Rental car rates just blew my mind...please advise!

[floridascgirl]

I need a rental car (mid-size SUV) for our trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons this summer...July 10-19.
We'll be arriving in Jackson around 4:30pm on the 10th and departing at 7:00am on the 19th.
I priced them last month and they were around $300 plus. I'm freaking out because now the prices are almost over $1,000!!!

The companies that are located in the airport are Alamo, Avis, Hertz and National (Dollar requires a shuttle). I've joined all of their "Insider" clubs, and I'm a member of AAA and Costco.

Am I doomed or will the prices come way down? I've never rented a car before, so I don't know if I've waited too late.

PS. I'm pricing through each companies individual website(and Costco Travel) and most "codes" aren't available yet.

 

[mossy1]

I think if anything you may be too early to find a good rate. I don't have much experience with traveling that part of the country but your best rates won't be till at least 3 months out from your dates. I would join the clubs for the rental agents at that airport and still keep an eye on using Priceline/Hotwire for a last minute low bid deal. Best of luck to you!!

 

[floridascgirl]

Thanks for your reply. Hopefully, it is that I'm just too early. I don't know anything about Priceline or Hotwire, so I guess I'll read up on them just in case.

 

[vicki_c]

It is too early for deals. I don't know anything about renting in those locations either, but the fact that you previously say rentals for much cheaper suggests you can get a much better price. That is high season in that location though with lots of vacationers (that is a vacation I am thinking about planning for next summer in fact).

The approach I take is to go ahead and book the best rate I can find whenever. Then, continue to check and rebook when a lower price is found.

For Hotwire/Priceline name your price reservations, you will have to pay in advance, so that is something you would not want to do until close to the last minute. For standard reservations and through the car rental agencies' sites, you do not have to pay anything to reserve.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Might want to also look into different types of cars. SUV's for whatever reason rent for rates that are way out of proportion for the price of the vehicle (double the rate of a nice car in the same price range). BTW, you're heading to one of the most spectacular places on Earth IMO. I'm jealous!

 

[floridascgirl]

Thanks for the tips. I'll just keep checking the rates. I need something new to obsess over anyway since I've already booked the airfare.

 

[vacationclub]

Every time we've rented cars, especially at Vacation destinations, the best deals happened in the week or two before the rental, with one exception; we got the best price for a February rental in the weeks before Christmas (because people we busy buying Christmas gifts and not reserving cars).

Just reserve a car when you see a decent price, then keep checking. I'm guessing prices will dip in the weeks before the arrival (or week before) and you can just re-book the reservation.

 

[cmwade77]

Also, look at off airport locations, it may be cheaper to rent there and take a cab or bus to/from them. If you take a bus, just one person should go, rent the car and come back to the airport and pick everyone else and the luggage up. It will take a little extra time, but may be worth it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Thanks for the tips. I'll just keep checking the rates. I need something new to obsess over anyway since I've already booked the airfare.

Not to hijack too much, but are you planning to do a whitewater raft trip on the Snake River while you're there? I've done that twice (once when I was 10, and again when I was 23) and it's a GREAT trip. I fell in last time, but it was only because I was straddling the outer pontoon & just as I was losing my balance a LITTLE, another passenger fell into me, and in I went

 

[floridascgirl]

Not to hijack too much, but are you planning to do a whitewater raft trip on the Snake River while you're there? I've done that twice (once when I was 10, and again when I was 23) and it's a GREAT trip. I fell in last time, but it was only because I was straddling the outer pontoon & just as I was losing my balance a LITTLE, another passenger fell into me, and in I went

No whitewater 'cause I'm a chicken, but we are planning a float trip down the Snake River.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Guess I shouldn't have told my story of falling in But, you'll have a nice time. The scenic float & the whitewater float are 90% the same other than the few rapids you encounter on the whitewater float. And it's a very relaxing trip

 

[jaysmom4285]

I agree with vacationclub. It's way to early to be worrying about car rental rates for July. When I started looking for cars for this trip (we're at WDW now), a mid-size was going for $400+ for a week. Prices started dropping about three weeks before, and I wound up paying $120, including taxes and fees, for a full size car through National, which allows you to upgrade to anything larger if you're a member of the Emerald Club. We ended up with an SUV and have gotten a mini-van in the past. So don't even think about car rental prices this early.

 

[floridascgirl]

Just curious...if I have a coupon for a free upgrade, and the car I want is an Intermediate SUV, do I just book one car below that? And what is considered 1 step below an Intermediate SUV?

 

[tinka-belle]

Read your coupon, most only allow up to a full size car upgrade and do not include minivans or SUV's, nor premium or specialty vehicles. So from a normal compact to a midsize or a midsize to a full size.

Reserve the vehicle you actually want to drive. Even if the coupon does qualify it's always subject to availability and you might be out of luck for the larger vehicle if they've all been pre-reserved.

 

[floridascgirl]

Read your coupon, most only allow up to a full size car upgrade and do not include minivans or SUV's, nor premium or specialty vehicles. So from a normal compact to a midsize or a midsize to a full size.

Reserve the vehicle you actually want to drive. Even if the coupon does qualify it's always subject to availability and you might be out of luck for the larger vehicle if they've all been pre-reserved.

Thanks for your explanation.