Why wont National Coupons wont work in August ???

[kinggoofy]

I have tried to use several VALID coupons for our August trip and it comes back saying...."Coupon can not be applied to this reservation"

I am following all the requirements for the rental.

Any car rental experts know why this is happening ?

My dates are aug 12 pick up at 8pm and drop off at the Dolphin either Aug 17 or aug 18th at 330pm.

Thanks KG

 

[ToyStory]

It was happening for June reservations, but when I checked yesterday the codes were working. They weren't working for a couple a weeks.

 

[bicker]

This might be a major factor:

Blackout dates may apply and availability is limited.

 

[katallo]

We had the same problem using the Alamo site. When I called to check on the problem, a customer service rep agreed the coupon and discount should have worked. They booked the trip and then gave us a $50.00 discount for our inconvenience. So, try calling.

 

[n2mm]

I went to the National rental car facebook page and posted it. A rep contacted me right away and did a search to make sure there was no error and today I got a message from the rep saying that August reached it's capacity for coupons. But this was occurring prior to even getting the EA $35 coupon in my email. You can go to National FB page and add your concern to my post, just so they know that it's affecting more than just a couple of us. I also told them that I can book with a competitor for a minivan for $300 for my timeframe (Aug. 12-19) and their price is over double. Their comment was that they are competitive. Don't get me wrong, I love National and have been an EA member for 10 years and most of those as an Executive Club member, but it looks like Budget for me this August unless they start having some better prices. I don't mind paying a little more, but $700 for a minivan is out of my league. OP, looks like our dates are similar.

Here's a portion of the email to me today: "I created a mock reservation similar to the one that you mentioned in your email; entering in the rental location, dates and times and also the coupon code that you provided. We have discovered that the location has accepted as many coupons as they can allow for the summer months. Our system is stating that the coupon/discount capacity has been reached. I provided you with a screen shot of the message that we are receiving. In the summer, we will run into special issues that will happen at a greater frequency than in the rest of the year - due to increased demand for travel because the summer months are the busiest time of the year with family vacations and with it just being a busy travel season. Especially in popular vacation states such as Florida, California, Arizona and Phoenix. "

 

[kaytieeldr]

Ah, when did Phoenix secede from Arizona and become its own state?

 

[n2mm]

Ah, when did Phoenix secede from Arizona and become its own state?

Good catch....that is funny. Since National gave me an answer, though not the one I wanted, I guess I won't be able to poke fun at them.

OP, I would continue to keep trying the coupons as I will because you never know when it could change.

 

[ilovefh]

I found the same with Alamo. The coupon codes were not working last week for the time frame I was looking for, but today they are working. Of course the rental rate went up so it's still more expensive now with the coupon applied than the reservation I made last week.

 

[Karlzmom]

Interesting. I found that the 2010-2011 Entertainment book coupons didn't work for Dec 2011 when the book came out!

I have to say its odd that I get the worst rate using the "loyalty" Em Club contract ID. Even with better codes, National is still significantly more expensive than everyone else. Not willing to pay extra for being a loyal customer...just my 2 cents....

 

[Brian Noble]

National has been very pro-active at cutting their fleet sizes, at MCO and elsewhere. If you can find a better rate on a competitor (and don't mind giving up Aisle access) then by all means book it. But, there just aren't that many cars at many of their stations, and they get what they can get for them.

As an example, I recently paid $225 all in at EWR for a two-day rental. And, that was on a corporately-negotiated rate ID that is usually very very good.

 

[kinggoofy]

I went to the National rental car facebook page and posted it. A rep contacted me right away and did a search to make sure there was no error and today I got a message from the rep saying that August reached it's capacity for coupons. But this was occurring prior to even getting the EA $35 coupon in my email. You can go to National FB page and add your concern to my post, just so they know that it's affecting more than just a couple of us. I also told them that I can book with a competitor for a minivan for $300 for my timeframe (Aug. 12-19) and their price is over double. Their comment was that they are competitive. Don't get me wrong, I love National and have been an EA member for 10 years and most of those as an Executive Club member, but it looks like Budget for me this August unless they start having some better prices. I don't mind paying a little more, but $700 for a minivan is out of my league. OP, looks like our dates are similar.

Here's a portion of the email to me today: "I created a mock reservation similar to the one that you mentioned in your email; entering in the rental location, dates and times and also the coupon code that you provided. We have discovered that the location has accepted as many coupons as they can allow for the summer months. Our system is stating that the coupon/discount capacity has been reached. I provided you with a screen shot of the message that we are receiving. In the summer, we will run into special issues that will happen at a greater frequency than in the rest of the year - due to increased demand for travel because the summer months are the busiest time of the year with family vacations and with it just being a busy travel season. Especially in popular vacation states such as Florida, California, Arizona and Phoenix. "

Thank you very much for taking the time to look into this. It now all makes sense about the coupons being "maxed out".

I will keep trying and keep all of you posted if I have any luck.

 

[n2mm]

Thank you very much for taking the time to look into this. It now all makes sense about the coupons being "maxed out".

I will keep trying and keep all of you posted if I have any luck.

I too will post back if they ever start working, or if the price gets better. While the prices are high, I did notice that the EA code 5602728 gives a better price....not great, but not as high as other codes.

 

[Liz]

I found cutting MCO out of the equation helped with my rental car cost. Unless plans change right now we plan on taking ME to Pop for one night then renting a car from the Car Care Center the next morning, returning it at the end of our stay and taking ME back. For some reason car rentals in or out of MCO are super high for August.