# Are Costco car rental discounts reallly that good



## derb

I rent cars, 2 weeks at a time, 6 times a year.

Are the Costco discounts on car rentals so much
better than Hotwire, Priceline etc., that it would
pay to join Costco just for this one benefit.


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## falmouth3

I have found them to be better in most cases.  If you travel with a spouse, an additional benefit is that the spouse can also drive the rental car for no additional fee.

You can check prices without being a member.  Go to Costco.com, click on travel and luggage, then rental cars.  Put in the dates you are interested in checking and the pickup location.

Good luck.


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## suzanne

I've found that they really are. But just like all rental agencies you have to keep checking right up til you pick up the car. You can cancel and rebook as often as you want to with no penalty. I have an intermediate car for 21 days in San Francisco in May reserved. Costco price with all fees and taxes was $860.63 everyone else was $1000.00 or higher for the same car.

Suzanne


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## dioxide45

Even if you can't beat Priceline or Hotwire, you can probably get pretty close to matching them with Costco. Costco rates are cancellable right up to the day of pickup. So IMO that beats Priceline or Hotwire which require payment upfront.


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## rickandcindy23

I look nearly daily for car rentals using Hotwire and Kayak, the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, and the Costco website.  

Costco has almost always comes in lowest ultimately.  Even for Hawaii, when everyone says Costco cannot beat their rate with Discount Hawaii Car Rental.  I have always found a better price with Costco.   

The Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal has been the lowest for our Maui trip next month, March, at $311 for two weeks, all taxes and fees included.  I haven't been able to find anything that low yet on Costco, but chances are good Costco will beat it.  I just hope they beat it before my Chase reservation is a done deal.  I have 48 hours before the rental time to cancel with Chase.  We will see.


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## Luanne

I think they are.


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## linsj

I must be the exception. When I was a Costco member, its price was always higher than what I booked with a discount code at National Car. I checked periodically; don't have time to do so daily. I won't use opaque sites since I've had billing problems with several companies and will never use them again.


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## PigsDad

My experience is about 50-50.  I always check Costco, but about half the time I find better rates on carrentals.com or hotwire.com.  If the rates are close, I will go w/ Costco for the free second driver.

Kurt


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## Blues

If you look far out ahead of time, book it, and don't recheck, then Costco is generally more expensive.  But the Costco prices generally drop like a rock starting about 4-6 weeks before the rental period.  Sometimes the drop continues until the week before, when the price can really be outstanding.  So if you want to use Costco, you have to be willing to continue to track the prices until shortly before you travel.  But IME, if you do so, you can frequently (not always by a long shot) get unbeatable prices.

It's not uncommon for me to cancel and rebook 20-30 times before locking into the lowest rate.

-Bob


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## PigsDad

I check at least once a week.  My comment about the 50-50 still stands, in my experience.

Kurt


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## UWSurfer

Probably 9 times out of 10 Costco has the lowest rate...but that's after checking regularly as others mentioned.  That said, Discount Hawiian Car Rental has the best price for a trip we're taking next month with two four day rentals, each on a different island plus another week on Maui.

I'm waiting to see if Costco drops and beat DHCR but if they don't I still have a pretty terrific rate


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## talkamotta

Besides being the cheapest rentals 4 out of 5 times we go to Costco for other reasons while on vacation. 

We eat most of our meals inside the condo.  I love their chicken pot pie, deep dish pizzas  and some of their other  prepared dishes.  We drink alcohol and their beer selection and prices are good.  

If you go to Hawaii, their gas is always the cheapest by quite a bit.   

Maybe you should get a friend or family member  that already has a Costco membership to get a $100 gift card for you and try them out on one of your trips.


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## ChrisandBeth

Canadians please note; Log onto Costco.*com* not Costco.*ca*.

The Candian website only offers Hertz and Avis and these are not great prices


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## suzanne

See my post regarding rates for car rentals. I started out at $860.00 for 3 week rental out of San Francisco in May. Checking every day my rate is now down to $481.23 for intermediate car from Enterprise. 

Costco is definitely worth it.

Suzanne


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## jehb2

derb said:


> I rent cars, 2 weeks at a time, 6 times a year.
> 
> Are the Costco discounts on car rentals so much
> better than Hotwire, Priceline etc., that it would
> pay to join Costco just for this one benefit.



Yes.



Blues said:


> If you look far out ahead of time, book it, and don't recheck, then Costco is generally more expensive.  But the Costco prices generally drop like a rock starting about 4-6 weeks before the rental period.
> -Bob



+1


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## sjsharkie

derb said:


> I rent cars, 2 weeks at a time, 6 times a year.
> 
> Are the Costco discounts on car rentals so much
> better than Hotwire, Priceline etc., that it would
> pay to join Costco just for this one benefit.



It depends. For places like LAS, I can typically find better rates elsewhere.  But for Hawaii and other places, Costco typically can't be beat.

I wouldn't join just for the one benefit.  The discount code is widely available and no one ever checks for Costco membership -- not once in all the years I've used it.  Since there is no insurance benefit (which if you got into an accident, you would not receive the benefits since technically not a member), I'd be fine with just using the code and booking online.  Obviously, YMMV.

Lucky for me, I go to Costco all the time so the car rental benefit is one more thing worth the price of membership.

-ryan


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## Dandc3

Blues said:


> If you look far out ahead of time, book it, and don't recheck, then Costco is generally more expensive.  But the Costco prices generally drop like a rock starting about 4-6 weeks before the rental period.  Sometimes the drop continues until the week before, when the price can really be outstanding.  So if you want to use Costco, you have to be willing to continue to track the prices until shortly before you travel.  But IME, if you do so, you can frequently (not always by a long shot) get unbeatable prices.
> 
> It's not uncommon for me to cancel and rebook 20-30 times before locking into the lowest rate.
> 
> -Bob


Wow! That is watching the rates closely! But if it works....


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## UWSurfer

Generally, Costco rates ARE that good & the benefit of the free second driver is very useful to us.

Still, when you know where to look you sometimes can beat them.  Hawaiian Discount Car Rental beat Costco handley a few months ago when I started firming up our trip to the Islands next month.  3 islands over a 15 day period & three car rentals. 

Today I checked and Costco rates are competitve within a few $ of HDCR, and on HNL they are actually $25 less.  I rebooked HNL. 

With rental cars it's useful to check back regularly in case rates drop.


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## falmouth3

Just checked the rental prices for the week we're going.  I had reserved a compact car, but found that the rental prices for that car had gone up.  However the price for a standard car is now $90 less than the one I had reserved.  This is the 3rd reservation I've had for the same vacation.  With checking over time, I've saved $130!


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## Luanne

We're going to be in Florida mid-May.  I originally booked a full size through Avis using a corporate rate.  The Costco rate was much higher.  Then I checked a few days ago and the Costco rate had fallen to half of the Avis rate!  Pays to keep checking.


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## eal

It definitely pays to keep checking. I once got a reduced rate from what I had reserved on the morning I was going to pick up the car.


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## Ken555

Costco rate for next month in Maui is now reasonable. I was able to save ~$40 for my rental and change from a compact to a mid-size, compared to one of the other discount hawaii rental sites often mentioned on TUG. I'll keep checking over the next few weeks and won't be surprised to find additional savings, similar to past rentals via Costco.

Also, Costco rentals for Kauai in October are very inexpensive right now. Ironically, the Full-size is less than standard, and both are substantially less than mid-size, for the week I reserved. $186 after taxes/fees for a full-size for one week.


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## slip

I got a full size on Kauai for two weeks all in for $407. I got that a few weeks ago and before that it was over $800. I'll keep checking and I thought is was weird too that the smaller cars were much more expensive.


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## winger

*Maui Apr 12 days for $401*

Looks like prices just started dropping the past 7 days...


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## am1

Blues said:


> If you look far out ahead of time, book it, and don't recheck, then Costco is generally more expensive.  But the Costco prices generally drop like a rock starting about 4-6 weeks before the rental period.  Sometimes the drop continues until the week before, when the price can really be outstanding.  So if you want to use Costco, you have to be willing to continue to track the prices until shortly before you travel.  But IME, if you do so, you can frequently (not always by a long shot) get unbeatable prices.
> 
> It's not uncommon for me to cancel and rebook 20-30 times before locking into the lowest rate.
> 
> -Bob



20 - 30 times seems alot.  How much are you saving per hour spent searching?


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## am1

Also why do we take this from car rental companies?


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## Blues

Ken555 said:


> Also, Costco rentals for Kauai in October are very inexpensive right now. Ironically, the Full-size is less than standard, and both are substantially less than mid-size, for the week I reserved. $186 after taxes/fees for a full-size for one week.



That's really strange.  We're going to Maui and Big Island in October, so I've been watching those prices.  On both islands, the rates are over $400 for a week.  I'm sure hoping they'll come down.




am1 said:


> 20 - 30 times seems alot.  How much are you saving per hour spent searching?



Doesn't matter.  I consider it a sport.    Anyway, it doesn't take long.

-Bob


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## Ken555

am1 said:


> Also why do we take this from car rental companies?




We shouldn't. But like most things, the sheep go where the corporations want us to, and of course it's not the consumer who typically benefits. 

What do you suggest we do to remedy this obvious problem?


Sent from my iPad


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## am1

Ken555 said:


> What do you suggest we do to remedy this obvious problem?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Everyone book the same week same location???  I really do not know but what a poorly run business. 

As long as you enjoy it for sport.


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## T_R_Oglodyte

am1 said:


> Also why do we take this from car rental companies?


Because that's what the public chooses.  All vendors, whether it's a car rental company, a grocery store, a cell phone company, a car manufacturer, etc., adjust prices dynamically to get the best utilization of their inventory.  

They make these types of changes because customer demand will follow. If customer demand stopped being affected by these changes, they would stop juggling prices.

They're just simply responding to what the public does.  And the public has it totally in their power to change the behavior simply by changing their behavior.


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## winger

*Apr 12 days Fullsize Maui $383 this morning...*

...at the same time, in 25 minutes, we saw Premium size go from 822 to 1071 for the same company (Enterprise).


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## rickandcindy23

I never did see a better deal for our Maui rental on Costco.  I went with the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal and booked the car months ago for $310 with all fees included (2 weeks; car rental for that price).  We picked up our car yesterday, and they didn't have any mid-size left.  They gave us a premium car (Altima) instead.  

I hope the rental prices go down for our Big Island trip with Rick's step-mom in August.  I need a full-size car so she can see from the back.  She is 86 young this year, but she gets shorter and has to sit on a pillow to see out the window of a mid-size.  The fullsize usually has better visibility.


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## T_R_Oglodyte

winger said:


> ...at the same time, in 25 minutes, we saw Premium size go from 822 to 1071 for the same company (Enterprise).



It is not uncommon for vendors to change pricing when you repeat a search, particularly when they use dynamic pricing and talk about an offer being valid for only a short time.  I think they hope that you will get concerned when you see the price go up and decide to book at the higher rate before it goes even hight.

When this happens and I'm seriously interested in the original, I often find that if repeat the search on a different computer I can get the original offer.  Also, sometimes by going into my browser and clicking the link that has the search results from the initial inquiry, I can retrieve the original offer.


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## winger

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> It is not uncommon for vendors to change pricing when you repeat a search, particularly when they use dynamic pricing and talk about an offer being valid for only a short time.  I think they hope that you will get concerned when you see the price go up and decide to book at the higher rate before it goes even hight.
> 
> When this happens and I'm seriously interested in the original, I often find that if repeat the search on a different computer I can get the original offer.  Also, sometimes by going into my browser and clicking the link that has the search results from the initial inquiry, I can retrieve the original offer.


Thanks for the background.

In my case, I did searches from two different computers (handheld then desktop) - but since from same IP address (both devices using home wifi), maybe website things search was from same computer.


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## winger

rickandcindy23 said:


> I never did see a better deal for our Maui rental on Costco.  I went with the Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal and booked the car months ago for $310 with all fees included (2 weeks; car rental for that price).  We picked up our car yesterday, and they didn't have any mid-size left.  They gave us a premium car (Altima) instead.
> 
> ....



Rick/Cindy. Nissan Altima is considered full size, a premium would be next size up like the Nissan Maxima.

In your Altima, does the trunk fit five carry on bags (each bag measures 10in x 14in x 22 in) with ease ?   We are debating between a full size and premium, but the premium's price is still about $100+ more than the full size.


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## T_R_Oglodyte

winger said:


> Thanks for the background.
> 
> In my case, I did searches from two different computers (handheld then desktop) - but since from same IP address (both devices using home wifi), maybe website things search was from same computer.



I'm usually behind the same router with each device.  I think most of the web sites either track through cookies or identify machines based on MAC addresses.


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## rickandcindy23

Winger, we had two large pieces of luggage in the Altima.  Rick put his laptop case in there, too, and the carryon had to go in the backseat.  So two large pieces, two 27" bags, fit into the trunk.  

With Alamo, the Altima is a premium vehicle.  The reason I know that is because I booked an Altima through Costco when the premium cars were on sale.  But the $310 beat that price, and I chose to keep the Thrifty car rental we got through the Chase portal.  

Always check the Chase portal, if you have it, to get competitive prices.


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## winger

rickandcindy23 said:


> Winger, we had to large pieces of luggage in the Altima.  Rick put his laptop case in there, too, and the carryon had to go in the backseat.  So two large pieces, two 27" bags, fit into the trunk.
> 
> With Alamo, the Altima is a premium vehicle.  The reason I know that is because I booked an Altima through Costco when the premium cars were on sale.  But the $310 beat that price, and I chose to keep the Thrifty car rental we got through the Chase portal.
> 
> Always check the Chase portal, if you have it, to get competitive prices.


 Thanks Cindy for the luggage info. What are the approx dimensions of your 27" bags?  I am thinking of putting the following in the trunk:
- three carry-ons each measuring 22"x14"x10" and 
- one larger one measuring 12"x24"25".

On the Chase portal, I have tried that but missed the 'sale'.  I saw the week when the prices started increasing (when premium car increased from $386 to $455, which is where I booked it).  I am now watching both full size and premiums.


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## uop1497

I just wonder if booking a car thru Costco, how do you made a request such as Non smoking car, low mileage, Automatic transmission ect .

Also, What do you need to bring with you when pickup the car?
 Please advise


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## Luanne

uop1497 said:


> I just wonder if booking a car thru Costco, how do you made a request such as Non smoking car, low mileage, Automatic transmission ect .
> 
> Also, What do you need to bring with you when pickup the car?
> Please advise



Since I've never made those kinds of requests I don't know if you can on the Costco website.  However, I think most rentals are automatic transmission.  I've also found that if we've gone to pick up a car and are unhappy with it we've been able to switch to a different vehicle.  That's been with various rental agencies.

You may need to bring your Costco membership card.  You do need the membership number to make the reservation online.

You also will need your driver's license and a credit card.  We've never needed proof of car insurance, but I always have my card with me just in case.


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## dioxide45

uop1497 said:


> I just wonder if booking a car thru Costco, how do you made a request such as Non smoking car, low mileage, Automatic transmission ect .
> 
> Also, What do you need to bring with you when pickup the car?
> Please advise



In North America, the car type you are reserving will indicate if it is automatic. I don't know if many, if any, North American car rental agencies that rent standards. Same for non smoking. I think all cars are non smoking these days. The best time to make a request for low mileage would be when you pick up the car at the counter. Some agencies like Alamo and National may let you pick your car type from an isle. So just pick a low mileage vehicle.


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## taffy19

We booked quite awhile ago with Alamo for an economy car for four weeks minus a day on Maui starting March 22 .  It was for $1,062.28.

We checked Discount Hawaii Car rentals two days ago and got it down to $807.00 for the same economy car and time period.

Yesterday, I signed up with Costco Travel and ended up with $769.75 for a compact car and the intermediate was $774.08.  We prefer smaller cars for easy parking and good mileage too.

Discount Hawaii car rentals asked me by email to contact them as they were interested in what we paid so their prices may also drop again as he told me to keep checking.    I wished we could do this with the airlines too.


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## Luanne

iconnections said:


> Discount Hawaii car rentals asked me by email to contact them as they were interested in what we paid so their prices may also drop again as he told me to keep checking.    I wished we could do this with the airlines too.



Discount Hawaii did this last year when we got a better price through Costco.  After seeing the Costco price the response from Discount Hawaii was basically "Have a great trip".


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## winger

Luanne said:


> Discount Hawaii did this last year when we got a better price through Costco.  After seeing the Costco price the response from Discount Hawaii was basically "Have a great trip".



Yep, same type of response last time we were in Kauai a couple of years ago.


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## winger

iconnections said:


> ....
> 
> Yesterday, I signed up with Costco Travel and ended up with $769.75 for a compact car and the intermediate was $774.08. ....



My latest for 12 days is $340 = $28.33/day

Yours (if I did the math right for # of days) = $769.75/27days = $28.51

Looks so similar !


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## Rascalsmom

I have a 9-day rental booked through Costco for a Standard SUV out of Denver.  We are arriving late at night and sleeping by the airport on the first night, so taking a 15-minute taxi ride to pick up rental car the next morning.  It's over $300 cheaper to pick up 15 minutes away than to take the car from the airport.  Still returning the car to the airport on day of departure.

Thanks to TUG advice, still checking the rates periodically to see if they drop even more.


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## gnorth16

Thanks for starting this thread.  I rechecked my dates in Costco and it was $190 less.    (I did drop down from a premium to a full size) and $60 less  than hotwire.


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## winger

*$314 Full size 12 days...*



winger said:


> ...at the same time, in 25 minutes, we saw Premium size go from 822 to 1071 for the same company (Enterprise).


... and the good thing is, we still have over three weeks before a trip starts!


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## mjm1

I've been watching prices on Oahu for early June. They were very high ($398 for Intermediate for 9 days). I just checked Costco again and reserved it for $241.  I had reserved with Discount Hawaii Car Rental for $262. I will continue to watch the prices to see if there is any more movement. Hopefully, down.


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## Ken555

Five days ago I had reserved via Costco at $367 (after reserving at a higher rate elsewhere). Today the same reservation is $285.


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## andex

I have never gotten a deal from Costco. after reading this thread last night I gave this horse another kick. saved 60$ with a 2nd driver! Cool! Thanks tug, I will add it to the thousands of dollars I have saved here over the last few years! if I add TS resale to the equation well over a hundred thousand dollars!


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## taffy19

winger said:


> My latest for 12 days is $340 = $28.33/day
> 
> Yours (if I did the math right for # of days) = $769.75/27days = $28.51
> 
> Looks so similar !


Cindy (rickandcindy23) sent me an email message and saved me another $50.00 plus she wrote about the Costco insurance package that we didn't know about either.  Thank you Cindy!  Will contact you about meeting you next week on Maui.


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## Ken555

Ken555 said:


> Five days ago I had reserved via Costco at $367 (after reserving at a higher rate elsewhere). Today the same reservation is $285.



Today I saved more with a current rate of $270. Ironically, the full-size was least expensive. I suspect it will change again in the next few weeks...


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## UWSurfer

OGG next week was $12 less expensive with Costco than with Discount Hawaiian Car Rental…rebooked.   DHCR had standard & full size cars for $160 for the week, $35 - $40 less expensive than compacts but gas milage is half of a compact.  Since I'm solo there that week, I stayed with the compact and will save more in gas mpg.


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## firefly3

*costco insurance*

Just wondering what is the costco insurance deal??


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## rickandcindy23

The American Express Costco card has an insurance policy you get when you use the card to rent a car.  You have to sign up for it, and they charge $25 per rental.  The insurance takes over your insurance needs for the trip, so in the USA, this insurance covers loss of use and everything your regular insurance does, but it is instead of your current auto insurance.  It's a good deal.  I think you can rent up to a month with that $25 fee.  

If you book a car rental with Hotwire or Priceline, you need to call American Express and tell them that charge is for a car.  

Maybe all Amex cards qualify for the insurance?


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## Ken555

rickandcindy23 said:


> The American Express Costco card has an insurance policy you get when you use the card to rent a car.  You have to sign up for it, and they charge $25 per rental.  The insurance takes over your insurance needs for the trip, so in the USA, this insurance covers loss of use and everything your regular insurance does, but it is instead of your current auto insurance.  It's a good deal.  I think you can rent up to a month with that $25 fee.
> 
> 
> 
> If you book a car rental with Hotwire or Priceline, you need to call American Express and tell them that charge is for a car.
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe all Amex cards qualify for the insurance?




And it's just $18 for California residents. I've got it on all my rentals, and to the best of my knowledge it's applicable for signup with any AMEX. If you reserve via Priceline or another reseller, just be sure to call Amex and they will add the insurance (when renting from a car rental company the charge is automatic).


Sent from my iPad


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## dioxide45

I don't understand the draw for the Amex insurance. Many credit cards offer CDW for free, or included in the annual fee. Some even have primary CDW instead of secondary. Why pay $25 (or even $18) when you get it for free with another card? Does it provide liability coverage?


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## SkyBlueWaters

You use the premium insurance for certain size vehicles, like SUVs. I forget the other perks, but they were pretty good. CDW does not cover after a certain size. Chase Sapphire Prefered offers it for free.


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## Ken555

dioxide45 said:


> I don't understand the draw for the Amex insurance. Many credit cards offer CDW for free, or included in the annual fee. Some even have primary CDW instead of secondary. Why pay $25 (or even $18) when you get it for free with another card? Does it provide liability coverage?




That's a good question. It's been a few years since I compared coverage, but the Amex offer provides primary coverage so your personal insurance isn't involved. From what I recall, the credit card included coverage (at least, the cc I had at the time) I believe only offered partial coverage, for instance enough to satisfy your personal insurance deductible amount, and then your personal policy took over. 

Details on Amex coverage:

Included with your card for no additional cost:
https://www.americanexpress.com/us/content/card-benefits/car-rental-insurance.html

Extra cost coverage:
https://www295.americanexpress.com/...oring&intlink=us-CCSG-NAC-CarRental-LearnMore


Sent from my iPad


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## gnorth16

gnorth16 said:


> Thanks for starting this thread.  I rechecked my dates in Costco and it was $190 less.    (I did drop down from a premium to a full size) and $60 less  than hotwire.



Checked again and I re-booked at $50 less.  Yes, this is a sport!!!


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## Luanne

gnorth16 said:


> Checked again and I re-booked at $50 less.  Yes, this is a sport!!!



And the rate for our fullsize in Tampa (Costco) has almost tripled from when I booked it.  Sometimes you just get lucky with the day(s) you check.


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## falmouth3

gnorth16 said:


> Checked again and I re-booked at $50 less.  Yes, this is a sport!!!



I've been doing this sort of thing a long time.  But when I started this tactic, I had to call each company and check on prices using all the discount coupons I had, checking car sizes, etc.  It's a lot easier to be a smart consumer now!


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## falmouth3

falmouth3 said:


> Just checked the rental prices for the week we're going.  I had reserved a compact car, but found that the rental prices for that car had gone up.  However the price for a standard car is now $90 less than the one I had reserved.  This is the 3rd reservation I've had for the same vacation.  With checking over time, I've saved $130!



I just checked again.  Current prices are more than 3X what I'm paying and many car types are not available.  It definitely pays to book early and keep checking.


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## Luanne

falmouth3 said:


> I just checked again.  Current prices are more than 3X what I'm paying and many car types are not available.  It definitely pays to book early and keep checking.



Absolutely!


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## uop1497

I booked a car to pickup at FLL. I plan to check at car center to see if I can get a similar deal . If it is, I will pick up my car at MIA . If not, I will take public transport to FLL to get my car.

Here are my questions:

1) If you book a car thru Costco and you don't show up to pick up the rental car. Does Costco charge you any fee for not showing up?

2) If I show up 2 hrs earlier than my pick up schedule, would I am able to get my car. 

3) Does anyone know how late the car company will suppose to keep the car from the time of pickup . My fly will land at 5:30pm and I do not know how long it takes me to travel from MIA to FLL using public Tri-rail . I reserve my car to be pick up at 6:30pm and another one to be pick up at 8:30pm . I need to cancel one of them before my trip . I booked car with Alamo and Avis .

2) If you book a car for 1 week and you return the car 1 day early, will you get any penalty for earlier return?  the hotel I stay has shuttle to airport and I am thinking to return the rental car in the evening around 7pm the day before I supposed to fly home

Please advise and thank you


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## dioxide45

uop1497 said:


> I booked a car to pickup at FLL. I plan to check at car center to see if I can get a similar deal . If it is, I will pick up my car at MIA . If not, I will take public transport to FLL to get my car.
> 
> Here are my questions:
> 
> 1) If you book a car thru Costco and you don't show up to pick up the rental car. Does Costco charge you any fee for not showing up?
> 
> 2) If I show up 2 hrs earlier than my pick up schedule, would I am able to get my car.
> 
> 3) Does anyone know how late the car company will suppose to keep the car from the time of pickup . My fly will land at 5:30pm and I do not know how long it takes me to travel from MIA to FLL using public Tri-rail . I reserve my car to be pick up at 6:30pm and another one to be pick up at 8:30pm . I need to cancel one of them before my trip . I booked car with Alamo and Avis .
> 
> 2) If you book a car for 1 week and you return the car 1 day early, will you get any penalty for earlier return?  the hotel I stay has shuttle to airport and I am thinking to return the rental car in the evening around 7pm the day before I supposed to fly home
> 
> Please advise and thank you



You probably need to go to the website of the rental agency you are booked through. These policies vary from company to company. Better to get it from the source.


----------



## Luanne

dioxide45 said:


> You probably need to go to the website of the rental agency you are booked through. These policies vary from company to company. Better to get it from the source.



Good idea.  I was looking at my rental "contract", the email I got confirming our rental with Alamo through Costco.  It didn't really address any of the questions, basically kept saying it was up to the rental company.

I was also trying to remember if I had to put in my credit card information when I booked the rental.  I know I had to enter my Costco number.


----------



## dioxide45

Luanne said:


> Good idea.  I was looking at my rental "contract", the email I got confirming our rental with Alamo through Costco.  It didn't really address any of the questions, basically kept saying it was up to the rental company.
> 
> I was also trying to remember if I had to put in my credit card information when I booked the rental.  I know I had to enter my Costco number.



Credit card number isn't usually necessary. It may be for some car types, but I have never had to do it. I think booking through Costco is like anywhere else. There is no cancellation or no show fee.


----------



## Luanne

dioxide45 said:


> Credit card number isn't usually necessary. It may be for some car types, but I have never had to do it. I think booking through Costco is like anywhere else. There is no cancellation or no show fee.



These words are in my contract.

Cancellation and change fees may apply.


----------



## sfwilshire

My 10 day Costco rental for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in October was down another $60 tonight for a $396.61 total for an intermediate size. I know rates will be north of double that amount when we get closer to Fiesta. The rental car companies must snag every available rental car in several neighboring states for that time period.

Sheila


----------



## GrayFal

Ken555 said:


> Today I saved more with a current rate of $270. Ironically, the full-size was least expensive. I suspect it will change again in the next few weeks...



Seems like a silly question but....when you have the costco Resie for $285 and go back and check and see it is now available for $270, do you make another reservation and then go back and cancel the original Resie?

Or are you able to alter the original Resie?


----------



## scootr5

GrayFal said:


> Seems like a silly question but....when you have the costco Resie for $285 and go back and check and see it is now available for $270, do you make another reservation and then go back and cancel the original Resie?
> 
> Or are you able to alter the original Resie?



I always just make a new one and cancel the old one.


----------



## Luanne

scootr5 said:


> I always just make a new one and cancel the old one.



I do the same.


----------



## GrayFal

Thx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mjkkb2

I have been booking and canceling a 2 wk rental for Orlando mid April.  I have made about 10+ reservations starting about 6 to 7 weeks in advance.  The price started at about $500 for a full size and have been dropping every few days.  At about 10-9 days before the trip  I have made my 10th+/- reservation for $269 for same car.  After that the prices skyrocketed back and beyond where it started, now the same car is $800+(3 days before trip starts).
I have been a firm believer of Priceline bidding, but was not able to come close to prices that Costco offered.


----------



## uop1497

I just wonder between Avis and Alamo, which company is better to choose .


----------



## Luanne

uop1497 said:


> I just wonder between Avis and Alamo, which company is better to choose .



Of the two I generally prefer Avis.  However, if there is a big difference in price and Alamo is better, I'll book with them.


----------



## Sandy VDH

My choice would be Avis.  As a preferred customer I get better service.  Free upgrades regularly.  No pressure to purchase extra insurance.  No hyper pickiness about state of car when I return it.  

Alamo has a history with me of trying to always pressure the insurance, and trying to charge me with scratches and dents that were already there when I got the car.  When I do you them, I walk the car and have them mark everything.  Don't rent at night when I can't see things.  I have been charged by them for damage that was not my doing.  The first time I couldn't prove it, I have gotten smarter since then and now take a photo of major damage and have it noted on the rental form. 

Don't know why but Avis never has as hassle about this.  Alamo and thrifty to.


----------



## NWTRVLRS

Yep, Costco has the best prices... but keep checking back up until the last minute  

We go to New Mexico each year, and I book the car as soon as I book the air, usually 6-7 months in advance... checking last minute and rebooking the car saved over $200!


----------



## dioxide45

Sandy VDH said:


> My choice would be Avis.  As a preferred customer I get better service.  Free upgrades regularly.  No pressure to purchase extra insurance.  No hyper pickiness about state of car when I return it.
> 
> Alamo has a history with me of trying to always pressure the insurance, and trying to charge me with scratches and dents that were already there when I got the car.  When I do you them, I walk the car and have them mark everything.  Don't rent at night when I can't see things.  I have been charged by them for damage that was not my doing.  The first time I couldn't prove it, I have gotten smarter since then and now take a photo of major damage and have it noted on the rental form.
> 
> Don't know why but Avis never has as hassle about this.  Alamo and thrifty to.



Oddly, out experience has been the opposite with Alamo. No pressure when picking up the car (though we use the kiosk if we can) and no scrutiny when returning it. We used Alamo a lot, but not in the last couple years.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte

dioxide45 said:


> Oddly, out experience has been the opposite with Alamo. No pressure when picking up the car (though we use the kiosk if we can) and no scrutiny when returning it. We used Alamo a lot, but not in the last couple years.



In my recent experience, no agency hawks the insurance more aggressively than Budget/Avis.  My business-owners liability insurance includes coverage for hired vehicles that blasts the insurance coverage out of the water; I have that coverage because my Fortune 500 clients demand it since they wind up being deep pockets for under-insured contractors.  But even after asking them why I should pay money for their inferior coverage when my coverage is already primary, many of the agents continue to tout their insurance.

I often walk away with a distinct impression that when the people at the counter are able to upsell a renter (car class, insurance coverage, GPS, car seat, etc.), they get a cut of the revenue in their paycheck.


----------



## Ken555

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> In my recent experience, no agency hawks the insurance more aggressively than Budget/Avis.



Same experience here. I prefer the Alamo computer checkin so I don't have to even tempt the agent to talk with me about insurance. Budget doesn't seem to offer this type of convenience, though with an appropriate savings vs Alamo, I would consider it.



> My business-owners liability insurance includes coverage for hired vehicles that blasts the insurance coverage out of the water




I've been paying the extra $17.95 per rental to AMEX for their coverage. However, I never thought of checking my business liability coverage for rental cars. Are you referring to non-owned auto coverage? If not, any suggestions on where I should look to find this info? My policy is quite good, or so I've been told...haven't had to put it to the test, tho. 


Sent from my iPad


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte

Ken555 said:


> I've been paying the extra $17.95 per rental to AMEX for their coverage. However, I never thought of checking my business liability coverage for rental cars. Are you referring to non-owned auto coverage? If not, any suggestions on where I should look to find this info? My policy is quite good, or so I've been told...haven't had to put it to the test, tho.



Yes - it's for hired vehicles only.  The issue came up when some of my clients started requiring me to include auto insurance in my certificates of coverage, and the limits they were requesting were substantial

When I contacted my carrier, I was told that as long as I wasn't requesting coverage for owned vehicles (i.e., hired vehicles only) they could include coverage under my general business owners policy with no change in premium.  So that was a pretty easy decision to make.  I was already using rented vehicles for my travel that didn't involve air or train travel, so I now use rental car exclusively. 

On the whole, it's also cheaper for most my clients for me to rent a vehicle than to use a personal vehicle and charge IRS allowances.  Also, when I rent a vehicle I can tailor the vehicle to the requirements of the job. If I'm going to be doing field work I rent a 4x4, but if I'm just going somewhere for a meeting a compact is all that I need.


----------



## easyrider

I just recheck our reservation for Kona and discount hawaii car rental has costco beat by $180 +. 

I use the Amex protection in Mexico and Canada but because my business vehicles include "hired auto liability" and my credit card has the collision, I don't use the Amex protection in the states. 

Last year the RCI Avis code was the one that worked for us in Mexico.


Bill


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte

easyrider said:


> I just recheck our reservation for Kona and discount hawaii car rental has costco beat by $180 +.
> 
> I use the Amex protection in Mexico and Canada but because my business vehicles include "hired auto liability" and my credit card has the collision, I don't use the Amex protection in the states.
> 
> Last year the RCI Avis code was the one that worked for us in Mexico.
> 
> 
> Bill



good info. One of my takeaways from this thread is to cease using Priceline and Hotwire for rental months in advance, and to instead stay with cancellable reservations until a couple of weeks before departure.


----------



## dioxide45

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> good info. One of my takeaways from this thread is to cease using Priceline and Hotwire for rental months in advance, and to instead stay with cancellable reservations until a couple of weeks before departure.



I would agree. There is no way that I would ever use Priceline or Hotwire months in advance. We have tried bidding about a week out to try to beat Costco and DHCR. So far neither has gotten us better prices than Costco.


----------



## uop1497

To upgrade my car rental.

I received the car 2hrs early and pay no extra charge . I was told if pick up the car early and still within 24 hrs of return window. No extra charge .

FYI, Avis will keep car for customer 24 hrs counting from the pick up time in reservation.  

Travel from MIA to FLL using tri- rail very easy and cheap . Get on bus #133 (at MIA airport) to train. Buy train ticket to FLL airport station at the window. 

Board the train (north bound) and get off when train arrive at FLL airport station.  walk across the street and get on small bus park next to the train station (south bound). Small bus will go inside FLL airport . Get off at small bus station inside airport. 

Walk across street and get on the larger bus to go to rental car center. 

Total cost is $7.50 (for 2 one way tickets) and 1hr take of our time


----------



## Ken555

Costco kept lowering Alamo prices for my upcoming trip but in the end a coupon (found in <1 minute online) for Advantage was the best rate. It pays to keep checking...


----------



## TungDart

Costco has better price than others 
[invisible spam link removed]


----------



## Sugarcubesea

NWTRVLRS said:


> Yep, Costco has the best prices... but keep checking back up until the last minute
> 
> We go to New Mexico each year, and I book the car as soon as I book the air, usually 6-7 months in advance... checking last minute and rebooking the car saved over $200!



I know this must sound like a stupid question but how do you book the Costco Rentals?


----------



## dioxide45

Sugarcubesea said:


> I know this must sound like a stupid question but how do you book the Costco Rentals?



Go to the Costco website and look for the link to "Travel". You will have to register if you haven't already. The registration is separate from Costco.com. You can search without registering and/or being a Costco member, but you can't book unless you register which requires you to be a member.


----------



## Ken555

TungDart said:


> Costco has better price than others




As I've posted, I'm a big fan of Costco. But as my latest post mentions, Costco was not the lowest for my upcoming reservation. It happens. And it's sometimes worth the extra few minutes to check elsewhere now and then, though not always.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## csalter2

*Costco prices started to be competitive*

I am not convinced on Costco yet.  Discount Hawaii is very competitive. What I am finding is the on the same day Costco can have a low rate and a few hours later the prices are jacked up high again.


----------



## Ken555

csalter2 said:


> I am not convinced on Costco yet.  Discount Hawaii is very competitive. What I am finding is the on the same day Costco can have a low rate and a few hours later the prices are jacked up high again.




I haven't checked multiple times per day but I have checked multiple times per week. I've found very stable prices at Costco, though over time they do fluctuate. Discount Hawaii wasn't even close for me. Obviously, your experience has been different.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Sugarcubesea

dioxide45 said:


> Go to the Costco website and look for the link to "Travel". You will have to register if you haven't already. The registration is separate from Costco.com. You can search without registering and/or being a Costco member, but you can't book unless you register which requires you to be a member.



Thanks. I am a costco member and I'm off to do that now


----------



## csalter2

Ken555 said:


> I haven't checked multiple times per day but I have checked multiple times per week. I've found very stable prices at Costco, though over time they do fluctuate. Discount Hawaii wasn't even close for me. Obviously, your experience has been different.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Well, they have to change at some point.  Maybe I just caught it at the right time. I am sure they will change again.


----------



## somewhereoutthere

Thanks, TUG, for the tips on re-checking car rentals on Costco. 

I had a 2 night reservation on Costco for $83, which I thought was good considering shuttles to and from the airport would be double that for 4 people. Today I remembered to check back on Costco and got the same class of car (Intermediate) for $28. Yay!


----------



## jeepie

Booking now for a Hawaii visit, and find Discount Hawaii maybe 15% less than Costco...today! I will check as it gets closer. Btw, last trip to Hawaii I ended up using Costco, excellent experience, but I didn't realize they don't give the 2% credit for using the Costco AmEx card. Does that sound right TUGgers? Will Costco Travel accept another card, for example Marriott Visa, which I think give 2x points/$?


----------



## Luanne

jeepie said:


> Booking now for a Hawaii visit, and find Discount Hawaii maybe 15% less than Costco...today! I will check as it gets closer. Btw, last trip to Hawaii I ended up using Costco, excellent experience, but I didn't realize they don't give the 2% credit for using the Costco AmEx card. Does that sound right TUGgers? Will Costco Travel accept another card, for example Marriott Visa, which I think give 2x points/$?



Costco travel will accept any credit card.  You only give them the card when you pick up the car, not when you make the reservation.  Or, put it this way,  you may need to provide a car number when making the reservation, but your card isn't charged and you can use a different one when you pick up the car.


----------



## rickandcindy23

If you have a credit card company with a portal, like Chase's Ultimate Rewards, you can often save significantly over Costco's rates.  I am always watching Costco, but the best price I found for my son's trip to Maui was $206, all taxes and fees included, for 2 weeks through the UR portal.  That was a full-sized car.  He is a happy traveler starting 6/1!


----------



## JaxonSmith

After going through the contents of this page, you can easily enjoy hefty discounts on car rentals. This is a great initiative by the owner of the thread in helping people who are in need.


----------



## dioxide45

rickandcindy23 said:


> If you have a credit card company with a portal, like Chase's Ultimate Rewards, you can often save significantly over Costco's rates.  I am always watching Costco, but the best price I found for my son's trip to Maui was $206, all taxes and fees included, for 2 weeks through the UR portal.  That was a full-sized car.  He is a happy traveler starting 6/1!



Do you have to use some of your Ultimate Rewards in exchange for the discounts? I don't have a UR card, but have a Flexible Rewards. I tried checking out the portal but see where I needed to use 7,000 FR points in conjunction with the cash reservation.


----------



## rickandcindy23

> Do you have to use some of your Ultimate Rewards in exchange for the discounts?



Not with the portal.  No points necessary.  You can use points instead, if you want.  Your choice.  

Of course, I can transfer my Chase Ink Bold points to several different hotel chains, including Marriott Rewards, and that is an amazing benefit.  

Chase Ink Bold and Chase Ink Plus are "business" cards.  Anyone can have a business.  I love the card because I get 5X points on our Dish Network, Verizon cell phone, home phone, and internet.  According to Million Mile Secrets, the Chase Ink cards have a 60,000 point bonus for signing up and the minimum spend.  Those points transfer to Southwest, United, British Airways, Marriott, Hyatt, and several other hotels and airlines.  We have both cards.


----------



## Sugarcubesea

somewhereoutthere said:


> Thanks, TUG, for the tips on re-checking car rentals on Costco.
> 
> I had a 2 night reservation on Costco for $83, which I thought was good considering shuttles to and from the airport would be double that for 4 people. Today I remembered to check back on Costco and got the same class of car (Intermediate) for $28. Yay!



I just booked a 5 day rental for Traverse City Mi for the 4th of July. I will check back in a week.


----------



## uop1497

I have another question between Enterprise and Budget which car rental company you will chose. And Why ? Thank you


----------



## Luanne

uop1497 said:


> I have another question between Enterprise and Budget which car rental company you will chose. And Why ? Thank you



Of the two, I'd pick Enterprise.  I've had a couple of poor experiences with Budget.


----------



## uop1497

Luanne said:


> Of the two, I'd pick Enterprise.  I've had a couple of poor experiences with Budget.



 DH likes Avis .For our coming trip, Avis's pricing is more expensive compared Budget and Enterprise . 

Does Enterprise have a good, low mileage and newer car to rent .


----------



## dioxide45

*Did we miss the Orlando price drop?*

We are looking at a 9 day rental in Orlando starting on 8/29. Did we miss the usual price drop that comes ahead of travel dates or is that still to come?

Prices for an intermediate are still around $375. We book at this rate and will continue to check Costco and other sites.


----------



## Superchief

dioxide45 said:


> We are looking at a 9 day rental in Orlando starting on 8/29. Did we miss the usual price drop that comes ahead of travel dates or is that still to come?
> 
> Prices for an intermediate are still around $375. We book at this rate and will continue to check Costco and other sites.



I think it is difficult to predict when the prices will drop, so I keep checking. I suggest avoiding Budget in Orlando if possible. I had originally booked Budget through Costco for a trip in March, but found a better rate at Alamo a few days prior to my trip. I was happy I did. When I arrived in Orlando at about 9pm, there was a very long line at Budget with only 2 working the counter. None of the others had lines, and I was able to pick up my car at Alamo in 5 minutes. I have read other postings on Flyertalk to avoid Budget in Orlando.


----------



## Luanne

uop1497 said:


> DH likes Avis .For our coming trip, Avis's pricing is more expensive compared Budget and Enterprise .
> 
> Does Enterprise have a good, low mileage and newer car to rent .



I prefer Avis also.  But the questioned choice was between Budget and Enterprise.


----------



## Okies

dioxide45 said:


> We are looking at a 9 day rental in Orlando starting on 8/29. Did we miss the usual price drop that comes ahead of travel dates or is that still to come?
> 
> Prices for an intermediate are still around $375. We book at this rate and will continue to check Costco and other sites.



Because of this thread, we saved almost $200 by using Costco for a 7 day car rental in Orlando.   We settled on $136 for a full size car with Avis about 2 weeks before the trip.  We happened to find $117 with Budget the day prior to the reservation, but stuck with Avis.  Costco doesn't charge to cancel and rebook.  Gotta love Costco!


----------



## MOXJO7282

Okies said:


> Because of this thread, we saved almost $200 by using Costco for a 7 day car rental in Orlando.   We settled on $136 for a full size car with Avis about 2 weeks before the trip.  We happened to find $117 with Budget the day prior to the reservation, but stuck with Avis.  Costco doesn't charge to cancel and rebook.  Gotta love Costco!



I'm surprised to hear this that best pricing was 2 weeks out because with the Maui market the sweet spot was about 40-45 days. From there pricing went up considerably. Maybe it will go back down so I'll keep checking but my price of $356 for 2 week starting 7/12 on Maui is now  over $1000 with some companies not even having inventory anymore.


----------



## dioxide45

MOXJO7282 said:


> I'm surprised to hear this that best pricing was 2 weeks out because with the Maui market the sweet spot was about 40-45 days. From there pricing went up considerably. Maybe it will go back down so I'll keep checking but my price of $356 for 2 week starting 7/12 on Maui is now  over $1000 with some companies not even having inventory anymore.



I think a lot depends on the time of year you are traveling and if it is peak or off peak season. Hawaii is also a little different perhaps because the rental companies there have really cut available inventory. Though they have everywhere, but it seems to be a little more so in Hawaii.

We had the same experience as you last November, about 45 days out was the lowest prices for us. They got much higher closer in.


----------



## RichardL

No one mentioned this, but I book airfare to Hawaii along with car rental, and I find the rate to be very competitive and there is the benefit of booking using a telephone instead of a computer.  I find the operator can frequently add some points of interest and act as a sounding board, which I appreciate.


----------



## Laurie

Most recent Enterprise thru Costco car rental gave us 2 extra drivers free: one for domestic partner + one more adult in addition to primary driver = 3. Good deal!


----------



## rickandcindy23

I haven't seen anything under $450 for our two weeks on the Big Island through Costco (8/2-8/17).  I keep hoping for a good rate.  My best so far is $296 for a Jeep Liberty through the Chase UR portal.  That is taxes and fees included.  I can cancel it up to 48 hours before without penalty.


----------



## dioxide45

dioxide45 said:


> We are looking at a 9 day rental in Orlando starting on 8/29. Did we miss the usual price drop that comes ahead of travel dates or is that still to come?
> 
> Prices for an intermediate are still around $375. We book at this rate and will continue to check Costco and other sites.



It looks like prices have started to drop for our dates. I noticed the prices started dropping about a week ago. Though they really came down yesterday and I booked an Alamo rate for about $50 higher than what we have EZ Rental Car booked for. This evening I checked and the rates are only about $10 more. So I booked and cancelled the higher rate. Still have the EZ booked, but will likely cancel that since the Costco rate through Alamo gives us an extra driver free. Actually booked two cars since friends coming with us might fly with us instead of drive.


----------



## dioxide45

*Costco & Alamo and Free Upgrade Question*

I hope this all makes sense.

I notice something odd when booking on the Costco website vs directly on Alamo. When I check the rate on Costco, it shows that I get the discount for Costco membership and that a free one car class upgrade coupon also applies. The upgrade coupon looks to apply on the Compact through Standard car classes. The issue is that when you book it, the final itinerary shows that the car class booked is the actual class you selected and it doesn't upgrade the car class.

I was thinking perhaps that they already took the upgrade in to account. So if I booked the Standard size, it was really showing me the price for the Intermediate (mid size). However that doesn't look to be the case. When I select an Intermediate  on the Costco website, the e-mailed itinerary shows Intermediate. I went though the booking process on the Alamo website using the Costco code and upgrade coupon code from the Terms & Conditions on the Costco website. That shows the Intermediate with the same price I booked. However when I actually select it, it shows me as booking a Standard size car (because of the upgrade).

It seems that if I book through Costco, I am not really getting the upgrade.

_ETA: When I look up the confirmation booked through Costco directly on Alamo.com. It shows the correct car class. So note here. When booking with a car class upgrade coupon on Costco, select the car class that you want to upgrade from. Though the actual confirmation from Costco will never show the correct car class you have reserved._


----------



## dioxide45

dioxide45 said:


> It looks like prices have started to drop for our dates. I noticed the prices started dropping about a week ago. Though they really came down yesterday and I booked an Alamo rate for about $50 higher than what we have EZ Rental Car booked for. This evening I checked and the rates are only about $10 more. So I booked and cancelled the higher rate. Still have the EZ booked, but will likely cancel that since the Costco rate through Alamo gives us an extra driver free. Actually booked two cars since friends coming with us might fly with us instead of drive.



Another $11 price drop on Alamo through Costco


----------



## DaveNV

dioxide45 said:


> I hope this all makes sense.
> 
> I notice something odd when booking on the Costco website vs directly on Alamo. When I check the rate on Costco, it shows that I get the discount for Costco membership and that a free one car class upgrade coupon also applies. The upgrade coupon looks to apply on the Compact through Standard car classes. The issue is that when you book it, the final itinerary shows that the car class booked is the actual class you selected and it doesn't upgrade the car class.




I think if you go back to the Low Price Finder at Costco to choose your reservation, I think you'll see the price may be the same for the class you selected, and the next higher class. So by paying the same price, you can get the higher class for the same rate. That was how it always seemed to work when I checked things.  Also, from the main reservation page, you can select the coupon listed for the company, and you may get the free upgrade rate.  But it may not be the lowest rate overall.  It's all confusing. 

Dave


----------



## timbuktu

*Insurance*



Laurie said:


> Most recent Enterprise thru Costco car rental gave us 2 extra drivers free: one for domestic partner + one more adult in addition to primary driver = 3. Good deal!



I thought the same thing but it is only making the person a legal driver.  It doesn't cover the extra drivers for insurance,  especially liability.  Unless you purchase insurance for the extra drivers.


----------



## RichardL

*I was tricked and now again praise Costco*

I obtained my Costco price thru Budget and just did not feel comfortable dealing directly with a Budget Employee.  Then I went on line and located another provider who apparently offer a much cheaper price, and offered even a better price if they could spend 24 hrs to research my particulars.  Great.  Then today I got the boom, the price that they quoted me was absent all the rental car related charges and taxes and now I was paying $40 more a week that Costco.  Ok, I am back to Costco.


----------



## DaveNV

RichardL said:


> I obtained my Costco price thru Budget and just did not feel comfortable dealing directly with a Budget Employee.  Then I went on line and located another provider who apparently offer a much cheaper price, and offered even a better price if they could spend 24 hrs to research my particulars.  Great.  Then today I got the boom, the price that they quoted me was absent all the rental car related charges and taxes and now I was paying $40 more a week that Costco.  Ok, I am back to Costco.




Since there generally is no fee to cancel a car reservation, I always leave the best deal in place until I'm satisfied I've found a better deal.  Then I cancel the lesser one.  Sometimes it's a second reservation with Costco. Logging into the travel account shows all the reservations on file through them, so cancelling the one I don't need is very easy.  That way no bait-and-switch from other companies will mess me up.  (Thrifty is famous for that:  Quotes a low rate, until you book the car - and then they levy all the taxes and fees, which drives the final cost up through the roof.  I'm not a fan of their methods.)

Dave


----------



## DazedandConfused

I personally have found Costco to be consistently the lowest, but not always.

I don't have the time or desire to change my reservation 20-30 times to save $5, but would gladly switch to $50 or more.


----------



## dioxide45

BMWguynw said:


> I think if you go back to the Low Price Finder at Costco to choose your reservation, I think you'll see the price may be the same for the class you selected, and the next higher class. So by paying the same price, you can get the higher class for the same rate. That was how it always seemed to work when I checked things.  Also, from the main reservation page, you can select the coupon listed for the company, and you may get the free upgrade rate.  But it may not be the lowest rate overall.  It's all confusing.
> 
> Dave



Actually, the prices are as follows

Compact $193
Intermediate $200
Standard $207
Full Size $217

Whichever one I book, when pulled up on Alamo.com it shows the next size up in car class. Though on the Costco website it still shows the car class I selected.

Another note, with Alamo in Orlando the key is never to book in to a full size car if you can get in to the standard cheaper. MCO doesn't have a standard size isle and you are instructed to select from the full size cars. So we always book in to the standard in Orlando when it is cheaper.


----------



## Beefnot

I just logged into Costco Travel looking at prices for a fullsize SUV (7-seater) for my 10 day Hawaii trip in January, and the cheapest rate was $1800+ including taxes and fees!

Good thing I booked made that same 10-day fullsize SUV reservation on Costco Travel 3 weeks ago for $535 total. Whew!!!!!


----------



## falmouth3

Beefnot said:


> I just logged into Costco Travel looking at prices for a fullsize SUV (7-seater) for my 10 day Hawaii trip in January, and the cheapest rate was $1800+ including taxes and fees!
> 
> Good thing I booked made that same 10-day fullsize SUV reservation on Costco Travel 3 weeks ago for $535 total. Whew!!!!!



Yes, book early and keep checking.  My price for a Dec. trip to Kauai kept dropping until it skyrocketed.  Unfortunately I had to cancel the trip so I lost out on my great car rental rate.


----------



## suzanne

*Costco Car Rental Comes Thru Again*

I had booked an Intermediate size car thru Costco with Alamo for $412.00 for 14 days in Jackson Hole, WY. This morning I was able to get an Intermediate size SUV for $353.19. I will continue to monitor prices to see if the rates drop anymore. If not at least I have a decent rate for our trip locked in.  I love Costco.

Suzanne


----------



## hajjah

Suzanne, don't forget to add this code if you have not already done so.  It is working great for our upcoming rental in Orlando next month.

*AF4469SDU*


----------



## Ken555

hajjah said:


> Suzanne, don't forget to add this code if you have not already done so.  It is working great for our upcoming rental in Orlando next month.
> 
> *AF4469SDU*




Costco discount coupons and codes are automatically added now when you reserve via the Costco website.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## dioxide45

Ken555 said:


> Costco discount coupons and codes are automatically added now when you reserve via the Costco website.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Correct. You can see all the codes and coupons that will be added to a reservation if you click on the Terms & Conditions link when you highlight the car/company after the initial search.


----------



## hajjah

Thanks for the updated information.


----------



## Sandy VDH

....and it is worth repeating to KEEP CHECKING.  

I prefer Avis but only at a certain price point.  There were three times the competition and here we are 6 days before my rental and they dropped their prices by 66% are now the same at the competition. 

So it is worth checking on some periodic basis.  

All things being equal I would take AVIS.


----------



## Okies

*Score!*

Got another great deal in Vegas.  Had been randomly checking for a price drop, and lucked out two weeks ago.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw $46/week for a compact car.  I snatched it up, but had some reget since I really wanted a larger car.  Well, as if the deal was not good enough, there were no small cars.  We got upgraded to full size!  I hope we have this kind of luck for the rest of the week!


----------



## falmouth3

Okies said:


> Got another great deal in Vegas.  Had been randomly checking for a price drop, and lucked out two weeks ago.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw $46/week for a compact car.  I snatched it up, but had some reget since I really wanted a larger car.  Well, as if the deal was not good enough, there were no small cars.  We got upgraded to full size!  I hope we have this kind of luck for the rest of the week!



That's an unbelievable price!  Good for you.


----------



## ailin

There is currently a Costco membership discount through Living Social if anyone is interested.

https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/1197846-costco-membership-bonus-20-cash-card-coupons


----------



## slip

Two days in a row now, my reservation for 10-11-14 to 10-25-14 in Kauai for a
Full size went down $50. Saved $100 in two days. I'm at $360 for two weeks
All in with Alamo. Gotta love Costco.


----------



## Luanne

Need a car for the San Francisco Bay area in October.  When I first checked Avis was the cheapest.  A few days later Costco beat the Avis price.  I'll keep checking to see if the price drops again.


----------



## Beefnot

Beefnot said:


> I just logged into Costco Travel looking at prices for a fullsize SUV (7-seater) for my 10 day Hawaii trip in January, and the cheapest rate was $1800+ including taxes and fees!
> 
> Good thing I booked made that same 10-day fullsize SUV reservation on Costco Travel 3 weeks ago for $535 total. Whew!!!!!


 

Ok a couple days ago I found 10-day minivan rental for $488 all in on Discount Hawaii Car Rental.  DHCR was higher in the past for SUV and minivan rentals, but this time they blew away current pricing on Costco Travel.  I am fairly confident that I do not need to spend any more time searching for a lower price.


----------



## Luanne

Beefnot said:


> Ok a couple days ago I found 10-day minivan rental for $488 all in on Discount Hawaii Car Rental.  DHCR was higher in the past for SUV and minivan rentals, but this time they blew away current pricing on Costco Travel.  I am fairly confident that I do not need to spend any more time searching for a lower price.



I'd still keep checking.


----------



## slip

Still loving Costco. I'm down to $315 all in for two weeks in a full size for
My Kauai trip starting 10-11-14.
 I used to get so jealous when I would see people posting these deals but I'm 
Getting used to getting them now.


----------



## Sugarcubesea

Okies said:


> Got another great deal in Vegas.  Had been randomly checking for a price drop, and lucked out two weeks ago.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw $46/week for a compact car.  I snatched it up, but had some reget since I really wanted a larger car.  Well, as if the deal was not good enough, there were no small cars.  We got upgraded to full size!  I hope we have this kind of luck for the rest of the week!




Holy Crap that is a great deal


----------



## slip

Down another $18 today to $297 for two weeks in a full size.


----------



## Ann in CA

slip said:


> Down another $18 today to $297 for two weeks in a full size.



We have a Costco rental coming up in Maui and Kauai in October. I think it said we have to start over completely to change, and then cancel the original. Is that true, or can the new rate just be handled by phone?

Thanks!


----------



## falmouth3

I always make a new reservation online and then cancel the previous one.  I've never booked using Costco by phone.


----------



## jtp1947

The easiest way is to make your new reservation and then cancel your old reservation, all done online.


----------



## slip

Yep, I always do it online. I make the new reservation then go in to my 
Reservations and cancel the old one, very easy.


----------



## Elli

slip said:


> Yep, I always do it online. I make the new reservation then go in to my
> Reservations and cancel the old one, very easy.


I agree it's very easy, I do it as well, but it is time consuming.  For every new rental you have to enter full name and address, etc.  Do you have to do the same?


----------



## slip

Yes, I do have to fill those in too. It's only a couple minutes tops, well worth
The savings. My last drop was the smallest one at $18. Most of the other drops
Have been $50 or more.


----------



## pamu

*Car rental*

Hi! Greatest rental cars at cheapest prices? Try to book at "thecheapestcarrentals" 1-800-458-7856 . I always use this every time I travel especially in Europe and America. Feel free to ask about any concerns you have. I highly recommend them.


----------



## Beefnot

Luanne said:


> I'd still keep checking.


 

Um, ok you were right.  Just locked in $431 all in for the 10-day minivan rental on costcotravel.  Wow.


----------



## beejaybeeohio

We reserved at Alamo thru Costco with pickup Txgiving day at CAE.  Told no cars available, but sent to Avis/Budget and told by the Alamo rep we'd be reimbursed by them for the higher cost differential which was @$60.

(Seinfeld script, right?)

We'll see if we receive a check from Alamo as promised.  If not, I'll be contacting Costco!


----------



## uop1497

Does anyone know why rental car thru costco does not allow to bring the car to Canada .

I am planning my next trip and want to drive rental car from Seattle airport to visit Vancouver and Victoria but unable to find which rental company allow that. If you do know, please share and thank you


----------



## JMSH

uop1497 said:


> Does anyone know why rental car thru costco does not allow to bring the car to Canada .
> 
> I am planning my next trip and want to drive rental car from Seattle airport to visit Vancouver and Victoria but unable to find which rental company allow that. If you do know, please share and thank you



It is not a Costco rule it is a rule of the individual rental car company. Just as some rental cars that you get in any state will only allow you to drive them in certain other neighbouring states. Keep searching to find what you need


----------



## Luanne

uop1497 said:


> Does anyone know why rental car thru costco does not allow to bring the car to Canada .
> 
> I am planning my next trip and want to drive rental car from Seattle airport to visit Vancouver and Victoria but unable to find which rental company allow that. If you do know, please share and thank you



I did this a few years ago.  I know I rented with Avis, picked the car up in Seattle and dropped it in Vancouver.  I made the reservation directly through Avis.  I don't remember if I checked Costco first.


----------



## donnaval

Sort of a last-minute trip planned just a few weeks ago, I snagged a Costco intermediate rental for $378 all-in for our 15-day trip, picking up in Tampa and dropping off at MCO.  This seems so high compared to our past Fl trips   But, the closest competitive price I've found is $560 for Fox Rentals.  The same car direct through Alamo is $676.   The Costco price hasn't budged, but I'll keep an eye on it.  We always seem to get the best deals with Costco!


----------



## donnaval

Price for the rental mentioned above actually jumped by a couple of hundred dollars, so I was really happy I booked when I did.  But, this a.m., price  dropped to $315.  I'm a happy Costco camper lol.


----------



## winger

uop1497 said:


> Does anyone know why rental car thru costco does not allow to bring the car to Canada .
> 
> I am planning my next trip and want to drive rental car from Seattle airport to visit Vancouver and Victoria but unable to find which rental company allow that. If you do know, please share and thank you


just this past summer, we rented a car through Costco at one of the off-airport Seattle locations. We were able to take that into Vancouver for a week without any problems.


----------



## sun starved Gayle

Reserved and cancelled three times with Costco for 11 day rental in Kauai. The price went from $385.00 to $305.00 to $208.00 (got this price the day before we are leaving). That's about $19.00 a day WITH all taxes and fees included. This is for a standard car through Alamo. It pays to keep checking !  I love Costco's no penalty cancellation policy plus the free driver.


----------



## winger

Just lowered my Southern California Thanksgiving week rental from $256 to $144!


----------



## Luanne

Just checked and rental prices for our two weeks on Maui dropped.  I'll keep checking as I expect/hope for them to go even lower.


----------



## JMSH

sun starved Gayle said:


> Reserved and cancelled three times with Costco for 11 day rental in Kauai. The price went from $385.00 to $305.00 to $208.00 (got this price the day before we are leaving). That's about $19.00 a day WITH all taxes and fees included. This is for a standard car through Alamo. It pays to keep checking !  I love Costco's no penalty cancellation policy plus the free driver.



Keep in mind that it is not Costco that has the no cancellation fee policy, all the rental car companies have a no cancellation fee policy. You can cancel and re book with any of the major companies. The thing about Costco is that they have made a deal with the rental agency's that allows an additional driver at no cost.


----------



## dioxide45

On the Costco car rental prowl again. Looking for a IAH to IAH rental and HOU to IAH. We have our flights booked out of IAH but not sure if we are flying in to HOU or IAH yet. Right now the IAH to IAH is about $400 where HOU to IAH is only $210. Not sure why.

All will depend on if we fly Southwest. They haven't released our date of 10/31 yet and it won't even open up the next time they open schedules.


----------



## RASTUS

Will check out Costco when next travelling to the US.  
Not sure if our AU Costco card will work with rentals & will have to check.

We travel to all different regions/countries from Australia & often have 30 day or longer rentals.  

Primarily due to insurance concerns we have found extremely good rates [way under direct with rental companies or the other sellers] no off the wall providers just had the regular brands Thrifty, Alamo & Dollar to date, plus the appropriate/correct insurance coverage included to suit the rental area for example CA supplementary coverage.  
Just search through their different product/s until you get the insurance you require, if your insurance company doesn't cover rental vehicles. No Australian insurance companies do!
www.economycarrentals.com


----------



## Jimster

*costco*

While I am a Costco member, I usually find autoslash.com offers a better rate since you get a corporate rate with them.  In my recent rental at TPA, autoslash was about 50 dollars cheaper.  THe other thing is even if the rate is not intially cheaper, autoslash checks the rate every day to see if they can get you a better rate.


----------



## falmouth3

Jimster said:


> While I am a Costco member, I usually find autoslash.com offers a better rate since you get a corporate rate with them.  In my recent rental at TPA, autoslash was about 50 dollars cheaper.  THe other thing is even if the rate is not intially cheaper, autoslash checks the rate every day to see if they can get you a better rate.



Interesting. How does the corporate rate deal work?

Do you know if they allow 2 drivers with that rate?  My husband usually prefers to drive, but I'm the designated driver after dinner so the ability to have 2 drivers for no additional cost is something I look for.


----------



## Jimster

*autoslash*

You get whatever is customary with the rental company.  If you have status and you get that benefit you get it


----------



## Ken555

Another day, another lower price at Costco. Just changed a September rental from Enterprise Intermediate to Alamo Premium and saved $53. 

I also made another reservation for December with Alamo also in a Premium (as it was less expensive than a Compact!). In fact, within an hour of making the 9-day reservation at $332.34 after taxes I checked again and it was lowered to $306.68...so I canceled and rebooked. At the moment the following car types are available between $307-308 during my stay: Premium, Intermediate SUV, Mini Van, Standard Convertible, Luxury Car. Perhaps they're having an error updating their system today...


----------



## Luanne

Ken, the rates for Maui have gone sky high for the dates of our trip.  I had booked a minivan for two weeks for $493, the rates are now around $1825.   I had wanted to go back and book a fullsize SUV instead and those are around $3200.   I keep checking back in hope they'll go down again, but very glad I grabbed the minivan at $493.


----------



## Ken555

Luanne said:


> Ken, the rates for Maui have gone sky high for the dates of our trip.  I had booked a minivan for two weeks for $493, the rates are now around $1825.   I had wanted to go back and book a fullsize SUV instead and those are around $3200.   I keep checking back in hope they'll go down again, but very glad I grabbed the minivan at $493.




Is this during a holiday period? I've seen crazy rates before, as well. That doesn't mean Costco is not providing the lowest available, or are you able to get lower rates elsewhere for your dates?


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Luanne

Ken555 said:


> Is this during a holiday period? I've seen crazy rates before, as well. That doesn't mean Costco is not providing the lowest available, or are you able to get lower rates elsewhere for your dates?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Nope.

I also checked Discount Hawaii and autoslash.  Everyone is high for that time period.  It's in March.  And a few weeks ago the rates were much lower.

As I said I do have a much lower rate, which I'm very glad to have.  And I'll keep that if nothing else comes in lower.


----------



## Ken555

Luanne said:


> Nope.
> 
> 
> 
> I also checked Discount Hawaii and autoslash.  Everyone is high for that time period.  It's in March.  And a few weeks ago the rates were much lower.
> 
> 
> 
> As I said I do have a much lower rate, which I'm very glad to have.  And I'll keep that if nothing else comes in lower.




I'll be there next month as well, and the rates are higher now for my dates vs when I made my last reservation. 


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Luanne

I also have a reservation in May for San Diego. That one hasn't changed at all since I made it.  But I keep checking.


----------



## DavidnRobin

I have been looking at Costco and have not seen a drop below $300/wk for both OGG and LIH from mid-Aug to early-Sept for a basic car.

This is much, much higher than this time last year.  Any hope for lower car rental prices?


----------



## Blues

I've been watching and re-booking for Chicago Midway (MDW) at Easter.  Started out in the upper- $300's for a 5 day rental :ignore:  Then, 2 or 3 weeks ago it started coming down, $20 or so at a time.  I re-booked 7 or 8 times, the last at just $171 (full size)  Yay!  It levelled off, and was still at that price yesterday.  Today?  Best price is $382 !!! 

I've seen some wild swings with Costco rentals in the past.  But 123% increase in one day?  Yowza!

-Bob


----------



## Ken555

DavidnRobin said:


> I have been looking at Costco and have not seen a drop below $300/wk for both OGG and LIH from mid-Aug to early-Sept for a basic car.
> 
> This is much, much higher than this time last year.  Any hope for lower car rental prices?




That's about what I'm seeing in that time frame, though I've currently got Alamo Premium car for $375 for 11 days. I expect it will be less in the next couple of months.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## rickandcindy23

I think there is a good chance for Maui to go down before your trip.  

We booked the best deal, a standard SUV, Ford Edge or similar for 3/7-3/21, and it was $424 with taxes included through Budget/ Costco.  I have little hope of a lower price because some of the car types are no longer available through some of the agencies.  We really enjoyed the SUV on the Big Island in August.  Rick took it off road a few times.  

I have found Kauai to be a little more lately.  It will be at least a year before we go back to Kauai, unfortunately.  I am waiting for Wyndham Shearwater for any two weeks in 2016.


----------



## slip

After looking for months the price finally dropped for my two weeks on Kauai
Starting May 6th. It was $390 total for an economy and today it dropped to
$270 total for a standard car. First time Enterprise was cheapest through Costco
For me.


----------



## JasonM75

I find just about anything affiliated with Costco to be a good deal. Gas, return policy, gym discount, RX prices, etc.


----------



## ChrisandBeth

Yes Costco deals are better than anything else I have found.

Rented a minivan  through Costco this past January. Three weeks in Palm Springs, airport pick up and drop off. $1245.00 all in.

Originally this was significantly cheaper, but unfortunately we had to change our dates about a month before departure. Following the advice on this thread I monitored the site daily but never saw a better rate then the two I booked. Both prices were significantly better than anything else I could find, including using my II platinum membership, Priceline, or any other web sites.

For next years trip I have booked 1 day from airport and the rest of the 3 weeks I have rented a 2nd van from an in town location.  We will pick up the van on arrival at the airport, get to our timeshare, unpack, do a grocery run etc. then the next day we will rent a different van from a downtown location and drop off the airport unit. When we fly home, I will drop the gang at the airport then drive the minivan to the in town location and cab it back to the airport.This will save over $200.00. 

Chris


----------



## Jimster

*costco*

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to revisit it.  Earlier I booked a trip and indicated that I got a better deal from autoslash than costco.  So now as i am planning yet another trip to OGG I tried them both again. The best price I could get from a mid-sized from Costco/Alamo was $330 for my rental period.  Autoslash got me Avis for $217 and since they check the rates daily it is possible it could go lower.  Remember whatever the intial quote is from Autoslash is, it is just a preliminary quote.  If they find a lower price, they will offer it to you.  The thing I like about Costco is they offer a spouse as a free driver, but since I am an elite with most rental companies, I usually get that anyway.


----------



## am1

ChrisandBeth said:


> Canadians please note; Log onto Costco.*com* not Costco.*ca*.
> 
> The Candian website only offers Hertz and Avis and these are not great prices



costco.com will work for canadian memberships?


----------



## Dori

Yes, am1, it does work. We used to use Costco a lot for car rentals, but we are no longer members. We do most of our rentals these days from Southwest. I book and rebook each time the prices drop.

Dori


----------



## easyrider

I have used Costco but in the last couple of trips have received better deals with RCI and II. Recently I have used the Costco code for a couple of trips to Mexico by going to the Avis website and placing the code in the awd. 

Our upcoming trip to Maui has RCI with the best rate as of now. 

Bill


----------



## dundey

Interesting you get better rates from II and RCI.  I use Costco for almost every trip and 99% of the time they have the bast rates - by far!  I had a week in Orlando booked for this Thurs with them at $156.  Just rebooked it at $105.


----------



## uop1497

The car rental price listed in Costco website, at Kalispell airport still very high  ($540) for 1 week rental .


----------



## Asaph

Yes that is suitable in many cases. I completely agree with you on this point.


----------



## Luanne

On our upcoming trip to San Diego the Costco price has not budged, up or down, since I booked it.  For the first time, we will not be using them, unless something changes.  Got a better price with Autoslash.


----------



## PDXGolfer

We've always used Costco as well, but the price for our upcoming Kauai rental likewise has not budged in months.  The current prices at Discount Hawaii Car Rental are no better.  I've never used Autoslash before, but am thinking of trying them out.  For Autoslash, is it no charge to book and then cancel a reservation entirely (as opposed to rebooking at a lower price) -- in the event Costco's rates finally come down and beat Autoslash?


----------



## Luanne

PDXGolfer said:


> We've always used Costco as well, but the price for our upcoming Kauai rental likewise has not budged in months.  The current prices at Discount Hawaii Car Rental are no better.  I've never used Autoslash before, but am thinking of trying them out.  For Autoslash, is it no charge to book and then cancel a reservation entirely (as opposed to rebooking at a lower price) -- in the event Costco's rates finally come down and beat Autoslash?



With autoslash they will continued to monitor the rates for you, so if they go down again you should get that lower rate.

The way I did it was give them the information on the rental I'd booked with Budget through Costco. That was what they monitored and found a better price with Budget.

I'm 99.9999% sure you can cancel an autoslash reservation (since it's actually made through the car rental company) with no penalty.  There is no charge until you return the car.


----------



## PDXGolfer

Thanks, Luanne.  I went ahead and obtained a quote from Autoslash and it's currently about $145 _less_ than the cheapest price on the Costco website!  I am pleasantly surprised.   And the email providing the quote confirms:  "Reservations are free, and can be changed or cancelled at any time, for any reason, without penalty."


----------



## jtp1947

Price finally came down today from Costco for our July Maui trip. Was $329 for 9 days, now $250.  I can live with that.  Be sure to keep checking for lower prices.


----------



## IuLiKa

Thank you for the autoslash suggestion. I need a car for Atlanta for july and prices are 250 an up... I just found that Expedia has great rates, if you use their services. On costco the car was 163 a week, on expedia I got it with 113 the day before I need it. Saved 40per.

iulika


----------



## dioxide45

*Costco Canada vs. Costco US Site Car Rentals*

My parents are in town visiting and are traveling to Calgary later this summer. I was telling them about booking through Costco as they do have a Costco membership in Canada. It wasn't easy finding the car rental link thorugh Coscto.ca, but we did find it and it takes you to https://www.carrentallocationdauto.ca. Where Costco.com takes you to www.costcotravel.com

We looked up the rates for their rental in Calgary on both sites. The Canadian site had a rate over $700 for their 10 day rental where the US site had a rate of about $500CAD. Why the difference? The booking engines look very similar but might be different. The price on the US site does have CAD listed by the rate and after booking, checking the Avis website also shows it as CAD $500. We were thinking perhaps it was a currency conversion issue, but it seems pretty clear that both rates provided are in Canadian dollars.

I was able to set them up for an account on costcotravel.com and after registering and logging in it does recognize and show my mother's full name at the top of the screen just like it shows mine when I am logged in to my account. So it recognizes her membership as when you register you only provide your last name.

So I am wondering why the difference in price? Is the US site perhaps applying some additional discounts that the Canadian site is not. The US site does spell out that it is applying a $30 coupon as well as up to 25% off where the Canadian site does not. It just does seem odd that it is giving different rates.


----------



## falmouth3

I don't know, but I'm guessing that the negotiated rates by Costco in Canada aren't as good as in the US so the US travel site is able to pass through the savings.  I'm glad you were able to find a much better deal and take advantage of it.


----------



## Dori

Double check that the lower rates on the U.S. site are not in American dollars.

Dori


----------



## slip

My week in Palm Beach just dropped $180. Glad to see it started dropping, I'll
Keep watching and hope it drops another $70. I have a mid-size reserved now.


----------



## dioxide45

Dori said:


> Double check that the lower rates on the U.S. site are not in American dollars.
> 
> Dori



We considered that, but both sites list CAD next to the price.


----------



## DavidnRobin

I have been tracking (daily for months) Costco auto rentals for 2 weeks (late-Aug to early-Sept) in Kauai and the prices are not moved.  In the past there has been at least some movement.

I see above people are suggesting AutoSlash - while AutoSlash shows better rates (with ability to cancel). Any down side? Like showing up and not having reservations?  
At least with Costco - I have a reservation in hand, but just show up for an AutoSlash reservation?


----------



## slip

I have noticed the same thing with my last few Costco reservations but the
Prices will change. My Kauai reservation changed earlier than this Palm Beach
Reservation.


----------



## PigsDad

Another Costco success!  Original reservation made a few months ago for Oklahoma City for this Fri - Tue (5 days).

First reservation was intermediate for $253
About a month ago, rebooked for $198
Rebooked today for a *full-size *for $59



Kurt


----------



## falmouth3

Now that is IMPRESSIVE.


----------



## dioxide45

DavidnRobin said:


> I have been tracking (daily for months) Costco auto rentals for 2 weeks (late-Aug to early-Sept) in Kauai and the prices are not moved.  In the past there has been at least some movement.
> 
> I see above people are suggesting AutoSlash - while AutoSlash shows better rates (with ability to cancel). Any down side? Like showing up and not having reservations?
> At least with Costco - I have a reservation in hand, but just show up for an AutoSlash reservation?



I think AutoSlash are considered direct bookings, much like Costco. This differs from Expedia, Priceline and other such third party bookings. Those can sometimes be an issue. During a recent drop off I was behind someone in line who was doing a one way from TPA to the Westin Alamo in Tampa. They had the car for less than one hour and the system was trying to charge them over $200 for the rental. Apparently the rate rules were such with the third party rental. The agent was able to adjust the rate for the customer, but I waited quite a while to be able to return our car.


----------



## DavidnRobin

dioxide45 said:


> I think AutoSlash are considered direct bookings, much like Costco. This differs from Expedia, Priceline and other such third party bookings. Those can sometimes be an issue. During a recent drop off I was behind someone in line who was doing a one way from TPA to the Westin Alamo in Tampa. They had the car for less than one hour and the system was trying to charge them over $200 for the rental. Apparently the rate rules were such with the third party rental. The agent was able to adjust the rate for the customer, but I waited quite a while to be able to return our car.



Thanks - I didn't see a reservation confirmation with AutoSlash like I do with Costco, but I will look again.

FINALLY (after months) - there was a drop on Costco for my time period - only $20, but still something.  AutoSlash is still cheaper by $50/week.  I have a reservation on both that I will hold (and keep checking...).

I really do not understand the logic behind Car Rental reservation system (the ability to hold multiple reservations, and then show-up) - like my profession, always confounding when a company allows math-geeks and bean-counters to set-up processes.


----------



## Luanne

DavidnRobin said:


> Thanks - I didn't see a reservation confirmation with AutoSlash like I do with Costco, but I will look again.
> 
> FINALLY (after months) - there was a drop on Costco for my time period - only $20, but still something.  AutoSlash is still cheaper by $50/week.  I have a reservation on both that I will hold (and keep checking...).



You don't need to keep both reservations.  If you provide Autoslash with the information on your Costco rental they will see if they can find something cheaper.

And why would you keep a reservation that is at a higher price?


----------



## DavidnRobin

Luanne said:


> You don't need to keep both reservations.  If you provide Autoslash with the information on your Costco rental they will see if they can find something cheaper.
> 
> And why would you keep a reservation that is at a higher price?



Sorry if i wasn't clear (or maybe I was...).  I am holding both the Costco and AutoSlash reservations. Yes, AutoSlash is lower at this point, but if I switch over to Costco (which is what I am much more comfortable with as I have never used AutoSlash and always use Costco), it is good for me to have both available in case Costco price goes down (as I suspect it will), or if something messes up with AutoSlash. It does me no harm to keep both while tracking prices.

If both are equal (or close) at the time of my rental (late-Aug) - I will go with Costco.  I am not going to go to AutoSlash is Costco is lower and see if they will match.


----------



## Luanne

DavidnRobin said:


> Sorry if i wasn't clear (or maybe I was...).  I am holding both the Costco and AutoSlash reservations. Yes, AutoSlash is lower at this point, but if I switch over to Costco (which is what I am much more comfortable with as I have never used AutoSlash and always use Costco), it is good for me to have both available in case Costco price goes down (as I suspect it will), or if something messes up with AutoSlash. It does me no harm to keep both while tracking prices.
> 
> If both are equal (or close) at the time of my rental (late-Aug) - I will go with Costco.  I am not going to go to AutoSlash is Costco is lower and see if they will match.



I'm still not understanding your reasoning.

The reservation "with" Autoslash is actually with a car rental company.  You should have gotten a confirmation showing which company, and the terms.

If the Costco price goes down, you'd need to book an entirely new reservation with them.  It won't be reduced on your existing Costco reservation.

It sounds like you're holding on to the Costco reservation at this point because you don't trust the Autoslash one.

We used Autoslash for the first time on a recent trip to San Diego.  They found a better price for Budget than Costco did.  The Costco price never came down.  We had absolutely no issues with the Budget rental made through Autoslash.


----------



## DavidnRobin

Luanne said:


> I'm still not understanding your reasoning.
> 
> The reservation "with" Autoslash is actually with a car rental company.  You should have gotten a confirmation showing which company, and the terms.
> 
> If the Costco price goes down, you'd need to book an entirely new reservation with them.  It won't be reduced on your existing Costco reservation.
> 
> It sounds like you're holding on to the Costco reservation at this point because you don't trust the Autoslash one.
> 
> We used Autoslash for the first time on a recent trip to San Diego.  They found a better price for Budget than Costco did.  The Costco price never came down.  We had absolutely no issues with the Budget rental made through Autoslash.



Good to know that AutoSlash is reliable. I will need to look for a confirmation from them.  Perhaps it went into my spam folder?
For Costco - I realize that I will need to cancel old and create new reservation. I have done this before (many times).  In fact, at OGG the person at Alamo saw that I had made/cancelled 5+ reservations as the price dropped. I didn't realize that they could see these cancelations as well.

ps - found the AS confirmation - it was at bottom of their email response to my reservation request.

right now I am at $432 for AS and $530 for Costco (2-week rental at LIH for Intermediate car) - both are still too costly, but still a few months to go.


----------



## Luanne

DavidnRobin said:


> Good to know that AutoSlash is reliable. I will need to look for a confirmation from them.  Perhaps it went into my spam folder?
> For Costco - I realize that I will need to cancel old and create new reservation. I have done this before (many times).  In fact, at OGG the person at Alamo saw that I had made/cancelled 5+ reservations as the price dropped. I didn't realize that they could see these cancelations as well.
> 
> ps - found the AS confirmation - it was at bottom of their email response to my reservation request.
> 
> right now I am at $432 for AS and $530 for Costco (2-week rental at LIH for Intermediate car) - both are still too costly, but still a few months to go.



I don't remember if you mentioned, but have you also checked discounthawaiian?  I know some folks swear by them and say they always have the cheapest car rentals.  I've never found that to be true, for us, but it's always worth a check.  And that was through Costco.  Didn't know about Autoslash then.

Just keep checking.  If found that for our Maui rental this year the prices dropped a lot a few months before, then went back up again.  I can't remember exactly how far ahead I go the best price.  We ended up with a minivan for two weeks at $493.  Right before we went those rates had gone up to over $1000.


----------



## DavidnRobin

I did check DiscountHI - so far AS has the best price.  Great to find an alternative.  Car rental costs in HI are way too high (50% in fees). I look forward to paying much less (hopefully).

I have always tracked in the past - this year it just seemed as Costco prices were stuck.  I still have plenty of time


----------



## falmouth3

Just wondering if autoslash also has a second driver for free like Costco has.  Since my husband prefers to drive, but I always drive home after dinner (designated driver), we like to have the free 2nd driver on our rental.


----------



## Luanne

falmouth3 said:


> Just wondering if autoslash also has a second driver for free like Costco has.  Since my husband prefers to drive, but I always drive home after dinner (designated driver), we like to have the free 2nd driver on our rental.



I think we had second driver free when we used Autoslash.  What they did was to take the Budget reservation we had through Costco (which included the second driver) and find a better price with Budget.  They did that.  I just assumed it had all of the same benefits.

I just checked the Budget rental agreement and it stated second driver was free, there is no charge for a second driver in California.  So it may depend on the car rental company.


----------



## dioxide45

falmouth3 said:


> Just wondering if autoslash also has a second driver for free like Costco has.  Since my husband prefers to drive, but I always drive home after dinner (designated driver), we like to have the free 2nd driver on our rental.



Depending on the state you are renting in, the second driver who is a spouse may be included for free. I know Hawaii has such rules and I think Florida does now too.


----------



## DavidnRobin

DavidnRobin said:


> I did check DiscountHI - so far AS has the best price.  Great to find an alternative.  Car rental costs in HI are way too high (50% in fees). I look forward to paying much less (hopefully).
> 
> I have always tracked in the past - this year it just seemed as Costco prices were stuck.  I still have plenty of time



So... after being price-stuck for a Costco rental (late-Aug, LIH) for months - the price has decreased twice in 2 days.  AutoSlash still the same.


----------



## slip

DavidnRobin said:


> So... after being price-stuck for a Costco rental (late-Aug, LIH) for months - the price has decreased twice in 2 days.  AutoSlash still the same.



That's what happened to me on my last Kauai trip. I think it went down a few
Times. Then I got a really good price and it just inched up from there.


----------



## Luanne

dioxide45 said:


> Depending on the state you are renting in, the second driver who is a spouse may be included for free. I know Hawaii has such rules and I think Florida does now too.



Hawaii must have changed their rules.  A few years back, renting through Priceline, we had to pay an additional charge for the second driver.


----------



## DavidnRobin

DavidnRobin said:


> So... after being price-stuck for a Costco rental (late-Aug, LIH) for months - the price has decreased twice in 2 days.  AutoSlash still the same.



Costco just dropped by $90 (3 drops in 3 days, after sitting flat for months)
Now Costco = AutoSlash for price.
$420 for 2 week rental of Intermediate Car (Alamo) - LIH (late Aug-early Sept)
{original reservation was $595 for 2 week rental}


----------



## PDXGolfer

David, I'm jealous.  I've been watching Costco's prices for three months now, also for a rental at Lihue in August (we usually rent through Costco).  The price for an intermediate SUV (which the family needs to fit all our stuff) has not dropped _at all_ during the last three months; in fact, the cheapest price has gone up!  My Autoslash reservation currently remains about $145 cheaper than Costco.  Interesting.


----------



## Iwant2gonow

Does anyone know if Autoslash includes a spouse? Also renting for the last 2 weeks of August. First week we are picking car up in Calgary for 1 week in Canada. Second week driving to GNP and then driving back to Calgary to return rental.  Great price of $292 for full size car.


----------



## Jimster

*autoslash*

autoslash gets you essentially a corporate rate while using common discounts.  It is going to be difficult to beat this most of the time.  I originally re opened this discussion because i generally believe they do beat Costco.


----------



## DavidnRobin

DavidnRobin said:


> Costco just dropped by $90 (3 drops in 3 days, after sitting flat for months)
> Now Costco = AutoSlash for price.
> $420 for 2 week rental of Intermediate Car (Alamo) - LIH (late Aug-early Sept)
> {original reservation was $595 for 2 week rental}



Another drop (14-day rental; LIH 8/22-9/5)
$380 AutoSlash (Avis)
$375 Costco (Alamo)

the race is on...


----------



## dioxide45

I ran a quote through AutoSlash for a two day rental in Boston that we have coming up. Right now it is $135 through Costco with Budget. The best AutoSlash could get me was $146 also with Budget. The price hasn't budged at all with Costco, except once when a $15 coupon was added to the rental that brought the price down respectively. Really hurts to pay $135 for less than two days in a rental car. I have been watching prices for my wife's aunt and she has 6 days out of FLL for less than we are paying for two.


----------



## Ken555

I tried Autoslash this week for an upcoming rental in Maui. Autoslash would not display rates online - they required me to submit my contact info and would email me the rates. The best rate they provided is for Budget at just $7 less than I currently have with Costco and Alamo. And having done the Budget ridiculous line to get a car in the past, I'm sticking with Alamo.


----------



## Luanne

Ken555 said:


> I tried Autoslash this week for an upcoming rental in Maui. Autoslash would not display rates online - they required me to submit my contact info and would email me the rates. The best rate they provided is for Budget at just $7 less than I currently have with Costco and Alamo. And having done the Budget ridiculous line to get a car in the past, I'm sticking with Alamo.



I signed up for Budget's Fastbreak just so we wouldn't have to wait in the lines.  Well worth it.  I think you have to have at least 3 rentals with them in a year to keep the status, but it's been great for our last two trips (Maui and San Diego).


----------



## Ken555

Luanne said:


> I signed up for Budget's Fastbreak just so we wouldn't have to wait in the lines.  Well worth it.  I think you have to have at least 3 rentals with them in a year to keep the status, but it's been great for our last two trips (Maui and San Diego).




When Alamo and others offer similar features without a minimum, why go elsewhere? To save $7 per rental? 

Also, Budget requires (at least for me) to talk with a rep each time I rent, so they choose which car I'm worthy enough to drive, and take time to pitch their expensive extra insurance I never need. Alamo has kiosks for quick checkin...I'm usually outside choosing a car within two minutes of arriving at their office. That's worth a lot more than $7 to me.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Luanne

Ken555 said:


> When Alamo and others offer similar features without a minimum, why go elsewhere? To save $7 per rental?
> 
> Also, Budget requires (at least for me) to talk with a rep each time I rent, so they choose which car I'm worthy enough to drive, and take time to pitch their expensive extra insurance I never need. Alamo has kiosks for quick checkin...I'm usually outside choosing a car within two minutes of arriving at their office. That's worth a lot more than $7 to me.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Because the price at Budget was so much less than everywhere else.  That's why. 

We didn't have to speak to anyone at Budget, except the very nice lady who handed us the contract, and showed us where our car was parked.  She was all by herself, no line, just for the Fastbreak members. No upselling.  Yes, they did choose the car for us, but so do some other rental car places.  And if I've been unhappy with their choice (didn't matter which company) they were usually very happy to let me pick another car of my choice.

But, if you want to pay more for Alamo.............go for it.


----------



## Ken555

Luanne said:


> Because the price at Budget was so much less than everywhere else.  That's why.
> 
> 
> 
> We didn't have to speak to anyone at Budget, except the very nice lady who handed us the contract, and showed us where our car was parked.  She was all by herself, no line, just for the Fastbreak members. No upselling.  Yes, they did choose the car for us, but so do some other rental car places.  And if I've been unhappy with their choice (didn't matter which company) they were usually very happy to let me pick another car of my choice.
> 
> 
> 
> But, if you want to pay more for Alamo.............go for it.




Once again, it was just $7 less than Alamo.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Luanne

Ken555 said:


> Once again, it was just $7 less than Alamo.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Understand.  For that small of a difference I probably would stick with a company I was more comfortable with.  Personally for me, that is not Alamo.  And in our case the savings by using Budget was way more than $7.00.


----------



## Ken555

Luanne said:


> Understand.  For that small of a difference I probably would stick with a company I was more comfortable with.  Personally for me, that is not Alamo.  And in our case the savings by using Budget was way more than $7.00.




If it's a large savings, then I'd reserve elsewhere as I have in the past. I have no loyalty to any of them. I've been Hertz Gold for ~15+ years and it provides little benefit, Alamo had their program which didn't do much, etc. I buy on price primarily, though there are the exceptional locations such as Maui where I know the Budget office is understaffed and I've had long lines there...and there's no way I'd commit to multiple rentals to avoid it unless Budget was somehow always less expensive than the others, which just isn't realistic. If Budget added kiosks similar to Alamo for checkin it would be a different story.

And FYI, I've had several rentals at Budget, Advantage and others where they offered a car I wasn't too pleased with and got irritated that I requested another. It's not always as easy as you think.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Luanne

Ken555 said:


> If it's a large savings, then I'd reserve elsewhere as I have in the past. I have no loyalty to any of them. I've been Hertz Gold for ~15+ years and it provides little benefit, Alamo had their program which didn't do much, etc. I buy on price primarily, though there are the exceptional locations such as Maui where I know the Budget office is understaffed and I've had long lines there...and there's no way I'd commit to multiple rentals to avoid it unless Budget was somehow always less expensive than the others, which just isn't realistic. If Budget added kiosks similar to Alamo for checkin it would be a different story.
> 
> And FYI, I've had several rentals at Budget, Advantage and others where they offered a car I wasn't too pleased with and got irritated that I requested another. It's not always as easy as you think.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



I wasn't with my husband when he picked the car up at Budget on Maui.  But I do know he was back with it super fast.  He didn't indicate having any issues, or a line.   And I'm certainly not committing to multiple rentals with Budget just to keep Fastbreak.  However, we've already have several with them this year, so we might make the minimal three.  And I guess if we lost the benefit I could reapply in my husband's name for another one.

Maybe we've just had better luck with getting our rentals swapped out.  I think our experiences have mostly been with Avis and yes, Budget (Where we ended up getting a Camry through Avis since Budget and Avis are affiliated and the guy at the counter was handling both counters.  Actually he offered this up before we even saw the car that might have been assigned to us.)


----------



## Ken555

Luanne said:


> I wasn't with my husband when he picked the car up at Budget on Maui.  But I do know he was back with it super fast.  He didn't indicate having any issues, or a line.   And I'm certainly not committing to multiple rentals with Budget just to keep Fastbreak.  However, we've already have several with them this year, so we might make the minimal three.  And I guess if we lost the benefit I could reapply in my husband's name for another one.
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe we've just had better luck with getting our rentals swapped out.  I think our experiences have mostly been with Avis and yes, Budget (Where we ended up getting a Camry through Avis since Budget and Avis are affiliated and the guy at the counter was handling both counters.  Actually he offered this up before we even saw the car that might have been assigned to us.)




I think that's great. I wrote a while ago in other threads about my experience in Maui, and it seems others agreed that particular office isn't the speediest. In other words, based on my experience I'm unwilling to use Budget unless there's a considerable savings, and currently that's not the case.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Luanne

Ken555 said:


> I think that's great. I wrote a while ago in other threads about my experience in Maui, and it seems others agreed that particular office isn't the speediest. In other words, based on my experience I'm unwilling to use Budget unless there's a considerable savings, and currently that's not the case.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Maybe it has changed recently.  We were there in March.  On our last trip to Maui, about two years ago, it took forever to get the car (Alamo) and mostly that was because it took so long to get the shuttle from the airport to the car rental site.

This time my daughter and I waited for the luggage while my husband went to pick up the car at Budget.  He was already in the van before we even got to the luggage carousel, and he was back with the car just about the time we got our suitcases.  Amazing!


----------



## Ken555

Luanne said:


> Maybe it has changed recently.  We were there in March.  On our last trip to Maui, about two years ago, it took forever to get the car (Alamo) and mostly that was because it took so long to get the shuttle from the airport to the car rental site.
> 
> 
> 
> This time my daughter and I waited for the luggage while my husband went to pick up the car at Budget.  He was already in the van before we even got to the luggage carousel, and he was back with the car just about the time we got our suitcases.  Amazing!




I haven't heard that they've increased staff or changed the checkin process. It's likely he was smart at getting there right after landing rather than wait for bags first. Not sure I'd count on that next time. Budget in Maui has been quite slow in the past, and you can search TUG for other posts about it for more perspectives.


Sent from my iPad


----------



## Luanne

Ken555 said:


> I haven't heard that they've increased staff or changed the checkin process. It's likely he was smart at getting there right after landing rather than wait for bags first. Not sure I'd count on that next time. Budget in Maui has been quite slow in the past, and you can search TUG for other posts about it for more perspectives.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



This is the process we always follow when picking up cars in Hawaii (both Maui and the Big Island).  As I said two years ago it took forever.  I had already gotten our luggage before my husband was even able to catch a shuttle.  They came infrequently, and there was such a huge line it took a couple of times before he could get on.

Overall we've always found it a slow pick up for rental cars in Hawaii, whoever we've rented from.  Having premier status, and getting to the rental site as fast as possible helps.

I would use Budget again, if they were the cheapest.  If they're not, I'll use whoever is.


----------



## DavidnRobin

I had same experience as Ken in Maui.  Budget was a long wait. No kiosk like Alamo.  The Budget FastBreak helps skip the line, but it must be maintained. I prefer not to have to talk to a desk agent. Alamo also gives pick of car. Good to be a quick smell inside of the interior, check for a miniRCA, check mileage, car age - and have a few to chose from.


----------



## dioxide45

*You Just Can't Help Some People*

My wife's aunt was going on a trip and asked us to help her out for a car rental. She has a Costco membership, so we set her up with a Costco Travel account and booked a car, checked it regularly and did the cancel and rebook and got her total down to $115.

My wife sent her an email ahead of time and told her to check her own car insurance and credit card coverage and to decline all insurance (if covered), upgrades, and fuel options when at the counter.

She is on the trip now and my wife talked to her and she tole my wife how expensive the car rental was. A whopping $460. My wife asked how this was possible, she said she took the insurance and they upgraded her from a mid size to a full size. She did turn down the fuel option. I don't know if she checked her insurance coverage, but they just took the insurance because it sounded like a good idea. I don't know how much more the upgrade was, but based on the price difference, I suspect $15-$20 a day. I am likely to guess that we would have just booked them a full size instead of a full for only $15 for the whole trip.

She said they probably saw her coming, she was right! We won't bother helping out in the future.


----------



## scootr5

One thing I've noticed with Costco and Alamo over the last year is that I usually get a lower rate going to the Alamo website and entering the Costco codes versus using the Costco website's rate finder. I'm not sure why, but I'm sure now to always check both ways.


----------



## derb

*I read once that you can cancel the
insurance on the car at any time and
pay only the pro rata share.*


----------



## Skinsfan1311

I've gotten good, to very good, to great rates through Costco, mainly with Budget and Alamo.   

We're members of all the preferred rental programs, (National Emerald Aisle, Budget FastBreak, Alamo Insiders, etc)

Our last rental, (Budget, through Costco), came to $160.00 for one week, for a full-size in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago.  That included all of the horrific airport fees, taxes, etc.  That doesn't include gas, (which we fill ourselves), or insurance, (which I get for an additional $19.95 through Amex)

We had to quit using Alamo because they now charge an extra-driver fee for spouses, even for Alamo Insiders.

To answer the original post, yes,  you can get very good deals on car rentals, through Costco.     We're also members of BJ's wholesale club, and we've gotten great deals through them too, especially in Vegas & Reno, on Budget and National.


----------



## DavidnRobin

At this point - Costco<Autoslash by $27
I am at $348 on Costco (Alamo, Intermediate, 14 days, LIH, late Aug)


----------



## sjsharkie

Skinsfan1311 said:


> We had to quit using Alamo because they now charge an extra-driver fee for spouses, even for Alamo Insiders.
> 
> To answer the original post, yes,  you can get very good deals on car rentals, through Costco.     We're also members of BJ's wholesale club, and we've gotten great deals through them too, especially in Vegas & Reno, on Budget and National.


To clarify, Alamo waives the charge for one additional driver at participating locations in the US when using the Costco code.  I have actually never come across an airport location that does not participate, including PHX.

-ryan


----------



## Skinsfan1311

sjsharkie said:


> To clarify, Alamo waives the charge for one additional driver at participating locations in the US when using the Costco code.  I have actually never come across an airport location that does not participate, including PHX.
> 
> -ryan



Yes...and No.  

Yes...it's waived for one additional driver, but what about when the trip warrants two additional drivers?  That's where you're hosed with Alamo, ever since they dropped the free spouse from their Insiders program.

You are correct, if you use the Costco code, Alamo waives the charge.       My spouse and I always split the driving.

If however, you travel with others, and they want/need to drive,(in addition to your spouse),  if you went with Alamo, you would end up paying the fee.    We avoided that, by using the Costco code with Budget.   

As a Budget Fast Break member, my wife was not charged the fee, nor was my sister, who we listed as the additional driver, by taking advantage of the waive addt'l driver fee, for using the Costco code.

i.e. 3 drivers, no additional fee with Budget.  3 drivers with Alamo, would've cost us one addt'l driver fee.

Most of the time, this isn't an issue but, on occasion, it can be...


----------



## ShippL

*Renter and spouse and one more*

i haven't found better prices than Costco.  I agree it's worth checking back often.  And the extra driver is in addition to your spouse. Check the fine print.  Works great for us when our daughter and son-in-law travel come along.


----------



## DavidnRobin

DavidnRobin said:


> At this point - Costco<Autoslash by $27
> I am at $348 on Costco (Alamo, Intermediate, 14 days, LIH, late Aug)



currently...
Costco = $332
AS = $357


----------



## Luanne

Right now it's so far ahead of our next trip to Hawaii (April 2016) that Avis is showing a better price than Costco.  So I've made the reservation, now I'm waiting for the prices to drop.


----------



## falmouth3

Darn, I had to change my travel dates for Las Vegas.  I'll be there one day less and the rates for that rental are now $40 more at Costco. Probably because it won't be a full week anymore.  I did check SFX and they are lower than Costco.  Also checked autoslash and they are $60 higher.  I've got a new reservation booked, but I'll keep looking.  A while back, someone got a ridiculously good rate at LAS by checking back frequently.


----------



## VacationForever

falmouth3 said:


> Darn, I had to change my travel dates for Las Vegas.  I'll be there one day less and the rates for that rental are now $40 more at Costco. Probably because it won't be a full week anymore.  I did check SFX and they are lower than Costco.  Also checked autoslash and they are $60 higher.  I've got a new reservation booked, but I'll keep looking.  A while back, someone got a ridiculously good rate at LAS by checking back frequently.



Can't you just return the car a day earlier and still get billed for the full week rate?


----------



## Ken555

sptung said:


> Can't you just return the car a day earlier and still get billed for the full week rate?





I agree, that's what I'd do. But, I've noticed a few agencies (notably Dollar, where I've rented twice in the last two weeks) has a posted sign that they charge $25 (I believe) if returned more than 24 hours early. Of course, they also charge of returned even a minute late (no courtesy). I don't think Alamo had a similar sign, but they might also charge for all I know.


----------



## Jimster

*Rates*

Sometimes a car company will give you a weekly rate but then they stipulate how long that must be.  For example, if you have a weekly rate for a 5 day rental and then decide to take it 4 days, they don't consider that a weekly rental and hence no weekly rate.


----------



## uop1497

For my coming trip to Kauai we rent a full site car thru Costco ( budget car), it costs us $165 and I can not find any lower rate.  High rental care rate maybe due to Labor day weekend.

Is there any website to check for last minutes car rental to see if the rate is lower. If so, please share.


----------



## falmouth3

sptung said:


> Can't you just return the car a day earlier and still get billed for the full week rate?



Nope. I'll be picking it up a day later. Also, if you don't keep it a week, you may get charged a much higher daily rate. A family member had this happen when they had to return early due to illness.


----------



## Jimster

*Rates*



Jimster said:


> Sometimes a car company will give you a weekly rate but then they stipulate how long that must be.  For example, if you have a weekly rate for a 5 day rental and then decide to take it 4 days, they don't consider that a weekly rental and hence no weekly rate.



Like this.


----------



## Luanne

uop1497 said:


> For my coming trip to Kauai we rent a full site car thru Costco ( budget car), it costs us $165 and I can not find any lower rate.  High rental care rate maybe due to Labor day weekend.
> 
> Is there any website to check for last minutes car rental to see if the rate is lower. If so, please share.



Try Autoslash.  You can input information for your current rental and if they find something cheaper they will email you.


----------



## Luanne

Quick update.

Prices through Costco for a trip we have planned to Hawaii in March, 2017 have started to drop.


----------



## blr666

I have a reservation using Costco for car rental in Frankfurt Germany.   I tried to check for price change and now it won't recognize any airport or city outside of the US.   Anyone else having this problem? Thanks.


----------



## Luanne

blr666 said:


> I have a reservation using Costco for car rental in Frankfurt Germany.   I tried to check for price change and now it won't recognize any airport or city outside of the US.   Anyone else having this problem? Thanks.



I went in to see if I could pull up a rental for Germany.  I'm not able to do so.  However, locations in Canada are still available.

You could call them and see what they say.  I wonder if they've stopped working with locations outside of North America.


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## taterhed

I hate to admit it (I love Costco) but my last two rentals were MUCH cheaper at SFX.  Not sure why.....


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## Ken555

taterhed said:


> I hate to admit it (I love Costco) but my last two rentals were MUCH cheaper at SFX.  Not sure why.....





Exactly. Posted this a month or so ago, still seems to be true.


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## taterhed

Ken555 said:


> Exactly. Posted this a month or so ago, still seems to be true.



Yup, it's your post I saw...or one like it.


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## rickandcindy23

I got a minivan for our Maui trip through Costco (Alamo), 3/18-4/1, $398 total.  I am very happy with that and reserved it months ago, I think early April, when I booked our weeks.


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## DavidnRobin

I have 3 OGG car rental reservations thru Costco for Nov13-20.
(waiting to see which one we decide upon...)

Intermediate car: $167 (currently $224)
Intermediate SUV: $217 (currently $338)
Convertible: $272 (currently $405)

Does SFX (or Maui Discount) beat these prices?

One consideration of this is that prices can vary widely, and need to track for best Costco price.
Cindy - you should track - last year (Aug) we had a decrease of 50% for a minivan by Costco (~$240 final)
It takes <1min to check Costco prices.


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## taterhed

not right now....
SFX
$219
$302
$316

But, right now Costco is:
$198
$316
$372


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## Elli

Luanne said:


> Quick update.
> 
> Prices through Costco for a trip we have planned to Hawaii in March, 2017 have started to drop.


Luanne, have you tried booking a car through Costco more than a year out?  I tried for Nov. 2017, the month comes up, but I can't book it yet.


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## Luanne

Elli said:


> Luanne, have you tried booking a car through Costco more than a year out?  I tried for Nov. 2017, the month comes up, but I can't book it yet.



No.  I only book a car once we've booked a trip and I'm usually not booking that far.


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## Elli

Luanne said:


> No.  I only book a car once we've booked a trip and I'm usually not booking that far.


Thanks, Luanne, I did book the timeshare already, but can't book the flight until about 330 days or so in advance.


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## Luanne

Elli said:


> Thanks, Luanne, I did book the timeshare already, but can't book the flight until about 330 days or so in advance.



Since you need to include the times you'll pick up, and drop off, the car, it's good to have the flight times.  OF course flight times can always change even after being booked.


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## Ken555

Luanne said:


> Since you need to include the times you'll pick up, and drop off, the car, it's good to have the flight times.  OF course flight times can always change even after being booked.



Actually, the pickup times are often just a guess. Most airport locations don't care much about what time you put in the reservation. Of course, you can always call to modify it once flights are booked, if you think it matters.


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## Luanne

Ken555 said:


> Actually, the pickup times are often just a guess. Most airport locations don't care much about what time you put in the reservation. Of course, you can always call to modify it once flights are booked, if you think it matters.



Maybe a guess, but if you know you're going to be arrived say around noon, versus 4:00 p.m. it might make a difference.

There was a big discussion awhile ago about this whole topic.  I found out that if you are late picking up your rental there probably isn't an issue.  Most companies will hold a car for you for hours.

The bigger problem is if you originally say you're coming in at 4:00 p.m,, then come in earlier, there night not be a car.  Or, if say you're going to drop off at 1:00 p.m. and get changed to a much later departure, you could get charged for the additional time.  It may depend on how willing the car company is to let you adjust the times (and keep the same low rate) vs having you rebook.


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## Ken555

Luanne said:


> Maybe a guess, but if you know you're going to be arrived say around noon, versus 4:00 p.m. it might make a difference.
> 
> 
> 
> There was a big discussion awhile ago about this whole topic.  I found out that if you are late picking up your rental there probably isn't an issue.  Most companies will hold a car for you for hours.
> 
> 
> 
> The bigger problem is if you originally say you're coming in at 4:00 p.m,, then come in earlier, there night not be a car.  Or, if say you're going to drop off at 1:00 p.m. and get changed to a much later departure, you could get charged for the additional time.  It may depend on how willing the car company is to let you adjust the times (and keep the same low rate) vs having you rebook.





There are always exceptions.

Most major rental companies will not charge extra, regardless of the drop off time in the reservation itself, if it's within a full day of the pickup time (i.e. Pickup at 1pm, drop off no charge up to 1pm, even if reservation said 10am). Similarly, this is true for the number of days. For example, a few weeks ago I had a five day rental but it was booked at the weekly rate, so I could keep it a full week if I wanted to without extra charge - I confirmed this since I had it a few extra hours and when I picked it up they first said I'd be charged extra and after confirming the details said I could actually keep it a couple more days.


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## eschjw

*Costco rental rates*

The Costco rental rates are constantly changing and I recheck the rates 2 or 3 times a week. I just rebooked a weekly November full size car rental in Tampa today for $224 - 134 base rate plus 90 taxes and fees. When I first booked it in August it was $295 and this is the third time that I have cancelled and rebooked.


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## Luanne

eschjw said:


> The Costco rental rates are constantly changing and I recheck the rates 2 or 3 times a week. I just rebooked a weekly November full size car rental in Tampa today for $224 - 134 base rate plus 90 taxes and fees. When I first booked it in August it was $295 and this is the third time that I have cancelled and rebooked.



I sometimes check daily.  The rate I have right now for a March 2017 rental on Maui was at the lowest (so far) a few days ago.  It started going back up immediately.   If I hadn't caught it on that day, I would have missed it.


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## DaveNV

Luanne said:


> I sometimes check daily.  The rate I have right now for a March 2017 rental on Maui was at the lowest (so far) a few days ago.  It started going back up immediately.   If I hadn't caught it on that day, I would have missed it.



Costco rates:  Tuesday and Wednesday mornings work well for me. Not sure if that's a coincidence, but I often find the lowest prices on those mornings. Later the same days, and other days of the week, prices are often higher.  No idea why.

My current reservation score is on Oahu for next month.  I've had a Costco reservation for a very long time, and keep cancelling/rebooking as the price drops.  Currently, I'm paying $254 out the door for a week in a convertible.  Today's Costco price for the same car is $515.

And on Kauai for the week after, I found Discount Hawaii Car Rental was the best rate, beating the Costco reservation I had. So I cancelled and switched to DHCR,  I'm getting another convertible for a week, out the door for $235. The best Costco can do right now is $312.

Not sure if I still belong to SFX, so I'll have to check that out.

Dave


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## DaveNV

Is there a way to see SFX car rental rates from their website?  (Or is there a different URL to view?)  I'm not seeing it. What do I need to do?

Dave


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## taterhed

It's in the travel store. You may need to have CS enable it on your account.  


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## DaveNV

taterhed said:


> It's in the travel store. You may need to have CS enable it on your account.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk




Thanks, Rob.  I found it.

Dave


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## Luanne

DaveNW said:


> Costco rates:  Tuesday and Wednesday mornings work well for me. Not sure if that's a coincidence, but I often find the lowest prices on those mornings. Later the same days, and other days of the week, prices are often higher.  No idea why.
> 
> Dave



I went back to check and found the rate I have now I got on a Saturday morning.  I'd always heard Thursdays were the best time to try.   So now I just keep checking daily.


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## am1

For the free second driver do they also have to be a costco member?  That is what avis told me today and then charged me $14 a day for.  No point debating it with the people working the counter.


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## gmarine

am1 said:


> For the free second driver do they also have to be a costco member?  That is what avis told me today and then charged me $14 a day for.  No point debating it with the people working the counter.



No, definitely not.  The second driver is free and that driver doesnt have to be a Costco member. The counter person you dealt with made a mistake.


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## Ken555

am1 said:


> For the free second driver do they also have to be a costco member?  That is what avis told me today and then charged me $14 a day for.  No point debating it with the people working the counter.



Absolutely not. I suggest you call Costco Travel and discuss it with them.


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## am1

Ken555 said:


> Absolutely not. I suggest you call Costco Travel and discuss it with them.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk




Figured as much.  Easy to get corrected by calling costco I figured.


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## gvic

Check-Check-Check prices "24 HOURS" before pickup .... I saved 20% "ADDITIONAL" because of lower rates for my 2 weeks in Hawaii ! !


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## csxjohn

I have found them to be lower most of the time and joined just for that benefit.  The prices go up and down.  I am currently checking a few times a day for a trip coming up Jan 7.  My current cost is $135 for the week and expect to get it lower but it is still lower than what I've found elsewhere.

I originally joined Costco for this and the primary insurance coverage I could get with the AMEX card they were using at the time.  I now have a different AMEX card for the insurance but kept the Costco membership for the car rentals.  They often send out coupons and I save a few dollars when I use them to shop.


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