Car Rental Tips?

S

SeptBabyMom

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Forgive me if there is already a thread discussing this. We're heading to WDW in June/July, and breaking up our stay off (3 nights) and on (4 nights) and off (12 nights) site for a total of 19 days. I am scared by the prices of car rentals. They seem to be going up instead of down.

Do anyone have any great deals they have found? I usually book through Costco, and my searches so far show other sites (like Dollar City Special) are only slightly better.

Love to hear any suggestions. Thanks.
 
My strategy is to book the first price I see that is acceptable through Costco, then continue to re-shop the price periodically up to the date I leave. You can always cancel a Costco reservation, so if I see a lower price on the site I book it and then cancel the higher costing one. I was able to save $200 off the first price I saw on a 10-day minivan rental that way in January.
 
I have been following the thread on the transportation board for the month I am traveling and have found way better prices by using promo codes they have posted. I don't know why Costco is so expensive this year, I have always used them int he past, but their rates are $300USD (!!!) higher for an SUV for a week than the Alamo rental I was able to get using some of the promo codes posted. I don't know how active the June/July thread would be yet, but you can go through the April thread (the one I am using) as I have been able to get a bunch of great codes through there that I wouldn't have found out about otherwise.

Good luck!
 
We booked through Costco as well - we initially booked the car about 2 months out, but I kept checking about twice a week from then on and daily the last two weeks and the lowest price ended up being 40% less than what I had originally booked - so keeping an eye on the prices helps. I could not find a better deal than through Costco and the fact you can easily cancel and it's consider a normal booking through the rental company (meaning you can use any loyalty program membership unlike if you book through CAA) - it's a great option!
 
We used miles for our car rental. It was a better value on the miles than on park tickets (I think it was 1200 miles for a car rental, which would have cost me $200; as opposed to 2025 miles for a US ticket, which also would have cost me $200). Got a rider on my car insurance for $25 so I don't have to pay for extra insurance on top.
 
We consistently get our best rates on car rentals by booking through RBC Travel (through our RBC Visa). Our rentals are equal to, and often LESS than, the price directly with the rental company and has the added benefit of being in Canadian funds (saving us almost 40% right off the bat).

We generally find the best rates there about 6-8 weeks away from our arrival date. Our next rental in April was $175 Canadian, including taxes and fees, with Dollar for a full size car for 10 days through the RBC Travel Rewards site.
 
We booked our car rental through Costco and reserved the car about 2 months before our trip - about a week later, I checked Costco and our rate went up by more than $200! So, not too sure what is going on with Costco but I used the same strategy as Amie416.
 
amie416 said:
My strategy is to book the first price I see that is acceptable through Costco, then continue to re-shop the price periodically up to the date I leave. You can always cancel a Costco reservation, so if I see a lower price on the site I book it and then cancel the higher costing one. I was able to save $200 off the first price I saw on a 10-day minivan rental that way in January.
Click to expand...
This is my general strategy for both cars and hotels.

Are you staying at a hotel or a timeshare/home rental? If it's the former you could look into using Expedia to book a hotel+car package for the offsite days. All you need to do then is figure out how to get to and from your onsite stay.

Overall, I think the key is to stay vigilant and check prices often.
 
I have the same strategy as several of you, I book early with Costco and keep watching. I have always enjoyed watching the price go down as the vacation got closer. I have had the same experience as some of you, the price gets significantly better once you're inside 4 to 6 week window. But this year with Costco, I'm seeing an increase in prices since January? I still have lots of time, so I'll keep looking (obsessively looking, more like it, ha ha) and stay hopefull that my experience will be similar to our other vacations.

In the meantime, I still like to look around. So thanks for the others for the suggestions also. I never considered checking with my Visa company before. I'll also look at AirMiles too. And I also plan to check out carrentalsavers!!! I love discussion boards, you always get the best help. :):):)
 
I check websites daily until I find a good deal, or one within our budget, and then book it. I've already booked our car for September, but am finding it hard to find one on budget for June. Last year we found the best deal was in April for June, and also for September. Usually a couple months out seems to be the best time.
 
It also doesn't hurt to look on the car rental company sites as well. Last year, on my trip to Hawaii, I found the best price for a minivan on Costco for Oahu, but on Thrifty's site for Maui.
 
I also book on Costco site. I prefer Alamo, Costco gives me the options of returning to Alamo ( CCC), Budget at DTD, or Avis at DTD Hilton.

We fly into Lauderdale to visit family first so we pick up car there, then return it in Orlando after we check into our resort. I prefer using Alamo and returning it is easy at the Care Care Centre. It's right across from the TTC.

We booked our 1 way rental - 10 days for this August at $235 for a mid size car. I keep checking regularly, and I find prices drop somewhere between 2-6 weeks before travel. I start checking 2x a day then.
Last August price dropped to lowest around 4 weeks before travel and we had a 10 day full size car for $175
I saw the price drop in the morning and grabbed it. By evening price was up again.
Sometimes the sig. price drop has been 1 week before travel! Just keep checking.

Beware of the many toll roads in Florida and your rental companies policy on toll charges. Many of the toll booths are being removed and they're going to the charge by plate system. Some of the so called "budget" car rental companies have the highest admin fees and toll charges than the Alamo/Budget/Avis companies.
 
Carrentalsavers.com is a great place to look. It searches all sites for you. I got a full size for 15 days in April for $149 all taxes and fees included.
 
We use the Priceline app. They often have deals that are "app only".
 
Last edited:
Has anyone booked through Costco and found they maybe needed a day less (or more) than they booked? Do you pay the full price you booked or is the rate prorated for the difference (either way)?

Also, is Alamo in the MCO terminal or one of the ones you have to go off site for?
 
Hi everyone!
We will be needing to rent a 7 seater van when we head to Disney next May. My mother in law has a Costco Membership - would it be possible for her to book it for us, but list us as the drivers (as she isn't coming)? Or does the Costco Member need to actually be a driver of the vehicle? Thanks for any info!
 
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