Rommie2k6

I'm having problems getting down my rental car to $30/day or lower, including taxes and fees. Or maybe it's just a DTW and PHL problem, where I am renting.

So far I have tried:
- Autoslash, best I got was about $40/day
- National with corporate codes, also about $40/day (the contracted rates are $30/day but taxes increases them)
- Off-airport locations are slightly cheaper, but the costs of transportation/uber to these off-site locations make it a wash.

Are there strategies that I am not using? I can't justify paying $160 for a 4-day rental!!!

sdsearch

Exactly.

And have you ever tried Chicago or Anchorage? You might have trouble getting even below $50/day there at times.

Car rental rates, just like hotel rates, are very dependent on the location and the rental date. There's no way you can expect the same rate everywhere.

in addition to mentioning DTW and PHL, you also have to explain when it is you're trying to rent. Rents in some places vary a lot with the season.

For example, everything on the ground in Phoenix in the summertime tends to be super-cheap, because hardly anyone who has a choice wants to visit there then. There are, to a lesser degree, such "low demand" times for many markets, but when that is depends on local specifics. Perhaps you've mostly rented in such places at such times before, and that's why you're "used to" such low rates?

Furthermore, just about anywhere rental rates vary depending on how far out you rent. I find many places the lowest rents are a few weeks out, but you can't count on it, so you have to book a cancellable reservation, and then update it if you find that the rate falls (whether through Autoslash or manually). You can't just try a search any old time and find the low rates that way.

AutoSlash

Yes, exactly what @sdsearch said. People in NYC or ANC or BOS or anywhere in Hawaii would give their right arm for a $30/day rate during summer. The rates in PHX are probably closer to $10-$15 day. It's all about supply and demand. The days of cheap rentals everywhere anytime are over. The rental companies have all right-sized their fleets and gotten better at yield management. If you want a great deal, prepare to book early and keep checking rates (or track with AutoSlash).