car rental 101---please help!

[laurac260]

It's been years since I've rented a car. I was just on the travelocity website, when did it become so cumbersome? I want to get the best deal I can get, but I'm not sure which company to use, and I'm hesitant to use a company that isn't one of the bigger, more well known ones. Does being a Marriott rewards member afford me any deals on car rentals? Does being part of the southwest points program?

DH wants to rent a convertible for our upcoming trip out west. I could use some suggestions/direction with this. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

 

[dioxide45]

We have always booked directly through the rental agencies. If SW or Marriott Rewards offers any deals, you will have to look at their sites and likely have to book through their websites to get any offers. Do you have an Entertainment Book, Costco or BJs membership. If so, check their websites as they all have discount codes and coupon codes.

The best advice is to book the best rate (any rate) that can be canceled now, and then keep checking regularly through your date of travel for a better rate. If you find one, book it and cancel your higher rate. This is best done when booking through the rental companies directly. you can't do this by booking through Expedia, Priceline or other like sites.

 

[timeos2]

Always sign up for the "club" for whichever company(s) you choose. It's free & gets you things like discounts, pick your own car, etc.

I always do better with the actual car sites except for Priceline - Bid often, close to the use date, has a deal. Just be sure to reserve a car early then check near the date with Priceline to see if you can get a deal. If so you have to pay & commit to that - remember to cancel your other one if that happens.

Good luck!

 

[dmharris]

Laura, do one of you work for a corporation that has a pre-arranged rental deal with any of the major rental car companies? If you work for a corporation, ask the travel dept if they have such a deal and can you use the code to make a reservation? Or they may make one for you. The best thing about car reservations is that they're very easily cancelled if you find a better deal.

If you're looking for very cheap and don't care about the car being dinged, look at Advantage Car Rental.

Also check with your auto insurer to see if they cover you for a rental car (rental insurance really jacks up the cost) so you could decline the rental car insurance. If you have an accident, you would pay your deductible out of pocket.

If you belong to any business associations they probably have a 10% off deal with a major rental company. Or AAA or AARP, all these associations have rental car member benefits.

Also renting on-line is usually cheaper than by phone or in person. They know they have you if you walk up to the desk and you don't have a reservation. You'll pay the highest rate.

When you rent, at the point of rental, they may ask you if you want to prepay your gas. If you're going to drive a lot and use up a full tank, this means you bring the car back empty of gas and they'll charge you to fill the tank at their rate. Be careful, depending on whether gas prices are going up or down, this can be a good or a bad deal. If you won't empty a tank of gas, do not take the deal, bring it back full of gas; you can buy gas 10 miles away at a cheaper station and it will still register full.

Many years experience renting cars. Good Luck!

 

[natasha5687]

Try hotwire.com the "Hot Rate" cars will not show you which agency until after you book but you are guaranteed one of the big agencies. My experience has been that it is usually Hertz, Avis, or Alamo. This will save you a nice little chunk of change. They do also have other rates that are competitive and you can see the agency before you book.

 

[Bucky]

It's been years since I've rented a car. I was just on the travelocity website, when did it become so cumbersome? I want to get the best deal I can get, but I'm not sure which company to use, and I'm hesitant to use a company that isn't one of the bigger, more well known ones. Does being a Marriott rewards member afford me any deals on car rentals? Does being part of the southwest points program?

DH wants to rent a convertible for our upcoming trip out west. I could use some suggestions/direction with this. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Not sure about Marriott but I do know that SWA is not a deal. All they do is jack up the price to offset the points you get. In effect you are paying more to earn the miles!

I use carrentals.com Have always had excellent success using their website and always received the best prices. When you select a car from them it automatically takes you to the vendors website to complete the reservation with no upfront charge. I usually make my reservations at least six months in advance and check back every couple of weeks to see if there are any better deals out there and make cancellations/reservations as needed.