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Rental cars

slip

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Pono Kai, 20 wks; Maui Schooner, 1.5 wks; 1 week Ke Nani Kai; WaveCrest Condo, Molokai, HI
Wow, I just dodged a bullet. We have a week set up for Maui for 08-14-21 to 08-21-21. We had this set for months. I booked the Maui Schooner and booked the flights. I know I checked on cars and they were $700 for the week for a mid-size. I could have sworn I booked it in case the rates increased but I looked all over and couldn’t find a confirmation email. I keep all those in my email files but I couldn’t find anything.

So I started looking yesterday and the best I found was almost $1,200 for a compact. Costco didn’t even list any cars. I checked Discount Hawaii and they had the same prices. I quit looking and I was trying to come to the realization that I would be paying a ton.

So I started looking again today and I was looking everywhere. It was real frustrating because when I looked at my corporate travel app the price is only $150 for the week. We can’t use that app for personal travel but I remembered that we do get a employee corporate discount from either Enterprise or Hertz. I checked Enterprise and they showed no cars available.

When I went to Hertz, my benefits website had two promo codes to use. The first one I put in came back with an error to use a valid code. So I tried the second one and when I submitted to search, it asked if the reservation for business or leisure so I clicked leisure and then it started searching. I was really hoping it would bring something less than $1,000.
it came back with $296 all in for a mid-size sedan.

The next best option I saw was a pay now through Dollar for $950 for a compact. So of course I am ecstatic to get so lucky. I know I have tried these employee discounts before and Costco has always been my best price. I kept this confirmation email and even printed it out. I got very lucky this time.
 
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xzhan02

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I'm looking at 2 weeks OGG over Christmas. There is absolutely no car available after Dec 25, except for SIXT, 2 weeks compact car for $3000 ! I checked everything: Autoslash, Costco, Hawaiian discount etc. However, if I put in 4 weeks, Costco shows both Alamo and Enterprise have mid-size for $2200 ONLY:( . What if I book that and return 2 weeks early? I understand they may charge to a different base rate, but at least I have a car. Of course there is still plenty of time to keep checking.

Slip, what an awesome deal you got! If cars become available, I'll give employee discount codes a try.
 

PerryKing

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Colorado
Resorts Owned
HYATT: Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Bonita Springs, and 2X Dorado Puerto Rico.
-##-
MEXICO: Crown Paradise, Royal Holiday Club, Vidanta Mayan Palace, and Vidanta "Kingdom of the Sun-Nuevo Vallarta at Vidanta World.
Even if you have a reservation they may later or at arrival not honor it claiming they have no cars. ! So have a back up plan.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

NTP66

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Marriott's Maui Ocean Club (x2)
Just booked my full size rental with Budget for next June (OGG), under $470 total.
 

Luanne

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Maui Lea at Maui Hill
San Diego Country Estates

Luanne

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Whoops, meant to actually post that, too - 14 days in total, 6/19-7/3.
That is great. We currently have 2 weeks on Maui in March to early April for an SUV at $1000 all in. Hoping prices will come down. It's registered with AutoSlash and so far no notifications of lower prices.
 

NTP66

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My rental from last week was a full size car, but they gave me a Kia Sorento. I really hope they have an actual full size car next year, because I hate parking in those tiny spots with a bulky SUV, personally.
 

daventrina

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Big Island, HI
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HVC (Diamond) Platinum HI/US HGV Max
Hawai`i had. ben wishy-washy all last summer about how and when it would open to visitors. The rental companies finally bailed and started shipping cars back to the mainland for sale. There is a new car shortage and not enough cars to buy to replace them.

Usually rental companies buy fleet sales at fleet pricing. The Jeep we rented on Maui in April was a sale through a dealership on the east coast.

It will likely be a long while before things get close to normal ... whatever that new normal will be is anyones guess
 

dsmrp

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Sheraton Vistana, Waikoloa Bay Club, Hyatt Pinon Pt
Wow, we're going to the Kona, Big Island in 2 weeks, and didn't expect to find any difference in car rentals...had been going up and up.... But just tonight to show my husband, I checked Costco, and they had rentals for little more than half of my best reservation price; a savings of $250! Same price for Economy to Standard size cars. I made a reservation for my daughter too.

Not sure about the other islands, but it's much better on the Big Island now...
Hope Avis honors my reservation, but it's thru Costco, so I'm pretty sure they will.
 

controller1

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Tulsa
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Westin KORVN OF
Westin Nanea OF
Westin FLEX
Wow, we're going to the Kona, Big Island in 2 weeks, and didn't expect to find any difference in car rentals...had been going up and up.... But just tonight to show my husband, I checked Costco, and they had rentals for little more than half of my best reservation price; a savings of $250! Same price for Economy to Standard size cars. I made a reservation for my daughter too.

Not sure about the other islands, but it's much better on the Big Island now...
Hope Avis honors my reservation, but it's thru Costco, so I'm pretty sure they will.

I just checked Costco for two weeks coming up in September and their least expensive rate is more than double what I currently have with National. I made the National reservation about six months ago.
 

Vagabonder

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Sonoma County CA
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Tradewinds, Royal, P.Bonito, RCI
I was to get a free weeks car from Westin to go tour on Maui, then they changed it for a $185 credit towards AVIS car. I booked the best deal I could find with National about 4 months ago for about $650 /week. Then last week Westin sent me a pre-trip email and told me to reach out to them if I couldn't get a car through their link and they would help with AVIS and I could get my credit. I haven't yet because with the trip (9/25/21) I am wary they will obligate me for a $1000 car- but I probably should... what does anyone think?- Update, I went back into link provided and there was several cars for base rate of $185 (reimbursed) so now all I have to pay is $81 taxes. Glad I bothered to check again!
 
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gkmccool

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I was to get a free weeks car from Westin to go tour on Maui, then they changed it for a $185 credit towards AVIS car. I booked the best deal I could find with National about 4 months ago for about $650 /week. Then last week Westin sent me a pre-trip email and told me to reach out to them if I couldn't get a car through their link and they would help with AVIS and I could get my credit. I haven't yet because with the trip (9/25/21) I am wary they will obligate me for a $1000 car- but I probably should... what does anyone think?- Update, I went back into link provided and there was several cars for base rate of $185 (reimbursed) so now all I have to pay is $81 taxes. Glad I bothered to check again!
Hello Vagabonder!, I am also going to visit a Westin Resort on Maui for a tour checking in on Sept 30th and I also just got the Pre-trip email. I am interested but a little leery how this will work out. I haven't booked my Avis Car yet but will soon as I do see availability on the Avis website. Did you finish the booking with only an additional charge for the taxes? I hope that you enjoy your stay and perhaps we can meet on your way out! Thank you for your time! Greg
 

Vagabonder

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Hello Vagabonder!, I am also going to visit a Westin Resort on Maui for a tour checking in on Sept 30th and I also just got the Pre-trip email. I am interested but a little leery how this will work out. I haven't booked my Avis Car yet but will soon as I do see availability on the Avis website. Did you finish the booking with only an additional charge for the taxes? I hope that you enjoy your stay and perhaps we can meet on your way out! Thank you for your time! Greg
Yes if you go through their link you have to enter the invitation #, then the reservation from AVIS says they refund you the $185 base rate when you bring the car back. I will be there the previous week. Book any restaurants or activities ASAP and lets hope they don't shut down HI further! Mandatory sales meeting Monday or Tuesday afternoon they said, 1-3PM
 

VacayKat

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Avis on Maui has been the only car rental company/location in 20some years of renting that I will never rent again from. Rudest check-in ever. Gave me a damaged car. Then weeks after we had returned home sent a letter demanding I pay for it, and since the damage was on the underside of the car, there were no photos I could provide to prove it wasn’t me. Ended up having to run it through insurance, pay a deductible, take the hit to future insurance rates or pay something like 4,000 to them up front. They use their mechanics, their estimators and they determine when and when to not check cars. If you remt from avis on maui at the airport you HAVE to buy their insurance or use a credit card to pay for it that covers car rentals as primary insurance - and that $185 free might make it so that credit card company doesn’t accept the rental as charged to them.

On the good news side of things - rental rates in Honolulu dropped. Was able to rebook for $400 less than originally booked in May.
 

zentraveler

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San Francisco and Hidden Valley Lake, CA
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Four Seasons Residence Club
Have been checking all summer periodically and the prices for Maui Aug 22 - Sept 5 just kept going up. Checked today a week out, and they have fallen and I will save money and not have an off airport pick up which I did, reluctantly, to get astronomical down to just quite expensive. And was able to do this with the company (i.e. not a third party rental site) and keep my status etc.

May be worth a last minute check.
 

dsmrp

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I just checked Costco for two weeks coming up in September and their least expensive rate is more than double what I currently have with National. I made the National reservation about six months ago.
Keep checking, hopefully will go down as you get closer.
 
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