the low down on rental car discount codes

[ontariomonkey]

Am I understanding correctly that when you use a discount code to book a car rental, the discounted price does not reveal itself in your quote, but that you end up paying less when you pick up or return the car? My non-trusting, get everything in writing nature is having a hard time with this lol.

 

[got2travel]

No, that is not true. The full price including discounts and added taxes and fees is revealed on the final page before you reserve. Most websites will show you one price when you are selecting what type of car, but when you advance to the next page, the final price is revealed.

 

[ontariomonkey]

Very interesting indeed. I have tried various different codes for Budget and none of them change the price at all. I have gone all the way to the reservation. I have not tried codes with other companies though.

 

[kim52265]

i have noticed that to with budget you book with and without a coupon and the price is the same try dollar theres alot of good codes on mousesaver.com i used the code ooag for a 8 day rental and got a 257 rate for a oct/nov but its higher now i check everyday

 

[antmaril]

I made a reservation with Avis for December using a $35 coupon I found on their website. I notice that it says the estimated total does not include the coupon and that it will be deducted at the time of rental. I hope it's true. I usually use Alamo and they deduct the coupon amount when you make the reservation.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You would probably do well to have the coupon with you. I'd be leery of them honoring it without 'proof'.

 

[antmaril]

You would probably do well to have the coupon with you. I'd be leery of them honoring it without 'proof'.

Oh yes, I plan to have the coupon with me. To be honest, I'm not counting on them deducting the $35 from the total. It will be nice if it happens, but I'm skeptical.

 

[WillCAD]

As with anything, the answer to this question is "depends."

Each company has a slightly different way of doing it. I'm most familiar with Alamo, National, and Thrifty, since I've been booking with them for the last few years.

Alamo and National both tell you the full, undiscounted rate on the screen where you select your car class. Then, on the next page, they show you the full rate, subtract the discount and any coupon you might have entered, add all of the taxes, franchise fees, recovery fees, etc., and give you an estimated grand total. My actual total for an Alamo or National Rental has never varies more than about $2 from the estimated total on my ressie.

Thrifty simply shows the discoutned rate on the car selection page, then applies any coupons you might enter when you get to the total page. Again, the estimated grand total at Thrifty includes an itemized list of the taxes and various fees, and my actual total has never varied more than about $2 from the estimated total.

 

[mzlee]

For Budget and Avis any coupons used are not reflected in the price. The discount from the coupon is subtracted when the rental is returned.

 

[onemaybaby]

I made a reservation with Avis for December using a $35 coupon I found on their website. I notice that it says the estimated total does not include the coupon and that it will be deducted at the time of rental. I hope it's true. I usually use Alamo and they deduct the coupon amount when you make the reservation.

I rented from Avis this weekend, and online when I rented it, it did say that the coupon would be deducted at time of rental. I was worried about this as well, however when I paid for it at the end of the rental it was deducted.

 

[eeyoregon]

Am I understanding correctly that when you use a discount code to book a car rental, the discounted price does not reveal itself in your quote, but that you end up paying less when you pick up or return the car? My non-trusting, get everything in writing nature is having a hard time with this lol.

Yes and No depending on which company you rent from.

Alamo/National will show me my discounted price immediately and it will print out on my confirmation receipt at the end of my online booking.

Avis will NOT show you your discount (ID or coupon reductions) amount when reserving online. You will not know for sure until you are at the rental counter.

I'm not sure how the other companies do it??

I too like to see it ahead of time and have printed proof in hand which is why I rent from Alamo/National.

 

[petbren]

Each company has a slightly different way of doing it. I'm most familiar with Alamo, National, and Thrifty, since I've been booking with them for the last few years.

Do you have any experience with using codes and gift cards?
I have read that some people have reserved with a code, and tried to use a gift card to pay at pick-up and have been told they could not use both.
This was with National specifically, and that's what I was going to try to do.
To me, a gift card should be treated as cash, and deducted from whatever price you reserved at , with or without a code.

 

[WillCAD]

Do you have any experience with using codes and gift cards?
I have read that some people have reserved with a code, and tried to use a gift card to pay at pick-up and have been told they could not use both.
This was with National specifically, and that's what I was going to try to do.
To me, a gift card should be treated as cash, and deducted from whatever price you reserved at , with or without a code.

Sorry, I don't have any experience with rental car gift cards. Codes and coupons a-plenty, hoozits and whatzits galore, but no gift cards.

I agree completely with your assessment, though - a gift card should be treated like cash when you rent or buy anything. But that's up to the individual companies, and I guess National has some weird ideas.