Up until a few years ago I always went through Hotwire or Priceline for car rentals. But now, both of these companies work with Sixt, and Fox car rental companies. I have not personally have had any experience with these companies but I have read enough stories of other bad experiences to make me leary. I realize that probably most of the time these companies are great but I am not willing to try them out.
On to the subject of today’s post:
Now, we rent almost exclusively through Costco. I feel very comfortable with the reputation of the companies that sell through Costco. And, I just LOVE all things Costco!
Car rentals are booked through Costco Travel. Anyone is able to research prices. But, to book you have to log in and have a Costco membership. The thing I really like about booking rentals through Costco is that I don’t have to pay anything to make a reservation. Another Costco benefit is that a second driver is included–no extra fees,
Evidence of Saving on Car Rentals at Costco vs. Budget directly
The chart below is the cost (at the time of posting) to rent a car from May 12-18, 2019 at Orlando International Airport.
Since Budget seems to be the least expensive, I wanted to compare Costco prices with the prices on the Budget website.
At first it looks like going directly through Budget.com is a much cheaper option. So, I proceeded to the next step. On the next page I discovered that the price initially quoted does not include taxes and fees. That inexpensive $150 economy car that I could pay at the counter for suddenly becomes $221. If I want to take the gamble of paying ahead the $118 sure looks good. But again, clicking through to the next page the price jumps to $182.
$182? That looks familiar. The Costco price for an economy car that I pay at the counter for is $182. And, when I click on to the next page, it is still $182 including taxes and fees. So, with Costco I reserve at the same low pay now price as the Budget.com website and I don’t have to pay until I actually use the car. SCORE!
Okay, now for my super HOT TIP! We have used Costco quite a few times over the last couple of years. I have learned to book a reservation early (or as soon as I book airline tickets). Then I keep checking back on the Costco website to see if the prices have dropped. Most of the times we have made reservations sure enough, the prices dropped. Then I make a new reservation and cancel the more expensive one. For example, on our recent trip to California. We reserved a 12-passenger van for 11 days for $890. I kept checking back and eventually the price dropped to $750. Yippee!
So, what tips to you have to get good deals on car rentals? Share your secrets in the comments below!
Happy travels to you…until we meet again!
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