Bleary eyed till 1:30 a.m...we need a van I think

[Hisgirl]

Wow, yall have really got it going on staying on top of rental prices! I looked over your posts last night and went to multiple rental sites, joined memberships, looked for coupons, inserted our own coupon/memberships we had and honestly 325 was about the best I could do for a mini van.

My parents will both have a small scooter that can break down and we'll be needing to stuff them in a rental so we can go eat at a couple of places.

Do you have any advice on getting the best price for a mini van? There's four of us and we have AAA and AMAC , which is like AARP.

Thank you!

 

[mdsd8700]

It is probably best if you read along and "join" the thread for the month you are traveling. Typically rental car rates got better the closer the date of the trip however for our June DLR trip and our WDW trip next month the best rate I have gotten was reserved a few months prior. I am still checking for our trip less than 3 weeks away and cannot beat the reservation I currently have. I am keeping my fingers crossed though!

If you find something you can live with, book it. Generally most reservations can be cancelled without penalty. Once booked continue to look for something better. Car rental rates can change drastically within hours and minutes so it best to check as often as you can. Joining all the frequent "clubs" as you did is a good plan.

The thread for the month of your trip will have people who post their best deals for trip length/type of car. I like to use Car Rental Savers and also Mouse Savers to look for the most up to date coupons and codes. There are additional sights as these used by other posters as well.

Right now for me the best rate I have found is with Dollar and it is using the AAA discount. Which you are a member of. Although those rates have gone up in the last couple of days for my trip next month.

There are some really knowledgeable people on the threads about car rental and can help you in your quest to get a mini van at a good rate.

Good luck and have a great trip.

 

[kellyjeanie]

Are you going in October? If you haven't already, you can come join us on Facebook - I know some of the travelers there were discussing rental prices. The October group is here - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3136532 There is a link to the Facebook group there, too.

 

[pigletto]

One trick I like. I go to a place that does a search of all the car rental companies. carrentalsavers is the one I use the most. I punch in my dates, get an idea which companies are the lowest, and then go to their actual sites and add the codes or coupons that I know of (Mousesavers and the thread for your month on this board are good resources.)
It's just easier than checking each site out there over and over.

 

[kandb]

For some reason (probably because they don't have a lot), it's hard to get a cheap price for a minivan. We got great deals on full size nice cars from MCO but super low minivan's are very hard to come by.

 

[Hisgirl]

You are absolutely right, and for this reason, we are actually considering renting two cars. One car, I'll get with my parents on Sunday. And my husband will get the second car on Monday when he flies in. This way, he'll meet us much sooner, and when we drive Mama and Daddy to AK, HS and dinner's out, we'll take two cars and most likely save money.

 

[brownhaired_girl]

We just got back from a 10 day trip Sept 5th-15th. I had signed up for the Emerald Aisle at National. Got Emerald Aisle reservation for $208 for 10 days. You are only assured of a midsized car with this reservation. We needed a minivan and I was aware that there might not be one on the emerald aisle. I had a backup reservation at Alamo with their Insiders Club and another coupon for $309. Both of these memberships are free to join. I went to the Emerald Aisle and asked the lady that was working there if there were minivans on the emerald aisle at that time. She asked how many people we had and I explained that we had 6. I explained that I did have a reservation with Alamo (which I believe is a sister company). She took me to the minivan area and told me that I could close one. I believe I had read other posts from someone who previously worked there who stated that the people working the aisle know what they are allowed to let people take on any given day. She was very nice and I did make note of her name. When we packed up and went to leave the person at the window said "This wasn't on the aisle today but I will let you take it this time." I did tell her that the person who was working the aisle had told me that I could take the minivan. This saved me $100 that day. I certainly wouldn't expect this to happen during a busy time of year but I sure felt as though I scored that day.

 

[sympatico]

Don't know if a SUV would be big enough for you but on carrentalsavers.com you can get a SUV with Budget for $139. /wk before taxes and fees. Sounds like you're going around the same time we are.