USirritated

First, I noticed for ZA that their ECONOMY and COMPACT classes are by and large the same vehicle, which is only SLIGHTLY larger than their MINI class (not the actual Mini car, the MINI class).

Second, I am wondering is whether you have any coupons, especially a car upgrade coupon.

Third, I also noticed that the time of day for pickup in the Joberg area will effect the rates for certain days, have you fooled around with time of day or varied your pickup days forward and backward by a day or two?

Fourth, I checked Joberg, but not Capetown or Durban, so where you are flying into could make a big difference in the rates.

Fifth, have you tried both 30 day rentals (the longest possible to reserve online, so even if you will be there for 31 days, you will need to call) and a succession of 7 day rentals to see if there is an unseen "surplus" charge for longer rentals?

Come back with more information and I will try to dig up more assistance for you.

seydou

Hey there. So much appreciation for your time and help. Here we go:

I'm renting beginning January 7. I technically land in the morning so would need it from the mid-morning onwards. I'm a US citizen and searching in US$ (and checking the box that I'm a US citizen).

I do not have a coupon.

I pulled in rate code D005150 to test with varying lengths. It is, as you'd expect, a gradient from 7 days ($32.85 / day) to 14 ($29.57) to 30 ($27.93).

Lastly, I could not get any variation with the times of the day. And I'm limited to flying into OR Tambo.

You also asked what I saw after searching with the AWD code. Copying and pasting:

Additional Information
AWD: D005150
Rate Type: Lowest
Rate Code: N/A
Coupon: N/A
Wizard: N/A
Residence: United States

seydou

Interestingly, I just did a search with no AWD and received the exact same rates.

This is different than when I rented before. At one time I got a ridiculous rate on the month -- around $575. These prices refer to "Economy."

Additional Information
AWD: N/A
Rate Type: Lowest
Rate Code: N/A
Coupon: N/A
Wizard: N/A
Residence: United States

USirritated

Wow, two days notice! My educated guess is that unless you find a coupon before tomorrow, you are probably stuck with what you have already found.

Actually, needing to take it in the morning might be a non-issue, because depending on where you are going in Joberg, there are several pick up locations right in town, and by picking up in town, you will probably avoid the daily airport pick up surcharge (might be a $2-4 per day) as an add on to the daily rate (meaning 30 days could add $60-120 in airport fees for the rental, over and above the rate), but this only applies if there are car rental airport fees for ZA, since all countries are different, and I have not yet been to ZA.

However, if the cost of transport into Joberg is over $60 (depending on what the airport fee is per day), then this might not be a savings, but the return at the airport is not an issue, because Avis usually allows city pickup with return to that same city's airport at no extra charge. This also gives you some flexibility, because if you are only traveling within a 3 mile radius (meaning 3 miles in any one direction) of your hotel for the first few days, you could probably save some money by not renting the car for the first few days or paying for garage parking at your hotel. Then when you do need it, you could get it right in Joberg, such as at the Hyatt, which has an Avis rental location in it or next to it.

Hunt around for coupons, including calling Avis customer service (800-352-7900) and asking them, also checking the Internet, and asking your friends or business associates in ZA to be on the lookout too (asking your friends might not be much help because you leave so soon).

Just on a quick check for time of day, I found a couple of variations for dates which were a bit further out, but that was before I knew your arrival date, since it is so soon, their inventory is probably already baked into the cake, so time of day will not matter in this context.

Rates/day do not always go down with longer rental periods, sometimes shorter rentals actually yield lower daily rates, it depends on their volume and inventories, meaning if they have a huge bunch of weekly reservations for $300/week, they will not want to rent for 30 days for even $1,140 ($2/day less over one 30 day month), because they will lose out on the income for the extra two or three days per month, plus lose out on the extras (if you don't take them), such as PAI and GPS (which is HUGELY profitable). Other times, they might have lower demand for weeklies, so it would be better to rent monthly than to have their cars sit unrented. Also, as we all know, sometimes rates for cars, or hotels, or air, can seem irrational or counter-intuitive, although to the travel companies, they make perfect illogical sense!

(emphasis mine)

I was only asking for the bold part above.

I would guess this totally depends on time of year. When did you go before?

dovey

I have couple avis free day certificates that I would like to get rid. Pm me for details. will save you tons on your rental.

broadwayboy

Are any of these codes valid for weekly rental in France? Thanks.

USirritated

Are you asking about coupon codes or AWD numbers?

For AWD numbers in Europe, check these out:
G298100
D005150
K851000 (Hhonors)
B149870
Z652297
D833357 (American Society of Travel Agents)
A074800 (Citicorp Leisure Travel)
A153700
G417900 (Kellwood Travel)

Current coupon codes are much more difficult to come by for Europe, since they change so often.

JerryFF

I tried this code and got some huge discounts on some weekly domestic rates. I called Avis and they told me it was for Peregrine Systems Meetings.

USirritated

Okay, I am totally curious, what Avis number/department did you call to ask them what company an AWD number is for, without inviting unwelcome scrutiny?

JerryFF

I called the regular 800 number. As a travel agent, I told them I had a client who wanted to use this number and I wanted to make sure it was valid for the booking he asked me to make. The agent told me without any hesitation. I have done this on numerous occasions.

bocastephen

The Golden Rule of FT - never call a travel vendor about a price, code, discount, coupon or anything else. If it works, great - if not, we need to move on.

USirritated

Good tactic, if you feel that you must call to verify.

I generally agree with BocaStephen on this, with ONE POSSIBLE exception. If the AWD number in question might totally deny the reservation made only while standing at the counter waiting for the keys.

Of course, that particular concern should also make anyone with a lick of sense question why they are willing to take such an unknown risk in the first place, meaning, Mr/Ms OP (avw I believe), you need to either find another AWD without similar risk, or use no AWD at all, if you have some concern the AWD might cause trouble.

dbrow16

A126900 Lockheed Martin corporate rate.
EXCELLENT rate.

When booking for HNL most suggested rates here were about $250 for a week base rated for a Focus.

A126900 gave me a base rate of $170 and change.
Try it and let me know if it works

easyride

A new winter special from avis.de
AWD: O253100
Book before 31 Jan for collection before 31 Mar and get 20% off

babsjvd

wow, saves me alot in Tucson. anyone know how strict avis is with id from lockheed? Lockheed has a branch in Tucson. any input is appreciated!

Babs