How far in advance to reserve rental car?

[eyeheartgoofy]

When do you typically reserve a rental car? In the past, we have always reserved a couple of months out for non-peak travel - but, I am wondering if I should wait until we get closer to the travel dates - will I see more specials then, or should I just book now for end of January travel?

Thanks!

 

[Tumblwd501]

Definitely book now and keep checking to see if those rates drop. With just about all of the major companies, there's no penalty to canceling your reservation and you don't even need a credit card to hold most reservations.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

Oh, okay. That makes sense - it never occurred to me that I could cancel the reservation if I found something cheaper - duh!!

 

[WillCAD]

I always book as soon as I know my travel dates, and almost always re-book several times due to changes or when better deals come along.

After I book I tend to check the rates about every two weeks; once I am within two months I check once a week. Shopping around like that has often gotten me terrific rates - for instance, I lucked into a rate of $134 including taxes and fees from Thrifty for a mid-size car, Dec 6-12; all of the other agencies have been in the $200-$300 range for a mid-size for that week.