Is anyone finding car rental fares still high?

[jujubiee4]

Looking for next year and still see much higher than normal auto rental costs.
People that have gone to Hawaii recently or going very soon....have your rates gone
down?

 

[marisabuzz]

We will be travelling to Aulani soon. I haven't seen the rates come done in the recent weeks leading up to our trip. If anything, they've gone up. I didn't check at the 6 week mark which seems to be the timeframe when rates should be at its lowest.

 

[monsterkitty]

If you have a Costco membership, check their prices out as they seem to be the lowest most of the time. We're going to the Big Island in September and got a small SUV for $650 for the week.

I personally book a car when we make our resort reservations and buy airfare. I then keep looking at the rate and rebook as needed. I did this in December 2020 when DH and I decided to go to Oahu for Spring Break. He gave me a hard time about booking so far in advance, but when car prices started to increase he laid up on that.

 

[abdgeek]

I rented cars on the Big Island and Kauai in July and was able to find slightly lower rates by visiting the Costco and car rental sites about 1-2 weeks before my reservation. Yes, rates are still high, but by being diligent, I was able to rebook both my reservations for about $200 less than what my current reservations were. Needless to say, once I saw I could get a lower rate I started stalking the sites each day. It was unbelievable how one day Alamo prices would go down and then Enterprise would do the same thing. Even if the difference was only $30, I still rebooked and canceled the old reservation. If Costco says it’s sold out, go directly to the car rental website. Some vendors offered a “car special” where you were guaranteed a full size or larger for a specific rate.

 

[Proud Cheapskate]

It's not just Hawaii, car rentals have been outrageous everywhere we've travelled in the last couple of years: Seattle, Big Island, Myrtle Beach, Chicago, Texas and California (multiple airports). We're going to Aulani in Feb and car rentals are more than double what we've ever paid. I'm hoping they come down but I've come to accept they probably won't, but I still check every day.

 

[blondietink]

We have a car reserved on Oahu for 8 days and it went down $200 so I rebooked. Now it is up $200. We have a 9 day booked on Kauai and it just keeps going up and up! But wow, it is so expensive. I could have 3 months of my car payment for the same amount of the 9 day rental. UGH.

 

[varyth]

If your company has a corporate travel team that handles business travel, it may be worth it to see if personal travel could also be booked through their services. Was able to find a car rental rate cheaper than Costco due to pre-negotiated rates.

I've also used www.autoslash.com in the past to set up a rate alert. It will send you an email if they find anything cheaper than your current rental reservation (and they search across multiple agencies).

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

I am total agreement on this. When I compare my corporate travel website with the public website the corporate price always wins.

 

[SueInBoston]

I booked in Feb for my August trip and consistently checked rates up till we left. The price never went down for my dates. Shortly after I booked, Kauai kept showing no availability (thru Costco or directly at Alamo or Budget)

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

I tried booking for our late August trip 4 months ago. Prices were so high I gave up and booked a Turo rental. Cheapest for a standard mid-size was about $95/day. The Turo was $80/day for a BMW 7 series.

About 6 weeks before the trip I checked again. Prices were down by 30% or so. Standard mid size was about $60/day. We reserved a convertible for $85/day.

 

[SteveH]

Rates for Oahu were high add the cost of parking at the hotel was just crazy. Since we were staying in the Honolulu area for 4 days we just chose to Uber.

I booked for 6 days on Kauai via Costco and kept pricing, never got much better. But it wasn't all that bad to start with. Upon arrival I nicely asked if there was Jeep Wrangler upgrade at first she said no and I thanked her for checking and told her it was all good. I think so many people asked and got upset that since I was nice she went ahead giving it to me no extra charge. Great way to start that leg of our trip.

 

[SueInBoston]

Rates for Oahu were high add the cost of parking at the hotel was just crazy. Since we were staying in the Honolulu area for 4 days we just chose to Uber.

I booked for 6 days on Kauai via Costco and kept pricing, never got much better. But it wasn't all that bad to start with. Upon arrival I nicely asked if there was Jeep Wrangler upgrade at first she said no and I thanked her for checking and told her it was all good. I think so many people asked and got upset that since I was nice she went ahead giving it to me no extra charge. Great way to start that leg of our trip.

you must've been before me and took the last Jeep...lol

My Kauai rental for 6 days was $587 for a compact through Costco. I had a minivan in Oahu for 7 days and that was only $550

 

[SueInBoston]

In Hanalei, we were parked next to an old station wagon with a young European couple, the horn keep going off and the car wouldn't start. My boyfriend tried to help them with no success, it was a Turo rental and they couldn't get a hold of the owner.

 

[SteveH]

@SueInBoston lol there were plenty left, they gave me one of the older styles which was great since I drive a Wrangler for my daily I knew where everything was. Considering the Jeep is a pricey upgrade I really appreciated getting it.

A tip for those going to Kauai or really any of the islands is leave partner behind to gather luggage and make way for the shuttle, ideally be one of the last on (don't bring luggage) and get off and head for the counter (if needed). There were 4 other parties on the van with me, I got in line behind 2 others already there. With Costco 2nd driver is automatically included they don't need their drivers license.

 

[LAX]

Has rental prices gotten any better lately?

LAX

 

[MouseOfCards]

As PP mentioned, fares seem to have only gone up.

 

[McNs]

for those booking through Costco, where are the pickup and dropoff locations? I only want a car for maybe 3 days when we are in Waikiki.

 

[maxbuffmelvin]

Has rental prices gotten any better lately?

LAX

I usually book a refundable rental car rate when I book the room. Then, I will rebook and cancel the old rental car reservation when I see a cheaper rate. I found the most affordable rate two weeks before my mid-Aug 2022 trip. It is a similar approach to WDW vacations.

 

[catsrgr8]

I rented cars on the Big Island and Kauai in July and was able to find slightly lower rates by visiting the Costco and car rental sites about 1-2 weeks before my reservation. Yes, rates are still high, but by being diligent, I was able to rebook both my reservations for about $200 less than what my current reservations were. Needless to say, once I saw I could get a lower rate I started stalking the sites each day. It was unbelievable how one day Alamo prices would go down and then Enterprise would do the same thing. Even if the difference was only $30, I still rebooked and canceled the old reservation. If Costco says it’s sold out, go directly to the car rental website. Some vendors offered a “car special” where you were guaranteed a full size or larger for a specific rate.

We did the same thing for our trip to Maui in June of this year. A few weeks before I saw prices dropped by $100s. I was able to cancel and rebook several times in those last couple weeks. We had some friends visiting over the summer too and I mentioned the same thing to them and they also saved a ton of money!

 

[Kwami]

I usually book a refundable rental car rate when I book the room. Then, I will rebook and cancel the old rental car reservation when I see a cheaper rate. I found the most affordable rate two weeks before my mid-Aug 2022 trip. It is a similar approach to WDW vacations.

I do this all the time. It even works around holidays. I saved a few hundred last year on my rental car over the Christmas and New Year holidays.