Name your own price for car rental

[kjpotter]

Has anyone done it at MCO? I'm just worried that it might give me a rental company that isn't actually at the airport. Probably a stupid worry, but it will be just me and the kiddos, so I'm trying to plan everything out.

 

[Deesknee]

We've done it 2x with priceline. Once we got National. The next year we gto the one that is affliated with National ( I think avis or is it alamo). Both experiences were very good. Just read all the info before confirming the bid. We got a minivan both times. I think for 7 or 8 days the first time, then 6 days the 2nd time. Both times were under $400, with unlimited mileage. Good luck.

 

[yankin]

I have been looking at hotwire. They advertise that the car will be from an onsite rental agency.

 

[maciec]

I have been very successful going through Priceline. I have never gotten off site (watch this will be the time). As a matter of fact I have never gotten a better deal than using Priceline when renting a car in Orlando. We always get a mini van.

 

[dennise]

We have always gotten onsite.

 

[kjpotter]

Just an update. I did priceline and got an Avis midsized for June 22-29 for $208 including fees and taxes. I think that's a pretty good deal! Woo Hoo!

 

[emmabelle]

Just an update. I did priceline and got an Avis midsized for June 22-29 for $208 including fees and taxes. I think that's a pretty good deal! Woo Hoo!

What was your bid price?

I did it once and got Hertz, (I mostly only use Priceline for hotels)

 

[kjpotter]

I bid $16 per day for compact which was accepted then upgraded to midsize for $3 more. I'm hoping for a 4 door since we have car seats in the back.

 

[robinb]

Priceline is *great* for rental cars. I wouldn't book too far in advance, though. You never know what will happen and your reservation is non-refundable.

The following companies work with Priceline:
Hertz
Avis
National
Alamo
Budget

Quick tutorial on how I bid on PL:

(1) Go to Hotwire and check your dates for a car and write it down for each car class you would be interested in. Be aware that the smaller cars are not always the cheapest! I would personally not ever bid on an Economy sized car for a family. Many people report being upgraded to a Compact for free but I have also seen people "stuck" with the smaller car. I usually create a quick spreadsheet with this information.

(2) Calculate 60% of the Hotwire price. This is your starting point. How does that compare to your current reservation? Remember to take into account taxes and fees, there will be more fees on a Hotwire or Priceline reservation. If your current reservation is less, then you cannot do better with Priceline.

(3) Have a maximum price in mind.

(4) Start bidding on Priceline using the number calculated in (2). You may rebid if you change the car type. I will bid a few types (typically Compact, Midsize, Standard, Full Size) in one sitting. If a bigger car is available for your bid, but a smaller is not I think that you will be upgraded so bidding the same amount for each car type is a waste of time.

(5) IGNORE any comments that Priceline makes about "good chances" and "great chances" when you enter your bid. They are designed to trick you into paying more than you have to.

(6) If your bids are rejected you may try again in 24-hours. I will increase my bid by $1 on each car type per day. This is where the spreadsheet comes in handy . Sometimes I will re-check the Hotwire rates to make sure they are the same. If they go up then I stick with my $1 a day increase. If they go down, I retry a previous failed bid.

 

[webworm]

Has anyone done it at MCO? I'm just worried that it might give me a rental company that isn't actually at the airport. Probably a stupid worry, but it will be just me and the kiddos, so I'm trying to plan everything out.

All the major car rental companies that Priceline deals with are located at Orlando airport. The only one that was offsite was Hertz but they recently moved back onsite.

 

[my3squeals]

All the major car rental companies that Priceline deals with are located at Orlando airport. The only one that was offsite was Hertz but they recently moved back onsite.

anyone with any insite on Sanford Airport and priceline???

 

[jessrose18]

thanks for the advice, might try priceline as trip gets closer!

 

[shelly3girls]

Two weeks ago our bid of $13 for a standard car was accepted. We are going 8/21-8/28 and the total cost is $155. Our rental agency is Alamo and from what I understand they do not have standard so we should end up with a full size car. I will report our experience when we get back.

 

[Luv4Disney]

We use Priceline at MCO and just got $11/day for a compact. Last time we did it we got Alamo, this time we have Hertz.

 

[piglet33]

Priceline is *great* for rental cars. I wouldn't book too far in advance, though. You never know what will happen and your reservation is non-refundable.

The following companies work with Priceline:
Hertz
Avis
National
Alamo
Budget

Quick tutorial on how I bid on PL:

(1) Go to Hotwire and check your dates for a car and write it down for each car class you would be interested in. Be aware that the smaller cars are not always the cheapest! I would personally not ever bid on an Economy sized car for a family. Many people report being upgraded to a Compact for free but I have also seen people "stuck" with the smaller car. I usually create a quick spreadsheet with this information.

(2) Calculate 60% of the Hotwire price. This is your starting point. How does that compare to your current reservation? Remember to take into account taxes and fees, there will be more fees on a Hotwire or Priceline reservation. If your current reservation is less, then you cannot do better with Priceline.

(3) Have a maximum price in mind.

(4) Start bidding on Priceline using the number calculated in (2). You may rebid if you change the car type. I will bid a few types (typically Compact, Midsize, Standard, Full Size) in one sitting. If a bigger car is available for your bid, but a smaller is not I think that you will be upgraded so bidding the same amount for each car type is a waste of time.

(5) IGNORE any comments that Priceline makes about "good chances" and "great chances" when you enter your bid. They are designed to trick you into paying more than you have to.

(6) If your bids are rejected you may try again in 24-hours. I will increase my bid by $1 on each car type per day. This is where the spreadsheet comes in handy . Sometimes I will re-check the Hotwire rates to make sure they are the same. If they go up then I stick with my $1 a day increase. If they go down, I retry a previous failed bid.

Thanks for this info. I'm going Oct. 13-19 and booked a midsize from Alamo for $212 including taxes using the Costco code and the $30 off weekly coupon. I booked it in May and am hoping to get something cheaper.

Should I wait until October to try Priceline?

 

[my3squeals]

Just got a Std size thru priceline for $12/day ended up with Hertz, total price with taxes.... $135!!!! Sept 5-12
Thanks for the tips!!

(BTW we are flying into Sanford. Hopes this info helps someone, alot of what is on these boards is for MCO)

 

[Ellen]

I want to pick up at the car care center. Can you name your price and get pick up at the Disney site or does it only work for airport site

 

[sam_gordon]

I want to pick up at the car care center. Can you name your price and get pick up at the Disney site or does it only work for airport site

Or can you pickup at the airport and drop off at the car care center?

 

[maciec]

I tried to do that and it wouldn't let me. If you can figure out a way, please let me know.

 

[robinb]

You can't specify a pick up at the Car Care Center because it is specific to the Alamo & National brands. I think you can only Name Your Own Price at airport locations. Sorry!