Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Cars from Priceline or Hotwire

We (NOLAlady) and I are about to drop using National, where we are EE's, and to start using Priceline and/or Hotwire.

We realize that everyone has their own requirements and needs when it comes to what they rent, and ours, far a variety of reasons put price at the top. We typically don't care about make, model or mileage and we rent over 300 days a year with about 30 different rentals. If we keep our gross rental costs at $30 - 33 per day for a mid-size car, we come out way ahead financially, since the one rental car takes the place of two owned cars including acquisition costs, insurance, maintainence, airport parking, etc.

The value of FF milage from National is $0.00 since you pay for it. The value of free days works out to about $3.00 per rental day, which isn't a major factor. We'll continue to use National, when they are somewhat price competetive, to maintain at least 1 of our Executive status' for the times we really need the Executive Selection at MSY.

We've now done 3 Priceline rentals and ended up with Avis for all 3. On our first rental, which we have now, we had to go through a lot at EWR to get a mid-size that didn't stink of cigarette smoke, which seems to be an issue with Avis acccording to posts on the Avis Forum.

Our questions are Priceline vs Hotwire related:

1. Can you specify a non-smoking car?
2. It seems that Avis is the low cost provider at MSY and EWR with Priceline, our two rental locations. If we have problems with our other already booked Avis rentals, is there a way to avoid them in the future when using either Priceline or Hotwire.
3. Are there any tips or suggestions that you can give us to get the best deals.
4. We have an unlimited number of email addresses since we own multiple domains and operate our own mail servers for our business. In theory, this would allow us to make unlimited bids on Priceline each day as we tried to get an acceptable deal by bypassing their 24 hour rule. Is this something they also track with IP's, credit card #'s or some other method?
5. Is there an overwhelming preference for Hotware vs. Priceline? Why? (We do realize they're different business models).

TIA for your feedback.

Our questions are Priceline vs Hotwire related:

1. Can you specify a non-smoking car?
You select only the size at booking. You can request a non-smoking car at the pick-up or can call in advance to the specific rental office when you have your reservation accepted.
2. It seems that Avis ...is there a way to avoid them....
You should complain to Avis's head office. They certainly have good customer service. And an opaque site has no provision for selection of a company.
3. Are there any tips....
When you book a hotel with Priceline, they often will let you know the lowest bid for rental cars they will accept. Remember to adjust dates and airports. Otherwise, look at BB and BFT for guidance. Hotwire tells you the price so what more do you need?
4. We have an unlimited number of email addresses ... or some other method?
When you bid at Priceline you are asked to initial a form that says you agree to their terms of service. There are numerous ways to be deceptive, but they are all violations of the agreement you will have signed. The potential consequences are serious enough not to counsel people to do any of them.
5. ...Hotwire vs. Priceline?
Hotwire has a lower fee but they both lead to the same place - they use the same suppliers and both don't give refunds.

TIA.
YW

We've now done 3 Priceline rentals and ended up with Avis for all 3. Hmm... I've Pricelined cars for my wife a number of times and always ended up with Avis also. Aside from low price, the main reason to book direct with Avis Preferred instead of Priceline is to dodge the line at the desk, but Avis service is deteriorating IME and Preferreds are forced to stand in line a lot nowadays anyway.

... we had to go through a lot at EWR to get a mid-size that didn't stink of cigarette smoke, which seems to be an issue with Avis acccording to posts on the Avis Forum... Can you specify a non-smoking car? No. Stinky cars affect PL and non-PL customers without prejudice.

It seems that Avis is the low cost provider at MSY and EWR with Priceline, our two rental locations. If we have problems with our other already booked Avis rentals, is there a way to avoid them in the future when using either Priceline or Hotwire. No. But deteriorating as they are, I still think Hertz and Avis are the only two ways to go; the others are worse. There is no quality leader in the car rental business anymore.

Are there any tips or suggestions that you can give us to get the best deals. Be aware that, contrary to the statement in the above post, when Priceline suggests a low bid range, it is not the lowest bid "they will accept"; it is the lowest bid they would like you to submit. They will almost always go lower.

We have an unlimited number of email addresses since we own multiple domains and operate our own mail servers for our business. In theory, this would allow us to make unlimited bids on Priceline each day as we tried to get an acceptable deal by bypassing their 24 hour rule. Is this something they also track with IP's, credit card #'s or some other method? If not, they sure as hell should. It's cheating, it's unethical, and it's against the T&C you agreed to as a customer. If you do this, I certainly hope you're caught and barred from the system. Cheating the system helps weaken it and threatens everybody's good deal.

Is there an overwhelming preference for Hotware vs. Priceline? Why? Priceline comes out cheaper.

Be aware that, contrary to the statement in the above post, when Priceline suggests a low bid range, it is not the lowest bid "they will accept"; it is the lowest bid they would like you to submit. They will almost always go lower.
. First - to know the current suggested bid you have to log in and update the entry. Then set the proper dates and airport. I have never succeeded in underbidding that price. They are usually remarkably low. If you underbid, what is your rule to succeed as you get one bid?

Thanks B1 and BearX220 for your responses.

As both of you pointed out, using a large number of email addresses to bypass the PL 24 hour rule would be a violation of the TOS and unethical. I agree and appreciate your pointing it out. I do feel that we can each place a bid during the 24 hr window without being either unethical or violating the TOS.

I agree that there is no 'quality' vendor. We've chosen National for their pricing and vehicle flexability choices at the 2 locations that we use and what works for us won't necessarilly work for someone else. Examples are:
National's Executive Selection at MSY always includes minivans and if we have a need, we get it at mid-size pricing. Because both of us rent, we can get pricing benefits that would entail back-to-back for a single renter. It takes us 10 minutes for one of us to bring a car back and for the other to check out a new one. One of us can rent for a week and get weekly discounts and then we can switch to a new weekly rental with those discounts.

We're not unhappy with National, only seeing if we can get a much better price for those rentals where we don't need any of the 'benefits'. We have a 6 day rental at MSY starting Tuesday from PL at $17 a day which works out to $30 a day with all fees and charges and is over $100 less than the best regular National, Hertz, Avis price I could get.

We're not unhappy with National, only seeing if we can get a much better price for those rentals where we don't need any of the 'benefits'. We have a 6 day rental at MSY starting Tuesday from PL at $17 a day which works out to $30 a day with all fees and charges and is over $100 less than the best regular National, Hertz, Avis price I could get.

Have you considered Alamo? They're usually cheaper than National and at many (if not most) locations they share the same fleet with National. You wouldn't get your Executive benefits, but you'd be renting out of the same vehicle pool for less $$.

I am not sure what I am doing wrong (or right?) but I rent cars fairly frequently and have never found PL and HW to beat what I have found through conventional booking sources that don't require prepayment and don't have cancellation fees. Cases in point - last week in Albany, NY and an upcoming trip later this month to Fairbanks, AK.

I usually go in with a price on a car, and bid and if I don't get it come in 24.

As far as I can tell, Priceline identifies you as being the same bidder based on a matching credit card number for the first and second bids, a matching email address for the first and second bid, and a cookie that it places when you place the first bid.





4. We have an unlimited number of email addresses since we own multiple domains and operate our own mail servers for our business. In theory, this would allow us to make unlimited bids on Priceline each day as we tried to get an acceptable deal by bypassing their 24 hour rule. Is this something they also track with IP's, credit card #'s or some other method?

TIA for your feedback.

One other thing. There have been some debates on other threads about the CDW alternative insurance via credit card if you use PL or HW. I have been told by my card issuer that whichever card I use to pay for the car rental (on PL or HW), it will provide the insurance. if it's a feature of the card. It does not matter what you use after that to pay for incidentals. But be sure when you bid or place an order that the card is the one that will honor an insurance deal. Check before you bid in order to be sure. It is also helpful to have your own liability insurance information with you. I've never been asked for it but others tell me that they have.

One other thing. There have been some debates on other threads about the CDW alternative insurance via credit card if you use PL or HW. I have been told by my card issuer that whichever card I use to pay for the car rental (on PL or HW), it will provide the insurance. if it's a feature of the card. It does not matter what you use after that to pay for incidentals. But be sure when you bid or place an order that the card is the one that will honor an insurance deal. Check before you bid in order to be sure. It is also helpful to have your own liability insurance information with you. I've never been asked for it but others tell me that they have.

Definitely wise advice. I know that AmEx has told me more than once that all charges related to the rental must be placed on their card in order for the insurance to be valid.

And I have been asked in CA more than once for proof of my liability insurance. CA is one of the few, if not the only, state that does not require the car rental companies to carry liability insurance.