Car Rental Tips...We just got a deal!

[susnoahchris]

Hi all!

We're headed to Disneyland in April and needed to book a rental car for a week out of John Wayne Airport. All the regular rental websites, Amex, kayak, etc... were giving us rates of about $350 for the week (including taxes) for a mid-size vehicle.

We decided to roll the dice with hotwire.com (you book it for your dates & times, they show you the best rate they can do, but you don't know which rental company it's with until you pay.) For the exact same week, they gave us a rate of $180 including taxes--almost a $200 difference! We paid...and it's with Hertz. How much more reliable can you get?

Just thought I'd pass this along! I get nervous trying to save a buck--but this time it worked just fine!!!

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

Is that a site where you name your own price?
We are also going in April, flying into Long Beach, and looking to rent a mini-van. So far we have not found and great deals anywhere...

 

[northshoremama]

Is that a site where you name your own price?
We are also going in April, flying into Long Beach, and looking to rent a mini-van. So far we have not found and great deals anywhere...

no, i think that's priceline. on hotwire, it gives you prices and you pick the one you want, not knowing what company it is. like if you are looking for hotels, it'll give you prices, but you don't know which hotel you're booking. once you book, it'll give you the name of the hotel. and if you try to book a hotel, from what i understand, you can't cancel it. well, you can, but you won't get a refund!

 

[RuthieT]

we used priceline for our trip in december 2007 and we were able to get a rental car for $12 a day.

 

[bethy]

we used priceline for our trip in december 2007 and we were able to get a rental car for $12 a day.

Ditto for our trip next week to LGB. We used priceline and got Alamo.

 

[Mililani Mouser]

i got a minivan for 233 a week from alamo with the costco coupon.

 

[davidsprincess]

I would love to try this but I am such a chicken. I would be so paranoid that I would get a really bad company or end up with some really bad horror story. I just like knowing whats what. Mmmm .... could be the control freak in me...... Maybe one day......

Oh, by the way, really happy for the deals that you got!!

 

[bethy]

I would love to try this but I am such a chicken. I would be so paranoid that I would get a really bad company or end up with some really bad horror story. I just like knowing whats what. Mmmm .... could be the control freak in me...... Maybe one day......

Oh, by the way, really happy for the deals that you got!!

I understand. I don't do hotels via priceline for the same reason but I'm less concerned about rental car companies - at least within the U.S.

 

[susnoahchris]

I am totally a control freak, too! But what reassured me was that there was a list of reputable companies that our rental could have come from (there are two that do rent out of John Wayne that I wouldn't have wanted--and if they'd been included in the list of seven potential renters, I wouldn't have done it.) But literally, every single company that we could have ended up with was totally fine.

My peace of mind is that I've got a confirmation number through hotwire AND a Hertz reservation code. I think all will be well!

I'd never in a million years do this for a hotel stay at Disney...but for car, the chance was worth the money saved!

 

[sunshinemummy]

Can I make a suggestion. You booked really far in advance. What I recommend to everyone is to watch the prices on websites like priceline, orbitz, travelocity, expedia. These sites allow you to book without payment, when you find a better deal you can cancel the reservation and book a new one. I rebooked our rental car 4 times and ended up with a fullsize car for 2 weeks from SNA for less that $200. These websites will raise the price 2-3 weeks before the date you are needing a rental.

Priceline name your price can also be a good deal but it's best to wait until a few days before the trip to bid. I tend to avoid hotwire because I want to know what company/hotel I'm looking at before I pay.

 

[DahliaRW]

I just got a minivan on priceline for the last 6 days in September for $28 a day! Over 60% less than the average going rate. And it's with Avis. I bet with all the lower attendance and less travel going on, good rates are to be had on an lot of things since companies would rather get something for what they have sitting on the lot rather than nothing!

 

[susnoahchris]

Can I make a suggestion. You booked really far in advance. What I recommend to everyone is to watch the prices on websites like priceline, orbitz, travelocity, expedia. These sites allow you to book without payment, when you find a better deal you can cancel the reservation and book a new one. I rebooked our rental car 4 times and ended up with a fullsize car for 2 weeks from SNA for less that $200. These websites will raise the price 2-3 weeks before the date you are needing a rental.

Priceline name your price can also be a good deal but it's best to wait until a few days before the trip to bid. I tend to avoid hotwire because I want to know what company/hotel I'm looking at before I pay.

Awesome suggestion. I hadn't thought of juggling the booking like that. My own neurosis is that I get paranoid that everything will be booked...and then I sprint to get it all taken care of right away. But I guess this trip is indeed--GULP--8 months away! Do you, by chance, do the same for hotels? We've got a reservation at Embassey Suites, but that can obviously be cancelled a few days before arrival!

 

[RuthieT]

I think we are gonna try priceline with bidding your own cost for our hotel this trip around... I have heard that you get a nice hotel just about a mile from the parks for under $50 a night. If we do this I will post after I find out what hotel and let everyone know how it goes.

 

[Mouse13]

Can I make a suggestion. You booked really far in advance. What I recommend to everyone is to watch the prices on websites like priceline, orbitz, travelocity, expedia. These sites allow you to book without payment, when you find a better deal you can cancel the reservation and book a new one. I rebooked our rental car 4 times and ended up with a fullsize car for 2 weeks from SNA for less that $200.

That's exactly what I do, too! I make a reservation with a reputable company and then run the reservation on kayak.com every few days to see if the rates have gone down. If they have, I cancel the original reservation and rebook at the lower rate. I just got a Chrysler Sebring at SNA for 8 days from Thrifty for $140, tax included, for our upcoming trip (plut I'm getting triple Southwest Airlines credits!) Back in May, we flew in/out of Ontario and I got a Chevrolet Impala for a week for $86.00 tax and all. I doubt I'll ever beat that rate, but I keep trying. Rental car rates fluctuate widely and often. You just have to keep an eye on them.

Good luck to everyone in pursuit of a great deal!

 

[DonaldTDuck]

Hi all!

We're headed to Disneyland in April and needed to book a rental car for a week out of John Wayne Airport. All the regular rental websites, Amex, kayak, etc... were giving us rates of about $350 for the week (including taxes) for a mid-size vehicle.

We decided to roll the dice with hotwire.com (you book it for your dates & times, they show you the best rate they can do, but you don't know which rental company it's with until you pay.) For the exact same week, they gave us a rate of $180 including taxes--almost a $200 difference! We paid...and it's with Hertz. How much more reliable can you get?

Just thought I'd pass this along! I get nervous trying to save a buck--but this time it worked just fine!!!

We booked ours for a trip at Halloween in August and got Hertz for $139 for 6 days, all inclusive. HOtwire is definitely the way to go on car rentals. OUr car is a full sized. My philosophy is shop early and when you see a price you like a lot, jump. We booked our flights, Louisville(now changed to Nashville) to SNA for under 250 including taxes. Did that thru CheapTickets, but found it through AirWatchdog.com.