Rental car hacks

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

How do you deal with these rotten companies? What are your tricks for getting the best deal? I will spare you the list of times they tried to screw me over and gave me crappy cars and crappy service, but I will say that I've always received better service when I've rented through a company rather than as an individual. It is painfully apparent that these companies care about individual renters about as much as UAL cares about its cattle-class passengers.

Last time we rented from Hurtz for our vacation and the car had mechanical problems, and the mouth-breathing dudes at the return location could not have cared less. I mentioned that (as one of many issues) the remote key was malfunctioning and we could not make as many stops as we wanted on the way back because we were concerned about the car not starting again. The dude replied, "uh, yeah, uh, like that uh like happens sometimes when uh like like uh the uh like battery runs uh like low". No apologies, no offers of even a lousy discount.

I filled out the survey and gave them all F's, but never heard from Hurtz. Obviously they could not care less about a repeat renter (tried their crappy card but it never did anything for me).

Any tips or discount codes (say, for Enterprise, who I am going to try--again--soon)!?

Thanks.

[Jesstache]

I always rent through Costco and go with the cheapest provider that has the type of vehicle I need.  Never have any issues, though if we did I have a feeling we could go through Costco if we felt we weren't getting a satisfactory response from the agency itself and get it resolved.  Plus, it's always about 10% cheaper than I can find anywhere else.  Pays for the Costco membership on its own with one or two rentals per year.

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

Wow, thanks, we have a Costco membership, but we only make it into an actual store only about 4 times a year (save our membership and more with each visit!). Didn't know they rented cars, but if they do funerals and vacations, why not car rentals!?

[driftwood]

Now that you have the Costco suggestion, may we derail this thread with rental car horror stories?!

[Khaetra]

I've always gotten good deals with Budget (I don't have a Costco here).  Last time I rented with them the car broke down and I had no issues getting a replacement and got an upgrade to boot.

[zolotiyeruki]

Now that you have the Costco suggestion, may we derail this thread with rental car horror stories?!

I  had a rental car last week.  The temperature was in the upper 20's and it snowed, which means my windshield got dirty as I drove.

The maintenance guys had filled the windshield washer tank with water.  When I went to clean my windshield, it got clean...but then the thin film of water froze, clouding my vision as I was driving at 50mph down the highway in the snow.

[Dee18]

Autoslash.com has been great for me.  They keep checking prices until the day of your rental and let you know if a better deal has come up. 

[ScreamingHeadGuy]

Have you checked with dealers in your area?  Many dealers also rent out vehicles, and I have seen prices lower than many rental companies.

[Catbert]

Another advantage to Costco is that within the US you get a second driver for free.

I book the best deal I find through Costco when I start trip/vacation planning.  Then I check back randomly for lower prices.  Car rental prices constantly change.  Sometimes an SUV is expensive while occasionally it will be cheaper than a sub-compact.  Often a pick up off the airport site will be cheaper  Be flexible.

[katstache92]

I definitely go with Costco too.  Their prices have always been better than anything else I could find.*  Plus you get the extra driver, as someone else mentioned, and you can cancel for free (every time I've rented) up until you pick up the car.  I usually opt for Alamo as I've yet to have a bad experience there.

*That wasn't with a discount car rental company that has the worst horror stories/reviews online.

Also, I get my rental insurance through Allianz rather than through the care rental company.  I think it's $9/day instead of $15+/day.

[JoJo]

I just use my NRA discount!

[secondcor521]

Autoslash.com has been great for me.  They keep checking prices until the day of your rental and let you know if a better deal has come up.

+1

[Goldielocks]

Car rental "horrors"

- I also had a car with water in the windshield container, during an ice storm, no less. (Portland, California plates on the car that I did not notice until we dropped it off).
- Rental cars are often base models.   Did you know that Jeep makes a 2 wheel drive version of their Compass?   Guess how I found out!
- Over inflated "plastic" tires in Wpg solid ice sheets driving.  Yes, it was exceptionally slippery, but all the other cars were managing.   I definitely had a safety hazard, several near misses, only because of my winter driving experience did I manage to keep in one piece.   When I mentioned it as a safety issue, I was told that all the tires were factory spec and inflated to the exact correct pressure.  Cheap tires + personnel that obviously did not know anything about car mechanics.
- Often I have been "upgraded" to a rear wheel drive vehicle in the winter / ice.  No thanks.
- No ice brush in the car, at the start of October, in Winnipeg.   (hmmm I must rent in winnipeg a lot?  or maybe they are just worse than the others -- that must be it!).
- One city would insist that all rock chips in paint / windscreen, and all scratched on the trunk bumper (for pulling in/out bags) would be charged to the renter.
- Another company had horrible charges for toll fees, with huge add on admin fees PER TOLL.   You learn how to avoid these guys / tricks, after a while.

- A long time / difficult time dropping off is what make me most annoyed now.


In reality, I have had very good experiences in renting cars. 

It helps to have the club membership card to ease pickup. 
Don't try to rent the mini econobox.   Rent the "standard" size (Hyndai Elantra, Ford Fusion) used for all their value corporate rentals, the cars are replaced more quickly and kept up to snuff.
I also use "Priceline Name your Discount" to get the best price.  It actually is not active anymore, and converts to a basic low price quote but I think it knows that you are price aware and gives a very low quote when you do this.  $10/day in Vegas sort of low pricing.

ETA:  Another problem -- one location had cars that smelled of cigarette smoke, more than once...   Complained and they seemed to get it, it stopped or they took those cars out of the pool.

[infogoon]

I always rent through National these days, as my company has a partnership with them, and I've found that the experience is a lot better than dealing with Hertz/Avis/Enterprise. Maybe they're more geared toward corporate customers, so they don't try to do things on the cheap?

[Just Joe]

We've rented through Enterprise many times. Helps that I am friends with the manager there. The cars/vans/SUVs are always clean and well kept. Prices have been okay.

The local Hertz franchise has been okay the few times we've used them too.

Are you dealing with a local customer service problem i.e. the local manager doesn't care and thus the employees don't care?

[ketchup]

My girlfriend and I have combined rented a lot of cars (average of maybe once every month or two over the past two years since we went down to one car) and never really had any big issues.  We've used Avis, Hertz, Enterprise, and Alamo. 

The only thing I ran into was once getting a giant fucking monster truck 15MPG SUV when I ordered a compact car.  And the Enterpise guy was talking it up like I won something.  Fuck that.

[boarder42]

i dont have rental car horror stories its pretty simple to get a good deal

1. book as soon as you know where you're going - rental cars dont require deposits or credit cards to reserve and have no cancellation fees at all typically(just dont prepay)
2. Check weekly to see if the price has dropped
3. when you get your car use a credit card that has rental car insurance
4. if you have an accident your credit card will cover it -

move on with your life.

[mm1970]

i dont have rental car horror stories its pretty simple to get a good deal

1. book as soon as you know where you're going - rental cars dont require deposits or credit cards to reserve and have no cancellation fees at all typically(just dont prepay)
2. Check weekly to see if the price has dropped
3. when you get your car use a credit card that has rental car insurance
4. if you have an accident your credit card will cover it -

move on with your life.

Pretty much this AND

- know where rental cars aren't worth it.

Case in point - I hate to be a burden to my family BUT...they live 2 hours from the Pittsburgh airport.  Which is where I grew up.  Each time I've looked into renting a car for a week, it's been between $700-1000.  I'm not sure why.  So, we beg for a ride.  I can rent a car from State college for less than half of that.

[boarder42]

i dont have rental car horror stories its pretty simple to get a good deal

1. book as soon as you know where you're going - rental cars dont require deposits or credit cards to reserve and have no cancellation fees at all typically(just dont prepay)
2. Check weekly to see if the price has dropped
3. when you get your car use a credit card that has rental car insurance
4. if you have an accident your credit card will cover it -

move on with your life.

Pretty much this AND

- know where rental cars aren't worth it.

Case in point - I hate to be a burden to my family BUT...they live 2 hours from the Pittsburgh airport.  Which is where I grew up.  Each time I've looked into renting a car for a week, it's been between $700-1000.  I'm not sure why.  So, we beg for a ride.  I can rent a car from State college for less than half of that.

you could also uber.  or use public transit when rental prices are 100 or more a day - rarely are they worth it.

[JoJo]

My car broke down in January and I was looking for a replacement.  My car dealer would rent me a honda fit for $20 a day + tax, but I checked the local Enterprise and got a car with tax included for $112 for a full week.   

Weirdly enough, I was curious how much it would cost for a full month as I had some extended vacation coming up where I didn't need a car and the price shot up to over $700.  So I checked to see if there were any high cost weeks in that month and there wasn't.  Therefore if a person rented week by week, the monthly rental would have been around $500.  That's quite a little hack for folks looking for longer term rentals.

[frekwentflier]

The best way I've found to hack rental cars is via corporate codes. These can come from companies you work for, organizations you belong to, or even from certain credit cards.  A simple Internet search will often yield a code you can use.

Costco, BJs, Sams Club, pretty much all of these warehouse stores have some kind of discount available. I'd say Costco's is the best.

Another place to check out is mousesavers.com. This is geared toward savings at Disney, but many of the posted codes work elsewhere.

I mostly rent from National and Hertz. My process is to find a valid corporate code that I can use and then stack a coupon on top of this.  For example, if I'm working for IBM for a week, I'll use the IBM corporate code and also use a $20 off/1 week coupon code.

For Hertz, the best thing going right now is the United Airlines promotion where you can get up to 2,250 United miles back per rental.  Details found here:  https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/products/travelproducts/car/pages/hertzoffer.aspx

The codes for this special don't always have the lowest prices, but when you factor in that many miles, it can be a great deal. You can do separate 1 day rentals and get the most miles. It's a PITA to return the car everyday, but you're basically getting $25-50 worth of miles with each rental.  Not bad for a little effort.

As already mentioned, autoslash.com is a great way to see if you can get a better deal. 

[penguintroopers]

We've looked at turo.com a few times, but never had a situation where we really did it.

Pretty much just renting another individual's vehicle.

[boarder42]

We've looked at turo.com a few times, but never had a situation where we really did it.

Pretty much just renting another individual's vehicle.

i've booked with turo 3x and never once gotten the car b/c i found a car cheaper at the airport rental car companies at a later date.

[MaxPowers]

If you have a Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card, booking through their travel portal has given me the best and most consistent results by far. I'd say 9/10 I book directly through Chase. you can still put in your loyalty program number for whatever car company, and you can pay part or full with points too if you want.

It also really helps to hold one of their credit cards that gives primary rental car insurance ( property damage only ). I'm sure all of us here decline rental car company's offered insurance, but it's nice not to have to be concerned with your insurance either should something happen, and in particular, if small things happen that would be below your deductible and paid out of pocket. Windshield chip? big scratch? Ripped the bumper off on a wheel stop? Who cares! Send it to Chase.

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

Thanks for the replies. I have wondered about Enterprise--are they more of a franchise than Avis, Hurts and the others? Are they all over the map in terms of reliablity, service, and maintenance of their fleet?

Also, I always get at least a mid-size or full-size vehicle.

[Dicey]

Another Autoslash fan.

Also use Hertz a lot. I used to be 5-Star pre-FIRE, still a Gold Member. I get treated pretty damn well. I noodle around on their website and click on all the codes until I find the best combination, then recheck as b42 suggests.

I have also had good luck with Costco, and I like the National Emerald Aisle Program.

Join the affinity programs! They save money and you don't have to wait in @#$%&☆ lines! I hate rental car lines!

Some Toyota dealerships have rental programs. They used to have great deals on Priuses. We saved so much on gas, it was like getting a free car. Last three times I've checked, the rates have been obscenely high ($65/day + tax). I think that ship has sailed.

[channtheman]

Another Autoslash fan.

Also use Hertz a lot. I used to be 5-Star pre-FIRE, still a Gold Member. I get treated pretty damn well. I noodle around on their website and click on all the codes until I find the best combination, then recheck as b42 suggests.

I have also had good luck with Costco, and I like the National Emerald Aisle Program.

Join the affinity programs! They save money and you don't have to wait in @#$%&☆ lines! I hate rental car lines!

Some Toyota dealerships have rental programs. They used to have great deals on Priuses. We saved so much on gas, it was like getting a free car. Last three times I've checked, the rates have been obscenely high ($65/day + tax). I think that ship has sailed.

I'm curious what the price at my Toyota dealer will be.  I've got a $220 for 2 weeks rental locked in through Enterprise but if the price was low enough, might go through Toyota instead for the gas mileage.

[PMG]

I’ve used Enterprise quite a bit, as an individual.  Usually I remember to use the Discover card discount code which gives you a free upgrade and 5% off base price.  Eh.  I am not so excited about upgrades and let the clerk know that I want whichever vehicle has better gas mileage.  Discover also has supplemental insurance when paid for on their card. 

I book ahead on the website, call the day before and again the day of to schedule pick up.  In my small city a week rental was right around $115 including taxes and fees.  Quite often they run a weekend deal for $29.99, Friday pm to Monday am, 100 miles a day. 

Join their benefits program and points add up to free rental days.  Free rental days are day units.  So, I can earn days on my cheap small city rentals, but use the days in a larger, more expensive city. 

One time (out of 40?) I had to wait two hours for pick up, then 40 minutes for a vehicle.  They “upgraded” me to a Jeep Cherokee, the last vehicle available. I was very kind to the staff (who were really doing their best) but very direct about how big of an inconvenience it was, so they discounted and gave me a free tank of gas, because of the massive tank on the vehicle I managed my weekend travels on that one tank and saved a few dollars (but not the environment) on that trip.

I do always return the car in person, no key drop offs.  I try to take photos of it before and after. 

I’ve never had mechanical issues.  I have had to drive thousands of highway miles without cruise control, which is pretty painful.


I might check out booking through Chase if Enterprise stops working for me.

[SnackDog]

The rental car business in the US is terrible and ripe for disruption.

You basically have six classes of rentals  Let's see -
1) Business - full price/service places like Hertz and Avis aiming for corporate travelers
2) Holiday - good price places like Alamo, Dollar, Budget, Thrifty and National
3) Budget - near-airport locations like Fox, which have horrific reviews online
4) City rentals - like Costco and Enterprise, not really geared to people arriving via airports. More likely to be used by people with insurance claims on damaged cars.
5) Exotics - hardly worth mentioning but there are places where you can rent high end cars for eye watering prices. Hertz and Avis offer this in select locations also.
6) Peer - this is is agencies like Turo which set you up directly with a private car owner and they bring their car to you at the airport.

Never in my life have I found a good deal for my own rental from Hertz or Avis.  I rent several weeks per year and have always found the best mix for me from using Budget or Thrifty (occasionally Priceline).  It is critical to be enrolled their frequent rental programs in order to avoid all airport lines.  As recommended Autoslash and coupons can save you up to 30% or more as can booking months early.  Best deal I have had lately was a brand new Mustang convertible from OAK for $22/day.  Lately I have paid in the mid-high 30s/day for luxury cars, SUVs and convertibles. Note that the price differential between higher end cars and economy is often only a few dollars a day.  Agencies tend to run out mid-sized cars so renting one can result in an upgrade just be careful you get a say in the upgrade.

If you are picky about the vehicle, patience is required.  You need to review with the agent all the cars available to you at your booked price. They will sometimes offer you something much better for the same price.  Agents have infinite authority to rent you almost anything on the lot.  Use your negotiating skills at the desk.

I have never had a rental vehicle problem aside from a Subaru with less than 100 miles on the odometer when the engine blew and a Nissan Sentra which I demolished by striking a tree. Both were towed away and replaced with minimal drama.

[boarder42]

your single data point about avis is just that a single data point -

i just rented a car via expedia for an upcoming trip to yosemite and the cheapest car - a mid sized SUV from Avis.  not budget or thrifty. 

I still stand by my point above to constant and consistently check an aggregator like expedia or various other online sites to get the best deal.  I've continually checked and have found nothing better than my deal above.

[mm1970]

i dont have rental car horror stories its pretty simple to get a good deal

1. book as soon as you know where you're going - rental cars dont require deposits or credit cards to reserve and have no cancellation fees at all typically(just dont prepay)
2. Check weekly to see if the price has dropped
3. when you get your car use a credit card that has rental car insurance
4. if you have an accident your credit card will cover it -

move on with your life.

Pretty much this AND

- know where rental cars aren't worth it.

Case in point - I hate to be a burden to my family BUT...they live 2 hours from the Pittsburgh airport.  Which is where I grew up.  Each time I've looked into renting a car for a week, it's been between $700-1000.  I'm not sure why.  So, we beg for a ride.  I can rent a car from State college for less than half of that.

you could also uber.  or use public transit when rental prices are 100 or more a day - rarely are they worth it.

Totally worth it in some places. 

(Just not for getting from PIT to middle-of-nowhere Pennsyltucky!)

[mm1970]

Thanks for the replies. I have wondered about Enterprise--are they more of a franchise than Avis, Hurts and the others? Are they all over the map in terms of reliablity, service, and maintenance of their fleet?

Also, I always get at least a mid-size or full-size vehicle.

We actually really like Enterprise if you need a care at a place where you are staying.  We've used them when our cars are in the shop for extended periods, or if we are visiting family for a week.  When you rent from Enterprise NOT at an airport, they are very reasonable.

So we've gotten great service AND great pricing by going to the Enterprise agency in the city where we live or where family lives - aka NOT at the airport.

[channtheman]

Another Autoslash fan.

Also use Hertz a lot. I used to be 5-Star pre-FIRE, still a Gold Member. I get treated pretty damn well. I noodle around on their website and click on all the codes until I find the best combination, then recheck as b42 suggests.

I have also had good luck with Costco, and I like the National Emerald Aisle Program.

Join the affinity programs! They save money and you don't have to wait in @#$%&☆ lines! I hate rental car lines!

Some Toyota dealerships have rental programs. They used to have great deals on Priuses. We saved so much on gas, it was like getting a free car. Last three times I've checked, the rates have been obscenely high ($65/day + tax). I think that ship has sailed.

I'm curious what the price at my Toyota dealer will be.  I've got a $220 for 2 weeks rental locked in through Enterprise but if the price was low enough, might go through Toyota instead for the gas mileage.

Email response from my local Toyota dealer:

"Good day~

I understand you’re looking to rent a vehicle. We have a few to choose from in our fleet. I’ve listed them below. Our pricing is all inclusive. We require valid driver’s license, full coverage insurance and a copy a major credit card to keep on file.

Corolla                 $45
Camry                   $50
Prius                      $75
Tacoma                $75
Sienna                  $95"

That ship has sailed, been hit by an airstrike, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

[TomTX]

I always rent through Costco and go with the cheapest provider that has the type of vehicle I need.  Never have any issues, though if we did I have a feeling we could go through Costco if we felt we weren't getting a satisfactory response from the agency itself and get it resolved.  Plus, it's always about 10% cheaper than I can find anywhere else.  Pays for the Costco membership on its own with one or two rentals per year.

Previously rented via Costco, was smooth.

Recently rented Alamo via Chase portal using points linked to my CSR. Whole rental was fine. Price was better (50% bonus on point spend on travel via the portal) - and the CSR still covers the rental insurance. Yes, I got that in writing (secure message, screencapped) from Chase.

[nick663]

If you have a Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card, booking through their travel portal has given me the best and most consistent results by far. I'd say 9/10 I book directly through Chase. you can still put in your loyalty program number for whatever car company, and you can pay part or full with points too if you want.

This combined with the discount from the Chase Sapphire cards are the best deal I have found as well.  My latest Hertz rental booked through Chase UR is cheaper than Fox/Sixt at the same location.