Best tips/advice for renting a car...

[WendyZ]

We are planning a trip for next April. Originally planning on driving but now we're thinking of flying. I have never rented a car before. So I went to MCO's webpage to their rental section to what was available. Everything was coming up from 600 to 1000 for a vehicle that will hold six people.
Not sure if I'll need a vehicle for 6 or 4 yet. But is it really that expensive to rent a car for a week or is there something I am missing? I'll take any help you can offer! Thanks....

 

[skelooch]

Go to a site such as http://www.carrentalsavers.com/ where there are an assortment of discount codes for the various rental car companies and plug them into the rental companies websites.

It may be a little far out to start getting the best rates but you could start now you might get lucky and find a good rate for your dates and times.
Once you find one you could live with book it, there's no cost involved. Then keep checking all the sites on a regular basis, I check as much as 3-4 times a day, you never know when a rate could change and then it might only last for a few hours, and keep checking for new codes as well. Follow this board also as many posters are always giving tips on codes and what they are finding out there for various months.

April might be a tuff month to get great rates because it is a popular travel time with spring breaks and all.

I have always had my best luck with either Alamo or Dollar, but prefer Alamo.

Good Luck, be persistant and don't give up till you step on the plane.

 

[WendyZ]

Thanks so much for the link and the tip. It gives me somewhere to start.....I really appreciate it!

 

[mrsstats]

I have found my best prices using Cotco codes and Alamo. I book my rental as soon as I have my airfare in place. Then I keep checking, reading what others post and checking again. Keep changing your reservations to lower your price. Good luck.

 

[WendyZ]

So just to get this straight....I can book and then change if there is a lower price? No fees, etc. Does it have to be with the same company in order to switch? Thanks....

 

[skelooch]

You can change as often as you like, book the new one at the lower rate and then cancel the old one. It doesn't have to be with the same company, just don't forget to cancel the old reservations so as not to tie up their inventory.

 

[MHSweb79]

We rented from Alamo this past May and as my dates got closer, the rates dropped dramatically. I ended up getting a full-sized sedan for just over $100 for 8 days.

I made & cancelled a dozen reservations, but in the end I used my Alamo Insider's membership with a discount code to get the best rate. There was a thread here listing available discounts & deals for the month of May, and I just followed along with those folks.

Do a google search for car rental discounts, check out MouseSavers.com and the other car rental sites here. I joined National and Alamo (free!) to get deals emailed to me.

 

[WendyZ]

Thanks so much.....I really appreciate the help!