Better than Visa Magic Code?

[missesdisney]

People......rather than worrying about a rental company pulling a code, and leaving you with a huge bill at the end of your trip, use only codes you are eligable for. Is it worth x amount of dollars to stress and obsess over whether or not the code will be valid? I don't think so.
Please, use only the codes you know you can use. I would hate for anyone to come back here and say..."Well, thanks to your advice here on the DIS I ended up spending an extra $100 'cause that code didn't work for me!!"
If you can't prove a code is valid for your use, don't put it out there. It's not rocket science.

For the record, I am not stressing about using the code myself. I completely disagree that it is our responsibility to determine if a code is valid for our use. If it is allowing the use of it for a reservation without providing a restriction on that reservation, then I firmly believe it is National's responsibility to provide that information at the time of reservation. If they pull it, they would also have to notify us if the reservation has changed. I would advise anyone with any reservation at any car rental company to take a copy of that reservation with them to avoid issues - companies make mistakes and if you have proof of the reservation then you have a valid argument at the counter/gate.

 

[Disneyhappy]

Well at least you got to use it. I predict since we're all calling and emailing about this code, National will get suspicious and pull it soon.

I don't think the calling and emails will prompt the code to be pulled but rather the loss of profits that will be analyzed if MCO starts to see an decrease in the "average rental fee per auto rented by class". When and if that occurs is up in the air and simply a gamble renters choose to take.

 

[goofy4tink]

For the record, I am not stressing about using the code myself. I completely disagree that it is our responsibility to determine if a code is valid for our use. If it is allowing the use of it for a reservation without providing a restriction on that reservation, then I firmly believe it is National's responsibility to provide that information at the time of reservation. If they pull it, they would also have to notify us if the reservation has changed. I would advise anyone with any reservation at any car rental company to take a copy of that reservation with them to avoid issues - companies make mistakes and if you have proof of the reservation then you have a valid argument at the counter/gate.

While I understand your point, I think that it is only right to expect a rental company to question a code that a client found on a website, that had been posted as 'usable'. It isn't as though National had posted this code on their website and then questioned the customer when they got there. That isn't the case. Someone posted a code as usable here. That isn't going to hold up in court so to speak. I can just see it now....'But sir, I was able to book my rental using this code. No one said I couldn't use it. People on the DIS boards said it was fine!" I stand by my opinion..use what you are entitled to use. If you are a travel agent with Travel Solutions then go ahead. If you are a client of Travel Solutions and your agent gave you the code, fine. It's just something I wouldn't be comfortable doing myself. If others choose to, fine. But I hope no one comes back here and posts angrily that they had to pay much more at the end of their rental because this code wasn't applicable to their rental.

 

[Disneyhappy]

For the record, I am not stressing about using the code myself. I completely disagree that it is our responsibility to determine if a code is valid for our use. If it is allowing the use of it for a reservation without providing a restriction on that reservation, then I firmly believe it is National's responsibility to provide that information at the time of reservation. If they pull it, they would also have to notify us if the reservation has changed. I would advise anyone with any reservation at any car rental company to take a copy of that reservation with them to avoid issues - companies make mistakes and if you have proof of the reservation then you have a valid argument at the counter/gate.

Alamo has AAA codes and some renters have been asked to see their AAA card. Was that listed on the reservation? I have used the AAA code with Alamo but I do not recall if it was listed on my reservation. If FL requires the rental car company to document the requirement on the reservation, the legal dispute will not be resovled short of small claims court if National decides to dig in their heels, which they have the power to do. My company used to insure rental car programs several years ago and we would receive law suits for these type of issues. They were not covered under our insurance policies so we never became involved in the defense and outcome of the cases after we disclaimed coverage. However, the fact that lawsuits were filed for disputes on rates and coverages does tell me that car rental companies held firm, forcing the renter to take action.

I usually am not the one to play the devil's advocate role but I just want people who are using these codes to do so with their eyes wide open. Enough people have called to shop for the answer they wanted to hear despite other callers being advised it is for Travel Solutions employees only. To me, that is warning enough not to use this code or to use it cautiously. Again, for those who plan to use this code, I truly hope you do not run into any issues and have a wonderful vacation!

 

[lindsmom]

If you are a travel agent with Travel Solutions then go ahead. If you are a client of Travel Solutions and your agent gave you the code, fine. It's just something I wouldn't be comfortable doing myself. If others choose to, fine. But I hope no one comes back here and posts angrily that they had to pay much more at the end of their rental because this code wasn't applicable to their rental.

I've been lurking this thread for a while, and I totally agree with this! First, many of these codes are negotiated agreements between the car rental company and the business (in this case, National has a special code - agreement - between Travel Solutions to get their agents to USE National). BJ's (or Costco or whatever) has negotiated their own agreements. If the code that OP really STUMBLED across works for you and you don't have problems, then good for you. But like PP mentioned, I would much rather my reservation for $15 more that I know I'm entitled to and don't expect any problem, rather than risking voiding my whole ressie because I used a code that I get busted on and end up paying top of the line AT THE COUNTER.

I do realize many have back up ressies, which I think is a great plan. And really, I wish the best for the people trying it. But some day, National will catch on and start asking for ID's.

Okay, I'll go back to lurking now...

 

[Disneyhappy]

People......rather than worrying about a rental company pulling a code, and leaving you with a huge bill at the end of your trip, use only codes you are eligable for. Is it worth x amount of dollars to stress and obsess over whether or not the code will be valid? I don't think so.
Please, use only the codes you know you can use. I would hate for anyone to come back here and say..."Well, thanks to your advice here on the DIS I ended up spending an extra $100 'cause that code didn't work for me!!"
If you can't prove a code is valid for your use, don't put it out there. It's not rocket science.

Goofy4tink - Thank You - Your post is much more articulate than any of my posts on this issue.

Mousesavers is an excellent source for valid rental car codes. Mary does not post them unless she is absolutely sure the code is valid after thorough research. She has also pulled codes when renters ran into problems.

 

[missesdisney]

Hypothesize with me for a moment.....The OP found this code in an honest error. If the OP typed in this code by mistake and did not realize that she did so (where she would have assumed the Magic code she thought she typed in was what gave her the magic rate). So OP has a great price and a reservation that says nothing about any restrictions and goes to the counter or exit at MCO and someone tells her she needs ID or they don't honor the rate, or worse, she leaves with the car with no idea that there is some forbidden code she is driving around with and has a fender bender and National does not honor her insurance. Now if you were the OP in the exact situation I just listed above, how would you react?

Now I know that this is not what we are all doing by using the code(s), but when I put it in after reading only the early posts, there was no confirmation of whether it was good or bad. I firmly believe that for any restriction on a rental, that any rental car company has to inform you of that restriction. Now, maybe on the rental contract itself there is something that states if an 'illegal code' was used to obtain the rate that x and y may happen but at the moment all I have is a good faith estimate on my reservation with no apparent restrictions.

I also maintain that I have not seen anything that proves to me that I am not entitled to use whichever code I did (which I can't even remember off the top of my head). National's reservation agents can neither confirm nor deny it is valid and only one poster so far has received an email response and that was still unclear as to where the actual restriction was listed.

Also, how many cars do you think National rents at MCO each day? How many of us are chatting on this thread? When are our rentals? If 100 people all left with the same car on the same day with the same code and rate then maybe National would see a red flag, but we are not even all flying to the same airport (I am going to TPA and others to other airports). It also takes time for these patterns to appear on the bottom line so it's not like 3 people rented too cheaply today so the whole company is going to search for any code used.

I am simply attempting to apply common sense to this issue and not react from fear. If I were afraid of using the code, I would not use it. I do not personally feel that I am doing anything wrong - the info is readily available to me and it is reasonable to think National knows about the internet. It is their responsibility to notify us of the restrictions whatever they are.

As for AAA rates, I have seen that listed on reservations as the card being a restriction on the rental but I am not sure if it was alamo, national or hertz and it's been a while. I use my AAA card all the time and always have it on me.

 

[peel]

Hypothesize with me for a moment.....The OP found this code in an honest error. If the OP typed in this code by mistake and did not realize that she did so (where she would have assumed the Magic code she thought she typed in was what gave her the magic rate). So OP has a great price and a reservation that says nothing about any restrictions and goes to the counter or exit at MCO and someone tells her she needs ID or they don't honor the rate, or worse, she leaves with the car with no idea that there is some forbidden code she is driving around with and has a fender bender and National does not honor her insurance. Now if you were the OP in the exact situation I just listed above, how would you react?

My personal opinion is that I don't think National will care whether I innocently mistyped a code. It's not their fault or their problem that I used a private code. They would probably tell me I should have double checked my entries before submitting the info to the site. And since they have never published the code I used, I don't think I'd have a leg to stand on. I'm not saying they'd do this. In fact, I'm pretty confident they don't even look at the codes when you're driving off the lot. But I do maintain that if I got into an accident, then they would scrutinize the reservation a little more closely and question why I was using a travel agent's code.
Of course, we still don't know for sure who these codes are really meant for, so the point could be moot. But, if I knew for a fact that it was a private code, and they called me on it, I wouldn't argue that I had a right to use it when I clearly didn't.

 

[missesdisney]

Of course, we still don't know for sure who these codes are really meant for, so the point could be moot. But, if I knew for a fact that it was a private code, and they called me on it, I wouldn't argue that I had a right to use it when I clearly didn't.

With this point I completely agree - and if it is a private code then the only way to know that for a fact is for National to tell us in some realistic manner like the reservation system or the contract itself. And for all I know it does say something like that in the contract.

 

[train]

Adding just another cautionary note to this thread....on National's receipt given to renters upon return, it does state "Subject To Audit".

 

[tbrenk73]

I was going to use the *67 code for a minivan that I was pickup up on Saturday in Tampa. After careful consideration, I cancelled my reservation. It was the insurance that got me worried. I didn't want something to happen and then have a problem.

I was able to make a new reservation with Alamo, using the Wal Mart free driver and a $25 coupon, and got a rate of $228.42 for 4/19 to 4/27.

Good luck to those that use it!

 

[BellaBaby]

What about the people who have called and booked directly thru a rep? And the people who have called and been put on hold while a supervisor was consulted as to the validity of the code to be used by "anyone", and been told "no ID is required" several times? Is it their fault if they get called to task? ( I have never called and hope people are done doing so, but these responses make me believe I have a case if I get called on this). I agree, if it was clearly stated that it is NOT OK to use the code, I surely wouldn't, but I think it is still "unclear" at best. The ins. doesn't affect me, because I am covered, but the $150 I'm saving over the 10 days does, so I'm willing to give it a shot, while keeping a backup ressie elsewhere. It all comes down to what you are personally comfortable with, and I do hope everyone has a wonderful vacation whatever you decide!!

 

[peel]

If I didn't have concerns about the insurance I would be all for giving it a shot! I would just prepare myself that, realistically, if they wanted to they could deny my reservation and I would either have to pay the going rate for that day or hail a cab.

As far as the "other people" argument....I can't see saying "well, I didn't call but other people did and someone told them it was okay". You don't have any direct proof that it ever happened. In the end, we are talking about a large corporation here, and I would never assume that they are going to have a heart and decide to pay for the damages to a car even though you misrepresented yourself (in their eyes) and were never entitled to the free coverage.

I'm really just playing devil's advocate here. My other ressie is using the Carlson code, another private travel agent code. I've used it before and I'm willing to take the chance again. But if I am denied, I certainly wouldn't argue that I'm entitled to use the code. I just hope everyone understands that there is a risk involved with using the TS codes. It's the insurance part that makes me nervous. If you know your insurance company will cover you even if you've accepted the rental company's insurance and are then found to have misrepresented yourself, then go for it! I just know that my CC company won't cover me if I've accepted National's insurance, and my regular insurance company would probably raise my premium.


I should say again, my thoughts are purely based on the assumption that these are private codes. None of this matters if the general public is allowed to use them. We just don't know that for sure.

 

[Disneyhappy]

What about the people who have called and booked directly thru a rep? And the people who have called and been put on hold while a supervisor was consulted as to the validity of the code to be used by "anyone", and been told "no ID is required" several times? Is it their fault if they get called to task? ( I have never called and hope people are done doing so, but these responses make me believe I have a case if I get called on this). I agree, if it was clearly stated that it is NOT OK to use the code, I surely wouldn't, but I think it is still "unclear" at best. The ins. doesn't affect me, because I am covered, but the $150 I'm saving over the 10 days does, so I'm willing to give it a shot, while keeping a backup ressie elsewhere. It all comes down to what you are personally comfortable with, and I do hope everyone has a wonderful vacation whatever you decide!!

In the legal system, ignorance is not a defense. If it is a private code that requires identification, the rental agency has every right to enforce it, whether it is mentioned on a reservation or not. Whether they win will have to be determined in court if that is the route choosen by the renter. In the meantime, you will be stuck with the charge on your bill to deal with. Holding up the line as one argues is not going to intimidate the agent if they want to dig in their heels. All they have to do is call the police/security. Is any of this likely, probably not, but these are the extremes the rental company will go to if they feel like it. With large Florida's tourism industry, rental car case law is already established. I only supervised a small portion of the book of business at my company and Florida was not one of the states or I could provide further insight on the specifics for that state.

Anyone who is comfortable using the code should go ahead and use it. Likely nothing will happen, at least I doubt it in the near future. If National has a chance to catch on to it and decides to do something about it, any decision on how to handle it will be done at the advise of their legal staff with regards to outstanding reservations involving the code. Any action they take will have been looked at legally. Just proceed knowing that National has the power in the end, whether they have a legal basis to do so or not.

As far as calling about a code, if I am unsure about whether I am elible for the code, I will never hesitate to call, especially when conflicting information is posted. In the end, I want to make sure that I am entitled to the code because ignorance is not a defense. I will post my findings if I am in fear of a fellow poster running into a problem that may eventually impact their vacation. If the code gets pulled, then it was not one I should have been using in the first place.

For the poster who questioned a reservation taken over the phone with assurances from the agent that the code was valid to use, I think you have a great argument and I would be extremely mad if National pulled the rate for the code. In the end, I think odds are in your favor but, again, there are no guarantees. It should be a good will gesture on National's part to concede when it is a "he said, she said" situation.

Again, I am providing the worse case scenario so you all know what you could be up against. Best of Luck!

 

[gardenhoe]

My thoughts are that since no one has been able to find this code advertised anywhere on the web or in print, that its probably not a public code. Remember, it was only found out about because someone entered another code in incorrectly.

 

[Laurabearz]

Ok How about this angle....

I want to be a client of Travel Solutions I plugged their codes into my next three trips and they have saved me close to $1000.00 I also happen to be in need of Hotel reservations for those trips and would be more than happy to toss them that business.

I googled Travel Solutions and it comes up with way to many to list...

Any thoughts on which one it is??

 

[tbrenk73]

If I didn't have concerns about the insurance I would be all for giving it a shot! I would just prepare myself that, realistically, if they wanted to they could deny my reservation and I would either have to pay the going rate for that day or hail a cab.

As far as the "other people" argument....I can't see saying "well, I didn't call but other people did and someone told them it was okay". You don't have any direct proof that it ever happened. In the end, we are talking about a large corporation here, and I would never assume that they are going to have a heart and decide to pay for the damages to a car even though you misrepresented yourself (in their eyes) and were never entitled to the free coverage.

I'm really just playing devil's advocate here. My other ressie is using the Carlson code, another private travel agent code. I've used it before and I'm willing to take the chance again. But if I am denied, I certainly wouldn't argue that I'm entitled to use the code. I just hope everyone understands that there is a risk involved with using the TS codes. It's the insurance part that makes me nervous. If you know your insurance company will cover you even if you've accepted the rental company's insurance and are then found to have misrepresented yourself, then go for it! I just know that my CC company won't cover me if I've accepted National's insurance, and my regular insurance company would probably raise my premium.


I should say again, my thoughts are purely based on the assumption that these are private codes. None of this matters if the general public is allowed to use them. We just don't know that for sure.

The insurance part of it was making me nervous as well, so I cancelled. I was able to book with Alamo..with coupon and free driver came to $228 which wound up being cheaper than using the National Magic Code. It doesn't include insurance, but my credit card will cover that anyway.

 

[CTtwins]

What would you do in my case...?
(not really soliciting suggestions.. just a good intro )

I'm going to MCO June 28 - July 5th...
Typical Minivan is $440 for the week...


I'm paying $179 for a week in May

This code gives me a $179 quote for the week -----A difference of $260 !!!

I'm going to hang onto the reservation.. but I have my back-up $440 just in case...
All of the legal issues worry me some too... will be interesting to see how this plays out....

 

[Disneyhappy]

What would you do in my case...?
(not really soliciting suggestions.. just a good intro )

I'm going to MCO June 28 - July 5th...
Typical Minivan is $440 for the week...


I'm paying $179 for a week in May

This code gives me a $179 quote for the week -----A difference of $260 !!!

I'm going to hang onto the reservation.. but I have my back-up $440 just in case...
All of the legal issues worry me some too... will be interesting to see how this plays out....

Yikes! That is a huge price difference. Good luck in your decision. Have you tried the AX code with Dollar for a minivan. I belive it works through 6/30. Will it work for your ressie since you are renting it prior to 6/30?

 

[Disneyhappy]

What would you do in my case...?
(not really soliciting suggestions.. just a good intro )

I'm going to MCO June 28 - July 5th...
Typical Minivan is $440 for the week...


I'm paying $179 for a week in May

This code gives me a $179 quote for the week -----A difference of $260 !!!

I'm going to hang onto the reservation.. but I have my back-up $440 just in case...
All of the legal issues worry me some too... will be interesting to see how this plays out....

I'm not sure of your exact details but I checked rates for a minivan 6/28 - 7/5 Noon pickup and dropoff:
Alamo - Walmart code 428288 $391.87 This is without any typeof coupon. I think Entertainment book has a one day free coupon. There are other coupons out there that can also bring down the price.

National Visa Code 8572987 - $291. Coupons can reduce that price further also. I did not try Dollar. Good luck!