Keep checking rental car rates!

[wdwrich]

I've posted several times about rental car rates getting better as you approach your travel dates (in most cases). As an example, DW and I are traveling in late July to another major U.S. city (not Orlando). When I originally booked a the car, the best rate I could find was $415 for a mid-sized car for a week. Since then, I have re-booked several times and as of today that same vehicle is $275 including all fees.

So even if you have a car reserved, keep checking for better rates and/or discount codes. I'll keep on looking right up to our departure date.

Good hunting!

 

[DSNY4ever]

I have been checking every other week to see if the prices will come down into our budget. Where do you check? Specific companies' sites? Or places like Hotwire, Kayak...?

Our trip is still a couple months away, but we are planning on the Disney buses for now since I haven't found anything cheap enough.

 

[wdwrich]

I have been checking every other week to see if the prices will come down into our budget. Where do you check? Specific companies' sites? Or places like Hotwire, Kayak...?

I actually check consolidated travel sites (Travelocity, Hotwire, etc.) as well as specific company sites. I also check Mousesavers.com for discount codes. I usually find the best rates/discounts within one month of our travel dates. Some car rental company sites have links for "Last-minute" deals that can be had within mere days of your travel.

ETA- Just be sure not to book a pre-paid rental so you can cancel and re-book without penalty.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Thanks! I am going to continuously check just in case.

 

[travelalot]

I actually check consolidated travel sites (Travelocity, Hotwire, etc.) as well as specific company sites. I also check Mousesavers.com for discount codes. I usually find the best rates/discounts within one month of our travel dates. Some car rental company sites have links for "Last-minute" deals that can be had within mere days of your travel.

ETA- Just be sure not to book a pre-paid rental so you can cancel and re-book without penalty.

Agree on the last minute deals. I ALWAYS check those the last few days before I leave. There's a consolidated list of them on rentalcodes.com .
As a last resort, it never hurts to throw a bid on Priceline lower than the best rate you've found. Personally, I only do this when it gets within a week or so of my rental, because it's non-cancellable, but if you do it earlier, just be sure that the bid is low enough and that there is no chance you'll have to cancel. Check Hotwire.com or Kayak.com to get ideas of the best available rate across all brands to give you an idea of where to start with bidding.
Keep in mind though, with a lot of research, unless rates are very high, you can almost always find a coupon or code combination that are as good as any winning Priceline or Hotwire bid.

 

[mdinme]

On orbitz just now i got a rez thru Dollar for $192. Aug 19-28. Full size too. Booked a standard size same way last night for $200. Just cancelled that one.

 

[leebee]

On orbitz just now i got a rez thru Dollar for $192. Aug 19-28. Full size too. Booked a standard size same way last night for $200. Just cancelled that one.

Did you check Dollar's "city specials" section? They had the best rates for my trip to the Midwest! I originally had a full-size for $165 and last week it dropped to $116.

I'm glad I booked early and kept checking. I just searched and Dollar doesn't even have any full-sized cars available for my dates in Dayton (I know, not exactly my choice of vacation site)!

 

[ParkHopperFan]

We always check the car rental sites for their fees and then go to Priceline.com and name your own price. We usually offer about 1/2 of the suggested rental rate and Priceline accepts the offer. We are going to Disney in August and booked a full size car for $21/day. It's through Alamo and is airport onsite pickup and dropoff, so I think we did well!