Changing Alamo reservation once confirmed?

[momofmikey]

I've booked Alamo at a great rate for the week of October 22 through BJS codes. I just checked today, and it's down $5. Now I wouldn't switch for $5, but if the price continues to come down, can I switch without penalty? I'm thinking yes, since all they have from me is name and email address, no credit card info.

Thanks!

 

[keishashadow]

I've changed my codes on Alamo res. several times to reflect better discounts in the past w/o a problem (except that they ran out of full-size vehicles - but that's another issue. ) Yes, we did get a credit for the compact we squeezed into.

Just make sure you "Modify" not "Cancel" 1st & rebook. Good Luck. Curious, what is BJS and what are the codes? TIA

 

[momofmikey]

Thanks for the response. BJs is a wholesale warehouse (like Costco and Sams Club), and I got discounts off their instore flyer.

 

[helenk]

Sometimes you can just modify other times you actually have to book another reservation.
This is what I did, I booked my first reservation and read about all the discounts, I tried to modify but my rates actually went up. So I booked another reservation and got the new rate and went back and cancelled my first reservation. When my rates went down a third time, I booked a new reservation and went back and cancelled the other.
Since you do not book with a credit card there is no penalty, and apparently you can have two reservations at one time. Just be sure to cancel the one you do not want.

 

[karrit2000]

I change mine all the time. I usually just book a new reservation & cancel the old one. I'd rather have the $5 on my pocket, especially with the price of gas these days.

 

[WillCAD]

I also change my alamo ressies all the time.

I check the rates on a regular basis after I book by going to the Alamo site and starting a new ressie. I'll usually try it with several different codes and coupons, because Alamo sometimes drops a rate for one code but not another. If I find a combo that has a better rate than the one I already have booked, I go to the part of the site where you can change an existing ressie and try to apply the cheaper codes.

Sometimes when you change your codes on an existing ressie, the rate you get is not as good as the rate you get quoted for a new ressie with the same codes. If the rate from changing the codes on my existing ressie is not as low as the rate I was quoted for a new ressie, then I book a new ressie with the lower rate. If I do have to actually book a new ressie instead of just changing my existing ressie, I make sure not to cancel the old ressie till after I have booked the new one.

I do not, however, keep more than one car ressie at a time. I may change a lot, but I think it's a little irresponsible to keep multiple car ressies for the same trip, because the more people who do this, the more likely the companies are to increase rates due to increased bookings, even though many of those bookings will be cancelled or even no-shows.

I'm not a terribly experienced traveller - I only fly to Orlando and I only rent cars in Orlando - but having used Alamo, Dollar, Thrifty, and National over the years, I like Alamo best, especially since they are now on-airport. The first year or so that they were on-airport, thier rates went up considerably, but since last summer they have come back down and Alamo is often the cheapest on-site company, and sometimes is cheaper than off-site places like Thrifty. The drawback to that, of course, is that Alamo is one of the busiest companies, which can mean standing in line when renting a car. But heck, for a $20 or $30 savings (sometimes more!), I'm willing to stand in line for as much as 30 minutes, even on vacation, since that's the amount of time I would save over going to an off-site rental place.

Anyhoo, change your ressie, even if it's only $5 cheaper. After all, $5 is $5 - that's a gallon of gas, 2 Cokes, or most of a Mickey Bar.

 

[mill4023]

I just made a new reservation then cancelled my original one about 2 minutes ago. No problem at all.