Car rental charges are not what they seem. That $19.95 a day advertised rate could nearly double when all the taxes and fees are figured in.

"We don't have a choice. It is either get it here or walk,” said traveler Valerie Reid.

It matters where you rent. Most car rentals happen at the airport, but we have found if you do choose an airport rental location it can cost you much more than other rental locations.

Same car. Same company. Some of that is in fees. Right off the bat it costs you as much as 30 percent more to rent a car at Bush Intercontinental Airport than at a neighborhood location.

That is taking a 10 percent airport concession fee and a $3 a day airport bond fee into account.

The folks who run the airports in Houston argue the extra fees are necessary.

"It is how the airport makes money. Airports do not use local tax dollars in any way shape or form,” said the Houston Airport System’s Richard Fernandez.

That has some car renters finding ways to get around, without stopping at the car rental counter at the airport.

"For today I have a friend who could have come here and picked us up and dropped us off at another location. I would have done that,” said Reid.