• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 31 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 31st anniversary: Happy 31st Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $24,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $24 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    Tens of thousands of subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

To Priceline or Not To Priceline?

B

Bee

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2005
Messages
354
Reaction score
0
Location
San Jose, CA
I need some advice on car rentals in Ft. Lauderdale. I have a standard car reserved for 8 days in late march for $444 and a midsize for $395. We will probably want the standard size, as there will be three adults on this trip. I have never paid this much for a rental car. I plan to try priceline but don't know if I should wait until closer to our departure date or book now.

I did try Costco, but their prices were a bit higher.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Bee
 
Rental car

:) Go to hotwire.com and find out what the going rate is on the type of car you want. They have the lowest prices. With this information you can bid go on priceline and under bid the price of hotwire, starting at 50%. Go up a little in price every 24 hour period until you get the price you are willing to pay. You can bid anytime, with cars the sooner the better I have found.
 
Just realize that Hotwire and Priceline aren't refundable. If there's any chance your plans will change, or if there's quite a bit of time until your vacation, it might be best to wait until closer in before using Hotwire or Priceline. That way, you can still jump on any specials that pop up directly through the rental car companies.
 
It feels pretty miserable to rent a car via Priceline or Hotwire and have the price go down by half just before your trip.

The best car rental prices are for tomorrow, in my experience. I book the cheapest I can find, then I keep watching, daily, and I book a car for the best price, almost always, the day before we leave. We have paid outrageous car rental prices for Tampa once. I looked every day, and the price never went down. I think we paid $450 for two weeks, and we have never paid that much. It was for a full-size car, so we could have a car seat for our granddaughter between two skinny adults.

Minivans are way too expensve. Don't get a minivan, if you can possibly help it. Two mid-size cars are a better option, if you have two able and confident drivers for a group.

We just booked two weeks Orlando mid-size for $154 with all taxes included. This deal was through Costco for Alamo. Alamo is Rick's choice for car rental company. We have never had a problem with Alamo (our kids have), but we have the Costco-Amex insurance, which adds $24.95 to the car rental. I would love to see Alamo try to get that insurance to pay for some ding they claim we did.

We would be honest, if a car was damaged while in our care, and knock on wood, never have we damaged a car. We pay the insurance so we don't have to worry.

To use Costco's site and actually reserve a car, you MUST be a Costco member. That's new.
 
I agree with Cindy. I've used Priceline for a lot of car rentals but don't do so until I get within a week of the rental date. March is a long time from now and I'd suggest you keep checking prices a couple times a week and at some point they will be a lot lower. Keep rebooking the reservation when they drop and then start making offers on PL when you get inside of a week.
 
When booking HW or PL, you need to be pretty darn sure that you will be there, come hell or high water, unless:
...(a) your prepaid-amount is chump-change to you; or
...(2) you have trip insurance that covers every odd thing you can think of...
such as a relative's unexpected funeral.
 
For what it's worth, I just got a full size from Avis thru Priceline for 7 days beginning November 4 for $20/day. $215.00 including taxes and fees.
MCO Orlando Airport.

Mike
 
I personally wouldn't lock myself in this far out. Just keep checking every day until maybe a week or so out.

JMHO.
 
Tfish said:
For what it's worth, I just got a full size from Avis thru Priceline for 7 days beginning November 4 for $20/day. $215.00 including taxes and fees.
MCO Orlando Airport.

Mike
Click to expand...

A few days ago, I booked a mid-size through Costo for 11/4-11/18, MCO, $154 with taxes and fees included. Exactly two weeks for that price.
 
Thank you everyone. You really confirmed what I was thinking. I have only used priceline once for a car rental. I got a great price at about 4 weeks out. My last car rental (not priceline) I found a very good price at about 3 weeks out. As it got closer to departure, the prices almost doubled. I was not sure if the prices were typically very high in Ft. Lauderdale in lat March due to spring break. I will take your advice and keep shopping.
 
MichaelColey said:
Just realize that Hotwire and Priceline aren't refundable. If there's any chance your plans will change, or if there's quite a bit of time until your vacation, it might be best to wait until closer in before using Hotwire or Priceline. That way, you can still jump on any specials that pop up directly through the rental car companies.
Click to expand...

I agree.... Wait until it gets closer to your vacation. Compare different places to get the lowest price. Then lowball Priceline.
 
I'm always traveling on the highly expensive Presidents Day/school vacation week in February. Car rentals can be ridiculously expensive. I have used rentalcarmomma.com for car rentals for the last couple of years. I just checked late March on there for FLL, and it is showing a $231 base weekly rate for a standard-sized car.
 
Priceline

I just rent a car for $14 a day in ohau from Priceline I have paid $11 a day in Kauai from Priceline. It was within a month of travel. it's true it is non refundable, but so is the condo i just rented and the airline tickets.
On hotwire they usually have full size cars for the same as compact. Look before you rent.
 
Car Rental @ Miamia

Hello All...

I have read through the past comments on this thread.....can I ask a question?
I would like to book car hire 12/15-01/03 - I need a 7seater (preferably Dodge Durango/Chevy Tahoe....but prices are ridicoulous.....is thier any point trying to book through Priceline as it will be the Xmas season? My thinking re Priceline is that Rental Agencies will know that people will need car hire during that busy period. Also could I book through Costco as a UK resident?

Thanks in advance

Michpich
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top