National - Wednesday through Sunday rental...brutal!

Renting in SNA next week. Picking up on Weds PM and returning Sunday AM.

If I do 2 reservations (Weds-Thurs & Thurs-Sun) the midweek rate for Weds-Thurs is $65/day, and the weekend rate is $17.50/day.

If I book it as 1 reservation (Weds-Sun) I'm charged $65/day for all 4 days.

How does this make sense??

I know the solution is to just swing by SNA on Thurs PM and pick up a new car, but it really isn't convenient.

Do all rental companies work this way???

I know the solution is to just swing by SNA on Thurs PM and pick up a new car, but it really isn't convenient.

Do all rental companies work this way???
Yes.
Weekday rentals are businesspeople on expense accounts = $$$$
Weekend rentals are cheap to keep the cars busy while the businesspeople go home for the weekend.

Perhaps you could split up your rental. If you had a free day you could do a 1 day rental to cover the weekday, then do the weekend rental.

I get why weekdays are more expensive and I am going to split the reservation although it is not convenient. Just doesn't seem right to me...

Hotels work the same way with weekday vs weekend rates, but they don't make me check out and check back in to take advantage of the weekend rate if I am there Weds-Sun.

Even National gets this if I pick up on Thurs and return on Tuesday. 4 days at the weekend rate and 1 and the weekday rate - see below from a dummy booking from 10/14 - 10-/20 in SNA

Base Rate - Fullsize (USD)
(4) Time & Distance ($17.50/Day) $70.00
(1) Extra - Time & Distance ($84.50/Day) $84.50

I get why weekdays are more expensive and I am going to split the reservation although it is not convenient. Just doesn't seem right to me...



Why do airlines want so much more for a ticket that doesn't have a Saturday night stay? 'Right' has nothing to do with it. This isn't a issue of morality.

Why do airlines want so much more for a ticket that doesn't have a Saturday night stay? 'Right' has nothing to do with it. This isn't a issue of morality.

While there are a few fares that still require Sat night, that rule basically went out the window in 2000. Yeah I know it has made a bit of a comeback last year and there are still a few examples. Still doesn't explain why Weds-Sun and Thurs-Tues are so drastically different with National.

The point of the Sat night stay is to screw the business traveler (or the company who is paying for his ticket) because they can. This example is screwing the vacation traveler. Didn't mean to imply any car rental company based decisions on morality, more that the current model doesn't make sense (common or business)>

While there are a few fares that still require Sat night, that rule basically went out the window in 2000.
Hmmm... CO requires a Saturday night stay on awards on tickets booked through 10/29/09. source (http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/apps/onepass/promotions/registrationDetails.aspx?promoCode=A6108)

The point of the Sat night stay is to screw the business traveler (or the company who is paying for his ticket) because they can. This example is screwing the vacation traveler.
I disagree. I take FULL advantage of the weekend rule. One can rent a car Thur-Sat & Sat-Tue at most rental agencies and pay the weekend rate. That leaves 36.01 hours of regular price Tuesday 11:59pm - Thursday 12:00pm.


Didn't mean to imply any car rental company based decisions on morality, more that the current model doesn't make sense (common or business)>
It makes a ton of sense to me and apparently to the rental car company's MBAs. Sorry it does not work so well for your 1 vacation. It's a business after all; if you don't want to play ball, don't rent cars.

It could possibly be a Web issue or reservations limitations. If the weekend rate is 17.50, thats what it should be charged at. There are no minimum days or minimum stay conditions with rental cars (when booking without promos), so the airline logic comment is irrelevant.

I would call National and point it out to them and see if the agent can override it. If they cant (which is what I am suspecting), make two reservations and when you go pick up the car, ask the agent at the counter if you can switch cars without coming back in (and tell them the reason). You have to have your EC profile complete with CC and other information. All they need to do when you call is return the old and assign that same car to your new reservation. They definitely can do it, but may/may not. Every time I pick up a car they just note down the car number off the key tag. So it can be done. The couple times I have tried to do this, it has been denied (probably becuase they dont know me and I didnt mention that I am EC, which means they already have my info and contract printed out).

Hmmm... CO requires a Saturday night stay on awards on tickets booked through 10/29/09. source (http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/apps/onepass/promotions/registrationDetails.aspx?promoCode=A6108)

So even though I said there are still a few fares that require a Sat night stay and there are examples, you still had to find a single award ticket example that's about to end anyway...ahhh...thanks???

It's a business after all; if you don't want to play ball, don't rent cars.

Wow! That was helpful :rolleyes:. Thanks for your time.

vrbaba - Thanks for the suggestions and I appreciate the response. I tried calling and got nowhere with that. I will give it a shot asking when I pick up the car. Now that I think about it I have done this in the past under different circumstances.

There are no minimum days or minimum stay conditions with rental cars (when booking without promos), so the airline logic comment is irrelevant.
Not sure what you mean by "when booking without promos", but I have seen many rental car companies charge a rate that only applies when keeping the car over a Saturday night.