Most of the addresses are on Natural Bridge Rd.

Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, National and Payless use the same three pickup spots:

• Terminal 1: outside exit 17, at the west end of the island curb.
• Terminal 1 garage: the Brown Level, through Door 15.
• Terminal 2: outside exit 12, on the inside curb of Arrivals Blvd.

Company pages add detail: Avis, National and Enterprise send Terminal 1 arrivals through the exit marked MT17. Avis says that at Terminal 2 (the Southwest terminal) you call the courtesy bus from the telephone board in lower-level baggage claim. Hertz has its own spots: T1 outside exit 15 (Brown Level of the T1 garage) and T2 outside exit 16, outside the International Arrival Center.

Because of construction in the T1 garage, the airport says Hertz shuttles were moved, starting Wednesday, May 20, to the east end of T1's Arriving Flights Drive, across from Door 12 on the lower level. The airport still lists exit 15 as well, so check the signs and ask Hertz at 800-654-3131 ext. 7330 which spot to use.

These are the vehicle return addresses the airport publishes.

• Alamo: 10124 Natural Bridge Rd, St. Louis, MO 63134. 1-888-426-3296.
• Avis: 10482 Natural Bridge Rd, Saint Louis, MO 63134. 1-800-831-2847.
• Budget: 10482 Natural Bridge Rd, Saint Louis, MO 63134. 314-423-7497.
• Dollar: 4358 Cypress Rd, St. Ann, MO. 314-423-4004.
• Enterprise: 9636 Natural Bridge Rd, St. Louis, MO 63134. 314-427-7757.
• National: 10124 Natural Bridge Rd, St. Louis, MO 63134. 314-428-1405.
• Payless: 10482 Natural Bridge Rd, St. Louis, MO 63134. 314-426-7766.
• Hertz: 800-654-3131 ext. 7330. No address is published by the airport.

Alamo and National share one address, and so do Avis, Budget and Payless. Enterprise's own page lists its branch as 9636 Natural Bridge Rd, Berkeley, MO 63134.

Hours and phone details from the companies' own pages:

• Enterprise: open 6 am to 11:45 pm daily. Its shuttle to and from the airport runs 4 am to midnight. Enterprise says returns before 4 am go to the National and Alamo facility at 4540 Woodson Rd, St. Louis, MO 63134, where a shuttle takes you back to the airport.
• Avis: open 24 hours, and the counter stays open all night for after hours returns. Avis says the walk from the terminal to its lot is 1 to 1.5 miles, so ride the shuttle.
• Budget: open 24 hours. Budget's page says its airport counters close at 10 pm daily and its after hours returns go to the security booth.
• Alamo and National: both say after hours returns are not available at their location. Check the opening hours with the company.

The airport asks you to return vehicles directly to the off-site locations. Do not drive to the terminal to drop the car. Put the company's address from your rental confirmation in your GPS.

After you drop the car, the company's shuttle takes you back to the terminal. STL does not publish shuttle frequency or ride times for the rental companies, so leave extra time and call the company if you are cutting it close. For early flights, check the company's hours first, because Enterprise's shuttle starts at 4 am and Alamo and National do not accept after hours returns.

STL's website lists no Turo or other peer-to-peer pickup area. If you book one, ask the host exactly where the handoff happens.

The airport does not publish rental fees, taxes or airport surcharges, and no rental center fee is listed. The total on your booking confirmation is the number to trust. Compare it across brands, and read the fee lines before you pay.

MetroLink light rail normally serves both terminals, but the Terminal 1 station has been closed since Monday, October 12, and the Terminal 2 station closes Monday, November 2. Metro Transit expects both to reopen in mid-December and has not given exact dates. Until November 2, ride the Red Line to the Terminal 2 station and take the free airport shuttle (Exit 10 at T2 to Exit 12 at T1). Metro says it will share how riders connect after November 2, so check metrostlouis.org before you travel. Taxis and Uber and Lyft are also available.