Any rental car tricks?

[JLee]

I'm flying into Orlando for my sister's wedding (which is not close enough to take Lyft/Uber/etc) in 6 weeks. I'm looking at ~$200 to rent a midsize car (bringing three people from/to the airport, I don't really want to squash in an Aveo). Does anyone have any tricks/tips, or do you basically just find the cheapest place and go with them?

Edit: Just found my corporate discount works out fairly well, the same rate as from the no-name company but from Hertz. I might go with that, unless I get any other advice here.

[geekette]

I've had good luck with Priceline, but haven't tried Orlando. There are some helpful sites around - better bidding and bidding for travel are two I remember, but it's been a while. Research before bidding!

[SoCal Spartan]

https://relayrides.com

[gaspony]

I've found really good deals through the Ultimate Rewards website. You don't have to use ultimate rewards points but you do have to have an ultimate rewards credit card.

[Dicey]

Short answer: Costco

More answers:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/one-way-car-rental-on-the-cheap-or-alternatives/

Still more in the comments here:

http://moneyning.com/budget-travel/costco-membership-hacks-2-little-known-travel-discounts/

Note: See if you can get a free Hertz Gold membership through your corporate discount program. It's an absolute lifesaver. In Orlando, the shuttle drops Gold Members off at their car. Turn-in is streamlined too. I prefer Hertz for this reason, but I always check Costco as well.

[Lisapants]

Diane C knows what's up. I've had great luck with Costco rentals.

[Argyle]

As the link says, AAA often gets you good rates.  You also can save around 30% by prepaying, but the catch is that there is absolutely no changing the reservation.  So you have to be sure you want exactly what and when you reserved.

I find that half the time when I reserve an economy car, they try to fob me off with an "upgrade" to midsize.  My rental car has to fit through a very narrow gate where I'm going, so I need the economy car.  I have to say even the economy cars aren't exactly tiny.  But at peak times, the chances you'll be "upgraded" while paying the price of the smallest car are significant.

[lakemom]

Are you staying in a hotel?  Check and see if they have a free/low cost shuttle service.

[kpd905]

Get the Barclays Arrival card, use the bonus points to get the car rental for free.

Otherwise get a car from one of the crappy unknown companies at the airport, they are always about half the price of Enterprise.

[FarmerPete]

I've found that using my employer's contract normally gets me the biggest deals.  I've gone on Kayak and the cheapest rental for a week in Ft Lauderdale was $900, but using my companies contract, I got one for $300.  Still expensive, but sooo worth it.  I'm not sure about Hertz, but with National, I can use a coupon code on top of my companies contract.  I can normally pick up a $25 off a weekly rental coupon online.  Whenever I search for coupons for car rentals, this website comes up  http://www.mousesavers.com/transportation-for-disney-vacations/rental-car-discounts/  Obviously, this may be more applicable for you, since you're actually going to Orlanado.  I'd check out their site to see if they have any advice for Hertz or other companies.

[JLee]

https://relayrides.com

Whoa, brilliant. I'll have to look into that; thanks!

Are you staying in a hotel?  Check and see if they have a free/low cost shuttle service.

The airport is ~100 miles away from the wedding, so a shuttle won't quite cut it. :P

[BMEPhDinCO]

Another vote for relay rides - we just used them in Boston in October and saved $150 and had a better, cleaner, newer car with GPS.  Just remember to register every driver independently ...

[JoJo]

I'm another that uses corporate rate.  The great thing about that is the rate is the same whether renting from the airport or another site around town (where using kayak or similar often has 50%+ higher charges for those picked up at the airport). 

Be aware of taxes.  Orlando rental taxes aren't too bad.  I recently rented a car in Kansas city, where it added $16 a day on $29 daily rental.