# Costco/Alamo Car Rentals



## KevJan (Nov 4, 2010)

Just stumbled across a pretty good deal on www.costcotravel.com for rental cars from Alamo. You get the regular Costco membership discount plus $30 off a 1 week rental. I thought I had a great deal from www.carrentals.com for $143.42 total. Now my total is $88.66. Now, if I can just be patient waiting for the trip to Branson 1 month from today!


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## luvsvacation22 (Nov 4, 2010)

I need a car in May for Orlando and for a fullsize it is over $300.00 for the week.


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## LisaRex (Nov 4, 2010)

I always use Costco for the additional driver.


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## Ken555 (Nov 4, 2010)

I always reserve using Costco then check with Priceline a few weeks before a trip, as PL typically lowers the rate even further.


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## GetawaysRus (Nov 4, 2010)

LisaRex said:


> I always use Costco for the additional driver.



I've done this before also, but here's a little trick that worked recently for us.

I've signed up as an Emerald Club member with National Car Rental.  There's no fee for this, and you simply sign up on the web.  A benefit of membership in the Emerald Club is that you are allowed a second driver.

For a recent trip to Tahoe, we used Hotwire for a last minute (2 weeks before our trip) car rental.  Hotwire offered an SUV for the same price as a full size previously reserved through Costco/Alamo, which was a win.  I took it, and I then learned that Hotwire had given us a rental with National.  So we got 2 drivers for the same Hotwire price.


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## LisaRex (Nov 5, 2010)

GetawaysRus said:


> I've signed up as an Emerald Club member with National Car Rental.  There's no fee for this, and you simply sign up on the web.  A benefit of membership in the Emerald Club is that you are allowed a second driver.



Not exactly.  We frequently travel with another couple and like to sign up both of the husbands as drivers.  Emerald Club doesn't allow this without an additional charge because they aren't spouses or business associates.  

From the Emerald Club website: 

"Authorized Drivers
Free (in the United States and Canada) - An Emerald Club member's spouse, immediate family member living with him/her, business partner, employer, or fellow associate who has an assigned corporate contract with National and drives the car for business purposes. All other additional authorized driver situations are subject to a daily charge. Click here for our policy on additional drivers."


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## rickandcindy23 (Nov 5, 2010)

luvsvacation22 said:


> I need a car in May for Orlando and for a fullsize it is over $300.00 for the week.



I was able to reserve a mid-size for Orlando in May for $261 for two weeks through Alamo.  I don't have airfare yet.


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## Skinsfan1311 (Nov 7, 2010)

I took your advice and rented through Coscto travel.

For our upcoming trip to Tahoe,(RNO airport) I booked a STD SUV from Alamo for $374.45 for the week.

While I'm hopeful for last-minute specials through National or Dollar, that's a price I can live with if nothing better comes up.

That's a good start, and thanks for sharing!!


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## kjsgrammy (Nov 8, 2010)

Can anyone book thru Costco, or do you have to show a Costco membership card when picking up the car?  We are not members of Costco.


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## rickandcindy23 (Nov 8, 2010)

We have never been asked for our Costco card, and we use that discount most of the time.  

Alamo, even with Costco discounts, doesn't always have the best price.  We rented through Dollar for this trip, using Mousesavers.com to get a discount on a compact car.


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## hajjah (Nov 8, 2010)

Let me include that I just changed/updated my reservation with Costco/Alamo that is pending for December during Xmas in Orlando, which has the highest rental rates of the year.  I was able to save a few dollars since the price was decreased.  It's always good to check back before your travel date.  You only need to use the kiosk when picking up the vehicle if you are not a club member.  When I first began checking for auto rentals in Orlando during Xmas at least 3 months ago, the rates were about $500.00 for an economy.  This is my third year of going to Orlando during the same holiday time and the rates are always the highest.  Anyone needing to book a car in Orlando during this holiday should check the Costco/Alamo website now before the rates increase again.


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## Bruce W (Nov 8, 2010)

*A repeat post from last year*

"Keep trying at least weekly, using codes and coupons from Mousesavers and the clubs, Costco, Bjs, etc. Have not ever been asked to prove membership.

Needed a car in Florida for our vacation in Feb 2010. Started out @$700 for 17 days using codes for Alamo, now down to $281, for a Malibu, using various promos and upgrade coupons."

I would book the reservation and as the price decreased would cancel the higher one. Changed almost daily for a while.

Takes a little work, but well worth it.


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## sun starved Gayle (Nov 8, 2010)

Bruce W said:


> "Keep trying at least weekly, using codes and coupons from Mousesavers and the clubs, Costco, Bjs, etc. Have not ever been asked to prove membership.
> 
> Needed a car in Florida for our vacation in Feb 2010. Started out @$700 for 17 days using codes for Alamo, now down to $281, for a Malibu, using various promos and upgrade coupons."
> 
> ...



I agree with Bruce W, keep trying. 

 I had something interesting occur the last time I rented a car in Oakland, CA.  I had never paid over $19.00 or $20.00 a day for a rental there, and all the sites were showing $48.00 to $54.00 a day for the cheapest car. Believe me, I really looked! 

I was making my plane reservations online on Southwest, and was asked if I wanted to add a car rental. Gave it a try, and they came up with $18.00 a day.  The rental was with FOX, and I had heard of people having some problems with them, but everything went fine.  I even went to FOX web site to see if I could get a cheaper deal and it came no where near.

So check with the airline you made you reservations with, they might surprise you.


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## Luanne (Nov 9, 2010)

Thanks for the reminder about Southwest.  I just checked and was able to get much lower rates for an upcoming trip to Santa Fe by going through the Southwest website.


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