Last edit by: AutoSlash
AutoSlash automatically searches thousands of coupon codes to find the best one that slashes your rental car rate!
How to use AutoSlash:- Request a quote at https://www.autoslash.com/quote. You'll get an email usually within 10-15 minutes with the best rates (it takes a few minutes to scan through thousands of coupons!). The email will have a link to view your quote results. The quote will include the best rates (after discounts and coupons) from each major rental company that AutoSlash was able to find. Choose which one you want to book and you can then complete your reservation.
- If you've already booked a rental elsewhere (or after you book one through step #1 above), register your reservation at https://www.autoslash.com/track. AutoSlash will periodically check your reservation for lower rates and will email you if and when a lower rate is available.
AutoSlash searches and books two different types of rates:
- "Pay Later" — retail pay-at-counter rates, just like the ones you can book directly at the rental car companies' websites, but with coupons applied to slash the rate
- "Pay Now" — specially-negotiated "Slash Deals" prepaid rates that can often be a significant discount from retail rates
"Pay Now" Slash Deals rates are booked directly with AutoSlash.
FlyerTalk Advanced Questions (FAQs):
Is there a fee to use AutoSlash?
No, AutoSlash doesn't charge for its services.
How does AutoSlash stay in business, then?
AutoSlash gets a little bit of affiliate revenue from the booking links in the quotes.
What big evil corporation is behind AutoSlash?
None. AutoSlash is a bootstrapped start-up birthed by FlyerTalkers (and even still employing mostly FlyerTalk members) with an initial goal of automating what many FlyerTalk members were already doing (manually testing dozens or hundreds of coupon and discount codes for each rental) and now aiming to be the best and cheapest place on the Internet to book rental cars. There are no plans to shut down or sell out, but if someone wants to match or beat this offer...
Why do I have to provide my email address?
It takes a few minutes to scan through all of the different coupon and discount codes, so a real-time search system isn't really possible. An email alert will be sent when your quote is ready, usually within about 10-15 minutes.
Why haven't I still haven't gotten my quote after 15 minutes?
During periods of heavy demand, the system may get a little backed up. Quotes are generally processed in order of pick-up date (rates for rentals several months out usually don't fluctuate very often), though there's a bit of logic in the system to try to make sure that people don't wait too long (more than an hour or so) for a quote, even when AutoSlash is featured on national news money-saving segments. Also, if you request a quote that doesn't return any results (like trying to pick up off-airport at 3am or searching for a convertible in Duluth in January—yes, those are real requests), your request goes into a queue for manual review, where a support agent will review things to see if your quote can be adjusted to find a result. That should be processed within a few hours at most (but often much faster). Also, try checking your junk or spam folder. Some ISPs tend to be aggressive about bouncing AutoSlash quote emails; feel free to reach out to AutoSlash support to check on your quote email status if you can't find it.
How can I get support from AutoSlash?
[email protected] is the best way to get in touch. A support agent is usually online Monday-Friday 8am to midnight Eastern time and Saturday/Sunday 10am to 8pm Eastern time. During that time, you'll usually get a reply within five to 30 minutes or so and pretty much never more than an hour or two. Most agents are long-time FlyerTalk members, meaning your response generally comes from the perspective of a frequent traveler (if not an outright travel hacker), not some clueless offshore call-center script-reader. Since it's a small team, not to mention they're FlyerTalkers and often traveling themselves (and working from on-board wifi), phone support isn't currently provided. Messaging (privately) on Facebook works, too, with similar response time to email (it goes to the same support agents). Public Facebook wall posts and tweeting @autoslash on Twitter as well as posting in this thread aren't as fast (the support team doesn't monitor those, so they're not the best channels for individual support). (Original post)
Why should I use AutoSlash instead of just going directly to Priceline?
If you search on Priceline.com's homepage for a rental car rate, you'll just get the same rack rates that you'll find on the rental car companies' own sites (plus a mix of nonrefundable prepaid Express Deals rates). The pay-at-counter rates AutoSlash finds are different (and usually significantly lower) than the rates you'd find looking directly on Priceline due to the coupons and discounts AutoSlash applies.
Why are rates on AutoSlash the same or higher than what I've already found elsewhere?
Could be a couple of reasons. If any time has elapsed since you found the lower rate elsewhere, rates simply may have gone up. Compare rates within a few minutes of each other to make sure both results are fresh. A lower rate you found last week really means nothing if you compare it to a rate you found today. Also, make sure you're searching for the exact same itinerary--even adjusting the pick-up or drop-off time by one minute could affect rates, sometimes drastically, especially with all of the rate management games the rental companies engage in these days. Make sure, too, you're searching the exact same location--a small difference in location can be easily overlooked when searching for off-airport rentals. The easiest solution is to book what you found elsewhere and then submit it for price tracking—that way, it's assured to be an apples-to-apples comparison. If you found or booked the lower rate elsewhere within the last hour and AutoSlash can't beat it, there's probably something wrong somewhere. Reach out to [email protected] for assistance and you're virtually assured to come out with an even lower rate.
Are reservations I book through Priceline refundable?
The Pay Later rates AutoSlash finds are not prepaid and generally don't even require providing a credit card (a few exceptions apply depending on company and location—no-show fees are starting to make some appearances). Be sure to look for rates marked "Pay Later," "Pay At Counter," "Free Cancellation," or similar, or just avoid booking anything that asks you to enter a credit card number, to avoid accidentally booking one of Priceline's prepaid and nonrefundable Express Deals. If you match the rate AutoSlash quotes exactly (i.e. AutoSlash quotes a rate with Alamo of $142.62, and you find a rate with Alamo on Priceline of $142.62), then it should be fully cancelable without a penalty.
Why do I have to prepay now? Why did you change?
Nothing's changed—only a new, extra option! AutoSlash still searches the same pay-at-counter rates it always has, and they're still in your quote (marked as "Pay Later" and bookable via major online travel agencies). In addition, AutoSlash now also offers the option to directly book highly-discounted prepaid rates, which are often lower (they're marked in your quote as "Pay Now" or "Slash Deals"). But prepaying for your rental doesn't mean you're trading flexibility—prepaid Slash Deals rates can be canceled for a full refund up to 48 hours before the scheduled pick-up time.
Are prepaid Slash Deals rates booked directly through AutoSlash refundable?
Slash Deals reservations can be canceled up to 48 hours before pick-up (in the local time zone of the rental office) for a full refund without a penalty. Within 48 hours of pick-up, cancellations are subject to a cancellation fee equal to 1 day's charges. After the pick-up time, reservations are nonrefundable.
I booked a prepaid Slash Deal. What if my flight is canceled or the rental agency won't rent me a car?
The cancellation fees are set by contract between the car rental companies and the booking vendor AutoSlash uses. AutoSlash has a limited ability to request exceptions to the cancellation policy but can't guarantee refunds. AutoSlash recommends you always carry a good travel insurance policy to help minimize issues with prepaid travel arrangements. (Original post)
Can I add my loyalty program to a prepaid Slash Deals reservation?
Unfortunately, there isn't a way to do this (though it's understandably important to most people on FlyerTalk!). However, due to the way National's program works, you can still receive your Emerald Club benefits on prepaid bookings--just book and then use National as normal, including skipping the counter and choosing a car from the Emerald Aisle or Executive Selection as applicable, and the agent at the exit gate will associate the rental to your Emerald Club account using your driver's license number. While not guaranteed, rental credits (including One-Two Free hits) should post normally. To date, no one's posted any experiences attempting this with other rental companies (please post if you try this!).
Are prepaid Slash Deals safe to book? Can I trust AutoSlash?
The booking vendor behind prepaid Slash Deals rates, Connexions Loyalty, is one of the largest vendors in this sector. They power the booking portals for many major financial institutions' rewards portals, including Citi ThankYou Points and (until recently) Chase Ultimate Rewards, both products used by tens of thousands of FlyerTalk members (so hardly a fly-by-night operator). Connexions has robust contracts with the rental car companies for rates and inventory. At no point does AutoSlash ever have access to your credit card information; the travel.autoslash.com subdomain for booking Slash Deals rates is actually hosted by Connexions.
What happened to the grid?
The previous booking platform AutoSlash used was discontinued (it was a division of Travelocity that got bought by Orbitz and eventually folded into Expedia and then sunsetted). AirportRentalCars.com, a subsidiary of Priceline, does have a grid that actually works reasonably well, but their support for coupons and discounts is broken at the moment--hopefully they'll get it fixed at some point. Most other sites out there we've found with grids have half-baked or zero support for coupons and discounts, making them a non-starter.
Known Issues and Workarounds:
Off-airport rate not found: Occasionally, a rate AutoSlash finds in an off-airport quote request won't show up when you click on the Priceline link. This is usually due to Priceline's default search not including the location AutoSlash found. (Priceline dynamically adjusts their search radius based on a number of factors, and they also always search from the geographic center of the city, regardless of ) The current best workaround is to take the Priceline URL and append &radius=25 to the end, which will force Priceline to show all locations within 25 miles of the city center (this can be hundreds of results). You can use the filters on the left sidebar to help narrow down the results and make it easier to find the rate you're looking for. (Original post)
Customizing tracking results: AutoSlash support agents can adjust the reservation parameters (date/time/location/car size/membership affiliations/etc.) as well as filter out specific rental car companies and disable searching for prepaid rates. Reach out to [email protected] or reply to your tracking confirmation or offer email for help with this.
Feature Requests:
- User profiles -- it's coming--slowly, yes, but it's finally on the development timeline
- Mobile-friendly design -- in progress
- App -- not much benefit to one until user profiles are rolled out. Let's get mobile-friendly design perfected first.
- Retain membership/affiliation choices in a cookie -- RESOLVED
Autoslash (General Discussion)
#1366
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Mexico
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT (2 MM); Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 108
I booked a reservation with Hertz from outside the US, and used a rate code that includes insurance. I then discovered AutoSlash, so I entered my reservation details to see if I could get a better deal. Since, I’ve been receiving notifications that AutoSlash has found better prices, all booking through Priceline. However, it’s not clear to me if these discounted rates include insurance. Is there a way to check T&Cs before completing the AS/Priceline booking?
Last edited by ord_is_home; Apr 22, 2023 at 12:58 pm Reason: Clarity
#1367
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,666
I booked a reservation with Hertz from outside the US, and used a rate code that includes insurance. I then discovered AutoSlash, so I entered my reservation details to see if I could get a better deal. Since, I’ve been receiving notifications that AutoSlash has found better prices, all booking through Priceline. However, it’s not clear to me if these discounted rates include insurance. Is there a way to check T&Cs before completing the AS/Priceline booking?
Just to clarify, it’s the point-of-sale location (where you are booking from) rather than the discount/rate code that generally controls whether insurance is included.
#1369
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,666
#1370
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 1,174
#1371
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,709
Probably so. There's no downside in tracking your existing reservation with us for lower rates. Prices change all the time. Just because you have the best deal today, doesn't mean that will still be the case tomorrow, or next week, or even the day before you pick up the car.
I used the tracking service on a booking I had and Autoslash managed to drop $700 off the total rental.
#1372
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 1
Probably so. There's no downside in tracking your existing reservation with us for lower rates. Prices change all the time. Just because you have the best deal today, doesn't mean that will still be the case tomorrow, or next week, or even the day before you pick up the car.
#1373
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,138
Interesting observation with booking a Hertz vehicle through Autoslash/Priceline. My Hertz Gold Rewards number is still consistently "not applied" according to the Priceline confirmation, and the rental does not show in my Hertz profile. However, if I look up the Hertz confirmation, it says the service type is "President's Circle", which matches my Hertz status. I'm guessing my reservation is somewhere connecting with my profile, but I can't see it and Priceline thinks it hasn't happened.
#1374
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 1,174
1. I make 5-10 Hertz reservations per month, mostly thru AutoSlash/Priceline, and my Hertz Gold Rewards number consistently shows up in my Priceline email confirmation. If I make a Thrifty reservation, however, my Thrifty Blue Chip number never shows up, not that I care...
2. When I go to the Hertz website to view my Hertz reservations, 90% of the time they all show up... 10% of the time none show up, but as you say, if I search for a particular res #, it does appear. Wondering to myself if it's a cookie/VPN issue as I run a rather complicated combination on my laptops, but honestly haven't fooled around with that to see if that is the cause...
fwiw
2. When I go to the Hertz website to view my Hertz reservations, 90% of the time they all show up... 10% of the time none show up, but as you say, if I search for a particular res #, it does appear. Wondering to myself if it's a cookie/VPN issue as I run a rather complicated combination on my laptops, but honestly haven't fooled around with that to see if that is the cause...
fwiw
#1375
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,666
Interesting observation with booking a Hertz vehicle through Autoslash/Priceline. My Hertz Gold Rewards number is still consistently "not applied" according to the Priceline confirmation, and the rental does not show in my Hertz profile. However, if I look up the Hertz confirmation, it says the service type is "President's Circle", which matches my Hertz status. I'm guessing my reservation is somewhere connecting with my profile, but I can't see it and Priceline thinks it hasn't happened.
#1376
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,462
By definition I get the best price through Autoslash since I use them exclusively for every reservation. Not sure why I would go through the effort of trying to make reservations myself.
#1377
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA 1K/1MM, Marriott Tit
Posts: 18,233
Questions about Hertz "Ultimate Choice" pick-up at Las Vegas car rental center.
I have Pres Circle status with Hertz. I have reserved a 2-week Q4 (SUV) for pick-up at LAS this Saturday afternoon (via AutoSlash of course). I could rebook as a C class for much less $ (although I consider my current price to be good). My assumption is that I can pick any car from the PC area regardless of which class (C or above) I book, and there won't be a preassigned Q4 waiting for me. I haven't rented at LAS in a while, so I don't know what kind of selection to expect. Last January in Maui, the lot was practically empty (mostly pickup trucks), and if I had booked a C class, that's probably all I could have gotten (They had to find a car for me, and as recall it wasn't even as high a class as I had booked.)
What has the LAS rental center Ultimate Choice experience been recently, and is my assumption incorrect? Thanks! (I recognize this is not an AS-specific question, but respect the opinions of the FTers that frequent this thread.)
I have Pres Circle status with Hertz. I have reserved a 2-week Q4 (SUV) for pick-up at LAS this Saturday afternoon (via AutoSlash of course). I could rebook as a C class for much less $ (although I consider my current price to be good). My assumption is that I can pick any car from the PC area regardless of which class (C or above) I book, and there won't be a preassigned Q4 waiting for me. I haven't rented at LAS in a while, so I don't know what kind of selection to expect. Last January in Maui, the lot was practically empty (mostly pickup trucks), and if I had booked a C class, that's probably all I could have gotten (They had to find a car for me, and as recall it wasn't even as high a class as I had booked.)
What has the LAS rental center Ultimate Choice experience been recently, and is my assumption incorrect? Thanks! (I recognize this is not an AS-specific question, but respect the opinions of the FTers that frequent this thread.)
#1378
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,639
Autoslash no longer working with Hertz/Priceline?
Couple of weeks ago I noticed Autoslash no longer returning best rates with Hertz. Just noticed that PC/Rate/CDP field in Priceline no longer shows up. Are these related?
Looking at 5 day in KOA. Autoslash provided post-paid rate on SUV of $584 despite me checking all affiliation boxes.
I go to Hertz directly with just United Airlines FFP CDP and got a rate of $441. Using a free day CDP listed on Autoslash website brought it down to $370.
Similar problems with an EV quote couple of weeks ago.
Looking at 5 day in KOA. Autoslash provided post-paid rate on SUV of $584 despite me checking all affiliation boxes.
I go to Hertz directly with just United Airlines FFP CDP and got a rate of $441. Using a free day CDP listed on Autoslash website brought it down to $370.
Similar problems with an EV quote couple of weeks ago.
Last edited by seawolf; Jun 25, 2023 at 11:19 am
#1379
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 1,174
On a somewhat related note, past few weeks I have noticed, that on occasion I get lower Hertz rates by going direct to the AAA booking site, rather than thru AutoSlash, even though my AAA membership is reflected there. Thought that was somewhat odd, but then, when does anything to do with car rental booking make sense...
#1380
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,047
Agreed - I'm often doing better with a straight-up AARP rate at Avis than Autoslash these days. I don't really get that since AARP is, indeed, an option in Autoslash.
Maybe they aren't able to add these codes in anymore through Priceline?
Maybe they aren't able to add these codes in anymore through Priceline?