Does anyone know of any (airline or hotel)programs that have car rental awards. I know Hilton has a few but most are not eligible for Hawaii. There is one from Hilton for a one week rental but I called and it can only be used on one island. Unfortunately we will be spending 3 nights in HNL, 4 in Kauai and 3 in Hawaii. We got a few coupons from American when we received our airline tickets, but most of those are no good either. I have miles on AA, DL, CO, US, UA, NW and have Hilton and AMEX Rewards. I know AMEX allows you to redeem points for certificates but unfortunately I only have about 10,000 points -- only enough for a $100 certificate. Not nearly enough for 10 days of car rentals.

Any advise would be appreciated.

You may want to check the airline web sites for details. AA has car rental awards which are described at their web site, go to www.aa.com then click on AAdvantage, then click on using miles, then click on HospitAAlity awards, and then select Rental Cars.

My personal feling is that using airline miles to get car rentals is not very cost effective, and you may also want to look at paying for the car rental. Alamo has some coupons for 1 free day on 3/4 day rentals although I am not sure if you would be able to use them at Hawaii. Some car rental companies still give 500 airline miles per paid rental.

[This message has been edited by pgupta011 (edited 07-29-1999).]

Indeed you are sooo... unfortunate to be going to two of my favorite HI islands- Kauai and the Big Island!

Pgupta011 gives good advice here as always. I'd add that you can also check with hotels for combo's with a rental included. I once last year took a car with Budget (on the Big Island) and the Hilton Waikoloa Village for example at an excellent price, which was even in the Towers section with an Ocean view.

Also consider that even a straight leisure rental with typical AAA discounts are not that expensive in HI on a relative basis! Just plan ahead and shop for the best rates.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for cert's that are good and certainly post what I find if anything! Have a great trip!

Some good deals can be had for trips such as yours. Check Avis or Budget and ask for "Island Hopper Rates for Hawaii". Usually defined for car rentals of 7+ days and 2+ islands. Basically you pay the cheaper weekly rate but can use as daily car rentals on the different islands. Another possibility is an older link, but it may still be valid: http://www.onlyhawaii.com .

Forget the crazy-coupon rental-route. Most hotels in Hawaii have an arrangement that will add a car rental for an extra $20/day for an economy car. Call the hotels direct before your trip for details. One further tip. The roads in Hawaii are often narrow and can have many sharp turns. So this and with gasoline being $1.70+/gal, most people prefer the smaller sized cars. Enjoy your trip!