Higher Rental Car Prices

[cali-gal]

I've been looking for a while now for a rental car for Maui at the end of May, and the prices are a lot higher than when we went two years ago. We go to a Hawaiian island at least once a year, sometimes twice, and this is the highest I've seen for quite a while. I've tried Costco, Budget and Alamo, and also Hotwire. Has anyone had better luck somewhere else?

 

[Luanne]

I usually start with Costco, make a rental with them, and then enter it into AutoSlash to have them track it.

We have a trip to Maui end of February. I can't remember when I started the search for the rental car. Price came down a few times then nothing for the past couple of months. I've started getting emails again with lower prices, but so far it's either been with a company I don't want to rent with, or a pay ahead (which I know I can cancel but I just don't want to tie up the money on my credit card).

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

I've been looking for a while now for a rental car for Maui at the end of May, and the prices are a lot higher than when we went two years ago. We go to a Hawaiian island at least once a year, sometimes twice, and this is the highest I've seen for quite a while. I've tried Costco, Budget and Alamo, and also Hotwire. Has anyone had better luck somewhere else?

It's unfortunate that Rental Cars are overpriced EVERYWHERE. Just keep shopping around, and think about investing in some car rental company stocks!




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[cali-gal]

I think our last two (admittedly very cheap) rental cars were less than $250 for the week, both in Kauai and Maui. So, nearly double that is a bit of a shock!

 

[Luanne]

I think our last two (admittedly very cheap) rental cars were less than $250 for the week, both in Kauai and Maui. So, nearly double that is a bit of a shock!

Right now our reservation is for $710 for two weeks with an intermediate SUV. I can get it for $645 with a company I don't want to rent from, or $688 by paying ahead. If it was closer to our rental date I might go with the pay ahead, since it can be cancelled.

 

[JIMinNC]

Right now our reservation is for $710 for two weeks with an intermediate SUV. I can get it for $645 with a company I don't want to rent from, or $688 by paying ahead. If it was closer to our rental date I might go with the pay ahead, since it can be cancelled.

But at $710 vs $688 that's still only a $22 savings. Not significant enough to even worry about if it were me.

 

[mauitraveler]

We usually have good luck comparing Costco prices with DiscountHawaiiCarRentals.com. Last year, we cancelled and rebooked with Discount HawaiiCarRentals.com 5 times before our arrival date, including the night before! Our final price was 1/2 of the price that I originally booked 8 months prior to our trip. Enjoy your time on Maui! CJ

 

[Luanne]

But at $710 vs $688 that's still only a $22 savings. Not significant enough to even worry about if it were me.

Right. Which is why I didn't take that offer.

 

[Luanne]

We usually have good luck comparing Costco prices with DiscountHawaiiCarRentals.com. Last year, we cancelled and rebooked with Discount HawaiiCarRentals.com 5 times before our arrival date, including the night before! Our final price was 1/2 of the price that I originally booked 8 months prior to our trip. Enjoy your time on Maui! CJ

I know people have had good luck with Discount Hawaii Car Rentals, and I would suggest trying them. Personally I never got a better rate with them than I could get with Costco.

 

[Kel]

We found the same high prices for our trip to Maui in September with Costco and others. We reserved the lowest high price rental we could find through Costco. About two weeks prior to the trip we reserved a minivan for 2 weeks for $420 (taxes included) for the entire 2 week rental with Costco. Great price and a great trip. Cancelled the other reservation. Have fun.

 

[cali-gal]

Thank you! I'll keep checking and report back.

 

[TXTortoise]

I'd definitely file your reservation with AutoSlash.com to allow them to find lower rates.

I got a Feb 2020 Maui reservation for an intermediate SUV back in April 2019 for two weeks at $540, via Costco.

Everything has been $700-$1100 since then. Then I got an update and checked Costco again and rebooked for a bit less. A day later everthing was back to $1100 or sold out.

Book early, use AutoSlash.com and check other sources, particularly inside two weeks from your arrival. SUVs are hard, but other cars often drop.