Originally Posted by
screeton
Hertz discounts seem to have gotten more complicated. We are trying to book cars for several trips to Austin TX later this summer. Discount options include Southwest, AAA, over 50 drivers (CDP 2007815) and the 203688 PC for 15% discount.
Not sure they've gotten any more complicated. It's always been tedious to check all the discounts you're qualified for, plus all the matching coupon codes that go with them. Then again, that's exactly what AutoSlash was designed to help with.
Originally Posted by
screeton
Any suggestions on how to combine these (if any combine) and when to book (weeks out versus the week of the rental)?
1. Book as early as possible (i.e. as soon as your dates are finalized).
2. Don't prepay.
3. Keep checking the rates, or use AutoSlash to keep checking rates for you to constantly look for a better deal.
Originally Posted by
screeton
We are also Hertz Gold and wonder whether any cookies in browser alerts to our previous Austin checks (and perhaps predisposes rates to be higher). Is the Hertz booking engine sufficiently sophisticated to make those determinations.
There are lots of conspiracy theories out there. The short answer is no--you will not receive a higher rate because of cookies despite what some folks will tell you. That said, the rental car booking systems are screwed up in all sorts of different ways. At one point or another, someone may run into some weird glitch that is resolved by clearing cookies or using a different browser. Trust us when we say it is simply a glitch and not some plot raise rates after you've initially looked at them or something.
Originally Posted by
screeton
Finally, is it the consensus that booking as guest versus as member achieves any benefit either way?
Generally it shouldn't make a difference, but we've seem some weird stuff with Avis/Budget in this regard. Typically with Hertz though you should get the same rates whether you are logged in or not.