Cheapest Way to Rent a Car
Feb 17, 2009, 5:22 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2
Cheapest Way to Rent a Car
Does anyone have any ideas/ codes/ help regarding rental cars? I actually prefer to drive on my vacation as I haven't had a road trip in ages. I travel frequently for work so I have Starwood and Delta/NW points... but no rental car points - can I trade any of the above in?
Thanks for the help!
Thanks for the help!
Feb 17, 2009, 5:30 pm
#3
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I'll move this over to the Budget Travel forum since it's about traveling cheaply, and not really about loyalty programs per se.
Regards,
Gary
aka gleff
MilesBuzz moderator
Regards,
Gary
aka gleff
MilesBuzz moderator
Feb 17, 2009, 6:43 pm
#5
Join Date: Feb 2004
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I have been getting weekend compacts from Priceline and Hotwire (always Hertz and Budget so far) out of DCA for $12/day. No matter how many coupons I throw at Hertz, I can never match that kind of rate, so I forgo the Gold benefits and the miles. With the money I save, I could buy the miles from an airline and usually come out ahead.
You can redeem airline or credit card points for rental car certificates, but IME they are not a good deal. Using AmEx certs, for instance, would bump up the rate to the point where the savings from the certificate was almost negated, while disallowing coupon codes and disallowing Gold benefits anyway, while the redemption of miles for the certificate itself was a mediocre to poor deal ($0.01/mi).
You can redeem airline or credit card points for rental car certificates, but IME they are not a good deal. Using AmEx certs, for instance, would bump up the rate to the point where the savings from the certificate was almost negated, while disallowing coupon codes and disallowing Gold benefits anyway, while the redemption of miles for the certificate itself was a mediocre to poor deal ($0.01/mi).
Feb 17, 2009, 6:47 pm
#6
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You used to be able to convert American Express Membership Rewards points into rentals of various lengths at Thrifty, so there is at least a precedent for that sort of thing. I'm not sure what specific rental car awards are still out there, though, especially for your programs.
Be aware that if redeeming points for a rental car award, you are still responsible for the taxes on however the base rate is internally calculated by the rental company for the value of the award. In other words, if you book a rental car award and the rental company bills DL, SPG, AXMR, or whatever $250 for a week-long rental and the local rental car taxes at your pick-up point are 30%, you would be responsible to pay $75 to the rental company when you pick your car up.
Still, it's better than paying $250+$25=$325 for the same week, but in some instances (Alaska in the middle of the summer, for example, on a fullsize car at a base rate of $500 per week, where your taxes would be about $180), it hardly qualifies as a budget rental car!
Be aware that if redeeming points for a rental car award, you are still responsible for the taxes on however the base rate is internally calculated by the rental company for the value of the award. In other words, if you book a rental car award and the rental company bills DL, SPG, AXMR, or whatever $250 for a week-long rental and the local rental car taxes at your pick-up point are 30%, you would be responsible to pay $75 to the rental company when you pick your car up.
Still, it's better than paying $250+$25=$325 for the same week, but in some instances (Alaska in the middle of the summer, for example, on a fullsize car at a base rate of $500 per week, where your taxes would be about $180), it hardly qualifies as a budget rental car!
Feb 17, 2009, 8:07 pm
#7
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Feb 17, 2009, 8:52 pm
#8
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OP, can you give us more detail about your origin (and, if it's different, destination), time period, length of rental, etc.? Might be able to help you find a promotion that helps.
If your needs are not specific (i.e. you don't care about the company), Priceline and Hotwire's bidding systems work very well--probably better than anything we can come up with, though.
If your needs are not specific (i.e. you don't care about the company), Priceline and Hotwire's bidding systems work very well--probably better than anything we can come up with, though.
Feb 18, 2009, 9:13 am
#11
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2
More Detail
You guys are amazing!!! Thank you so much. Regarding the question about more detail - what I am doing is meeting my friends at the OBX (Outerbanks in NC)... and I'm leaving from nyc. So I will be leaving on a Friday, and probably coming back on the Tuesday or Wednesday after Memorial Day. I know it's a long drive ,but again, it's just because I haven't done a road trip in ages, that I am enticed to do so.
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
Feb 18, 2009, 1:48 pm
#12
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Be careful driving through VA. The State Troopers work in pairs so when you see one there is always another close by. Travel safe.
Feb 18, 2009, 4:00 pm
#13
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If you rent a car in Manhattan for a holiday weekend (or pretty much any weekend), expect to pay a small fortune. If I were making this trip, and not carrying too much luggage, I would seriously consider taking NJ Transit from Penn Station to Metropark, Edison, or New Brunswick, and renting from Avis or Enterprise down there. You will likely save two or three hundred dollars by doing so, and you'll avoid having to drive in and out of Manhattan.
Feb 18, 2009, 5:40 pm
#14
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Feb 18, 2009, 6:30 pm
#15
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Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8703e/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/104)
I just did a quick cost comparison on the Avis site for a five-day rental of a compact car from May 22 to May 27. If you rent from, and return to, Avis in Manhattan, the cost is $602 all in. If you rent from, and return to, the Avis in the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick, the cost is $194 all in. (Optional insurance coverages, like LDW and SLI are additional at each location, of course.)
An off-peak, roundtrip train ticket from Manhattan to New Brunswick costs $17.75, which should be covered by the gas and toll savings associated with renting from and returning to New Brunswick.
I just did a quick cost comparison on the Avis site for a five-day rental of a compact car from May 22 to May 27. If you rent from, and return to, Avis in Manhattan, the cost is $602 all in. If you rent from, and return to, the Avis in the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick, the cost is $194 all in. (Optional insurance coverages, like LDW and SLI are additional at each location, of course.)
An off-peak, roundtrip train ticket from Manhattan to New Brunswick costs $17.75, which should be covered by the gas and toll savings associated with renting from and returning to New Brunswick.