Hotwire and Priceline?

[Dr. J.]

I have never used Hotwire or Priceline to rent a car and am a little nervous. Any advice or tips on how to do this successfully. I don't want to get stuck taking a shuttle somewhere. TIA

 

[Disney4nonah]

I just did hotwire for an economy car last night.
I got an economy car for $7.95 a day
plus fees and taxes it came out to $107.32 for 7 days with Hertz.
Jan 19-26!!!!

for that price i'll ride a 5min shuttle, incidentally i called Hertz and they said they have a shuttle and it's a 5 min ride to their rental office....

I'm so excited!!!! I've never gotten away with paying less then $200 for a rental at Orlando.....

I've rented rooms before with Hotwire and I've never had any problems...
Hope this helps!

 

[taliategan]

I think its best to have a cancelable reservation with a rental company; periodically check the Hotwire rates and compare to to your rate; I would not make a purchase on Hotwire or Priceline until you know your plans are definite and you feel close enough to your travel date that an airline will not change your flight time, since the Hotwire and Priceline rates are prepaid and non-refundable; there is not set time when the best rates may be available on Hotwire or Priceline, but between 1 week and 1 month are the most likely times you find the best rates; the Hotwire listing will sometimes indicate if the counter and car are at the airport - if it is not stated, you will run the risk of a shuttle; I do not think there is any way tell on Priceline before you make the purchase whether the counter and car will be at the airport; ultimately, you will have to decide how much of a price difference is worth having to prepay, having the payment be non-refundable, and losing perks such as express lines with certain companies, reward points, etc.

 

[Dr. J.]

OP Thank you for that very helpful answer! There were definitely some points I hadn't thoroughly taken in account.

 

[DVC-Don]

I've used Priceline quite a bit the past couple of years with great success. I only try it within two weeks of the trip and always have another conventional reservation first.

 

[Dr. J.]

Thanks DVC Don. I have a reservation already. I'll compare with the others at a couple of weeks out.