Alamo worth the extra $$?

[Alice Sr.]

Mini vans available today:
Dollar 264.70 Nissan Quest or similar
Budget 381.87 Chrysler Pacifica or similar
Alamo 435.40 Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Pacifica or similar

Can anyone tell me if Alamo has better features on the cars or if they are all pretty much the same? In my previous experience I have always gotten the "or similiar" so I don't expect to get what they claim to offer. I am an Alamo Insider but that didn't seem to get me a discount. Thanks!

Edit to add we are arriving on a Sunday at 10AM so there may be a limited clean selection but I don't think checking in will be an issue.

 

[goofy4tink]

I use Alamo primarily. I can't say whether or not it's worth it to book with them or not. I'm just more comfortable using them. I've found them to be a bit cheaper than Budget on many instances. But, that's going to vary. I think they're really pretty much the same.

 

[Ron Rico]

I have rented from all three and have had no issues. For our rental next week Alamo was actually the lowest price, bit that was for a full sized car, not a mini van. For me, I don’t see a reason to pay that much more.

Do you have a Costco membership? I rented through Costco and saved about $50 over the popular travel web sites and Alamo direct, even with the Insiders discount.

 

[Darklord77]

Alamo has the counter bypass so you can go directly to your car. You can pick from any car in your class that is available. I know this has saved us a lot of time at some airports from having to stand in line. I always use Alamo if the price is in the same ballpark. I had a bad customer service experience with Avis/Budget and will never rent from the again. Never rented from Dollar.

With Alamo you have to keep checking their "Deals" section on the website. I just rebooked a rental for June in San Diego and I saved $125 by rebooking under the current best deal rate.

 

[Dis703]

I've only used Alamo of those three so I can't compare, but we've only had good experiences with them. And we've always had the Dodge Caravan when we've booked a mini van with them as well.

 

[Brer Chump]

I try to rent with Alamo because I have never had an issue with them and the counter bypass system. For my July trip Alamo was the most expensive of all rental agencies by $120.00. ($400 after taxes for 8 days of economy). I checked prices every day and when I checked mid-week the price came down to about $254 for a standard.

Keep checking prices- daily.

 

[Bullseye]

I usually rent from Alamo because the price is competitive and the counter bypass system. Right now I have a reservation within Alamo for $387 and with Dollar for $300 for essentially the same car class. If Alamo doesn't come way down I'll go with Dollar. What a lot of people don't know is Dollar will also let you pick any car in your rental class. Initially they assign a vehicle. They "place your rental agreement in your vehicle, but if you want a different one, the choice is yours. Just take your hang tag from the rear view mirror with you and select any vehicle within the same car class." See link below.

https://www.dollar.com/TravelCenter/TravelTools/ChoiceService.aspx

 

[Alice Sr.]

Thanks everyone, I don't have a Costco membership anymore or any other discounts that I knew of, but did end up booking Dollar thru Chase on points. I also used the link that @Bullseye provided and hope to be able to bypass the line. I booked before joining so not sure about that. We arrive on Sunday AM so really happy that I found a rate that low this close. It saved me $300 over the 15 passenger van that I cancelled (my oldest DD is expecting so they aren't going to be able to make it ). Actually it's saving me $560 since I am using points on the Mini.

 

[Alice Sr.]

oops double post

 

[jlmasl]

I usually rent from Alamo because the price is competitive and the counter bypass system. Right now I have a reservation within Alamo for $387 and with Dollar for $300 for essentially the same car class. If Alamo doesn't come way down I'll go with Dollar. What a lot of people don't know is Dollar will also let you pick any car in your rental class. Initially they assign a vehicle. They "place your rental agreement in your vehicle, but if you want a different one, the choice is yours. Just take your hang tag from the rear view mirror with you and select any vehicle within the same car class." See link below.

https://www.dollar.com/TravelCenter/TravelTools/ChoiceService.aspx

This is fantastic info! Thanks so much!

 

[it's kelly]

Right now I have a reservation with Alamo because their quote was the lowest. I’m going to keep checking though and I’ll go with whoever gives the best rate. I have to factor in Alamo’s fee for second (spouse) additional driver.

 

[writerguyfl]

I do like Alamo. In the over 20 rentals I've done with them in the past 5 years, I've only had one problem. There was a problem with the car that required me to return to the location to get a different one. It took about 20 minutes total, so I wasn't all that annoyed. The Alamo agent went above and beyond to fix the problem.

That said, there's zero chance I'd pay an extra $170 just to rent from Alamo.

 

[Alice Sr.]

Right now I have a reservation with Alamo because their quote was the lowest. I’m going to keep checking though and I’ll go with whoever gives the best rate. I have to factor in Alamo’s fee for second (spouse) additional driver.

Dollar also waives fee for spouse or SO as an additional driver, if you join Dollar Express (no charge).

 

[jerseygal]

We usually rent Alamo and have had good success. Very strange, we landed in Tampa late in evening, and had booked a Full Size car. When we went right to the Alamo area, showed the Alamo attendant my printed confirmation. He said choose whatever you want. I said, are you sure, don't we have to choose from the Full Size? He said no, take premium if you want. So, we chose the next grade up, guess it is premium, went to the booth for exit, no issue. Gave us the printed receipt and it matched the confirmation amount, no issues at return either.Thought it was unusual.

 

[Darklord77]

We usually rent Alamo and have had good success. Very strange, we landed in Tampa late in evening, and had booked a Full Size car. When we went right to the Alamo area, showed the Alamo attendant my printed confirmation. He said choose whatever you want. I said, are you sure, don't we have to choose from the Full Size? He said no, take premium if you want. So, we chose the next grade up, guess it is premium, went to the booth for exit, no issue. Gave us the printed receipt and it matched the confirmation amount, no issues at return either.Thought it was unusual.

This happened to me once after landing in Houston very late one night. I reserved a mid-size and attendant said I could take whatever was available since they were out. They ended up charging me more for the SUV I picked (all they had left was SUV's). I straightened it out with one email later. Pay close attention to your receipt.

 

[jerseygal]

This happened to me once after landing in Houston very late one night. I reserved a mid-size and attendant said I could take whatever was available since they were out. They ended up charging me more for the SUV I picked (all they had left was SUV's). I straightened it out with one email later. Pay close attention to your receipt.

Thanks, all worked out well, this was in December, checked my Visa Card.