Maui car rental: budget vs. enterprise vs alamo trade offs?

[islandguy]

Add Dollar to your search

I got a dollar full size car for 3 weeks (OGG) in Feb 2016 for $ 431 all incl. Plus it isn't prepay. Cheaper than all the rest. This is cheapest 3 weeks I've had in years. Last month when I was in Maui for 3 weeks it was $ 498 for a compact with dollar.

It pays to shop.

 

[Luanne]

I'm finding the rates for the Big Island for April are starting to drop (through Costco). They've gone down about $50 for the two week period we'll be there since I first started looking.

 

[LisaRex]

As far as waiting in line goes, I'll take a 30 minute wait (which happened last February) in exchange for saving $100+ on an already expensive vacation in Maui.

If the shuttle line is too long, you can always walk over to the lot. It's not far, only ~ 1/4 mile. Or you can be like my husband, who changes into his shoes and jogs over, then drives over to where I'm waiting with the luggage. After being on a plane for 12 hours, he thinks it's a great way to start his vacation.

 

[NTP66]

If the shuttle line is too long, you can always walk over to the lot. It's not far, only ~ 1/4 mile. Or you can be like my husband, who changes into his shoes and jogs over, then drives over to where I'm waiting with the luggage. After being on a plane for 12 hours, he thinks it's a great way to start his vacation.

We've actually been lucky with the shuttles over the years, though I was close to doing just that last February. I almost got on a different agency's shuttle to get me closer quicker, but the Budget van pulled up right behind it and I apparently have a magical ability to know exactly where the door is going to open.

 

[NTP66]

I've been tracking prices for the past few weeks, and will likely do so through February, and am actually close to not taking my own advice on using DHCR. Budget still continues to be the lowest price for the size car I want by a fair margin, and I'd get the added benefit of extra AA miles and FastBreak, even though I'd have to pay now. If I book at this rate, it'll be the least amount I've ever paid for my usual week in Maui, ever.

 

[Denise L]

We usually have good luck with Alamo on Maui. I haven't joined the Alamo Insiders or tried checking in online before, but our trip is coming up. Would you experienced renters recommend that I do this now? When you check-in online, does it let you add the second driver, and when we get there, do we still get our choice of any car in our part of the lot (full-size). We try to find one with a big trunk for our luggage .

 

[jkrich]

On line check in experience

We just got back from Maui and rented through Costco ended up using Alamo. We used the on line check in and it worked great.

You don't have to join anything or be a frequent renter to check in on line. You go on line the day before the rental and follow the prompts. If you have a second driver you will need to enter his/her information also.

We have done the on line check in at Detroit and Maui and it was very similar. When you get off the shuttle you head towards the parking lot and don't have to go through the normal rental counter process.

An Alamo employee will be available as you enter the parking area, they will check to see that you are on the on line check in list and point out the cars available to you. You pick your car and drive away (after a careful inspection, of course).

I thought it was great because we didn't waste time standing in line and filling out forms. Wish other rental companies were as easy.

This sounds kind of like an advertisement for them, but I am not connected to them in any way, just appreciated the streamlined process without having to join another frequent renter/flyer program.

Jerry

 

[NTP66]

I keep checking Alamo, but their prices have continually been $75-100 more than what I'm seeing at Budget, so it's hard to justify giving them a chance.

 

[Denise L]

We just got back from Maui and rented through Costco ended up using Alamo. We used the on line check in and it worked great.

You don't have to join anything or be a frequent renter to check in on line. You go on line the day before the rental and follow the prompts. If you have a second driver you will need to enter his/her information also.

We have done the on line check in at Detroit and Maui and it was very similar. When you get off the shuttle you head towards the parking lot and don't have to go through the normal rental counter process.

An Alamo employee will be available as you enter the parking area, they will check to see that you are on the on line check in list and point out the cars available to you. You pick your car and drive away (after a careful inspection, of course).

I thought it was great because we didn't waste time standing in line and filling out forms. Wish other rental companies were as easy.

This sounds kind of like an advertisement for them, but I am not connected to them in any way, just appreciated the streamlined process without having to join another frequent renter/flyer program.

Jerry

Thank you for the information ! We will try it with Alamo online check-in and see how it goes! I hope that even though we are arriving a bit later than my reservation time, that the timestamp on the rental will be for when we actually pick it up so that I can return it a little later, too. Our flights have changed since booking and I never went back to change the time on the car rental reservation, and I didn't want to lose my great (sort of) rate by editing the arrival time. I would love not to stand in line at Alamo!

 

[NTP66]

Definitely let us know how it goes. Prices just dropped at Budget, so I went ahead and just booked my 'pay now' rental to get it out of the way. $228 for 7 days in mid-September for a mid-size car, which is surprisingly $23 cheaper than the lowest priced rental with Discount Hawaii. I'll keep checking to see if it drops enough to warrant canceling, but I don't see that happening. $228 is the cheapest I have ever paid in Maui, so I'm happy with the rate.

 

[Denise L]

Definitely let us know how it goes. Prices just dropped at Budget, so I went ahead and just booked my 'pay now' rental to get it out of the way. $228 for 7 days in mid-September for a mid-size car, which is surprisingly $23 cheaper than the lowest priced rental with Discount Hawaii. I'll keep checking to see if it drops enough to warrant canceling, but I don't see that happening. $228 is the cheapest I have ever paid in Maui, so I'm happy with the rate.

Everything at Alamo went smoothly. Of course, there was absolutely no one in line at the counter, but we got to skip it anyhow, ha ha . We went to the full-size lot and there were two people there to help us. We had plenty of cars to choose from and got the newest car (1100 miles) with the biggest trunk. We drove to the exit and our print-out was scanned, IDs checked, and that was it. Very simple!

We had a reservation at Budget for $172, but chose to go with the Alamo reservation for $204 for the week on Maui. The least we have paid on Maui for a full-size car for a week was about $135 for Easter week the past two years.

Thanks for the tips on online check-in!

 

[NTP66]

Everything at Alamo went smoothly. Of course, there was absolutely no one in line at the counter, but we got to skip it anyhow, ha ha . We went to the full-size lot and there were two people there to help us. We had plenty of cars to choose from and got the newest car (1100 miles) with the biggest trunk. We drove to the exit and our print-out was scanned, IDs checked, and that was it. Very simple!

We had a reservation at Budget for $172, but chose to go with the Alamo reservation for $204 for the week on Maui. The least we have paid on Maui for a full-size car for a week was about $135 for Easter week the past two years.

Thanks for the tips on online check-in!

Those are some terrific rates, which baffles me even more since I go in the slow season.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

We are heading to Maui in August this year and I booked thru Costco for 11 days with a SUV, (at the time I booked the SUV was the cheapest for this time frame) for $386 and its thru Alamo. I keep checking and I have auto slash set up but thus far this price can not be beat.

I'm going to do the on-line check in as we will be arriving late at night and after 13 hours in a plane we will be ready to just drive to the resort, thanks for this tip this will really be a time saver.

We just got back from Maui and rented through Costco ended up using Alamo. We used the on line check in and it worked great.

You don't have to join anything or be a frequent renter to check in on line. You go on line the day before the rental and follow the prompts. If you have a second driver you will need to enter his/her information also.

We have done the on line check in at Detroit and Maui and it was very similar. When you get off the shuttle you head towards the parking lot and don't have to go through the normal rental counter process.

An Alamo employee will be available as you enter the parking area, they will check to see that you are on the on line check in list and point out the cars available to you. You pick your car and drive away (after a careful inspection, of course).

I thought it was great because we didn't waste time standing in line and filling out forms. Wish other rental companies were as easy.

This sounds kind of like an advertisement for them, but I am not connected to them in any way, just appreciated the streamlined process without having to join another frequent renter/flyer program.

Jerry

 

[Denise L]

Those are some terrific rates, which baffles me even more since I go in the slow season.

For our trips, I usually make car reservations through Costco way in advance, and then I periodically check rates as the travel dates get closer. Rates tend to drop, and then go up again if demand is high. For example, I might book at $400/week and then rebook 4 times until it is less than $200. For our current week, the prices were high, then low, then never went any lower and kept going up until there were no cars available. For your September dates, I would think that it could be very low a lot closer to your dates, say a week or two beforehand. I know you've already prepaid for yours and are happy with your rate, and you never really know if they will go higher. Check online closer to your dates for research for your next trip, and see what you find. Then you will know a bit for your next off-season trip.

 

[Luanne]

For our trips, I usually make car reservations through Costco way in advance, and then I periodically check rates as the travel dates get closer. Rates tend to drop, and then go up again if demand is high. For example, I might book at $400/week and then rebook 4 times until it is less than $200. For our current week, the prices were high, then low, then never went any lower and kept going up until there were no cars available. For your September dates, I would think that it could be very low a lot closer to your dates, say a week or two beforehand. I know you've already prepaid for yours and are happy with your rate, and you never really know if they will go higher. Check online closer to your dates for research for your next trip, and see what you find. Then you will know a bit for your next off-season trip.

We hit the sweet spot for our rental on the Big Island about 6 months out. That was the lowest ($318 for two weeks, fullsize). They have gone up ever since. I think rates are around $500/600 right now. I will, of course, keep checking since the trip is still almost two months away.

 

[rickandcindy23]

We have a full-sized car through Costco/ Alamo, reserved for 4/3-4/17 on Kauai at a great price of $338 with all fees included. The prices are crazy high now for our two weeks.

My mother-in-law wants me to get an SUV, so she can see better from the back seat. I told her I would keep checking for a decent price. Doubtful I can get an SUV for a price like that. She will pay the difference, but what a difference it is now!

Love Costco's car rental rates everywhere. I never get a better price anywhere else.

 

[NTP66]

For our trips, I usually make car reservations through Costco way in advance, and then I periodically check rates as the travel dates get closer. Rates tend to drop, and then go up again if demand is high. For example, I might book at $400/week and then rebook 4 times until it is less than $200. For our current week, the prices were high, then low, then never went any lower and kept going up until there were no cars available. For your September dates, I would think that it could be very low a lot closer to your dates, say a week or two beforehand. I know you've already prepaid for yours and are happy with your rate, and you never really know if they will go higher. Check online closer to your dates for research for your next trip, and see what you find. Then you will know a bit for your next off-season trip.

I'm not a member of Costco, and joining for this purpose alone isn't really worth it for me. I check rental car prices every day or so, and will continue to do so until we actually leave. If they drop more than $25, I'll just cancel and rebook. Budget has actually waived the $25 cancellation fee for me in the past.

 

[Luanne]

I'm not a member of Costco, and joining for this purpose alone isn't really worth it for me. I check rental car prices every day or so, and will continue to do so until we actually leave. If they drop more than $25, I'll just cancel and rebook. Budget has actually waived the $25 cancellation fee for me in the past.

Budget has a cancellation fee?

I also book directly through Avis at times and there has NEVER been a cancellation fee.

 

[NTP66]

Budget has a cancellation fee?

I also book directly through Avis at times and there has NEVER been a cancellation fee.

They have a $25 cancellation fee if you use the "pay now" option (before the rental period; $100 if you cancel after), but I've found that it is not always enforced. Their phone reps have always helped me out when I needed them, which is another reason why I'm pretty loyal to them.

 

[Luanne]

They have a $25 cancellation fee if you use the "pay now" option (before the rental period; $100 if you cancel after), but I've found that it is not always enforced. Their phone reps have always helped me out when I needed them, which is another reason why I'm pretty loyal to them.

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[philipgallo]

I'm not a member of Costco, and joining for this purpose alone isn't really worth it for me. I check rental car prices every day or so, and will continue to do so until we actually leave. If they drop more than $25, I'll just cancel and rebook. Budget has actually waived the $25 cancellation fee for me in the past.

I just booked a rental for a full size SUV for my family of 6 for our upcoming trip to Oahu. Saved $150 booking through Costco for the 10 days over other sites. You may find that the membership is essentially "free" depending on your savings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NTP66]

I just booked a rental for a full size SUV for my family of 6 for our upcoming trip to Oahu. Saved $150 booking through Costco for the 10 days over other sites. You may find that the membership is essentially "free" depending on your savings.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've been checking Costco along with my normal checks to see if that's the case. As of right now, they'd have to come in around $85 cheaper than Budget, and it would take more than that to get me to switch because of Budget's FastPass.

 

[lumpy]

Just curious, but what are people doing who from my neck of the woods, "snow bird" in Hawaii during the winter. I'm thinking about a month is all I can afford if I have to rent cars one week at a time and string together timeshares for 4 to 6 weeks or longer.
Any ideas on that?

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Just curious, but what are people doing who from my neck of the woods, "snow bird" in Hawaii during the winter. I'm thinking about a month is all I can afford if I have to rent cars one week at a time and string together timeshares for 4 to 6 weeks or longer.
Any ideas on that?

And the answer is: Uber




.

 

[Luanne]

And the answer is: Uber

.

Does Uber operate on all of the islands?