Renting a car from priceline

[kylovebug]

Has anyone rented a car via Priceline before?

I want to try the "name your price" but I am concerned about the extra fees they may charge us once we get to the agency. I am really concerned that there will be a fee for an additional driver even if it is DH.

Is there anyone who could give me a little bit more info or tell me about their experience with it? Thanks and God Bless!

 

[Disworldluv]

Priceline and "name your price" is a come on IMHO. Priceline will suggest a price which is actually a price which rental agencies are asking for on their
websites. Yes, you will pay for a extra driver in most cases. I use Hotwire as my guide post and then check individual rental agencies prices. Prices for cars fluctuate daily (3 or 4 times a day). Your overall best prices are usually about 3 weeks out from your intended pick-up date.

 

[kylovebug]

Thank you for your advice!! I will wait until closer to book. We are leaving May 15th.

 

[Chief Powhatan]

I have used Priceline's Name Your Own Price virtually every time I rent a car. There are many pro's and con's to Priceline's NYOP. My experience has always been that Priceline's NYOP has been much cheaper (fees included) than either going through Hotwire or direct with the rental companies.

Yes, you will no doubt have to pay for an additional driver. If you want more info, I would suggest checking out the websites www.betterbidding.com or www.biddingfortravel.com.

 

[robinb]

If you are concerned about paying to an additional driver, Priceline (or Hotwire for that matter) are not for you.

I put together this bidding tutorial a few years ago:

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.

(7) I usually start bidding about a month before my dates and have scored some amazing rates.

 

[ain0004]

We booked priceline our last trip. Saved over 200 bucks but only one driver. Dh and I. Are considering Priceline again for 12 day triptych his year., but we are unsure if we can tolerate only having one driver. But in the end it comes down to money. I would rather have 200 in my pocket

 

[Chief Powhatan]

If you are concerned about paying to an additional driver, Priceline (or Hotwire for that matter) are not for you.

I put together this bidding tutorial a few years ago:

This is a great Priceline summary!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Unless you are traveling during a holiday, its best to wait till your trip gets closer because the prices tended to drop. I always look on the Tues. before my trip starts. Tues is the day most rental car co. put out their last minute specials and I have yet to not get a great price. Usually no more that $115 for a midsize for a week.

Also keep looking on here for discount/coupon codes.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Priceline and "name your price" is a come on IMHO. Priceline will suggest a price which is actually a price which rental agencies are asking for on their
websites. .....

This is not true, at least it wasn't the times I used "name your own price." That price was significantly less than the price quoted on the rental car website and any other discounted price I could find.

 

[Spunky946]

This is not true, at least it wasn't the times I used "name your own price." That price was significantly less than the price quoted on the rental car website and any other discounted price I could find.

I agree. We are going away this weekend to Marco Island and we used name your own price on a car and we saved 60%. I think a pretty good savings.

 

[robinb]

This is not true, at least it wasn't the times I used "name your own price." That price was significantly less than the price quoted on the rental car website and any other discounted price I could find.

Priceline *does* suggest a price that you should bid after you enter a bid and that price is higher than the lowest bid the system will accept. That is true on both the hotel and car NYOP products. I always ignore anything that the system tries to tell me about how much to bid as it's just trying to trick me into bidding more than I need to.

 

[webworm]

I used Name Your Own Price with Priceline during the holidays and saved 50% off the lowest price for a fullsize for 8 days that I could find anywhere else. The final price including all fees is exactly what I paid with NO extra fees. I got Avis and no extra charge for spouse to drive as well. They allowed me to exchange my fullsize for and SUV as well since I was a preferred member with Avis at no extra charge. Never listen to any suggested bid price by Priceline.

 

[seashoreCM]

When you know that the bid you are making will get you one of six or so specific rental companies then you can check out the companies' individual web sites to find out their extra driver charges. Take the highest and use that to influence how much you will bid.

The rental company may not refuse to rent to you if you meet the requirements in the travel agent (Priceline, etc.) instructions and you decline any additional up front charge other than charges such as taxes that are common to all rental companies (and you agree to go without the coverage or whatever that charge was for). Otherwise you may call the travel agent using the pay phone at the back of the waiting room (or using your cell phone) and the rental company and travel agent have to work it out or refund your bid.

 

[MillauFr]

I've used priceline many times. As others said you can save big bucks. Last few times I have been to Las Vegas I would bid between $8 and $12 a day and I have always gotten a car. Yes there are extra taxes and fees that the airport and local governments charge but they are clearly disclosed when you bid.

 

[MillauFr]

Costco Travel is also a good place to rent cars from. Their rentals include an extra driver at no additional charge.

 

[seashoreCM]

When you know that the bid you are making will get you one of six or so specific rental companies then you can check out the companies' individual web sites to find out their extra driver charges. Take the highest and use that to influence how much you will bid.

The rental company may not refuse to rent to you if you decline any other charge other than charges such as taxes that are common to all rental companies. Otherwise you may call the travel agency (Priceline, etc.) using the pay phone at the back of the waiting room (or using your cell phone) and the rental company and travel agent have to work it out or refund your bid.