HELP! Made a budget mistake on Alamo rental car!!!`

[SDSorority]

So here's the deal. We're going to Disney in October, and we booked through carrentalsavers.com (ALAMO) and got a GREAT Costco week rental of $126.29. Then, through my credit card, I used my rewards to get a $40 gift certificate. GREAT right? Well, not so much- it has to be on a new reservation. So, I cancelled my GREAT reservation on the phone with Alamo, and thought that I could re-book with that same price and add my $40 gift certificate. I'm SO upset- the price they quoted me was $380!!!!!

I'm so upset! I don't know what to do! I can't find any better price through Alamo that would let me use the $40 gift certificate... can anyone help me or give me advice? We're not going until October, and the Alamo certificate doesn't expire until after we're back.

Please help if you have any advice! I made a mistake

 

[englishteacha]

Can you book your rental through carrentalsavers.com again, and then use the gift certificate when you pick up the car? Or is it a discount coupon rather than a gift certificate/card? If it's a coupon, I don't know if there's much you can do because most rental places won't let you do two discounts.

 

[SDSorority]

Can you book your rental through carrentalsavers.com again, and then use the gift certificate when you pick up the car? Or is it a discount coupon rather than a gift certificate/card? If it's a coupon, I don't know if there's much you can do because most rental places won't let you do two discounts.

It's a paper gift certificate. For some reason, the price has gone up on carrentalsavers... I'm not sure if the certificate is a "coupon" like you know when you enter the ID rate and the coupon rate.

When I originally ordered the gift certificate from my credit card rewards, I thought it was just a normal gift certificate that I could add after the fact (like a gift card), but it's only valid on a new reservation, not an existing one.

 

[dd50]

It's a paper gift certificate. For some reason, the price has gone up on carrentalsavers... I'm not sure if the certificate is a "coupon" like you know when you enter the ID rate and the coupon rate.

When I originally ordered the gift certificate from my credit card rewards, I thought it was just a normal gift certificate that I could add after the fact (like a gift card), but it's only valid on a new reservation, not an existing one.

I would have kept the original reservation and then tried a second. Hopefully prices will get lower.

 

[SDSorority]

I would have kept the original reservation and then tried a second. Hopefully prices will get lower.

You live and you learn I guess. Oh well, now I know. They say, successful people fail... so maybe I'll find an even BETTER deal!

 

[maggiew]

Mousesavers.com has a whole section with rental car codes. Take a look over there and there might be a good code for you.

Maggie

 

[powellrj]

Just keep trying. Car prices can chance daily. Also try at different times of day.

I agree with using the mousesavers codes. I always found great deals. Also check out the transportation board. They keep up on what is current.

 

[SandrA9810]

i had a very easy time booking with hotwire. I don't know how their prices compare to other web based deals. But since i got a great deal with the hotel, it was the first site i went to. When i looked at weekly rentals, they were 12-16ish per day plus the taxes.

 

[swilshire]

Hindsight and all that, but never cancel a car rental reservation until you have a better one booked. Some companies are starting to charge for no-shows, but I've often travelled with two reservations in hand just in case there was a mishap with one company.

Sheila

 

[Beckypooh1972]

We rent a car for every vacation and never reserve that far out. We'll start looking maybe 4 - 5 months out - the price always goes down closer to time for our trip and we use Alamo every time. For example we booked a midsize back in January for the trip we are on right now in Florida and it was 286.00; by the time we left yesterday we had researched and checked their site for deals and could have paid as little as 134.00 for a midsize at SDF airport. We actually opted for the bigger trunk of a full size but we still only paid 168.00 and that was for 2 drivers with our *********** membership through Alamo. I don't have any advice about the gift certificate but I can reassure you that you will not pay 300+ for car if you do your homework and check back closer to time for your trip. A lot of people think car rental reservations are cheaper further out but that has never been our experience... now if you have to take a sudden trip and show up at a car rental desk without a reservation you might pay through the nose but not if you've planned a few days in advance. Good luck to you - sorry I don't have any advice on the gift certificate.

 

[hsmamato2]

try clearing your cookies and then check again

 

[BrettS]

Have you tried talking to Alamo? If you call soon they may be able to 'uncancel' your original reservaton. I don't know if this is something they would do or not and I suspect it's somethng that would have to be requested fairly quickly, but it's certainly worth asking for.

 

[shonnons]

I use Priceline and usually get a car for anywhere from $10 to $16 a day.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

So here's the deal. We're going to Disney in October, and we booked through carrentalsavers.com (ALAMO) and got a GREAT Costco week rental of $126.29. Then, through my credit card, I used my rewards to get a $40 gift certificate. GREAT right? Well, not so much- it has to be on a new reservation. So, I cancelled my GREAT reservation on the phone with Alamo, and thought that I could re-book with that same price and add my $40 gift certificate. I'm SO upset- the price they quoted me was $380!!!!!

I'm so upset! I don't know what to do! I can't find any better price through Alamo that would let me use the $40 gift certificate... can anyone help me or give me advice? We're not going until October, and the Alamo certificate doesn't expire until after we're back.

Please help if you have any advice! I made a mistake

My experience in the past is that the "rewards" from rental car companies cannot be applied to discounted rates, only full rates. As a result, they work best when applied to one or 2 day rentals for which it is hard to find other discounts. They provide the least benefit for week long rentals on which discounts are plentiful.

Any chance you can just rent a car for one or 2 days an use Disney busses for the rest of your stay? If so, this reward certificate might still save you money. Best of luck - Suzanne