iahphx

With the exception of status-induced loyalty (like if you have "titanium status," they usually take good care of you), it's hard to have much of a preference for one travel provider over another. Marriott just isn't that different from Starwood; Delta is pretty similar to United. But I think I really do have a preference for National over its competitors for car rentals these days.

With even a basic Emerald Club membership (which I assume is still free), it seems like you almost ALWAYS get a better car than when you book a similar class with National's competitors. And picking your own car is fast, efficient and perhaps even "fun."

Even my kids notice it when they travel with me. With other companies, even if I book a "full size," I usually wind up with something pretty small, like a Malibu. But when I show up at National, there's usually a minivan sitting on the Emerald Aisle I can take if I want it (I don't resevre a minivan with anyone, as they're usually 3x the price of the best deal on a regular car).

And what's even better about National's superior service is that you rarely have to pay extra for it. National is usually the cheapest or near cheapest.

So I'm a happy and fairly loyal customer. I wonder how many other travellers notice the difference.

DODiraq

I agree, I was a die hard AVIS guy until after 50 plus rental days they refused to bump me to AVIS FIST so i started using my hertz account but i tend to fly in to smaller airports that lack their high end lines so i would still end up with the base model focus...Enterprise sucks as ALL there cars are base model.. I was screwed with 50 days of a many base model cars from a very small enterprise fleet in SW Arizona..but those days made me an EE with national..I love the option to pick what i want..Even locations without EC/EE still give me the choice of whatever is on the lot...it's a great perk

iahphx

Oddly, Enterprise now OWNS National and the fleet is at least somewhat inter-mixed. I don't rent from Enterprise very often, but when I have rented from them off-airport, I usually get a stripped-down car as well. Since a coupon/code usually makes the "big boys" (including National!) as cheap or cheaper than Enterprise, I have little need to rent from them.

elCheapoDeluxe

Boy - I was with you on everything except for this. IME, National is one of the most expensive. I have to justify paying extra for them. Sister company Alamo's rates seem to be middle-of-the-pack and are still almost always cheaper than National.

iahphx

Do you use the "flyertalk codes"? If so, I've never found National to be more expensive than anyone else (except in weird circumstances where one company is just crazy cheap compared to others -- like not blacking out Hawaii at Xmas, etc.).

elCheapoDeluxe

I'm usually using the Continental airlines discount. I never use a code which I wouldn't otherwise be entitled to. Hertz is usually a UA FF discount, and Avis is probably the same. I've definitely come up with times that Hertz and Avis are cheaper - and Dollar is cheaper almost every single time.

drzoidberg

Sometimes the Hertz website shows me a super-cheap rate, only for me to book the reservation, and find out on return that the *actual* rate is actually higher.

I don't understand why there's a discrepancy between the Hertz website and actual charges, seems misleading.

maestrowei

This often happens to me when I get a "double upgrade" in the stall; 2/3 times with YF Altimas I get extra dollars tacked on return. I just make sure I keep the hangtag and show it if there's a discrepancy.

Your experiences zoidberg?

drzoidberg

It's why I prefer National's reservation system as the online price you see is the price you pay.

I always print out the Hertz web contract and bring it with me for adjustments.

iahphx

Yeah, another benefit of using National. I kind of wish there was some regulation that required "final" rates to be displayed to avoid any confusion. If National can do it, so can its competitors. I did have a problem about a year ago at Avis when they refused to adjust the rate for a coupon that had been "accepted" on the website.

michelle227

I do not recall a single instance since I jumped to National that they have been more expensive than the other companies...in fact, all of my ES choices have come in at under $20 a day inclusive of taxes and fees.

That being said, I can concede that costs when I have looked at them WITHOUT logging in have produced some high figures...

And, as others have noted, I have yet to have an instance where the rate changed between what I booked online and what printed on the receipt when I returned the vehicle.

elCheapoDeluxe

That obviously depends on the rental station. I've had rentals that were $14/day from national, and I've had rentals that were $79/day - always a midsize / ES rate. I've certainly had rentals were Dollar undercut National by $40/day.

I just ran a search on one of the stations I know this to be the case, BDL. For a typical 3-day midweek rental I got the typical result on the very first try. Looking at a rental from 1/24 to 1/27, noon to noon to keep the search easy. National = $310.99 all in vs Dollar $164.98 all in for a standard. If you show me how all your rentals are less than $20 I'd love to know! I'd bet less than 5% of my rentals are less than $30/day after taxes. Always renting from the same one or two stations? I rent from about forty....

Edited to add: Just took a look at the last couple pages of my rental history. Excluding free rentals, here's what I've got:

I know that several of those rentals (ATL, BOS, BDL, STL, HSV, PSC, GRB, MSP, SNA) I could have gotten significantly cheaper with Hertz, Avis, or Dollar. As I said - I love National, but price sure ain't the reason!

InkUnderNails

First, I do not use codes to which I not entitled. That is just the way I am. As someone that is self-employed my great big one-person company does not let me negotiate a great rate. I run an Orbitz grid and my "contract" rate comes in at the lowest nearly every time. Plus I get the pick you own car benefit which is worth a lot.

This week was different. The rate for National was going to be about $400. Enterprise came in at $127. I took Enterprise. Surprise! They let me pick my car from the class I had reserved. They also took my National number for credit.

Overtime footnote: I asked for a car with SAT radio. Of course there were none. There often are not at National as well. I have started carrying my INNO and thought I would just plug it in and go. There was no aux input in the Mitsubishi I selected. So I switched to an Impala, plugged in my radio and I was good to go. I did not know any car did not have an aux input these days.

michelle227

I don't have 'about forty' that I have to deal with...but rare is the instance I have had multiples from a single station. The only one with multiples has been DAL (which had better rates than DFW largely because of lower fees). Other rentals have included the Challenger from SNA a few weeks back that was less than $35 for the three days and the Explorer at STL that came in under $50 for the three days.

Maybe I've just had exceptionally good luck at having coupons from the National site that fit in with the travel I had planned at any given time...I don't know. I just know what my average all-in looks like for the time I have spent with National...

I do also have a fondness for smaller airports near the metro areas which tend also to have the benefit of fewer fees tacked onto rental vehicles...when I have rented at DFW instead of DAL, more than half the rental was taxes and fees.

azepine00

That shouldn't happen. If anything my price on return is usually lower that the quote as the latter often incorrectly includes taxes on coupon value.

Are you sure you compare the final quote that includes taxes and fees (same as national where the final number is quite different from "rate" you see initially)?

I have quite a few complaints about hertz recently but never on pricing discrepancy.

I also find is easier to find lower rates with Hertz especially on 1-2 day rentals - National doesn't seem to offer coupons for <3 days.