Keep Checking Rental Car Prices

[WalnutBaron]

DW and I are headed for Maui in a couple of days and today I decided to re-check my car rental reservation with Avis. I'm glad I did! My original reservation--made about 7 months ago--was for a full-size sedan for a week at a price of $420 including taxes and fees. On re-checking, I was able to get the same car class for $278--a savings of more than $140. Score!

At about $40/day, that's a smoking good deal for Hawaii, and probably reflective of the fact that we're going during off-peak season in the first two weeks of December.

In any case, it never hurts to keep checking and updating your car rental reservations before your arrival.

 

[Talent312]

One can also ask www.autoslash.com to do the checking for you.
They helped me cut a 3d rental in Phoenix by ~$50, both w-Alamo.
Nice.
.

 

[mdurette]

Whenever I have upcoming flights or car rentals, I make checking part of my daily morning routine. Takes 5 minutes as I sip my coffee and click a few buttons. Over the years I have saved a lot (especially on the flights - thanks SW air for no change fee)

 

[Luanne]

+1 on AutoSlash. I used to monitor my car rental reservations myself, but AutoSlash is much better. The only problem I'm having currently for our rental on Maui in March is that I keep getting email telling me they've found a cheaper price, BUT that price is for a pre-paid car. Not going to do that. It does look like you can cancel (and hopefully get reimbursed) but I really don't want to pay for a car rental this far ahead.

 

[dougp26364]

Over the years rental car companies have adjusted pricing at various times. It use to be the cheaper rates could be had if you could book way in advance. A few years ago the bottom prices were available 2 or 3 months prior to your arrival date. Now I'm finding the very best prices in the last 2 weeks before arrival. I just changed a booking for our latest trip a couple of days ago and saved $30 on our rental.

Autoslash appears to be a Priceline tool IMHO. I stopped using them when the best price was, amazingly enough, through Priceline's own booking engine. Plus, I was doing as well if not better looking on my own. They pop up a price, I'd go to check it and it was never available. Complete waste of time for us.

 

[Luanne]

Over the years rental car companies have adjusted pricing at various times. It use to be the cheaper rates could be had if you could book way in advance. A few years ago the bottom prices were available 2 or 3 months prior to your arrival date. Now I'm finding the very best prices in the last 2 weeks before arrival. I just changed a booking for our latest trip a couple of days ago and saved $30 on our rental.

Autoslash appears to be a Priceline tool IMHO. I stopped using them when the best price was, amazingly enough, through Priceline's own booking engine. Plus, I was doing as well if not better looking on my own. They pop up a price, I'd go to check it and it was never available. Complete waste of time for us.

Yes, I've been finding the best price through AutoSlash with Priceline. But I've found when I go directly to the Priceline site the price is a bit higher. Plus the Priceline site doesn't monitor and notify me if a cheaper price is found.

 

[Talent312]

Autoslash appears to be a Priceline tool IMHO. I stopped using them when the best price was, amazingly enough, through Priceline's own booking engine.

I think it's the reverse. Priceline is a tool for AutoSlash. AutoSlash used to have other vendors, but currently only Priceline works with them. Whatever. Its a useful tool for me. Sometimes they do quote prices that can't be booked. Perhaps its bait 'n' switch by a local agency. Sometimes, its from an agency you wouldn't use. But at least they give you the option to look.

As I said, they saved my ~$50 on a rental in Phoenix, when I wouldn't have bothered to check myself, so...
.

 

[donnaval]

I've been a diehard and happy Costco Travel rental car renter, but prices for my upcoming trip to Florida have been outrageous so today I decided to give AutoSlash a try. They undercut my Costco best price (reserved a month or so ago) by an astonishing $260! Both rentals were with Alamo. If I booked the same car today through Costco it would be an unbelievable $823 versus my AutoSlash confirmed reservation of $416. Keep checking those prices, indeed!

 

[Luanne]

AutoSlash notified me this morning they'd found (yet again) a cheaper rate for our March rental on Maui. It's still with Alamo, but went down another $17 for the 15 days period. May not sound like much, but since I originally made the reservation the rate has gone down around $200.

 

[slip]

I’ve had my January Maui trip on Autoslash and got nothing. I even went on Autoslash and checked it myself and it was the same that I had. But I keep watching. Some of the smaller cars came down a lot but we’re taking friends with us this year so we need a larger vehicle.

 

[Luanne]

I’ve had my January Maui trip on Autoslash and got nothing. I even went on Autoslash and checked it myself and it was the same that I had. But I keep watching. Some of the smaller cars came down a lot but we’re taking friends with us this year so we need a larger vehicle.

Ours is for a midsize SUV.

 

[slip]

Ours is for a midsize SUV.

I had a standard SUV and ended out getting a full size cheaper so o went with that. My wife will have two bags herself this trip. She’s bringing extra stuff for the Molokai Condo.