Delivery and Non-Airport Pickup
Plenty of hosts will bring the car to you instead of the other way around — here's how delivery works, what it costs, and how to know exactly where and how you're picking up.
How delivery works
Delivery is a host-level option, set per listing. A host who offers it defines:
- A delivery zone — the area they're willing to drop the car off in, usually shown as a radius or list of areas on the listing.
- A delivery fee — if the host charges one, it's shown as a line item at checkout before you pay, tied to your specific drop-off location. No surprise fee at handoff.
If you want delivery somewhere outside a host's stated zone, message them before booking — some hosts are willing to extend it for the right price or notice, but it's never guaranteed.
Confirming your delivery location
Once you book a listing with delivery, you'll set your exact drop-off address in the app as part of checkout (or right after, if the host needs to approve it). Double-check this before your trip:
- Make sure the address is somewhere you'll actually be at the scheduled start time — a home, a hotel, a workplace.
- If your plans are still moving around, message your host rather than guessing — a wrong address at delivery time is the most common thing that delays a pickup.
What to expect at delivery
Delivery pickups work one of two ways, and your listing or host messages will tell you which:
In-person delivery. Your host drives the car to your location and hands it off directly, just like an in-person pickup anywhere else. You'll run the photo wizard together at check-in — see Guest Check-In: How To.
Lockbox or remote pickup. The host drops the car off ahead of time with the key in a lockbox (or uses another remote-access method) and isn't present for the handoff. In this case, the host has pre-trip photos already on file, dated within the last 7 days, documenting the car's condition — you'll still run your own photo wizard when you arrive, but you won't need the host physically there to start your trip.
Non-airport pickup that isn't delivery
Not every pickup outside your home is a delivery — some hosts simply keep their car at a fixed location (their home, a garage, a regular parking spot) that isn't the airport. These work exactly like a standard pickup: no delivery fee, just a location to meet at. Check the listing for the pickup address and confirm timing with your host beforehand. See Messaging Your Host for tips on that first message.
If something changes before pickup
- Need a different drop-off spot? Message your host as early as possible — many are happy to adjust within their delivery zone if you give them notice.
- Running late to a scheduled delivery? Let your host know right away. A driver waiting curbside with your car is on the clock just like you are.
- Host hasn't arrived at the delivery time? Message first. If they're unreachable and you have to cancel as a result, that's treated as a host cancellation — see What If My Host Cancels?.
Check-in and check-out still work the same way
Whether it's in-person or lockbox delivery, check-in and check-out follow the same photo-wizard process as any other trip — the only difference is whether your host is standing next to you or reviewing your photos remotely. See Guest Check-In: How To and Guest Check-Out: How To for the full steps.