Car rentals: reserve & prepay ?

[travelover]

I was on the rental car bus and we observed a couple pushing a car a few yards from the rental return entrance. I quipped, "They must have paid for the tank".

[Lewis Clark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splash I always bring my confirmation email with me. Twice I was told at the counter that the price would be significantly higher than the price I was quoted at booking. Both times, they honored the quoted price when I produced my documentation.

Bringing the confirmation email is important. We have had too many similar experiences, both with rental cars and hotel rooms. Fortunately, they have always honored the prices listed in the confirmation messages.

[sengsational]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecondCor521 I'm just kind of amazed that the car companies still take reservations but let you cancel them pretty much any time with no penalty. It seems pretty one-sided in the customer's favor. (There's a Seinfeld reference in there somewhere, I just don't know how to get it.)

I think we are getting brainwashed by the airlines who no longer treat us as customers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PoorOldCountryBoy Here's my formula,ymmv: 1. Check market prices using priceline or another service using the cities you're going to, not the airport. It will find the lowest prices in the area, which may be hundreds of dollars cheaper than the airport, or not--sometimes the cheapest is the airport. You never know until you check.s

I use Kayak mostly (don't have a Costco membership). I like the "all-in" price they give you. And I've also found that the adders for airport rentals are sometimes more than offset by the lower daily rate at the higher volume airport outlet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Splash Always reserve as soon as possible especially in places with a finite supply of cars such as Alaska, Hawaii, Caribbean Islands, etc. Then check back periodically for lower prices. I always bring my confirmation email with me. Twice I was told at the counter that the price would be significantly higher than the price I was quoted at booking. Both times, they honored the quoted price when I produced my documentation.

Outside the US, you really never know what you'll encounter. In the US, it's 10 minutes pick up and 10 minutes or less dropping off. In the Caribbean, figure an hour, if you're lucky. And they'll honor the rate on the paper you bring, then tell you that there's a mandatory service that must be added and doubles the cost of your rental. The guy behind you in line, now your best friend because you've been chatting for the past hour, is a walk in and would be happy to pay double what's on your paper.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lewis Clark Bringing the confirmation email is important. We have had too many similar experiences, both with rental cars and hotel rooms. Fortunately, they have always honored the prices listed in the confirmation messages.

See above for my experience outside the US.

[frugal-one]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 You don’t need to prepay, but I always reserve. I use Costco Travel online to reserve car rentals. I check back to see if prices have dropped, and they often do, so I rebook. Our United Mileage Club card offers primary car rental insurance so we always pay with that.

Thanks for posting this!!! I booked a car from Costco and just checked and now it is $28 cheaper. I would not have thought to look again! I will check again to see if it goes down.

[Ian S]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecondCor521 http://www.autoslash.com for one way rentals. Renting anywhere other than the airport is cheaper but more hassle. If it applies to you, try to use an affiliation like AAA, AARP, or your business - if you work for a large company, they (both the car rental company and your employer) are generally OK with you using your affiliation with them even if it is entirely a personal trip. I generally reserve but don't prepay. If you prepay, it can be significantly cheaper but if you change your plans your prepayment is generally non-refundable. I found this link useful. It may repeat some of the points above: http://extrapackofpeanuts.com/cheap-rental-cars-guide

Thanks for the tip about autoslash! Saved us over $70 over a reservation I'd made with Expedia. Will always use autoslash in the future.

[walkinwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian S Thanks for the tip about autoslash! Saved us over $70 over a reservation I'd made with Expedia. Will always use autoslash in the future.

Autoslash will also monitor your reservation price & notify you if they find a better deal. You have to provide your reservation details which do NOT include your credit card information. They will, if you allow them, redo the reservations too. I prefer to have that control.

Be aware that sometimes you may not get the same add-ons with the new reservation - like free second driver or options for an upgrade. Always check the fine print for stuff like unlimited mileage.

[brett]

We have a car booked next month for a week in Toronto through Costco. As of today, we have realized three price decreases and a vehicle upgrade. Simply by checking the price every few weeks. Plus, the Costco site gives you the pricing from up to four vendors in graph form. Very easy to shop on their site.

[PoorOldCountryBoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett We have a car booked next month for a week in Toronto through Costco. As of today, we have realized three price decreases and a vehicle upgrade. Simply by checking the price every few weeks. Plus, the Costco site gives you the pricing from up to four vendors in graph form. Very easy to shop on their site.

Yes, that is my experience with non Costco rentals too. I rent a few times a year and can save hundreds by double checking. Have not tried autoslash as one poster mentioned but sounds like a good idea.

Bottom line if you are wiling to do the work and can do arithmetic you can save yourself enough money for another vacation

[Lsbcal]

When we have rented a car it has been for a few weeks. Our last 2 rentals were with Enterprise in Florida and in Las Vegas. Both were very good experiences. They had a rep that actually walked us out to the car and helped us check it out and went over unfamiliar controls. Is this standard with them?

I think having a reliable car with fairly low mileage is a bit more important to me then getting the best pricing. But Enterprise was also competitively priced.

[SecondCor521]

I find it ironic and amusing that I didn't think re-checking would help me. It turns out I have a car rental this upcoming weekend, I've re-checked twice, and both times I've been able to re-book the exact same car at a lower cost (I'm using Citi Thank You points and their car rental portal). I've gone from about 18,000 points per day to about 11,000 points per day.

So my thanks to everyone on this thread.

[Jerry1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SecondCor521 I find it ironic and amusing that I didn't think re-checking would help me. It turns out I have a car rental this upcoming weekend, I've re-checked twice, and both times I've been able to re-book the exact same car at a lower cost (I'm using Citi Thank You points and their car rental portal). I've gone from about 18,000 points per day to about 11,000 points per day. So my thanks to everyone on this thread.

I agree. Never thought of looking once the original reservation was booked. Certainly will in the future.

[Lsbcal]

It is probably a matter of how good the first deal was and luck. When I've checked closer in to the rental date, it turned out my deal was a steal.

[brett]

We have been shopping for rental cars in various places in Greece and in Cyprus.

Usually, we find that autoeurope has the best offerings. You prepay but can typically cancel/ change up to 48 hrs prior. Which we often do.

This time we found the best prices on two of our rentals (really does vary by date and place) on the most unexpected places. One was on the AegeanAir site (you need to have booked an Aegean/Olympic flight). The other was on the Aeroplan site (need to be an Aeroplan member but no Aeroplan flight is required). The savings on both were about 20-30 percent. Both were basic rentals w/no insurance and both were brokered through well know international rental car brands. The Aegean site gave us a discount for prepaying one rental which we took advantage of because of the discount. One thing we did catch on the Aegean site was that some rentals had unlimited KM's, others only 180kms.

[PoorOldCountryBoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lsbcal When we have rented a car it has been for a few weeks. Our last 2 rentals were with Enterprise in Florida and in Las Vegas. Both were very good experiences. They had a rep that actually walked us out to the car and helped us check it out and went over unfamiliar controls. Is this standard with them? I think having a reliable car with fairly low mileage is a bit more important to me then getting the best pricing. But Enterprise was also competitively priced.

I believe it is, and it is the reason I prefer them, although I will rent from less expensive options as well if there is a significant price difference. One example of how this helps: We did a walkthrough in Denver last year just after a big hailstorm and the rental agent found very minor hail damage before we rented--the previous renters had not disclosed what happened. If I had driven off the lot with it, I could have responsibility for it. The policy of showing what damage they will charge you for (about quarter size) is also very renter-friendly.

For most of the rest, the hassle of having to walk back to the counter etc. is not very helpful.