kzoom

Hi -

Could anyone with experience in NZ car rentals advise me on the following for an upcoming three week trip: 1 week North Island and 2 weeks South Island:

1. Any good Hertz Discount Codes ?
2. Other good car rental companies ?
3. Any other recommendations ?

Many thanks,

kzoom

sheepherder

So how do you get around the problem of credit card insurance not covering the car if you have accepted "any coverage."

Do any of the credit cards not have this provision? I know that Diners has it and therefore their primary coverage is not really available in New Zealand.

cestmoi123

My understanding is that credit card coverage is essentially worthless in NZ - Amex explicitly exempts the country from coverage.

SanDiego1K

Any opinion on Ace Rentals? I got a quote that is about 250 NZD cheaper for 10 days than Hertz or Avis. It's a substantial savings. Now, what are the gotchas?

Itsalongwaydown

SanDiego1K,

I know of several people who have used them and (I hate to say it) all have had problems from break downs to brake failures!

I've used a company called NZ Car Rentals 2000, on two occasions and have had good service both times.

I hope that helps.

SanDiego1K

Very helpful, Itsalongwaysdown. Usually, if a thing looks too good to be true, it is - and that appears to be the case here.

im-headed-west

Been to NZ 4 times have used EZY Rentals. If you'll pickup the car at/in AKL, AKL city, CHC, ZQN they can't be beat.

I head back to ZQN in a few weeks and will be renting their '05 compact that zips around the island and is fun to drive and was rented last time for $25 NZ / day.

They recently changed their name to Jucy.

SanDiego1K

Thanks, im-headed-west. I'm now looking at EZY Rentals. If I book this week, I can return the car with an empty tank of gas at no charge. It also includes a 2 for 1 Milford Sound Cruise coupon, which saves $55.

What insurance cover do you take? Choices range from -0- to $17/day. The cheapest, $8, reduces the excess from $1K to $100, but doesn't cover the windshield. I'm renting for 10 days.

I'm pleased to see that this company does not require a deposit, as the other company I mentioned upthread does.

YVR Cockroach

I got a very good rate at National using the Entertainment code. Rate was about the the majors, but checking for current rates, it's gone up substantially. It's actually lower than the EZY rental rate.

im-headed-west

They don't nickel/dime you, no hidden fees, free shuttles to/from the airport. If you're driving one-way between islands they may even pay your ferry if you're going in the right direction helping them reposition a car. Their cars are a few years old, but are in great shape though the budget model may have some extra wear. My Dec rental is one-way, ZQN-CHC, EZY charges no one-way fee ! ^

The tariff includes some base coverage, but for the rest I usually take $0 coverage/day, no windshield coverage; my CC should cover me. I will tell you that lots of roads are tar covered with rocks and rocks come flying at you quite often. I do alot of hiking and take unsealed roads which can get a little dicey.

The drive to Milford Sound was awesome and should not be missed but take some bug repellent.

If you chose EZY make sure to check-in online before you leave and you'll be on your way in about 5 minutes.

Pureboy

Thanks for the heads up! I just booked for my fare mistake C-class trip (Dec 25-31), and decided to hang out in the Queenstown area for most of the trip, with trips to Milford and around the Queenstown area. The free gas deal will save us quite a few bucks!

karenkay

just adding info about a surprisingly good rental experience in nz, we rented w/a2brentals, and to be honest i can't remember how i found them, but the rate--$19 a day--was dramatically cheaper than anything else we found. we picked up in akl, and will drop off there as well.

we ended up getting the additional cdw for $10 a day, and we're still ahead. currently driving a perfectly fine toyota corolla on the other side of the road!

msp3

This is maybe unrelated, but do car rental company reward programs function at all outside the US? The discount rates do, but do you still earn and receive benefits as you would in North America?