Autoslash car rental questions

[DaveNV]

Need some help from those who have done this. I'm giving Autoslash a try for a trip next Summer to Hawaii.

I'd made an initial reservation though Costco.com as an anchor rate. It was through Enterprise. Then I registered the reservation through Autoslash, and waited for them to find me a lower rate. They sent me an email that they'd found a lower rate, which turned out to be with Alamo through Priceline (Pay Later.) I went to Priceline and made a new reservation, at the lower rate. I received email from Priceline that the new reservation is in place with Alamo. I went back to Autoslash to tell them I'd modified the original reservation, and the Company and Reservation Number are different. I entered the new (Alamo) data info for Autoslash, and they say they have the updated info.

Now what? Do I cancel the original Costco.com reservation, since I have a new one through Priceline, and Autoslash knows about the new reservation? Since I updated things, will Autoslash now track just the new reservation, and not the old one? Do I need to do anything more with all this?

Granted, the savings was only about $10, but that's a fast food lunch someplace. I'm good with that. I'd hope going forward, that additional lower rates will be found. Just don't want to miss a step along the way to have things continue to be tracked.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[GetawaysRus]

I usually just sit and wait. I "clean up" (cancel unneeded, more costly reservations) a little before the trip. That can get confusing, however, so I see no harm to canceling your Costco res now if you prefer that approach.

Costco usually allows 2 drivers. Alamo does not. That might be worth a few dollars of difference to you.

I follow the same steps as you. My experience is that AutoSlash will now track your newly entered reservation. Your price may continue to go down, and you may find yourself repeating the same process over and over. It's a bit of work, but I wouldn't be surprised your final cost was 20-25% lower than your initial reservation.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I usually clean these up as I go, but do final clean-up about a month before the trip to ensure I haven't missed something.

If you book autoslash and it says "Costco reservation" for Alamo on the offer screen, then you should be able to get the costco second driver through the priceline reservation. Bring a copy to the counter.

 

[DaveNV]

I usually clean these up as I go, but do final clean-up about a month before the trip to ensure I haven't missed something.

If you book autoslash and it says "Costco reservation" for Alamo on the offer screen, then you should be able to get the costco second driver through the priceline reservation. Bring a copy to the counter.

Thanks. This was definitely Alamo through Priceline. Costco only offered Avis or Enterprise. Since this is my first time using Autoslash, I wanted to make sure I hadn't overlooked anything. This upcoming Hawaii trip is on three islands, so I'm managing three reservations. I'll be checking for lower rates a lot.

Does anyone know if Autoslash will know if Costco's rate goes down? I've found over the years that Costco's auto rental discounts for the next year usually take effect in December of the previous year, so I expect my rates will drop going forward. I'll manually check things, but wonder if Autoslash also checks Costco's rates.

The second driver isn't an issue this time around - I normally do all the driving when we're in Hawaii, and especially on Oahu. I used to live in Honolulu and Kailua, and a lot of the roads are still the same. It's kind of fun driving the back streets and shortcuts I know about.

Dave

 

[CalGalTraveler]

@DaveNW I periodically check against Costco and the AutoSlash rate has always been better after the first round of price reductions. YMMV.

 

[Luanne]

Dave, I cancel the Costco reservation when AutoSlash has found a better rate and I've booked that. I don't think AutoSlash checks the Costco rates, but I've found when I've checked Costco later, the AutoSlash rates have been lower.

 

[jtp1947]

Your rates are going to change many times between now and next summer. Also, I know you will also take into account the 2% Executive rebate Costco gives for the rental.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

True. Most of the major discounts come in about 1.5 to 2 months prior to the reservation. However we have had some major downshift deals at other times.

 

[DaveNV]

Your rates are going to change many times between now and next summer. Also, I know you will also take into account the 2% Executive rebate Costco gives for the rental.

Certainly. Ive done the Costco rental many times, and expect the price will come down. Just wasn’t sure how Autoslash works. I know a lot of Tuggers are fans, so I wanted to give them a try. I’ll have three different rentals on three islands over the course of this trip, so it’s a good test of their system.

And yes, that 2% Costco Executive credit counts, as does paying for it with the Costco Visa, which adds another 2% to things.

Dave

 

[easyrider]

I guess I should check Costco for Maui ? I thought autoslash did. Ok, I just checked Costco and my autoslash reservation is about $280 lower with a larger vehicle. We are about three weeks out.

Bill

 

[DaveNV]

I guess I should check Costco for Maui ? I thought autoslash did. Ok, I just checked Costco and my autoslash reservation is about $280 lower with a larger vehicle. We are about three weeks out.

Bill

Check again in December. Costco’s discounts for next year usually drop in around mid-December.

Dave

 

[easyrider]

My Maui trip begins in October. The other trips this winter are for Mexico and I won't use autoslash for Mexico for many reasons.

Bill

 

[WinniWoman]

FYI- with Autoslash each time they reduce/quite you a price, you have to go back on line to set for them to keep monitoring your rate. I had to do this 3x for our last trip and the original price was greatly reduced.

But just so you know- they no longer just automatically keep monitoring your rate once they quote you.

 

[DaveNV]

FYI- with Autoslash each time they reduce/quite you a price, you have to go back on line to set for them to keep monitoring your rate. I had to do this 3x for our last trip and the original price was greatly reduced.

But just so you know- they no longer just automatically keep monitoring your rate once they quote you.

This brings up an important question:

If I have a reservation with another company (e.g. Costco), and @AutoSlash comes up with a lower rate, (even for a few dollars), and I opt to NOT take the Autoslash rate, is that Autoslash request dead and done at that point?

I have that example currently. My reservation with Costco is higher than I want, so I set up an Autoslash request to check it. They found a lower rate (only about $7.00 lower), but it's with a third-party company where I have no loyalty program, and I don't know if I want to use that company. For ~$7.00, it's not worth the risk, especially if I'll end up standing in a long line to get my car.

So now what? Is Autoslash done with me? If I set up a new request, I expect Autoslash will just quote me that same $7.00 lower rate, and I'm right back where I am now. How can I keep things checking?

Dave

 

[WinniWoman]

This brings up an important question:

If I have a reservation with another company (e.g. Costco), and @AutoSlash comes up with a lower rate, (even for a few dollars), and I opt to NOT take the Autoslash rate, is that Autoslash request dead and done at that point?

I have that example currently. My reservation with Costco is higher than I want, so I set up Autoslash requests to check it. They found a lower rate (only about $7.00 lower), but it's with a third-party company where I have no loyalty program, and I don't know if I want to use that company. For ~$7.00, it's not worth the risk, especially if I'll end up standing in a long line to get my car.

So now what? Is Autoslash done with me? If I set up a new request, I expect Autoslash will just quote me that same $7.00 lower rate, and I'm right back where I am now. How can I keep things checking?

Dave

You can just accept it and then go back in to have them keep searching. (they do not automatically keep searching unless you go back in to tell them to. That is different from how it used to be before they got involved with Priceline)

In any event- you can always cancel it. You don't have to lay out any money anyway. So just keep both reservations - Costco and Autoslash- until you get the best deal- then cancel the other one.

 

[DaveNV]

You can just accept it and then go back in to have them keep searching. (they do not automatically keep searching unless you go back in to tell them to. That is different from how it used to be before they got involved with Priceline)

In any event- you can always cancel it. You don't have to lay out any money anyway. So just keep both reservations - Costco and Autoslash- until you get the best deal- then cancel the other one.

Ok, thanks. That makes sense. So if I now have a new (alternate) reservation through the company Autoslash recommended, I just set up a new search with Autoslash against that reservation?

I really want this to work, but if it's too tedious, it may end up not being worth the hassle.

Dave

 

[Luanne]

Ok, thanks. That makes sense. So if I now have a new (alternate) reservation through the company Autoslash recommended, I just set up a new search with Autoslash against that reservation?

I really want this to work, but if it's too tedious, it may end up not being worth the hassle.

Dave

Yes, that's correct. If you accept a lower price through AutoSlash you need to cancel the original reservation and then set up a search with the new one. It may be a bit tedious, but at least AutoSlash is doing the checking for you on an ongoing basis, rather than you having to go back in and check pricing periodically.

 

[WinniWoman]

Ok, thanks. That makes sense. So if I now have a new (alternate) reservation through the company Autoslash recommended, I just set up a new search with Autoslash against that reservation?

I really want this to work, but if it's too tedious, it may end up not being worth the hassle.

Dave

Yes. Right. You are not cancelling the reservation, just having them do another ongoing search against it. Then when the lower price comes in you cancel the previous reservation. I had to do it 3 times for our Utah trip but it was worth it for us. Got a great rate in the end. But then again- we do not belong to Costco.

 

[easyrider]

Ok, thanks. That makes sense. So if I now have a new (alternate) reservation through the company Autoslash recommended, I just set up a new search with Autoslash against that reservation?

I really want this to work, but if it's too tedious, it may end up not being worth the hassle.

Dave

Last night I saved another $170+ off my autoslash reservation for Maui. I did check Costco as well. Oddly, the reservation from autoslash that was higher was from Thrifty in an intermediate car and the reservation that is lower is exactly the same.

Bill

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Ok, thanks. That makes sense. So if I now have a new (alternate) reservation through the company Autoslash recommended, I just set up a new search with Autoslash against that reservation?

I really want this to work, but if it's too tedious, it may end up not being worth the hassle.

Dave

It is a bit of work but a lot less work than checking everyday. I think of it as ratcheting down our cost. Saved hundreds.

 

[mjm1]

I just checked Autoslash for a car on Maui starting this Thursday. The lowest quotes were for "pay now" with either Thrifty or Dollar, neither of which we have used in the past. The rating of each in autoslash is 3.5 stars, which appears to be questionable. Has anyone had experience with either of these companies on Maui? The rate quoted is for a standard sized car and is about $155 less than an intermediate with Budget that I have on Costcotravel.

Thanks.

Mike

 

[Luanne]

I just checked Autoslash for a car on Maui starting this Thursday. The lowest quotes were for "pay now" with either Thrifty or Dollar, neither of which we have used in the past. The rating of each in autoslash is 3.5 stars, which appears to be questionable. Has anyone had experience with either of these companies on Maui? The rate quoted is for a standard sized car and is about $155 less than an intermediate with Budget that I have on Costcotravel.

Thanks.

Mike

No experience with either, but both of them are a subsidiaries of Hertz.

 

[DaveNV]

I just checked Autoslash for a car on Maui starting this Thursday. The lowest quotes were for "pay now" with either Thrifty or Dollar, neither of which we have used in the past. The rating of each in autoslash is 3.5 stars, which appears to be questionable. Has anyone had experience with either of these companies on Maui? The rate quoted is for a standard sized car and is about $155 less than an intermediate with Budget that I have on Costcotravel.

Thanks.

Mike

I’ve rented from both. No issues. Just make sure you have their loyalty program number on your reservation. (Blue Chip on Thrifty.) Your paperwork will be waiting for you, and you can skip a huge line.

Dave

 

[mjm1]

I’ve rented from both. No issues. Just make sure you have their loyalty program number on your reservation. (Blue Chip on Thrifty.) Your paperwork will be waiting for you, and you can skip a huge line.

Dave

Thanks Dave. I reserved a car with Thrifty, but Autoslash won't enable me to enter my Blue Chip number. I couldn't do it on Thrifty's site either, so I called them. They said that they don't provide Blue Chip benefits, including skipping the line, for reservations made through third parties like Autoslash. Hopefully the line won't be too long.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[DaveNV]

Thanks Dave. I reserved a car with Thrifty, but Autoslash won't enable me to enter my Blue Chip number. I couldn't do it on Thrifty's site either, so I called them. They said that they don't provide Blue Chip benefits, including skipping the line, for reservations made through third parties like Autoslash. Hopefully the line won't be too long.

Best regards.

Mike

Wow. Ok. That might be a dealbreaker for me then. I rely on my BlueChip number saving me a lot of time in line. I think it was Maui last time, there must have been 50 people in line. I walked up, got my paperwork, and left. I probably saved more than an hour.

Dave