Car rentals: reserve & prepay ?

[brett]

We always check pricing on our reservations.

We currently have a Costco booking for Sept 4. We made the reservation a month ago. Checked the pricing this week and rebooked. Price had decreased by 15 percent and we got an upgrade.

We do exactly the same with autoeurope. This past winter we had a rental in Australia. Price went down by 35 percent and we moved up from an Accent to a Camry.

All you need to do is cancel and rebook. Or rather, rebook, and then cancel the original reservation.

Car rental pricing can fluctuate greatly over time.

 

[PoorOldCountryBoy]

We haven't traveled much where we needed to rent a car. Any advice? We wondered whether it seems more convenient to add the rental (prepay and reserve) along when we book our flights? Or is it better to cross our fingers and rent when we land at the airport? My questions are regarding both the financial aspect (is one cheaper than the other?) and also the convenience (is it better to have one waiting or does that even make a difference?) ?

Any tips or suggestions are appreciated by this novice traveler.

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.

2. A couple more times usually 30 and 60 days out check again. Prices change daily.

3. Almost no good reason to go with a prepay.

4. Sign up to rental car loyalty programs if you are doing a lot of travelling.

Hope this helps

 

[SheitlQueen]

I also use Costco. They have the best prices, and I continually check the rates before I leave on the trip. Usually the price goes down, so I book a new reservation and cancel the old. I'll check and cancel/rebook right up until I leave. My last trip to Las Vegas I think I cancelled and rebooked four times and ended up saving over $100.

 

[kaneohe]

+2

Costco car rentals also include a 2nd driver at no additional charge.

You may want to be sure that the 2nd driver is explicitly named in the rental contract. The credit card company possibly may try to weasel out of coverage if there is damage and the 2nd driver is not named. At least one rep at Citibank told me that. It is sometimes difficult since the auto rental reps are only concerned about who can drive and not concerned about coverage if damage happens. You have to insist and get a supe involved if necessary.
Some companies have a contract w/ a space for the additional driver. Some
don't but can add another page with that wording.

Also when they tell you the car is in space J7, you may want to double check
that the license plate agrees w/ the contract. On our last trip, the tire pressure light was on when we got the car. The agent discovered it was the wrong car in the right space and I was so happy since I thought they were just going to put more air in the tire and not worry if it was leaking.

 

[DrRoy]

We always reserve, and usually a small car. We often get a good offer to upgrade at the airport.

 

[Red Badger]

Lots of good comments - here's one more....

Always rent at/adjacent to the airport. Rental facilities "in town" are usually franchises and the cars can be older higher mileage clunkers. Just, no. BTDT.

 

[travelover]

Lots of good comments - here's one more....

Always rent at/adjacent to the airport. Rental facilities "in town" are usually franchises and the cars can be older higher mileage clunkers. Just, no. BTDT.

Not my experience in Portland. I generally picked up down town and returned to the airport.

 

[brett]

Our experience is the opposite. We often find airport rates more expensive.

We also find that we have a much better chance of being upgraded when we deal with a satellite location. We often rent in a town as we are leaving and drop at an airport location.

 

[njhowie]

Our experience is the opposite. We often find airport rates more expensive.

That is usually the case as renting from an airport location generally incurs tourist/visitor fees/taxes.

We visit Orlando often and almost never rent from the airport location due to the fees jacking up the price.

 

[brett]

Come to think of it...we did exactly the same in Orlando. We rented a car for three weeks. It was much less expensive to rent in town rather than at the airport. The difference surprised us. Same in FLL. And it was the only office that ever asked for verification of our Costco membership.

 

[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.

 

[audreyh1]

You may want to be sure that the 2nd driver is explicitly named in the rental contract. The credit card company possibly may try to weasel out of coverage if there is damage and the 2nd driver is not named. At least one rep at Citibank told me that. It is sometimes difficult since the auto rental reps are only concerned about who can drive and not concerned about coverage if damage happens. You have to insist and get a supe involved if necessary.
Some companies have a contract w/ a space for the additional driver. Some
don't but can add another page with that wording.

Also when they tell you the car is in space J7, you may want to double check
that the license plate agrees w/ the contract. On our last trip, the tire pressure light was on when we got the car. The agent discovered it was the wrong car in the right space and I was so happy since I thought they were just going to put more air in the tire and not worry if it was leaking.

With a Costco rental we always have the second driver submit driver license and they have a place to initial on the contract - at least with Alamo.

 

[kaneohe]

With a Costco rental we always have the second driver submit driver license and they have a place to initial on the contract - at least with Alamo.

Yes, that is our experience w/ Costco-Alamo rentals also. It still is a struggle to get them to do it as the agents generally don't think it is necessary....it's not , for them. It's for our protection for the credit card insurance. Often, too, they only want 1 person in the party in line to make the lines appear shorter.

On our last trip, we got Costco-Budget instead and they had to add a non-standard page to get the second renter named.......via a supe since rep didn't know what to do.

 

[Markola]

Car rentals: reserve & prepay ?

I always use Hotwire.com to prepay, which shows quite cheap prices with all the taxes and fees built in, eliminating cost surprises; we have a rental car coverage rider on our comprehensive auto coverage policy so we decline the rental insurance; pay for it all with American Express, which adds an additional layer of protection; and try to choose Avis, which doesn’t charge for an extra driver who is a spouse, at least in Georgia, where we go a lot. I avoid Budget and Dollar Rental after prior bad experiences. There might be better ways to balance cost vs. hassle but that system works for us.

 

[Markola]

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.

Ha, Yes, we once had a Jeep on Vieques, P.R. when the island ran out of gas. Our departure flight was that day so we just turned it in nearly empty. Nice place to visit though and no Customs to bother with as a U.S. citizen.

 

[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]

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]

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.

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.

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.