Who has used Priceline for car rental?

[TraciM]

I was just browsing and I noticed Priceline is considerably lower in price for my car rental. The same company and days. Who all has done this before? I have never used Priceline or anything like it bit I am loving the prices I am seeing.

 

[kcashner]

Priceline doesn't do one way rentals...you have to rent and return to airport locations only.

SO, it hasn't worked out for us to use this approach on a cruise--we find a one way rental with discount codes to be a better deal then renting for extra days (while cruising) and paying parking. We can typically do a one way rental for under $50 including gas and tolls. Yes, I know about the hotels that have free parking and have used them when I've driven my vehicle.

Priceline rentals are a great deal when they work for your plans. You're right--it's the same companies you'd be using on your own. You just don't have as many options.

 

[TraciM]

Priceline doesn't do one way rentals...you have to rent and return to airport locations only.

SO, it hasn't worked out for us to use this approach on a cruise--we find a one way rental with discount codes to be a better deal then renting for extra days (while cruising) and paying parking. We can typically do a one way rental for under $50 including gas and tolls. Yes, I know about the hotels that have free parking and have used them when I've driven my vehicle.

Priceline rentals are a great deal when they work for your plans. You're right--it's the same companies you'd be using on your own. You just don't have as many options.

So no one way. That stinks. We have a party of 6 so we have to get a mini-van. From MCO to CB it’s a pretty decent price. I used the discount codes. But the day we get back until the next day is $144. It’s nuts. I looked into renting all week and paying to park the car but it would be a lot more.

 

[kcashner]

So no one way. That stinks. We have a party of 6 so we have to get a mini-van. From MCO to CB it’s a pretty decent price. I used the discount codes. But the day we get back until the next day is $144. It’s nuts. I looked into renting all week and paying to park the car but it would be a lot more.

Have you checked every company (with near port outlets) with every discount code you can get your hands on? When I needed a mini-van in May, it cost $92 one way, $46 the other! I'd actually booked both for near the $90 figure, then found a much better discount code and was able to re-book it at the lower rate. Discount codes are available at rentalcodes.com and mousesavers.com.

 

[TraciM]

I called all the companies in CB and everyone was within the same price range. I used a code from Mousavers I believe it was the one from Car and Driver. I went with Enterprise. There was no major price difference and we have a history of them being the rental company we do the most business with. I am very leery of a minivan being big enough. Who knew car rentals could be so stressful.

 

[HallsofVA]

I'm heading out tomorrow (well, today now I guess) to WDW and then a 4nt Wonder cruise. I'd originally reserved a minivan through Budget for $63/day plus taxes and fees to take me to the port, and then another minivan for the day we get off the ship. It was going to cost me about $180 total for the two one-way one-day each rentals. Then we started thinking we'd like a vehicle for our full WDW stay and I priced out lots of options for different vehicles picking up at MCO or in Downtown Disney, but it was going to cost me quite a bit at $65 or $63 a day (plus taxes, etc.) to have that flexibility.

I saw a minivan at a good price of about $24/day on Hotwire for the full length of our trip, picking up and returning to MCO. Even after factoring in $60 for parking at the port, it was still a good deal. I took a chance and used Priceline, and got the minivan for $19/day through Hertz. So still a substantial savings, even after factoring in the parking at the port, and the inconvenience of using Hertz at the airport (and not getting Hertz Gold service since Priceline doesn't let you get gold service on their rentals.)

Obviously I haven't picked up the car yet to know if there are any unexpected problems, but I've used Priceline before for rentals without any problems. This is the cheapest I've ever gotten a minivan for though! Obviously it would have to be super cheap to cover the 7 days of your cruise, but the savings in my case would have been substantial enough to cover the extra $45.

 

[WENDYDOTS]

Thanks to the previous post, I got a minivan through Priceline for $18/day for our cruise at the end of the month!! Thanks!! It was also assigned to Hertz (for those who are keeping track).

 

[jilljill]

I just booked Priceline for a mid-size car for next week for $13/day and got Alamo. It's a 40% savings over the regular rate and $60 cheaper than than their weekly special thru the email I just rec'd today. It's also the same price as the 2 one way car rentals I have booked thru Budget, but we won't have the hassle of going to the rental office and Cocoa. It's only a 3 day cruise, so the parking cost isn't that bad.

Thanks for posting this question as I never thought to use Priceline for a car rental.

 

[taliategan]

I got a 8 day rental through Hotwire with National for $ 177 total back in early December for a full size car; prior to that time, I was having a tough time finding good rates on any cars over a mid-size; several days after I made the purchase, the rates on Hotwire dropped to as low as $ 127 for my rental; now it is back to over what I paid - I think about $ 190. I decided to just leave the car at the port for the three day cruise, rather than getting a 5 day rental, turning the car in and then getting a 1 day rental to back to the airport.

 

[mylittleprincess]

We just used Priceline for 1st time yesterday and bid $10/day for full size. It was accepted and we have a rental at Alamo for $131 total!! We leave Saturday!!! Only wish this cold front didnt happen at this time.

 

[TraciM]

Well I didn’t go with Priceline but I did book through Budget online with a discount code and got a $60.00 each way rate for a minivan. That is cheaper than the one way rental with Enterprise ($144). I have never booked online or used Budget so we shall see. I kept my Enterprise reservations just in case. LOL