Premium is cheaper than standard
 

how can it be?
then every renter will go for premium.
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http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...k/Capture1.png

Did you enter an AWD (or do you have one stored on your profile)? Sometimes the terms connected with an AWD will make the pricing look wonky, especially if the option is set to 'best available rate'.

yes, I do.

Maybe they have a lotful of Grand Marquis that no one wants...

Last week at SJC, on an intermediate res, they offered a Grand Marquis or a Hyundai Accent (out of intermediate cars). I heard similar offers to the two people in line in front of me, and no-one was taking the GMs.

Last week at SFO, I had reserved a standard - they assigned me a GMC Arcadia. Having absolutely no need for an SUV, I went back to the Preferred counter and asked for a smaller vehicle, preferably a Ford Fusion (which, you know, is what I'd reserved). 5 minutes later, I had a Fusion SEL with 72 miles on the clock. Why make me go through that exercise? Just give me the Fusion I'd reserved in the first place.

Is it close to the pickup date? I've seen Avis/Budget often discount car classes for the upcoming week that they have a plethora of. Last year I had a full-size rental until two days beforehand, when the Mid-size SUV became a couple bucks/day cheaper than a compact.

Premium can be cheaper than standard for the same reason that occasionally first class seats are less expensive than the least expensive coach seat on an airplane. When the pricing specialist (or an automated computer program) adjusts the prices on the coach seats (or the standard cars) due to supply and demand, but does not adjust the higher class of seat or car. Usually this is due to some sort of pricing mistake, although not always.

Also, in the case of cars, if 90% of standard cars are reserved already, but 80% of premium cars are not reserved already, the price of standard cars would be increased in order to push rental prospects into the next car class so as to insure that class of cars also gets to a higher level of reservations too.

Finally, right now, smaller cars are almost at a premium, because people want to save on gas.

Possibly, but in the vast majority of cases, it's the result of an automated computer program glitch. It's very rare to do this intentionally, since despite the claims of some people here, the vast majority of people are far happier being involuntarily upgraded to something larger than being involuntarily downgraded to something smaller. In other words, if someone books a fullsize and they're out, they'll complain less about being given a premium than if someone books a premium and is given a fullsize. Thus, it's far less problematic for a rental agency to overbook on smaller cars than larger cars, meaning it's not generally in their best interest to encourage people to book larger cars by pricing them lower.

It may be a glitch, and it may not be, but either way, I have seen the phenomenon of higher car classes being priced cheaper than lower car classes on many occasions over the last 20 years. I took advantage of it many times before I became a CC member 25 months ago.