we're in Oz, need Car in Calgary--good site??
Mar 31, 2010, 12:50 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Gold Coast Australia
Posts: 96
we're in Oz, need Car in Calgary--good site??
We want to rent a car in Cgy from June 24-July 8 th. Any suggestions? I know it's Stampede week as well. Was just curious if anyone had any suggestions of a good/stable website. Wonder if I need the extra insurance? we do have 1 mill personal liability on our travel insurance.....Lisa
Apr 1, 2010, 2:58 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 3,665
You don't need a car in Calgary itself as they have decent transit.Your credit card should have the equivalent of CDW and your own auto insurance should cover it. Your credit card comes with information you should read about car rentals. Also check with your insurance agent about any specifics. Make no assumptions. Check Expedia.ca for an overview of prices. You can bid on Priceline.com. You should also take a look at Hotwire.com.. The general thing is to avoid any extra charges if you can as they are all profit centers for the rental company, from insurance, to fuel to GPS.
Apr 1, 2010, 4:11 pm
#3
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Wenatchee, WA
Programs: Lifetime AA Gold-1MM
Posts: 4,909
I would double check the advice given above to see if your auto insurance covers those things on an out-of-country trip.
I use Orbitz.com for car rentals, they give a good grid that helps you compare prices. It looks like Budget, Alamo, National, Avis, and Hertz all have rental counters in the Calgary airport. You could also check their web sites. For your dates, prices on Orbitz range from $376US for an economy car from Budget to $1,880US for a convertible from Hertz.
I use Orbitz.com for car rentals, they give a good grid that helps you compare prices. It looks like Budget, Alamo, National, Avis, and Hertz all have rental counters in the Calgary airport. You could also check their web sites. For your dates, prices on Orbitz range from $376US for an economy car from Budget to $1,880US for a convertible from Hertz.
Apr 1, 2010, 5:58 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Vancouver, BC
Programs: UA MM *Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 1,860
Dollar.com will more than likely have the lowest rates, for your dates in CAD $360.60 is where the prices start for unlimited KM. Also be careful that he car company is offering unlimited KM some do not, especially during the summer months. There may also be restrictions on where the car may be taken. Restricted to the Province you are renting in, restricted to the surrounding Provinces, may or may not take the vehicle into the USA. I would suggest you work directly with the car companies on this and not a third party. Be sure if you book that the price is in CAD$ not US $ because you will pay in CAD $
Apr 1, 2010, 7:45 pm
#5
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,365
Budget is 384.25 including all taxes and fees for the same car class (compact)
travelocity.ca and orbitz are decent sites. Then go to the car rental forums to look for discount codes
Apr 3, 2010, 8:30 am
#7
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Sweden
Programs: TK M&S Elite (*G), SK EB Silver, various more or less shiny hotel cards
Posts: 986
The advice you have been given so far is from North Americans. They usually have LDW/CDW coverage via their credit cards. I don't know about you Aussies, but for Europeans, only a few Platinum cards have that. So please check that, and maybe consult a webpage/forum based in Oz for answers most relevant to you.
Apr 3, 2010, 6:55 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 3,665
I want to emphasize that you should check with Expedia.ca (not .com) as they have contract rates with Budget and Dollar that are often much lower than you can get from the companies directly. This is not true for every city but it was for several in my experience. Budget will not match the rate quoted by Expedia.ca because it is a special contract. Your own car insurance should have a clause in it or one can be added to match the coverage you have at home,