March 2018 Rental car watch

I made a 3rd Dollar reservation tonight and then cancelled the 1st and 2nd ones.

Rates are coming down in small increments.

March 2-10
Economy
Total $212.60
AAA rate 3000049

I am arriving late and am optimistic I have a shot at choosing what's left in the lot........last time I happily drove off with a mini-van.
I know there are no guarantees and I will be happy with anything (almost)!
 
...Note: Budget was $148, but I prefer Alamo over Budget.

Same. And one thing to remember when comparing Alamo vs. many of the others: If you use the cashless toll option, Alamo (I assume Enterprise and National also) charges $3.95 only on the days you use the toll. Budget, for example, charges $3.95 every day of the rental, whether you have any toll charges that day or not (I think it tops out at about $20). Each company has their own policy and its definitely worth looking into.
 


My Alamo rates just fell today from $296 - $253.
3/1 9 AM - 3/9 1 PM P/up MCO, drop off TPA. Standard size
Used $25 off coupon AD2823JAZ, Insiders ID and Amex Contract ID 7016136
 


We always use costco and I find checking it once weekly or more is a good idea since prices can fluctuate a lot. Even days before can give you a great price. I also prefer Alamo since they let you pick the car you want from what's available in the aisles. Less month at MCO we had picked Budget because it was $50 cheaper for a mid size suv. Only problem was they had very few employees at the counter and the line was not moving. We opt to spend $50 more and do Alamo. This is not the first time Budget has had a very long line. People seem to think they are the cheapest. In this case they were cheaper but the line was super long and not worth waiting 2+ hours.
 
Just saved some money off my original booking today using American Express code and AOPA coupon.

Alamo
3/10 - 3/17
Standard
Corp ID 7016136
Coupon Code AD2365FDN
$176.11

So we are going to WDW from 2/27 to 3/5. We are thinking about getting a Ford F-150 so with these codes and us truly using our AMEX card I got the truck for 156.29....not a bad way to check out a possible future purchase.
 
So we are going to WDW from 2/27 to 3/5. We are thinking about getting a Ford F-150 so with these codes and us truly using our AMEX card I got the truck for 156.29....not a bad way to check out a possible future purchase.

Agreed...I've purchased two vehicles partially based on what I received as a rental (a Mitsubishi Outlander that I've now had for 7 years and a Buick Encore--based on a Chevy Trax rental last year). That's part of the reason I can't see why the manufacturers stopped giving the rental agencies really good deals on the vehicles...it seems like a great way for them to promote their vehicles.

Anyway, don't necessarily count on getting a Ford F-150. You might, but the vehicles you see on the rental site are more a guideline than what you'll definitely get. Still a good rate though!
 
Agreed...I've purchased two vehicles partially based on what I received as a rental (a Mitsubishi Outlander that I've now had for 7 years and a Buick Encore--based on a Chevy Trax rental last year). That's part of the reason I can't see why the manufacturers stopped giving the rental agencies really good deals on the vehicles...it seems like a great way for them to promote their vehicles.

Anyway, don't necessarily count on getting a Ford F-150. You might, but the vehicles you see on the rental site are more a guideline than what you'll definitely get. Still a good rate though!



Very true...I’m hoping for my husbands mental health we get a Ford...lol
 
I know it seems obvious, but I have to ask? If you book with an AMEX code, do you need to have an AMEX card?
 
I know it seems obvious, but I have to ask? If you book with an AMEX code, do you need to have an AMEX card?

I know with some of the membership codes, they're pretty lax about checking, but always have the right to. I'm not sure, but I think the credit card codes might be more stringent, like the transaction might not go thru at rental time if you have the wrong type credit card. Personally, if I didn't have an Amex card, I wouldn't use the code, but that's up to you...
 
Dollar has a pre pay option right now that I am tempted to purchase, would bring my rate from $207 to $191. Leaving next week. Waiting patiently vs. making a quick decision! Waiting for lightening to strike me I guess.......what to do? what to do? LOL
 
Now that I'm inside 2 weeks to go, I'm finally seeing some movement on rates at most agencies. Surprisingly, the best I'm finding is at Hertz:

March 16-22, CDP for AAA (this code varies depending upon where you live), coupon PC 203974 ($40 off week, also affiliated with AAA): $135.48 base, $165.09 total for Midsize
 
Another day, another price drop.

March 16-22, Hertz, CDP for AAA, coupon PC 203974 ($40): $121.34 base, $148.09 total for Midsize
 
just picked up my rental on Monday march 5th at 11:00am and here's what i can tell you;
RESERVATIONS - I had two reservations book, one standard and one mini-van - without skip the counter, but all my other details including additional drivers on the Alamo website - so no credit card on file
After landing, i went straight to the lot.
STANDARD CAR - As commented before, I can confirm there is no standard vehicle lane, so if you booked a standard size you go to the full size lane!
FULL SIZE AISLE - Surprisingly, there was only one car in the aisle - a Toyota Camry. There were about 6 pick up trucks and 6 mini vans. Keys are in the vehicle so you just grab the one your want. i grabbed a mini-van
CANCEL/SKIP THE COUNTER - From the lot on my mobile phone i completed the skip the line process on Alamo and there is an option to print the bar code that you need for check out (which I obviously couldn't do) . They also email ,almost instantly the confirmation with the bar-code. I also cancelled the mini-van reservation from my phone
CHECK OUT - At the exit I simply handed over my phone with the bar-code, my credit card and driver's license and off we went.
CREDIT CARD HOLD/Authorizations: When you enter the skip the counter counter details, you car is authorized $1.00. When you check out the card is authorized for the full amount of the rental.
 
I continue to see small drops with my Hertz rental:

March 16-22, Hertz, CDP for AAA, coupon 203974 ($40), midsize: $118.92 base; $145.18 total

Once that two week threshold was hit, I've seen steady declines. Overall, I'm about $65 down from where I was a week ago.
 
Hey everyone, for those March travelers that haven't booked car yet, check Costco again. Their rate is now lower than all the amex codes etc that have been posted. I tried about 10 different iterations for our trip next week and costco won. Under 250 for a week for a full size at Alamo (and hoping that the skip the counter option will give us a chance at an upgrade to something bigger!!) Thanks lwymant for posting that helpful hint!
 

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