Costco for car rentals - seems to be cheapest always!
Mar 8, 2017, 10:55 am
#46
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,663
So you see: you are not that slow after all... Fact is Costcotravel has not to date partnered with a single Cashback site, nor has Costcotravel partnered with enough rental companies to provide consumer with options for better vehicles/better customer service. Briefly and sporadically, Costcotravel compensates for their backwardness with either gift card incentives or an occasional pricing error...And those are the only instances we actually need to hear about.
As to this topic's "always" headline - this is a misnomer
P.S. Gaming CB is already way too advanced. 90% of this topic's readers (who might rely on costco as their primary rental booking vehicle) don't even know what CB site is, let alone engage in multiple referrals of hundred others on your list.
As to this topic's "always" headline - this is a misnomer
P.S. Gaming CB is already way too advanced. 90% of this topic's readers (who might rely on costco as their primary rental booking vehicle) don't even know what CB site is, let alone engage in multiple referrals of hundred others on your list.
Cash back referral bonus are are different than cash back. Referral bonus is paid if you refer new users to cash back site.
Cash back from the transaction are usually in the range of 1-3% range or $3-$4 per booking. Take a $400 rental (and I'm being generous by assuming the percentage back includes the tax/fees etc). 3% is $12. This savings is small compared to not using the Costco discount in the scenarios where it is the cheapest and sometimes by a lot more than $12.
I get it that you can take the Costco code, and go to cash back site to book thru OTA or directly with rental agency but again this thread is about the Costco discount itself and not whether you can combine cash back and/or pay with a card giving extra bonus for car rentals for even more savings. It's great you point out that we can get extra savings this way but boycotting Costco's site!? This goes back to my earlier post, you can make the argument that booking directly on Best Buy, Starbucks, Kohls, Columbia Sportswear, Walmart, Macy's is not the cheapest unless you go thru a cash back site.
What I'm also further reading is Costco does not participate in cash back site thus preventing you from taking advantage of the cash back site's $10-$25 referral bonus (probably by creating duplicate cash back site accounts against cash back site's user agreement). Essentially what I'm getting out from your post is we should boycott Costco travel website because they don't facilitate you gaming cash back site.
Cash back from the transaction are usually in the range of 1-3% range or $3-$4 per booking. Take a $400 rental (and I'm being generous by assuming the percentage back includes the tax/fees etc). 3% is $12. This savings is small compared to not using the Costco discount in the scenarios where it is the cheapest and sometimes by a lot more than $12.
I get it that you can take the Costco code, and go to cash back site to book thru OTA or directly with rental agency but again this thread is about the Costco discount itself and not whether you can combine cash back and/or pay with a card giving extra bonus for car rentals for even more savings. It's great you point out that we can get extra savings this way but boycotting Costco's site!? This goes back to my earlier post, you can make the argument that booking directly on Best Buy, Starbucks, Kohls, Columbia Sportswear, Walmart, Macy's is not the cheapest unless you go thru a cash back site.
What I'm also further reading is Costco does not participate in cash back site thus preventing you from taking advantage of the cash back site's $10-$25 referral bonus (probably by creating duplicate cash back site accounts against cash back site's user agreement). Essentially what I'm getting out from your post is we should boycott Costco travel website because they don't facilitate you gaming cash back site.
Mar 9, 2017, 3:49 pm
#47
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: LAX
Posts: 10,909
In a way i am glad they dont have any cashback as those are a major headache to track to begin with.. they manage to negotiate great discounts with certain (perhaps limited) vendors and i hope they stay focused on that goal - if i were to miss a few $ of possible cashback savings its really not a big deal... its not a universal solution but the rates are much better than otbitz, expedia etc...
Mar 10, 2017, 3:26 am
#48
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,663
I agree as a consumer that trying to outperform "the crowd" can be a major headache - but isn't it why most of us are here!
It would be an oversimplification of this wonderful forum to say: hey, I'll just let a retailer (pretending to be a wholesaler) run my travel book for me - and I'll still excel in the space in the deal space.
Just like the other commentator went about (possibly) gaming some promotion sites...Aren't you gaming banks and credit card issuers to collect quick $200-700 bonuses, with sole intent to close out asap - I've seen no one protesting for years of daily sharing hacks of that exercise
It would be an oversimplification of this wonderful forum to say: hey, I'll just let a retailer (pretending to be a wholesaler) run my travel book for me - and I'll still excel in the space in the deal space.
Just like the other commentator went about (possibly) gaming some promotion sites...Aren't you gaming banks and credit card issuers to collect quick $200-700 bonuses, with sole intent to close out asap - I've seen no one protesting for years of daily sharing hacks of that exercise
In a way i am glad they dont have any cashback as those are a major headache to track to begin with.. they manage to negotiate great discounts with certain (perhaps limited) vendors and i hope they stay focused on that goal - if i were to miss a few $ of possible cashback savings its really not a big deal... its not a universal solution but the rates are much better than otbitz, expedia etc...
Apr 16, 2017, 12:32 am
#49
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 11
Yes, Costco usually has a decent rate if booking through them. The only time I wouldn't is when booking cars in Europe. Although you're able to do make such arrangements with Costco, you can't specify an automatic transmission like you can on car rental sites.
Apr 17, 2017, 4:28 pm
#50
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,663
The only = a strong word here. Rented (a friend was in need) in NYC about 40% cheaper than Costco suggested, today!!
Apr 18, 2017, 7:19 pm
#51
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 39
The advantage of booking on the provider website that hasn't been mentioned is the ability to add, or use better, coupons with the Costco contract ID. Can make a difference, albeit sometimes small.
I'd like to understand about how one can save a lot of money (instead of a couple of percentage points) with CB. Care to give a link or some concrete examples, SinglePapa?
I'd like to understand about how one can save a lot of money (instead of a couple of percentage points) with CB. Care to give a link or some concrete examples, SinglePapa?
Apr 18, 2017, 10:16 pm
#52
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
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I have not had much success on autoslash though it provides a good benchmark (as does orbitz). I like costco. I've never had a problem with any of their bookings. I know this will shock you but sometimes I even book through hertz as they often slash their rates <30 days out. I don't do cashback sites (too much hassle, too little payout) and probably never will. I generally go with the cheapest price but sometimes pay a little more for an SUV or for a more reliable hassle free experience, e.g. Hertz. So I'm part of the problem.
Apr 24, 2017, 9:28 pm
#54
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 984
One thing I like about Costco is that my wife is automatically covered when we rent a car through any of the companies.
Warning though concerning Budget and Costco. When I went to pick up my rental car from Budget at LAS, the price came up different and I didn't notice until they ran the card. I did manage to talk the agent back down to the original price by waving my printed confirmation, but the credit card account still showed the higher price. When I called Budget customer service, they said that they had been having problems with Costco rates not going into their system properly and that my card would be adjusted when I returned the car. (This did happen with no problems when I returned the car.)
Word of Warning - Make sure you have your Costco reservation printed and check the amount before you let them swipe your card.
I asked why their agents weren't aware of this glitch, but never got a good answer.
Warning though concerning Budget and Costco. When I went to pick up my rental car from Budget at LAS, the price came up different and I didn't notice until they ran the card. I did manage to talk the agent back down to the original price by waving my printed confirmation, but the credit card account still showed the higher price. When I called Budget customer service, they said that they had been having problems with Costco rates not going into their system properly and that my card would be adjusted when I returned the car. (This did happen with no problems when I returned the car.)
Word of Warning - Make sure you have your Costco reservation printed and check the amount before you let them swipe your card.
I asked why their agents weren't aware of this glitch, but never got a good answer.
May 1, 2017, 11:21 am
#55
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Somewhere in Florida
Posts: 2,622
I've certainly seen my share of lackluster rental agencies, but can't say I've come across a single chain which is noticeably better than others. I've just learned to do a quick glance at the reviews for the various agencies available in the city I'm looking at to see which agency sucks the least.
May 2, 2017, 7:45 am
#56
Join Date: Feb 2013
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Posts: 5,943
So this has happened twice. About a month ago, reserved a 3-day one way rental for tomorrow on Costco Travel (Alamo) for $225. Checked the rates last night for the hell of it and, dang, $53 for same. Booked and canceled previous. So worth checking 24-48 hours before rental.
May 2, 2017, 8:25 pm
#57
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: Marriott Silver, Delta SkyMiles Member, Global Entry,AA Gold
Posts: 234
I have to say Costco travel really saves money as I booked a car rental for my next trip and I choose sixt-rent a car but I did not notice that they charge 11.99 per day for a 2nd driver and most the car rentals through Costco offer 2nd driver at no cost. I guess its why sixt-rent-a car is so cheap. I had a booking for the similar amount of money via Costco but cancelled it for sext-rent-a car since they gave a GLC for the same price but all of these extras add up
Jul 24, 2017, 9:24 am
#58
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 14
Has something changed with Costco Travel Car Rental lately ?I just checked some quotes and they were significantly higher (like 20%) than Autoslash (that sent me to Priceline Link). The last time I rented (a few months ago), Costco and Autoslash prices were not that different.
Jul 25, 2017, 9:06 pm
#59
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 3,381
Has something changed with Costco Travel Car Rental lately ?I just checked some quotes and they were significantly higher (like 20%) than Autoslash (that sent me to Priceline Link). The last time I rented (a few months ago), Costco and Autoslash prices were not that different.
costco travel sometimes doesn't have coupons (or doesn't apply them properly)
eg: Budget has BCD Code and Coupon code
https://www.costcotravel.com/Rental-Cars/Budget
Alamo doesn't
https://www.costcotravel.com/Rental-Cars/Alamo
For me, Autoslash/Priceline was able to quote using costco corp rate + coupon to make it cheaper for Alamo.
However, Priceline doesn't explicitly waive additional driver fee under costco corp rate
Budget and Priceline + costco corporate rate doesn't explicitly waive additional driver fee either (matches whatever autoslash/priceline gives)
Alamo.com + costco corp rate + coupon does (matches whatever autoslash/priceline gives)
guess which portal/car company I booked?
Last edited by paperwastage; Jul 25, 2017 at 9:11 pm
Aug 13, 2017, 12:52 pm
#60
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PacNW (SEA)
Programs: AS, IHG and post-loyal
Posts: 523
Apologies to resurrect this thread, but was going to use costco for the free extra driver. Without being married that's a big savings. Would love workarounds to get that benefit w/o using costco.