Official Car rental September 2013...advice please

[goofy4tink]

no, you cannot select a standard size car. You can ask if it would be ok, some times they say yes and the worst they say is no. Yes, your DH can return the car, no problem.

Thanks...thats what I pretty much thought about choosing a car. I'm the primary driver, I prefer a smaller car. Good to know about the return. Now dh can take care of that for me!!!

 

[gmeh1]

Not sure of their wording on the 2nd driver policy, but a "domestic partner" generally will qualify as a second driver. They can have to include gay/lesbian and straight couples that are living together. Don't know your situation, but I do know a straight couple that the partner was accepted as the 2nd driver at the rental agency that they used. I don't think that her address was the same on her driver's license either , because she hadn't changed it to the new address yet.

This is the wording for additional drivers at National. The addresses must match.
Your friend can be an additional driver, just not a free additional driver.
Emerald Club: Authorized Drivers
Is there a fee for an additional driver on my Emerald Club rental?

Emerald Club: Authorized Drivers

Automatic Authorized Drivers

In the United States and Canada, there is no fee for an Emerald Club member's spouse or immediate family member.

Note: Immediate family is a Mother/Father, Son/Daughter, or Brother/Sister who has the same address on their driver's license as the Emerald Club member. This includes a spouse regardless of whether he/she has the same last name, is a common law spouse or same gender domestic partner.

In the United States and Canada, there is no fee on commercial rentals for an Emerald Club member's business partner, employer or fellow associate, who has an assigned corporate contract with National and drives the car for business purposes.

All other additional authorized driver situations are subject to a daily charge.

 

[gmeh1]

Just reserved a Fullsize, Impala or similar with Budget thru Costco.

MCO

Pick up Sat 9/21, drop off Sat 9/28

Base rate $68.36 / Taxes & Fees $50.98 TOTAL $119.34

This has a coupon code of MUGZ041

Great rate, good for you!!!

 

[vivianmarie244]

Never mind.

 

[QueenQueso]

Wondering what the best deal anyone has been able to get on a minivan.

We fly into MCO, 9/16 - 9/22. We would be picking up at 11:30, dropping off at 1:30.

We have 5 people- myself and SO, our two boys (one in a booster, one in a RF carseat) and my grandma- so it would be hard for us to downgrade to a car.

The best I've been able to find are
Firefly $273.70
Hertz $317.72
EZ-Rental $264.21
Dollar $327.88

The other places were much higher, in the $500 range. I've read some really super awful reviews for EZ and Firefly is brand new in MCO and has so-so reviews for other locations. Dollar (I think...) has an aisle where you choose your own car, so even though it's the highest (of the low), it seems like maybe a good choice. And then Hertz is a good nationwide name brand...

I dunno what to choose. The only place I have ever rented from before is my local Enterprise. That's the only car rental place around here, but their MCO rates were like $550.

Any suggestions?

 

[Bernie23]

Has anyone else's rates moved? Mine is pretty static with no fluctuation at all for the past week or two. Is this normal?

 

[tebookie]

My rates have been the same or have increased.
We are going 9/25-10/8.
I'm hoping we see some movement in the next couple of weeks. I will continue on my daily check. I wish Alamo would open up the coupons too.

 

[kat3668]

Just saw this on slickdeals....http://slickdeals.net/f/6231100-Hertz-com-Car-Rental-Around-5-6-weekend-day-with-coupon-code-prepaid

pretty decent rates but I got a tad bit better with Alamo so I'm all set!

 

[auger]

Wondering what the best deal anyone has been able to get on a minivan.

We fly into MCO, 9/16 - 9/22. We would be picking up at 11:30, dropping off at 1:30.

We have 5 people- myself and SO, our two boys (one in a booster, one in a RF carseat) and my grandma- so it would be hard for us to downgrade to a car.

The best I've been able to find are
Firefly $273.70
Hertz $317.72
EZ-Rental $264.21
Dollar $327.88

The other places were much higher, in the $500 range. I've read some really super awful reviews for EZ and Firefly is brand new in MCO and has so-so reviews for other locations. Dollar (I think...) has an aisle where you choose your own car, so even though it's the highest (of the low), it seems like maybe a good choice. And then Hertz is a good nationwide name brand...

I dunno what to choose. The only place I have ever rented from before is my local Enterprise. That's the only car rental place around here, but their MCO rates were like $550.

Any suggestions?

I am guessing your times are 11:30 am and 1:30 pm.
That's only a two hour difference, but you are probably paying an extra days rental for those two hours.
Can you modify your times so that they are the same?
If you can split the difference and go 12:30-12:30, you would probably save right there.

Do you have a Costco membership by chance?
I just ran your dates with 12:30-12:30 and budget came in at $257?
Even with your times, it came back at $261.
If you don't have Costco membership, see if you can find a budget code to use with cpn MUGZ041.

 

[fflmaster]

I have two decent rates for my stay in September for a minivan

One is with Hertz and the other with Budget.

Would anyone recommend one over the other? I didn't post rates so not to sway anyone. But, both rates are low enough for me to be happy.

The only difference I know is Hertz has the gold member. So with them I don't go to a counter first. Simply right to my van and leave.

 

[DanenRox]

I have two decent rates for my stay in September for a minivan

One is with Hertz and the other with Budget.

Would anyone recommend one over the other? I didn't post rates so not to sway anyone. But, both rates are low enough for me to be happy.

The only difference I know is Hertz has the gold member. So with them I don't go to a counter first. Simply right to my van and leave.

I think Budget has a free additional driver and if so, that's significant. I too am looking for a minivan in September for 12 days with pick up in MCO and drop off TPA. Hertz is my best rate so far through AAA at $420. I'm not happy with that so I'd love any tips you have.

 

[auger]

For anyone flying into Tampa and out of Orlando, Budget is putting up some pretty good numbers for a minivan using Costco code and cpn MUGZ041.

I put in pick up Sep 6 @ 9:30 am thru drop off Sep 15 @ 6:00 pm and got a rate of $281.

Just a heads up for anyone this may help.

 

[goofy4tink]

Just checked for any lower rates for my Sept 1-8 stay..p/u in Palm Beach, drop off at MCO. I had a Toyota Corolla for $137 for the week. Well....just grabbed a free upgrade to a Chrysler..and the total cost went down to $128!! If this keeps up, Alamo will end up paying me to rent a car!!!
I am a happy girl!!

 

[auger]

Awesome!!! Congratulations on that upgrade with a bonus price drop!!
Gotta love it!!!!

Hope mine comes down some yet.
Right now I have Budget with a full size car, but I would really prefer to book with Alamo.
There's just too big a difference in price right now.

 

[goofy4tink]

Awesome!!! Congratulations on that upgrade with a bonus price drop!!
Gotta love it!!!!

Hope mine comes down some yet.
Right now I have Budget with a full size car, but I would really prefer to book with Alamo.
There's just too big a difference in price right now.

I kept looking and relooking at it...just to make sure I was reading it correctly!! Figured something had to be in error!!! Then, cancelled the existing reservation. Here's hoping it's all okay when I get there. Can't believe I started this process with p/u on Sept 1, return Sept 4, for a compact at $250!!! It surely does pay to keep checking!!

 

[auger]

I am in the same boat.
We began with a $250 intermediate rental thru MCO.
As we stand now, we are in a full from TPA-MCO for $202!!!

As good a price as that is, I am still hoping and praying for better!!

I check 15-20 times a day for price changes.
I can't tell you how many reservations I have made and cancelled!!!
The rental companies are probably sick of seeing my name!
Right now, I have about ten rentals booked, covering every possible scenario we might opt for.
I'll be glad when I can just cancel all but the final one and one back-up!!

I'm always so bored after a trip, because I don't have anything to do once my flight and car rental shopping is over!!!

 

[jpuglvr]

I won a priceline bid of 26 per day for a minivan for ten days 9/21 to 10/1 with taxes and fees it was 387. Ended up being from Budget. That was about 25 lower than I was able to get with any coupons and codes from any other big name rental company.

 

[10_Kyle_10]

Just checked for any lower rates for my Sept 1-8 stay..p/u in Palm Beach, drop off at MCO. I had a Toyota Corolla for $137 for the week. Well....just grabbed a free upgrade to a Chrysler..and the total cost went down to $128!! If this keeps up, Alamo will end up paying me to rent a car!!!
I am a happy girl!!

What were the codes and coupons you used?

 

[Ckmommy72]

I have a reservation for 9/24-9/28 with Alamo, using (I beleive, I went through so many different combos) just the costco contract code. I have an email confirmation, and it is all correct. I went in to view the reservation today, just cuz I'm neurotic like that, and it won't pull up my reservation. Not when I click on View/Modify or even when I click Check In. I get the message "Could not validate coupon, continued without coupon", on the screen where I enter my res# and name, but it won't go beyond that. gmeh1, maybe you've had eperience with something like this? I just want to be sure my reservation is still ok and valid. I imagine with an email confirmation, i'll be fine, but I don't want to have to got to the desk and deal with an issue. I want to hit the kiosk and go!!

 

[Autumnslight]

I just booked a minivan rental with EZ Rental through SouthWest's website, from 9/18 to 9/28, for $305.25, including taxes and fees.