How do you find your car rentals?

[Quilter]

The car I got for Italy through Autoslash (Priceline) has sent me this email:

Your car is unprotected
Add collision coverage for $11/day
Offer expires 09/04/17 at 04:00 AM EST

Primary Coverage with $0 Deductible

Up to $50,000 for Repair Costs

Free Cancellation Until Pick-up
EUR 268.63 ($297.74)


Because I also looked at rates through AutoEurope they have sent me an email saying they have insurance included in their rate:

Inclusive Rate w/ Deductible Includes
- On Airport
- Pick-Up Full & Return Full
- Value Added Tax (VAT)
- Liability Insurance
- Fire Insurance
- Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) - with deductible
- Theft Protection (TP) - with deductible
- Roadside Assistance
- Unlimited Miles
$322.96 USD

I don't know how to tell if the AutoEurope is the better deal. Can someone help?

I will pay for the car with my Chase Sapphire Reserve which has a good insurance policy.

 

[Jimster]

I just press the remote and listen for the horn.

 

[dioxide45]

I will pay for the car with my Chase Sapphire Reserve which has a good insurance policy.

Credit card CDW coverage only kicks in if you decline all other insurance that is offered through the car rental agency. So if they are including CDW in your rate, it doesn't really matter what credit card you use to pay for the rental.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am embarrassed to say that I have too many RCI points and have been pretty much stuck using RCI Points for car rentals lately. But it's better than losing the points, and the prices are competitive. My points are around .009 each, so if a car rental is 50,000 points, I pay $450. We are on Kauai currently and have a car rented for about 55,000 points, 16 days. The $25 transaction fee I pay is a nonsense fee, that's for sure.

The Chase portal has been great for car rentals and is consistently lower than Costco.

 

[Quilter]

Credit card CDW coverage only kicks in if you decline all other insurance that is offered through the car rental agency. So if they are including CDW in your rate, it doesn't really matter what credit card you use to pay for the rental.

Dioxide would you'll favor the Priceline or auto Europe rental?

 

[dioxide45]

Dioxide would you'll favor the Priceline or auto Europe rental?

I have no experience through either. I have also only rented one car in Europe, on the island of Rhodes Greece. I would think if you are going to take up CDW outside of your credit card, it would be easiest and best to do so with the actual rental car agency. What I have found with places like Expedia and Priceline is that they sell a separate CDW policy that is in no way associated with the car rental company. Some have found this to be a pain in places like Mexico where the rental car agency doesn't recognize it or wants to charge a huge hold to the credit card since the CDW is not associated with them. I don't know how this works in Europe.

Also, if your CDW is a separate policy and there is any damage to the car, the car rental company will charge your card and it is up to you to go to whoever sold the CDW and seek reimbursement. This is different than CDW bought directly through the rental car company where if you buy their CDW, you just walk away once the car is returned.

 

[WinniWoman]

The one time we went to Europe- Scotland- we decided to rent directly through Hertz and got all the insurance through them to cover everything. Reserved on-line. We didn't want to fool around in a foreign country just for a few extra bucks. Worth the peace of mind.

 

[Quilter]

I went with Auto Europe quote. They are recommended by Karen Brown. We've used them several times and it's always been fine.

The autoslash quote from Priceline didn't feel comfortable.

Thanks for the thoughts and discussion

 

[JudyH]

I always book thru autoslash.com and the price always drops significantly.

 

[uop1497]

I am looking to book rental car for our coming trip in Switzerland. I checked Costco website and it does not do booking out of US country.
have anyone use Auto Europe.com or autoslash.com to book car rental. Can you please share your experience.

It seems the pricing is cheaper vs direct booking with Hertz or Avis.

Thank you

 

[rabbitt9]

I don't often rent a car.

I've used Costco, Auto Europe, Avis directly.

Recently I rented a car while reserving flights on Southwest.

My question is based mainly on trying to find ways to get the most out of my rental. Like miles from a favored airline and good rate.

Does anyone have a great formula they use for their car rentals?

Thanks

Most major car rental brands provide discount codes to user groups - Avis AWD#s, Budget BCD#'s and Hertz CDP#'s. Some Car Rental aggregator's list all the discount codes. RentalPerks lists all of the above and other brands.

AVIS - 25% OFF
https://rentalperks.com/discounts/avis

BUDGET - 25% OFF
https://rentalperks.com/discounts/budget

HERTZ - 25% OFF
https://rentalperks.com/discounts/hertz

Good luck!

 

[CanuckTravlr]

Last time I went with Hotwire for car rental, I got Hertz. At the Orlando airport's Hertz counter, the line of people waiting went all the way through the double-back maze & all the way out into the airport walkway area. It was 90+ minutes before I got my turn. The Hertz delay made me miss a timeshare meeting that was a main reason for being in town. (I got to the next day's follow-up meeting OK, but still . . . )

As a result of that experience, I am not only soured on Hertz, I am also shunning all pay-ahead car rental reservations. If I had not paid in advance via Hotwire that time, I could have ducked the overcrowded Hertz counter & gone with any of the several competing companies where there were no lines at the counters.

Live & learn.

Not sure why that should particularly sour you on Hertz. It would certainly sour me on Hotwire. I have seen line-ups like that at most major rental counters in high-volume places like Orlando and Las Vegas, especially when multiple, large aircraft have just landed. While it is difficult to staff for exceptional volumes, 90+ minutes is certainly unacceptable.

It is one of the reasons I maintain Hertz Gold membership through CAA/AAA. I have encountered line-ups like that in Las Vegas, Hawaii and even in London, UK. The advantage of Gold membership is that my name and stall are up on the board. I go straight to the car (and can even pick a different vehicle), load in my bags and head out. As a Gold member I also seem to get great service when needed.

The various discounts I get usually mean that my price is competitive with other websites, especially if I book it far enough in advance. The second driver is always free and the reservation is not prepaid so I can cancel at any time. Even if I could get a slightly lower price somewhere I would not likely use it. The convenience and hassle-free factor is more important.

 

[bbodb1]

I see this thread came back after a bit of a hiatus but in reading through it, I noticed that even then there was a lot of mention about AutoSlash.
For what ever reasons, my experience with Auto Slash has been very disappointing. I've turned in a few car rentals for monitoring on Auto Slash but I have yet to see any reduction (lower price) found by Auto Slash. I've actually had better luck at dropping my rental rate by periodically reshopping the same rental with the same vendor as the rental time gets nearer and the vendor runs various promotions. I've had this approach work with Avis and Hertz FWIW.

But to be fair, I do not rent all that often.....

It doesn't take all that long to periodically reshop a rental for better terms or conditions....

 

[A.Win]

I haven't tried Turo but want to. I think Turo and Enterprise are excellent choices when picking up outside of the airport. Turo is like AirBNB for cars.

 

[MOXJO7282]

I don't know how anything can beat Costco. I know I always get the best price from them. I just got a premium for 13 days on Maui for $512. I'm leaving for Maui next Sunday so it is last minute but it saved me $250 from price that held consistent until this week.

 

[Luanne]

I don't know how anything can beat Costco. I know I always get the best price from them. I just got a premium for 13 days on Maui for $512. I'm leaving for Maui next Sunday so it is last minute but it saved me $250 from price that held consistent until this week.

AutoSlash can beat Costco.

 

[Tfish]

I've had good luck bidding Priceline in the past.

 

[Luanne]

I've had good luck bidding Priceline in the past.

I don't like bidding with Priceline any more because I don't like paying upfront with no ability to cancel.