Renting Car ahead of time

[Cant wait for Disney]

Hi everyone
thanks to this board i've decided to rent a minivan now and try to keep checking back and finding a better rate. Before I pull the trigger on what is currently a $600 rental, I want to be sure I am understanding correctly. If i rent now (choosing pay at the counter option) will Budget allow me to modify/cancel a reservation before my trip without penalty? Or if I rent this now, am I locked in? I just want to be sure I'm doing it right since my trip is still 6 months off and you all tell me rates will drop!
Also, what kind of hold do they put on my credit card-the whole charge?
Thank you!!

 

[rpierce99]

If any car rental places actually ask you for your credit card number this far out I would personally not be using them. All of the sites I use just "hold" a car for you, you pay for it when you pick it up. The only time I'd give someone my credit card number is if I knew it was an AMAZING deal.

 

[Cant wait for Disney]

ok, good advice!
i dont know for sure if i would have to put my info in-i havent gone that far in the process yet, but i will remember that if they do ask for my cc.
So that makes sense, if i dont actually have to put a hold on my card, then there is no risk for canceling, right?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

If you reserve on a car rental company website, the car rental industry is very good about letting you make changes to reservations, including changes to dates and times, changes to car class, adding a promotional code, and even full cancellations -- all without any penalty.

An exception is if you use a third party, such as a bidding website, to lock in a rental at a low price. It may seem like a good idea, and you may save some money, but you may find yourself losing a lot of money if your requirements change.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have actually held three different car rental reservations at one time...for the same time frame. Just wasn't sure which one to use..based on who would be traveling with me. They don't, or at least shouldn't, be charging you anything unless you opt to prepay. So, basically, you can hold that reservation up until the last minute.
But...most of the time, they won't let you make any changes. You would have to make a new reservation, then cancel the old one. I've done that mulitiple times as the prices dropped.

 

[eeyoregon]

OP: Do you mind sharing your pick up and drop off dates and which location(s) you are renting from?

This far out I would NEVER prepay and lock myself into a rate as the rates change almost daily. My record for booking, canceling and re-booking a car rental was 16 times!! Might sound crazy but the overall savings was $270 from the original booking.

Gina

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Whoa you guys are looking for rental too early. This far out will result is some heart stoppiing rates. Your best bet is to look 7-10 before your trip. Trust me! The past several trips we have taken I have booked our mid size car with Alamo and have not paid more that $90 for a weekly rental.

If you read through the May rental thread you will see when the thread started folks were quote very high rates but as their trip got closer the rates drop dramatically.
For example the May thread was started in Jan and people were being quoted several hundred dollars. Now that their trip is near they are being quoted $98.00