Hotwire-car rental

[C & L Shaw]

Has anyone ever used Hotwire for a car rental? The rates look great but wasn't sure how easy the process was or if you received a bad car because it was through Hotwire instead of the actual website.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

I've used hotwire a couple of times for car rentals and have never had a problem. Once we showed up at the car rental counter(Hertz,etc) we were processed just as if we booked through them. If you get a good rate, then go for it!

 

[Kat&Dom]

Has anyone ever used Hotwire for a car rental? The rates look great but wasn't sure how easy the process was or if you received a bad car because it was through Hotwire instead of the actual website.

I use them all the time as I find the best prices with them. I have never had a problem. As a matter of fact, last April with the Volcanic Ash situation, there was hardly any rental cars available and people were standing in line for hours waiting for a car, but because I had prepaid for the rental with Hotwire, my car was available immediately. I was so glad that I didn't have to wait for 4 hours like some people were. I felt bad for them but was so glad I had booked with Hotwire.

I had booked a mid-size car but told the car rental agency that I didn't care what they had to put us in as long as it had 4 doors and air conditioning - we ended up with a HHR so had lots of space for the 4 of us.

 

[firsttimer03]

I have used them also in the past and haven't had any problems.
I got a killer rate and am looking at using them once again.

 

[nelson84]

I have used them also in the past and haven't had any problems.
I got a killer rate and am looking at using them once again.

What kind of rate did you get? And what kind of vehicle?

 

[WeLoveToyStory]

We used them last summer and ended up getting our rental through Hertz. We had absolutely no problems and got a great rate. It was the best rate I could find even trying various codes at company websites. I think we got a midsize 4 door (Ford Fusion) for about $180 for 7 nights/8 days.

 

[bumbershoot]

We used them once for a rental at LAX, got a great price (turned out to be with Avis), and we were happily upgraded to an HHR just like a previous poster. Loved that car! And it was definitely on a higher level of vehicle than we'd paid for. Easy peasy.

 

[njmom47]

I think they will also adjust your rate (they send you an email stating a customer rented the same car as you for xx.xx instead of your rate).
Not that I'm renting a car, but I did play around with a trip and a rental car was part of the deal. This is what the email said:
"Price Drop
Someone else found a deal like yours... for less
Not long ago, you searched for a car deal from ** to **. Well, someone else found a deal for those same dates for less than you originally found. Search now and find the latest prices for your rental car."
They quoted my original price as 16.32 per day and the new price is 15.95 per day.

 

[firsttimer03]

What kind of rate did you get? And what kind of vehicle?

We rented @ Tampa Bay and got a Honda Civic for $177 for a 6 nights/7days.
We ran from Tampa to Orlando to Oviedo to Orlando and back to Tampa on 1 tank!

 

[Kat&Dom]

What kind of rate did you get?

I have paid as low as $98 (taxes in) for 7 days car rental and as high as $148 (taxes in) for 8 days car rental in Orlando. Last May on the Big Island, we had a Ford Focus and it was $138 for the week and we got a similar car in Maui (can't remember brand but close to same size as Focus) for $120 for 5 days.

A co-worker of mine just flew to Maui on Saturday and he had a car booked through Budget for $310 (he wasn't sure if it included taxes or not) for the week. I told him I thought it was a little high so we checked on hotwire. We got him a full size car for the week for $160 (taxes in) from Thrifty. He's so thankful for saving $150 that he is going to take me for lunch when he gets back!