topic Re: Best deals on car rentals? in Community Chat

Best deals on car rentals?

Sue98 — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 12:40:47 GMT

Does anyone have any tips, tricks, coupon codes, etc. for getting the best deal on a car rental. I live in a rural area, and my options are limited, but I would be willing to drive a bit farther for pick up and drop off if I could find a good deal.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

scatcat — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 12:50:22 GMT

We use Costco

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Meowingkitty — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 12:58:00 GMT

Costco has good prices.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Sue98 — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 13:13:49 GMT

Unfortunately I don't have a Costco anywhere near me.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Meowingkitty — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 13:31:30 GMT

You don't have to go to Costco, you book online. You do have to have a membership though.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Wiscfan3 — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 14:00:39 GMT

Good deals on rental cars are hard to come by. Even if we think we have a good deal, we always end up paying more than we originally planned. We usually use Enterprise. If you happen to be a member of Allstate Motor Club you can get coupons for discounts or upgrades from them. Renting a car is just an expense that we just put up with, knowing we are going to spend more than we should. It is the price we pay to have a car on vacation or when needed.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Lipstickdiva — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 14:07:25 GMT

Watch out for any of the really good deals because many times, they turn out to be a scam.

DH and I rented a car in Tampa back in May to drive to Fort Myers Beach. There were some really cheap places at the airport but we read reviews and they were horrible. Despite reserving cars, there were none when people arrived, the type of vehicle they reserved was gone and they ended up with a much smaller car or a much bigger car they had to pay more for, wait times to obtain vehicle was hours long, etc.

We have AAA and they use Hertz but when I called AAA, the rate was a lot more than we were able to do on our own through another rental company.

We ended up using Alamo. They were the best price and they were fantastic to deal with. We paid more because we were returning the car in a different city than we rented from.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

sunshine45 — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 14:39:54 GMT

i recently went through AAA who had some good deals via HERTZ..

you may want to stop by there if you are a member.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Bri36 — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 14:41:44 GMT

I've always found Enterprise easy to deal with and their prices were pretty good.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Dawnie — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 15:17:42 GMT

We had a blowout on a major highway with a budget/Avis rental. Didn't take the insurance. I was charged 468$. 1/2 was for the tire, other half for what they claimed was undercarriage damage. I was a long time Budget customer. Had to pay the whole thing. Others have had the same situation with Budget/Avis. Be aware. I'm using Enterprise now.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Lucky Charm — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 15:42:35 GMT

I just looked on Groupon for a limo deal and the only thing that came up was car rentals. You might try that.

We have an airlines card and it shows you how much for about 10 different companies--how much it's going to cost. Even those little extra fees.

We rent cars a lot. Will be twice next month alone due to traveling. I don't necessarily take the cheapest, but the vehicle I want to drive.

I think you can go on Priceline or Expedia, also to rent a car. They should give you some options to compare.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

butterfly123 — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 20:20:11 GMT

@Sue98

Retailmenot has discounts also.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Jannyg — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 20:35:55 GMT

A friend recommended Costco several years ago Best advice they have ever given me. The best deals on rental cards hands down. You book online and pick up at whatever vendor you are using. They have all the major brands. Also when you book through Costco, you can add a second driver free of charge. Since I'm a Budget member, I usually book one of their cars. This year I have two weeks in Rhode Island for a full size car for $429 for the full two weeks.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

lulu2 — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 21:24:28 GMT

We have AAA, AARP, Costco, credits cards that offer special rates and still whenever we rent a car, it is never a bargain. The day, weekend or weekly rates look good, but by the time they add taxes and various charges, it seems like the rates almost double.

At home we used Enterprise because they brought the car to us. Then we reserved a car at O'Hare. Our flight was delayed so I called ahead and told them we were late. I was told no problem, someone would be on duty no matter when we arrived. Our plane landed shortly before 9:00PM. By the time we got our bags, it was close to 9:20. The Enterprise counter was closed but there was a sign telling us to catch the bus to pick up our car. We waited well past 10. (and saw every car company bus go by multiple times) Finally we asked a sky cap about Enterprise. He said their buses stopped running at 9.

Never again.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Sue98 — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 21:01:52 GMT

I just looked on retailmenot, and none of their deals apply in my area.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Moonchilde — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 21:12:28 GMT

I've used Enterprise for years, because of the pick up/drop off feature and they have always been lower for me than Hertz or Avis. I've always had excellent service and no complaints at all.

As others have said, car rentals are never cheap. I don't take the insurances they offer for extra fees. My insurance covers 75% of what could go wrong and I bite the bullet and hope as far as the other 25%.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Bridgegal — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 02:03:06 GMT

I had to rent a car in Dallas a few weeks ago. I first booked on Southwest and then remembered my AAA membership. Went there and the same category of car from Hertz there was about 35% cheaper through AAA. I grabbed it.

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

homedecor1 — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 02:31:50 GMT

I use Enterprise but I never rent from airport. I'm lucky they have a enterprise 10 min from airport so I don't have to pay the excessive charges for airport rental. I also love the weekend deal $9.99/day any car. I travel Thurs-Tuesday when I get great cheap airfare!

never had any problems and been renting over 15 years with them at different locations. Even when my company comes here I book them a Enterprise (15 min from house) but I like they "pick you up"!

Re: Best deals on car rentals?

Sue98 — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 12:55:21 GMT

Thanks for the responses, everyone!