Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I would be careful using some of those codes found online, you could be liable for fraud. Some of the codes are for conventions or a specific employee, and one bad accident can spill the beans on your discount.
Amex rewards offers a pretty good exchange with enterprise rental car, sign up as an enterprise member, and see for yourself. We just rented in Florida for a week, for peanuts, on a points transfer.
The problem with "discount codes" is it gives the discount off the full priced rack rate. Most of the special rental car deals are available right from the website without any code searching. I've tried discount codes but usually just end up shopping and comparing prices directly from the rental car web sites and get cheaper rates without the codes. You don't need to mess with the "discount code" game.
My strategy is booking early then searching to see if rates go down, and they often do, usually a reflection of changing demand from day to day. Rental cars aren't like airlines where you are fixed and committed. You can book, cancel, and rebook as much as you want.
It's a flat rate per rental instead of per day ($15 for Florida residents, $12-$24 per rental for other states and options) that is good pretty much anywhere in the world you'd want to rent a car except for Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, and New Zealand, and yes, that includes Aruba. It also covers the dread 'loss of use' the rental car company attempts to charge if a repair claim is made on a vehicle.
It is a good deal, but generally only if you're renting more than 2-3 days. I am charged $19.99 for the insurance for every rental period. But this is $19.99 if I rented a car for a day or $19.99 if I rented a car for 20 days. Thus, if I am only renting a car for a day, which I do sometimes, it will not be worthwhile for me to utilize the AMEX insurance as I can buy collision (and the AMEX insurance only covers collision) coverage for about $10.99 a day.
The problem with "discount codes" is it gives the discount off the full priced rack rate. Most of the special rental car deals are available right from the website without any code searching. I've tried discount codes but usually just end up shopping and comparing prices directly from the rental car web sites and get cheaper rates without the codes. You don't need to mess with the "discount code" game.
My strategy is booking early then searching to see if rates go down, and they often do, usually a reflection of changing demand from day to day. Rental cars aren't like airlines where you are fixed and committed. You can book, cancel, and rebook as much as you want.
Book early and book often. For my last trip, I needed a rental car for two weeks in Cincinnati and a one way rental from Cincinnati to Tucson. I probably booked and rebooked those trips SIX times before I got the best rates which were $210 and $195 respectively and that included all fees and taxes. My initial rates were $375 and $298.
All of my friends tell me that they get the "BEST RATES" from Costco so in the last year, I have checked Costco after each booking and have found that it is just not the case.
The best way to get a cheap rate is NOT booking at the airport locations dues to all of the taxes, facility fees and the like. For a recent trip to Chicago-Midway Airport, taxes and fees were 35-40% of the cost of the rental. A $2 CTA ride took me to a Hertz location where the fees were only 10%. That is probably not worth the hassle on a one day rental but on a several week rental, it is significant.
The best way to get a cheap rate is NOT booking at the airport locations dues to all of the taxes, facility fees and the like. For a recent trip to Chicago-Midway Airport, taxes and fees were 35-40% of the cost of the rental. A $2 CTA ride took me to a Hertz location where the fees were only 10%. That is probably not worth the hassle on a one day rental but on a several week rental, it is significant.
I think Denver International Airport is probably one of the worst when it comes to price gouging and rental cars, you can easily save hundreds (for 3+ day rentals) to rent a car away from the Denver airport.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
