Thrifty Promotions and Discounts
Promotions and discounts for Thrifty Car Rental seem to be mostly ignored on the Web, so I thought I'd start a consolidated Thrifty promotions and discounts thread here. I will attempt to keep this post updated with all known promotional codes. Please feel free to post your own codes or PM me about new ones and I'll add them to this first post for everybody's reference! (Thanks goes to ByeByeDelta, who inspired the design in his well-kept 2008 Amtrak Promotions and Discounts thread in the Amtrak forum.)
Unless otherwise noted, the following codes are publicly available and available for use by anybody (subject to standard rental qualifications). Nationwide promotions are listed first, while location-specific promotions are organized by region. About Promotions and Discounts Most Thrifty discounts are promotion codes and are entered in the "Promo #" field on the Thrifty website. Promotion codes are usually four alphanumeric characters.
Occasionally, a discount may be listed as a corporate code (also known as a corporate discount number, which should be entered in the "Corporate #" field at the Thrifty website. Corporate codes are usually 10-digit numbers beginning with 0. However, most corporate codes are for internal use by a specific corporation's employees, and it is not the purpose of this thread to publish corporate codes that are not intended for public use. Thrifty uses association discounts and corporate codes much more sparingly than some other agencies, who have corporate affiliations with every organization and association known to mankind and allow the general public to use those corporate discounts. Rather, Thrifty's strategy is to target the leisure market with rates that are consistently low (and are often lower than the competition's rates even with the discounts!).
Some discounts or specials may require you to visit a certain site. I will include the link in the description of the promotion. Reserving a Car It usually pays to book directly at thrifty.com. The GDS systems used by online (and brick-and-mortar) travel agencies (e.g. Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc.) are expensive to maintain, and the travel agencies receive a small commission on reservations booked through them. Both of these cost Thrifty money, and so rates loaded on the GDS systems are typically $1-2 per day higher than rates available directly from Thrifty (but not always!). My strategy is to use the online agencies to comparison-shop, but I then go directly to the rental company's site to actually book the car. (You'll have to do this anyway, of course, to use promotion codes; some online agencies do allow you to book using corporate discount numbers, but not promotion codes, through their site.) If you're a travel agent and want to use promotion codes, you may book through Thrifty's Travel Agent website, where you can enter your IATA number and receive your commission on GDS-commissionable rates (plus a $1 booking bonus!). Travel metasearch engines like Kayak and SideStep search multiple websites and then forward you to the vendor's site to complete the booking. However, Kayak sometimes misses Thrifty's site, and consequently, results for Thrifty found on Kayak may forward you to places like Orbitz and CarRentals.com (which use GDS systems and therefore usually have slightly higher rates). Before SideStep was bought by Kayak, it would foward you to thrifty.com, but it would do so through thrifty.com's travel agency site and load SideStep's IATA number (so SideStep would get a commission). I do not know if this affected the rate. I don't know the current state of this, so pay attention. @:-) Money-saving tip: If you're flexible or are renting for a longer period, renting from an off-airport location might save you some money. (Airport fees continue to creep up across the country, and in some places, it could save you 20% or more to rent off-airport. Since airports are usually owned by local or state governments, these airport fees are codified into ordinance or statute, and regulations vary for each airport (some require that you not have flown in within the last 24 hours, others simply differentiate between on-airport and off-airport offices, etc.). Sometimes, the more competitive nature of on-airport rentals results in lower rates (especially on weekends), and so a higher rate at the off-airport location could wash out the savings from not paying the airport fees. Be aware that most off-airport locations (at least at airports that have on-airport locations) do not offer shuttle service from the airport to their offices, and so the cost of a taxi or the hassle of public transportation or hotel shuttle bus shuffles might outweigh the potential savings. But all else being equal, the savings can certainly add up. Thrifty.com does not generally require you to input a credit card when reserving the car. That is because most reservations (with the possible exception of some specialty vehicles at some locations) are not obligatory--there is no penalty for changes (except that the rate might change), cancellations, or no-shows. Avis is currently working with the GDSes to implement no-show/cancellation fees, and Thrifty and other agencies may eventually follow suit, but for now, you can usually change, cancel, or no-show for a reservation without penalty. Some online travel agencies will ask for a credit card number, but this does not need to be the same card you're going to pay with, and often, that card number is not even transmitted to the location. DO NOT rely on the credit card entered here to pay for the reservation--the driver needs to have a credit card in his or her name with him or her when he or she picks up the vehicle (more on that in the second post of this thread).@:-) An interesting option is Thrifty's Wild Card program, available at most corporate-owned locations and some franchises. For about the same price as a compact, Thrifty will guarantee you to get at least a compact car (room for five people and two large pieces of luggage)...but a specific size, make, or model is not guaranteed, and Thrifty may give you a fullsize car, a luxury car, an SUV, a pickup truck, or even (gasp!) a minivan. To reserve a Wild Card, attempt a booking at your preferred location and be sure to choose "Show All Types" from the Car Type pop-up menu; if available, it will be listed under the "Specialty" type with a picture of flashing playing cards. (Alternatively, you should be able to select "Specialty" from the Car Type pop-up menu, but this will not always work.) The Wild Card promotion is a useful way to try to get a larger vehicle on the cheap, although you could (of course) end up with a midsize car or a two-door (but five-seat) convertible. I have not heard any experiences of trying to upgrade from a Wild Card reservation (if they put you in something you don't want) to another size (the waters get murky when you're trying to "upgrade" from a normally-$100/day SUV into a normally-$60/day minivan, although it's usually the opposite case). Reports indicate that the Wild Card is usually simply the vehicle that the location has the most of and/or needs the least, so it tends to be cars like convertibles (especially in the cooler months) and minivans. For a compendium of vehicles FTers have received under the Wild Card promotion, please see the Consolidated Wild Card Thread, and be sure to post your experiences as well! Also, note that the above link to Thrifty's description of the Wild Card promotion will insert the promotion code "WILD" into the booking screen, but this should not be necessary and occasionally even causes an error message to appear. @:-) Another option offered at many locations is the Hot Deals option. This is only offered on the Thrifty.com website. When entering your pickup information, make sure to choose "Show All Types" from the vehicle sizes. If the location offers it, the following screen will have a bright yellow bar that says, "Hot Deals!" Click the green button labeled "Click for Hot Deals" to view and book rates approximately 10% less than the standard rates. I'm not entirely sure why it's set up this way rather than just making the rates 10% lower (it may have something to do with keeping those rates from being published to the GDS systems), but clicking the "Hot Deals" button seems to do nothing but apply an occasionally changing three-digit promotion code to the reservation (I've seen it apply 622, 101, 582, and others, and it will probably change again soon). Do be nice to the agency and try to notify them if your plans change, as they try to manage the fleet carefully (even a small decrease in the percentage of cars on rent can drastically affect the bottom line, since the business is inherently high-overhead--most problems customers have with oversale situations is because rental agencies count on a 10-15% no-show factor, and when more people show up than planned, well, you know what happens). You can help keep someone else from being inconvenienced by ensuring you cancel any unneeded reservations. @:-) Sign up for Thrifty’s free Blue Chip program. Aside from providing you with express service--your rental transaction is processed before you arrive, so all you need to do is sign and go--and a satisfaction guarantee (or you get a free day), you can earn Blue Chip Rewards, which in some cases can be more valuable than earning miles with Thrifty’s many airline partners (see the section on airline miles for a FlyerTalk geek alert; also see the section below on travel partners for current earning opportunities). With Blue Chip Rewards, you earn one credit for each rental day. After you accumulate 16 credits, you can redeem for a free rental day. Thrifty occasionally runs a double Blue Chip Rewards promotion wherein you receive two credits per rental day instead of one, which can make the rewards program quite valuable. And now, what every FTer wants to know:[FlyerTalk Geek Alert]: Using Blue Chip credits, a 6.25% return would be the average, given that rewards are equal to 1/16 of the days rented. However, if you earn low and redeem high, you can do a lot better than that percentage. In fact, if you work the system right--earning Blue Chip credits on cheap economy car weekend rates of $10 and redeeming them on $160-per-day SUVs in peak season--you can redeem credits at over 100% (which makes it over 200% with the double credits promo!). Note that you do still need to pay taxes when redeeming Blue Chip credits, so if you rent from ANC, which has $160 (or higher)-per-day SUVs in the summer, be prepared to pay 30% tax on that $160 per day. If you choose to earn miles instead of credits, your results can vary widely. To earn enough miles for a standard 25,000-mile domestic saver award would take 500 rental days with the programs that give 50 miles per rental day (you'd need to open up a new contract every 30 days). At the average $30-per-day rental rate and assuming the average domestic saver award is worth about $400, that's a return of 2.6%. If you could somehow manage to piece together enough rental days to rent at an average of $15 per day and you redeem your saver mileage award for a ticket that would normally go for $800, you could see your return jump to as high as a [still pretty lame] 10%. (With the triple miles promo, that's a more-respectable 30% return.) Some airlines used to award miles on a per-transaction basis (UA used to give 300 miles per transaction, even if you only rented for one day), which allowed for a much higher rate of return, but these have gone away. Given the relatively low rate of return when earning airline miles and the surcharges that come with that, I'd choose Blue Chip Rewards over airline miles unless you rarely rent cars and want to keep your airline accounts active.[/End FT Geek Alert] Travel Partner Programs
U.S.-based airlines
Non-U.S.-based airlines
Hotel programs
Other programs
Bonus Mile Promotions
Now, on to the discounts! The Discounts Promotion or corporate codes are displayed in the thread's title (if applicable). The thread title will also be linked to the original source of the discount, if one is available. :-: means the discount is new since the last update. Ongoing Offers
US Nationwide/Multi-Region Promotions
US West Promotions
US Midwest Promotions
US East Promotions
US Northeast Promotions
Australia Promotions
Canada Promotions
Europe Promotions
Latin America/Carribbean Promotions
Middle East/Africa Promotions
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Renting the Car
Now that you’ve gotten a good rate reserved, here are some tips on renting the car. I’ve heard from several people that the world of rental cars is foreign and confusing, so hopefully these pointers will help. First of all, when you show up at the rental counter, you will need to provide a driver's license and a credit card. The credit card needs to match the name on the driver's license. It's not usually a problem to rent the car to a different person than it was reserved for (reserved for Joe Schmo but brother-in-law John Smith wants to do the driving), but the credit card needs to be in the name of whoever is renting the vehicle. If you can, use a credit card. Not only do most credit cards provide some collision damage insurance (though it can be flaky), many locations have limits on accepting debit cards or even do not accept debit cards altogether. Customers who only have debit cards are viewed by rental agencies as riskier for numerous reasons, and it's harder to collect on bad debt from a debit card with $200 in the bank account than from a credit card with a $25,000 limit. If you use a debit card to rent the vehicle, be prepared for some (or all) of the following additional qualifications or restrictions:
Handling the Sales Most rental agents are on some type of commission or incentive system, although the specific system and its lucrativeness varies between companies and locations. Some locations (especially some, but not all, franchised locations) stress sales, while others are less intense or have lazy agents who simply ask, "Do you need any coverage?". While nobody should be subjected to ultra-high-pressure sales (and in case you are, read the following so you know what you want before you get to the counter), a good sales agent can effectively show you the value of the options he or she is offering while providing excellent customer service. Do not simply walk up to the counter, toss your driver's license and credit card at the agent, and say, "I don't need any of your expensive insurances or gas." Nothing is more off-putting to the agent, and he or she might do something like give you the oldest, most dinged-up car on the lot or put a note to show you absolutely no mercy on fuel at return or overtime charges--or, in extreme cases, nitpick some policy in order to deny you a rental car. If you have your heart set on declining everything, the best thing to do is listen politely and then politely decline the offers. Rental sales agents actually have a good bit of authority (they're not minimum-wage order-takers) and can make your life miserable if you treat them poorly or don't respect them. (I know one agent who would make it a point to offer and explain every option in full detail--politely and with a smile on her face--if a customer walked up and told her up front that they were in a hurry and just wanted to decline everything. That could make a transaction take upwards of 10 minutes. Surprisingly, too, she said she actually had good luck convincing these people to buy some of the options using this method.) However, if you are interested in at least understanding what the rental company is offering, here is a description of the items an agent may offer you: Upgrades: It's obviously in the company's interest to roll higher-priced vehicles, but most people attempt to save as much money as possible by booking small cars, even though they'd rather drive something bigger (there's a reason the Toyota Camry, and not the Chevy Aveo, is the best-selling car in the U.S., and trucks and SUVs are getting more and more popular despite rising gas prices). Agents are trained to offer upgrades in order to balance the fleet and, of course, maximize the company's (and their) revenue. @:-) If you want to drive a larger vehicle, upgrading at the rental counter can be a way to get it for substantially less than what you can reserve it for--but not always. At some locations, upgrade prices are set in stone (or daily by a manager), while at others, the rental agent has a lot of leeway in quoting a price for an upgrade. The cost of the upgrade depends upon a lot of factors: your current rate, how many vehicles in your reserved class the location has (if they have 2 midsizes left, they might offer a cheap upgrade to at least get something for the SUV rather than have to give the SUV as a free upgrade to the third person in line behind you), how many of the larger vehicles there are (last Durango on the lot will go for more than one of 30), and even the agent's mood and how you phrase your request. (I would recommend letting the agent make the offer--asking up-front tells them you're willing to pay a lot more--and letting them know price is your main consideration by asking "How much is it?" when they first offer you the choice.) Agents will also typically offer the nicest/biggest/best vehicle in the fleet first. You can usually get a much better deal if you wait for a second offer or ask for something less expensive after the first offer. Coverage or protection: There are several different options available, and many people are confused by them.
Before you sign the rental contract, though, it's a good idea to review the charges, especially if your total is different than your original reservation's quote. It's a LOT easier (and you have a lot more bargaining power) to adjust or at least clarify things up front than complaining at the return (after you've gotten use of the upgrade or the coverage or whatever you "didn't know about"). Carefully read any spots the agent asks you to initial, too. A good agent will fully explain the contract and charges before having you sign it, but not everyone is as thorough (and, yes, there are a very few bad eggs out there, too, who may try to hide things in the contract that you don't want). After signing everything, you'll be directed to your car. When you get to the car, do a very careful inspection for any damage, no matter how minor. While most locations are fairly lenient with damage (minor door dings or surface scratches are generally not a problem and are considered normal wear and tear), it is in your best interest to make sure the agency has all pre-existing damage on record--or you risk having to pay for it upon return. Pay special attention to the less-visible spots down near the bottom of the car, the windshield, and the tires (look for low pressure, indicating possible leaks). Report anything you see to the appropriate person (a gate attendant, lot attendant, or back at the rental counter) and make sure they have it in writing (either on a vehicle damage slip or at least in their computer system). It would be in your best interest to have a copy of that record as well. (You should do this even if you've purchased LDW in the event that something happens that voids the coverage, leaving you on the hook for those charges.) Most corporate-owned locations and franchises do run an honest business and will not intentionally charge you for damage you didn't do, but sometimes damage does appear on cars and can be difficult to track down exactly who caused it. There are some less-than-ethical operators out there, too, and anything you can do to protect yourself is a good idea. |
Reserved--just in case!
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Just want to say Thank You.
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anyone got a promo code for SXM this march
thanks cal |
Originally Posted by xcalx
(Post 9102625)
anyone got a promo code for SXM this march
thanks cal *STSUV Details here: http://www.thrifty.com/specials/16708.aspx *STUP1 Details here: http://www.thrifty.com/specials/16709.aspx *STM5 Details here: http://www.thrifty.com/specials/16706.aspx And the full list of Latin America/Carribbean promotions here: http://www.thrifty.com/specials/Deals_Mexico.aspx |
I booked a few days ago with WMRT and it worked fine. However today it doesn't seem to work, nor does SAMS. AU11 and AX11 still give 5% though.
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Originally Posted by stoked
(Post 9152765)
I booked a few days ago with WMRT and it worked fine. However today it doesn't seem to work, nor does SAMS. AU11 and AX11 still give 5% though.
By AX11, did you mean AX10? Or is there a separate AX11 promotion? (I'm not aware of one.) |
Originally Posted by jackal
(Post 9152848)
By AX11, did you mean AX10? Or is there a separate AX11 promotion? (I'm not aware of one.) Sorry AX10. Couple hours later the prices dropped again, used AU11 to save another 5 bucks. |
Originally Posted by stoked
(Post 9155151)
Sorry AX10. Couple hours later the prices dropped again, used AU11 to save another 5 bucks.
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very nice post.
Sadly, no code worked for a march 8-15 in miami, only 004M001010. |
I tried using SAMS and WMRTand neither worked (they had in the past)
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I reserved a car in sept for the holiday weeks in march and april and got a great rate but now may need to turn the car in early and perhaps to a different location. When I look at making a new res the fee is more than twice my res so I don't want to cancel. Can I just bring the car back early at a different location and what fees will I incur as I can only find the $15 early drop off fee online? Thanks!
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As I understand it, you should be able to drop the car off earlier without rebooking without causing a rate change (i.e. the rate won't recalculate to that higher rate), but you will be responsible for that $15/day early return fee. Dropping off at a different location will also incur a drop fee, but that would be the same whether you did it without notification or booked in advance. So your best bet should be to leave it as is and simply return it early.
Note that if your pickup location is a franchise, you won't be able to return it to a different location (unless it's owned by the same franchise, but SEA and PDX was the last multi-city franchise that I was aware of, and it's now corporate). Franchises also don't typically charge that early-return fee, either (yet, anyway--it's still pretty new even at corporate locations). If the website lets you put in the option to drop off at your alternate location, then most likely the pickup location is corporate (and will allow the drop-off and will charge the early-return fee). Might not hurt to ask how it will work when you pick up the vehicle to prevent any surprises, though. |
Thankyou for your quick response. I will be picking up at FLL and would like to drop off early at PBI as I am in the process of changing flights. Do you think that I should call the reservation line and just ask or just adjust my flights and then tell them when I bring the car to PBI? Thanks again
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