mangoMan

Is anyone else finding that National's pricing is crazy high lately? I need to book a 10 day rental at MSP in May and National wants $1000+. My corporate discount codes (for leisure travel) don't provide much a discount anymore (they used to, but that seemed to end around last summer). I am currently booked with Hertz (ack!) at about $580 for the same rental. I get rental rates of gone up a lot in the last year, but National seems out-of-whack with its competitors.

TXJeepGuy

I've noticed it can be very location and date specific. I've seen some crazy rates and I've seen some absolute bargains.

AppleBoy97

When in May? Might want to check your dates to make sure you're not competing with graduation / move-out on the 12th & 13th for U of Minnesota students and families traveling to the area.

huskyflyer

I notice it to. What's weird is that they then drop the prices sometimes by like 50% when you try to make the same booking closer to "last min". Once I saved almost 50% by booking last minute...It was like $110 per day a week earlier and a day before I got it down to $60 and plenty of cars on ES when I went to pick up the car. This isn't at your location though but I have noticed prices do go down sometimes

dvpatel

I have not come across a crazy rate the OP has seen. That said, I have never seen a "bargain" on National. Our corporate discount works for personal travel at both Hertz and National.

Hertz has consistently without fail beat out National by about $5 a day give or take on both daily and weekly rentals. Its always a few dollars more to rent at National than at Hertz for me on our corporate rates.

mangoMan

Yep, I plan to look at the 'last minute specials' they offer, hopefully at MSP for my dates.
Nope, we're arriving a week after that.

Wadda

For me outside USA. I am finding hertz much cheaper. 20-25% cheaper.

storewanderer

I have found their pricing way out of whack. National's prices have started to be higher than Hertz or Avis regularly (used to be about the same). Also pricing at Alamo is often no longer competitive with Dollar/Thrifty or Budget like it used to be. So I think it is a general thing with the Enterprise brands to not price competitively as they once did. Perhaps enough people are traveling that it works out.

Somehow I've had okay luck booking at these competitors lately despite many negative past experiences, and I'd still rather use any of the Enterprise brands due to past positive experiences.

It is starting to feel like National is reserved for folks with a corporate code only. Otherwise who in their right mind would pay those prices?

wobbly wings

Also feel that National pricing in the places I rent (SFO, SEA, mostly) is not in line with the market. I am guessing everyone is using their corporate code. Are there any openly available codes that may apply to the general public or general classes of folks?

I 40

Couple of weeks ago noticed company discount code for leisure travel significantly higher. Now a buck or 2 cheaper than going rate, prior was close to 50% off. Work rate still 50% off.

BelmontRef

I had the same experience last month but then about two weeks ago, my company discount code for leisure travel was again giving me the rates I had in the past. It's actually a dollar per day higher than Hertz but I mostly rent at ORD where National is 24 hours and Hertz is 5am-midnight.

duxfan

So you are arriving around the 19th for a 10 day rental. Memorial Day demand is probably affecting your rate,

mangoMan

Perhaps, but I have a reservation with Hertz that is about 50% less than National for the same dates. Memorial Day demand should affect both, I would assume.

El_Chiflero

Prices have been a good bit higher than Hertz for about a year now. At this point, I tend to go with National for the better car selection at ES rather than Hertz's Pres Circle selection. It's more likely that a luxury car will be in ES and I'm willing to pay the premium so long as the rates don't get too absurd.

Kacee

Revisiting this topic. I've almost totally stopped booking with National. Their pricing is consistently higher than Hertz or Budget, and not just by a little bit. In the past it might have been worth it for the Aisle/Executive Selection, but that's been hugely disappointing for me on most of my rentals the last couple years (the big exception being HNL, where they've been very nice about letting us take a Mustang convertible even when there's nothing on the aisle). I can typically confirm something premium from Hertz or Budget for about the same price as a midsize with National.