Other Car Rental Programs (ie. Alamo, Enterprise) - help w car rental in mia

i have never rented a car other than when supplied by insurance after a car wreck, so i am a newbee.
need some help, suggestions or warnings,
do i need to buy insurance or use my own? which cc is best to pay with?
i'm looking for a week out of the miami airport in late may/early june.
been searching online and seem to get some of the best deals at Car Rental Savers site.
would prefer a convertible.
help please?
ps not sure where to post this so mods please place it where it will generate the most response. thanks.

We'll move this over to the Car Rental forums and leave a re-direct here.

Good luck and happy travels!

__________________

Cholula
CommunityBuzz! C0-Moderator

After trying various car rental companies at MIA I am now a Sixt devotee. They are the only company that has not tried to upsell me nonsense by lying such as whole tanks of fuel and sunpasses. They have great customer services and if you check the Sixt at MIA thread you will see they have awesome rates too. I have had two upgrades from them on my last 2 rentals.

They credit miles to pretty much all airlines. As for insurance, mine is always included, perhaps not if you are a US resident, run through a dummy booking and see or wait for another US resident to chip in.

Which CC? Dunno! Perhaps one that includes CDW

i was able to get a std suv at MIA (miami airport) in may/june,
Standard SUV Chevrolet Equinox or similar,
Base Rate and Charges
$259.67 USD for a week,
used code MUWA130 which should get me another $35 off

Get an Intermediate SUV for $159 per week/$22 per weekend day or a Standard SUV for $169 per week/$25 per weekend day. Use Avis discount AWD S767700 for rental pickup by 6/30/12. Valid at airport and off airport locations, may require Saturday night keep, blackouts apply.

adding coupon MUWA130 is suppose to get me an extra $35 off and they state that will happen at the counter.

Terms & Conditions

Intermediate SUV for $22 a weekend day or $149 a weekly rental
Standard SUV for $25 a weekend day or $169 a weekly rental
AWD # S767700

Offer can be reserved now for pickup by 6/30/12 at participating Avis locations in the contiguous U.S. excluding New York. The offer is valid on Intermediate SUV (group F) and Standard SUV (group W). Offer applies to weekend and weekly rates; weekly rates require a five consecutive day minimum rental and a 14-day maximum rental. A Saturday night keep is required. The weekend rental period begins Thursday at noon and car must be returned by Monday 11:59 p.m. or higher rate may apply. A Saturday night keep is required. To use this offer, reservation must be booked 24 hours in advance of pickup. Please use AWD S767700 to take advantage of this offer. Offer subject to vehicle availability at the time of reservation and may not be available on some rates at some times. Offers may not be available during holiday and other blackout periods; rate surcharges apply during peak periods. Blackouts include, but may not be limited to the following: Boston, FL, CO. 2/1 – 2/5: Indianapolis. 2/9 – 3/18: Ski Locations in DEN, COS, ASE, EGE, GJT, GUC, HDN, MTJ, DRO, CYS, RKS, JAC, SLC, BOI, IDA, PIH, SUN, TWF, BTM, BZN, GTF, HLN, SAF, ABQ, FMN, RNO, DN2, SL1, MU2, UT1. 2/9 – 2/15: Ski Locations in PDX, RDM, SEA, SE4, B3S. 2/16 – 2/27: Fl, AZ. 2/23 – 2/26: Orlando, FL. 2/16 – 2/21: Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno. 3/29 – 4/2: New Orleans, LA. 4/5 – 4/8: Florida 3/29 – 4/8: Fl, AZ. 4/16 – 4/26: Raleigh. 5/3 – 5/5: Louisville Dist. 5/24 – 5/28: Boston, Indianapolis, Charleston Dist. 6/28 – 7/1: Fl, Seattle. 6/28 – 7/5: BOS OPS, Charleston Dist Chicago, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh. Rates are non-discountable; they may not be combined with any other AWD number, coupon, discounted rate or promotional offer. Renter must meet Avis age, driver and credit requirements. Minimum age is 25, but may vary by location. An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old. Offers are based on US currency. Vehicle must be returned to renting location. Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges may apply and are extra. Optional products such as LDW ($29.99/day or less) and refueling are extra. Rental must begin by 6/30/12.

i had to go to the avis website to make it work but i also used code MUWA130 which should get me another $35 should be valid until 6/30/2012 and requires week w saturday rental. looks like it took it when i pluged it in, but will not find out until i get to the counter, think it's suppose to be a free weekend day for your weekly rate. there is another free upgrade for code TUWA016, but i'm not sure how this work with the suv.
http://www.avis.com/car-rental/ht...454000.gif
or
25% off + a free Weekend Day via coupon code "MUWA130" or 25% off + a free Vehicle Upgrade via coupon code "TUWA016"
http://www.dealsvista.com/deal/25...a130/80363

one more thing on fla rentals. been checking into the sunpass. some are better than others. https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar
cheapest are: $2.00 fee per rental day (24 hr. interval) that customer incurs tolls, plus tolls (at posted cash/TOLL-BY-PLATE rates) this is only the days you go through a toll, $6.00 maximum fee per rental period plus tolls (at posted cash/TOLL-BY-PLATE rates)
avis and others: $2.95 fee per rental day plus tolls (at posted cash/TOLL-BY-PLATE rates) this starts the first day you incur a toll and all subsaquent days of the rental, $14.75 maximum fee per rental month (30 days) plus tolls (at posted cash/TOLL-BY-PLATE rates)
while most the rest are $6.99 flat fee per rental day with $36.99 maximum weekly fee Pass 24® must be sold for the length of the rental contract. It cannot be purchased only on certain days. Pass 24 ® is a duration-based model and provides unlimited toll road access for a low daily fee per the length of the rental agreement

budget has a simular deal to avis.
got a ford edge for $247.91 TOTAL
for a week in mia in may - june. now i have to figure out if i want this or the Avis deal. i also applied coupon code MUWZ023 which is supposed to get me $25 off, but fine print says no coupons so it may not allow it.

my Avis deal was
Standard SUV Chevrolet Equinox or similar,
$259.67 USD for a week - $35 coupon (if they apply it) = $224.67
budget deal was
ford edge for $247.91 for a week - $25 coupon (if they apply it) = $222.91
so they are about the same.
think i might light the edge better than the Equinox, but still not sure.
they both have the same sunpass rates for fla.
i was really wanted a convertible so i have these as a backup plan and will see what i can find for last minute deals. i wonder if i called a few days ahead, if they would switch me to something else since the standard rate for these suv's are higher are about the same as a premium or standard convertible. also been looking at sixt, they are only in fla, but have more upscale cars like bmw or mb, just their reviews are either 10's or 0's with no middle ground.

mtbmtb01

Speaking to insurance. If you happen to live in New york your insurance policy is required to provide car rental insurance. Provided you insure less than 5 automobiles.