Car Rental Booking Test Yields Surprising Results

Archived Comments:

• Ritzy53 - October 7, 2009

  I always use Southwest.com to book car rentals. You don't have to be flying SW to book it. I've gotten cars for $60 for the week midsize in Florida. You just have to keep checking back each day to see if the cost came down and then rebook it. Great deals!!!!

• Gerry - October 7, 2009

  I ALWAYS keep checking to see if the prices go down after signing on for a rental. I mostly use CarRentals.com. One time I had really good luck with Hotwire (Hertz); but, for a trip I'm now planning I find it difficult to enter a "return at different location" with them.

• durf - October 7, 2009

  I usually have my best luck with entertainment.com (you have to have purchased an entertainment book in order to use it). I do thoroughly check all the other options as well and, as an above comment suggests, book a rental and then check back frequently to re-book in/when the rate goes down.

• Rjslatt - October 7, 2009

  When I book cars for Europe I use carrentals.co.uk and pick England as my home country instead of the U.S. It's amazing how much cheaper the prices are than booking on sites over here.

• Suzelle - October 7, 2009

  Hotwire is usually my source, but certainly these days, having 1-2 others to bounce around and cross check, AND check over a couple of days is very prudent to one getting the most affordable option. Most recently, Hotwire went from a week or so before my trip at ca. $190, then 3 days prior, $500+, then the next day, it was low $200s .. and then I booked it! Carrentals.com has also intermittently worked, especially in its rental offerings of the more local companies' offerings in an area.

• Gerry - October 8, 2009

  I rent frequently for myself and others in my work group. I've had considerable succcess, both in cost savings and convenience, with RentalCarMagic.com. Their search process ususally comes up with a price far better than other sites. What I love about the site is that it does the work for me. I'm tired of constantly checking rates.....

• Aimee - October 8, 2009

  I agree that most travel sites offer approximately the same rates, with the exception of Hotwire and Priceline. Alamo Hot Deals often offers midsize cars for $13 per day in select locations also. However, this is periodic. I have consistently found the best prices using Priceline Name your own Price. Love, love love it. With name your own price, I've had bids accepted at 60% less than the advertised rate - ie $15 for a midsize car from Hertz in Myrtle Beach. However, during peak demands - ie. Orlando in August summer vacation, the prices are higher. Then I use an off airport site that will pick you up and deliver you back to the airport.

• DaveM - October 8, 2009

  WHY on earth would anyone pay retail for a rental car? If one is willing to look hard enough, there are plenty of discounts available to bring the currently very high car rental prices down to a more reasonable level. No other travel industry segment offers a wider array of promotions. Take advantage of them! If you don't have the time, you could use a search service such as rentalcarmagic.com. They do a pretty good job of locating your discounts for you. Personally, I enjoy the hunt.

• Aimee - October 8, 2009

  I agree with DaveM. The hunt is half the fun! This applies to not only car rentals, but flights and hotels as well. Spiritair, Expedia, Priceline and Hotwire are my favorites!

• TTH - October 9, 2009

  I also agree with Dave M. I rent a car maybe 20 times a year, and I love to hunt for a bargain. Unfortunately, I sometimes spend too much time saving only a few dollars. But I do enjoy it and it does pay off most of the time. I sometimes use Expedia and Carrentals.com. I've also tried Rentalcarmagic.com; great prices but also a search fee. Despite what my wife says, I think I'll keep "wasting my time" for the fun of it.

• Bob808 - October 14, 2009

  I agree with using the Name Your Own Price bidding system at Priceline. I've never paid more than $13 a day for cars in many different states. I cannot imagine why the author of this article didn't delve into this option in more detail.

• SarahP - October 14, 2009

  Bob808--Thank you for your feedback. The reason I didn't include an opaque site such as Hotwire or Priceline was to ensure a true apples-to-apples comparison. For example, on either Hotwire or Priceline, you don't see who you're renting your car from until after the booking process is complete. For this experiment, since I was testing direct providers prices against the third-party competition, I needed to see who the providers were on the third-party sites in order to compare offerings. However, I agree with you that sites like Hotwire and Priceline are a great way to save on rental cars, and have recommended them extensively in past articles (see http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice/what-the-real-cost-of-your-rental-car.html?id=3404040 for just one example).