# Car Rental Calgary



## skimble (Jul 11, 2018)

We are going to be renting a car out of Calgary and driving for 11 days.  I noticed car rental prices at the airport are about 40% higher than the surrounding rental agencies.  
Do you have any trips/tips for avoiding the high cost at the airport? 
And, what outlets do you use for booking your car rentals?  (for the best deal) 
My flight arrives at about 5pm on Saturday.  (We need the car rental place to be open.)  
Thanks


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## Icc5 (Jul 11, 2018)

skimble said:


> We are going to be renting a car out of Calgary and driving for 11 days.  I noticed car rental prices at the airport are about 40% higher than the surrounding rental agencies.
> Do you have any trips/tips for avoiding the high cost at the airport?
> And, what outlets do you use for booking your car rentals?  (for the best deal)
> My flight arrives at about 5pm on Saturday.  (We need the car rental place to be open.)
> Thanks


We have been going thru Autoslash the past several years for great savings.  We tried off site at one point and had a bad experience in Nashville so back to the airport for us.  We usually first go to Costco Travel and then put it into Autoslash.  On a 10-14 rental we have saved up to $240.
Please let us know what you decide and the final result.  Good luck.  Oh, by the way, we loved Canmore,Baniff and the entire area.
Bart


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## bbodb1 (Jul 11, 2018)

Skimble,

You probably already noted this, but just in case you didn't be sure to note whether a quote is made in CAD (Canadian) or U.S. currency.  The 1st quote I got for a recent rental in Vancouver was $645 - which I thought was quite high - until I realized that it was in Canadian currency.  In U.S. currency, that quote converted to $485 (or so).  As I was checking around the various car rental companies, there was no consistency to the default quote currency.

Enjoy your time in Calgary - that is an area we want to visit in the near future.


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## nomadio (Jul 11, 2018)

Given that your flight arrives at 5 p.m. I think you will likely be stuck with an airport rental. I don't believe that any of the car rental places outside the airport would be open past 6 p.m. Feel free to check around but my experience has been that these places close by 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk


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## bizaro86 (Jul 11, 2018)

Part of the difference is the airport fee. The rental agencies will ask if you've arrived on a flight today and charge you the tax if you say yes.

I always used to joke with the guy at the counter in a western Calgary suburban location far from the airport at 6AM when I rented got work, but apparently they had to ask. (I live in Calgary).


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## skimble (Jul 11, 2018)

nomadio said:


> Given that your flight arrives at 5 p.m. I think you will likely be stuck with an airport rental. I don't believe that any of the car rental places outside the airport would be open past 6 p.m. Feel free to check around but my experience has been that these places close by 6 p.m. on Saturday.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk


You're right... we are stuck getting a car from the airport.


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## skimble (Jul 11, 2018)

Icc5 said:


> We have been going thru Autoslash the past several years for great savings.  We tried off site at one point and had a bad experience in Nashville so back to the airport for us.  We usually first go to Costco Travel and then put it into Autoslash.  On a 10-14 rental we have saved up to $240.
> Please let us know what you decide and the final result.  Good luck.  Oh, by the way, we loved Canmore,Baniff and the entire area.
> Bart


 We are most likely going to book with Costco... I like that I'm seeing USD, and I'm seeing all taxes and fees included.  
I've seen some places quote by the week... not by the 11 days I want.  
I've seen other places quote by the day, but no taxes and fees.  
Renting a car is already a frustrating experience (proof of insurance, finding the best deal amid all the fake discounts, membership deals and coupons, and figuring out if they're open or not)... I think Costco does the best job of keeping it all straightforward.


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## moonstone (Jul 11, 2018)

skimble said:


> You're right... we are stuck getting a car from the airport.



You could try doing a 1 day rental from the airport and then arrange to pick-up a car at one of the rental agencies in the city for the rest of the rental. 

That's what our DS did when I went to Calgary in '13 (DH was working with DS after the big flood). DS wanted a mini-van so we could do some outings together but none were available the day I arrived with DGS. He booked a car with one of the major companies (can't remember which) for 1 day then the next day we drove to another location, not far from the airport, to pick-up the van, then back to the airport (we were staying right beside it) to return the car. All that took about an hour of our time and DS said the van rate from the 'city' location was quite a bit less than the airport rate. Since we had the van for nearly a month the savings were huge! 

~Diane


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