How to find a rental car deal in the US?
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 11:37 last edited by Klaus
We want to rent a car for three weeks in the summer.
I tried priceline.com, kayak.com and ladybug.com.
One website, kayak.com, offered a deal that looked significantly cheaper than others. The rental car company is "Fox Rent a Car". I briefly glanced at a couple of reviews which seem to suggest that people end up paying twice of what they were originally supposed to pay. Is that a real concern?
One thing I noted: It seems to be rather intransparent what I'd have to pay extra for full insurance.
Is there a way to book a rental car in such a way that all costs are fully transparent, while still making a deal?
Concretely, we are looking for something like an intermediate SUV size car, with pickup on August 15 at SEA and drop-off on September 5 at SFO.
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:09 last edited by
I would deal directly with Enterprise.
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:23 last edited by Mik
You do not want to deal with an off-brand rental company. The horror stories are legion.
I would echo Lufin's suggestion of Enterprise. I've used them for 20+ years with good results and decent prices. Avis and Hertz are good too but a little more expensive. Enterprise will give you a week for the price of five days usually.
As far as insurance, check with your company to see if it covers you for an overseas rental. Also use a major credit card like Amex. They have some protection on rental cars. I have never paid for extra insurance.
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You do not want to deal with an off-brand rental company. The horror stories are legion.
I would echo Lufin's suggestion of Enterprise. I've used them for 20+ years with good results and decent prices. Avis and Hertz are good too but a little more expensive. Enterprise will give you a week for the price of five days usually.
As far as insurance, check with your company to see if it covers you for an overseas rental. Also use a major credit card like Amex. They have some protection on rental cars. I have never paid for extra insurance.
wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:41 last edited by@mik said in How to find a rental car deal in the US?:
You do not want to deal with an off-brand rental company. The horror stories are legion.
As I posted in T(O)NCR:
When we were in Portland last year, we rented a car from Hertz, with a scheduled pickup late Sunday morning.
The guy in front of me was having a fit because he reserved a car, and there were none available. It seems that he booked through Expedia, TripAdvisor, or some other such outfit. Apparently those reservations are not guaranteed, but the aggregator "makes the request."
At least that's what the guy at the desk said.
Customer got loud and obnoxious, and was finally told to leave the shop.
I walked up, having booked through Hertz, and got my car in 15 minutes.
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:42 last edited by
In addition, these aggregator sites like Kayak don’t actually save you money. One time I got a quote from them and then Karla got the rental directly from the agency. Her rate was $5 cheaper per day. I’ve done comparisons twice since then and it comes up the same. I get a better rate from the company directly. I’ve checked the hotels, too. Same thing.
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You do not want to deal with an off-brand rental company. The horror stories are legion.
I would echo Lufin's suggestion of Enterprise. I've used them for 20+ years with good results and decent prices. Avis and Hertz are good too but a little more expensive. Enterprise will give you a week for the price of five days usually.
As far as insurance, check with your company to see if it covers you for an overseas rental. Also use a major credit card like Amex. They have some protection on rental cars. I have never paid for extra insurance.
wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:42 last edited by@mik said in How to find a rental car deal in the US?:
off-brand rental company
What is an off-brand rental company?
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I would deal directly with Enterprise.
wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:43 last edited by@lufins-dad said in How to find a rental car deal in the US?:
I would deal directly with Enterprise.
You mean book directly via the Enterprise website?
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In addition, these aggregator sites like Kayak don’t actually save you money. One time I got a quote from them and then Karla got the rental directly from the agency. Her rate was $5 cheaper per day. I’ve done comparisons twice since then and it comes up the same. I get a better rate from the company directly. I’ve checked the hotels, too. Same thing.
wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:44 last edited by@lufins-dad said in How to find a rental car deal in the US?:
I get a better rate from the company directly. I’ve checked the hotels, too. Same thing.
This.
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:44 last edited by
Fox for starters. Stay with the big nationals. The ones offering such attractive rates are usually off brand.
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@lufins-dad said in How to find a rental car deal in the US?:
I would deal directly with Enterprise.
You mean book directly via the Enterprise website?
wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:44 last edited by@klaus said in How to find a rental car deal in the US?:
@lufins-dad said in How to find a rental car deal in the US?:
I would deal directly with Enterprise.
You mean book directly via the Enterprise website?
Yep.
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:49 last edited by LuFins Dad
Stick with Avis, Enterprise, Alamo, and Budget. I’d stay away from Dollar and Hertz.
Enterprise has consistently given me the best value vs service/convenience. Hertz used to be right there too, but there have been too many horror stories lately.
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:53 last edited by
One thing I just found out: I don't want to book via the local Enterprise.com website. Check this out. This is for exactly the same car, same dates, same locations.
US website:
Local website:
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:54 last edited by Mik
Quite a variation there. On the Enterprise site you make your reservation on the site you will pick up.
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 12:58 last edited by
$443 per week is great! I was expecting to see $700…
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 13:01 last edited by
I've found an offer that looks suspiciously cheap on the budget.com website.
Can you spot anything that is obviously wrong with this offer? It's far cheaper than what I found elsewhere for a similar car.
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I've found an offer that looks suspiciously cheap on the budget.com website.
Can you spot anything that is obviously wrong with this offer? It's far cheaper than what I found elsewhere for a similar car.
wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 13:17 last edited by@klaus Budget is a legitimate company that I frankly forgot about. I believe their specialty is long term rentals which is ideal for your situation.
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@lufins-dad said in How to find a rental car deal in the US?:
I get a better rate from the company directly. I’ve checked the hotels, too. Same thing.
This.
wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 13:20 last edited by@george-k said in How to find a rental car deal in the US?:
@lufins-dad said in How to find a rental car deal in the US?:
I get a better rate from the company directly. I’ve checked the hotels, too. Same thing.
This.
And today’s little life hack…Look up the closest college/university to the hotel and ask if they offer a _____________ rate…
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 17:06 last edited by Copper
The best car rental deals I have found were at Costco
And it is nice to see several options all together
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 19:05 last edited by
I'm a Emerald Club guy ..
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wrote on 30 Dec 2021, 19:47 last edited by
Me too.