Rental car prices...check and recheck!

[rennigade]

This has been discussed multiple times before but wanted to bring it up again since its such an easy way to save some money.

In august I booked a rental car for Feb 2016 from las vegas to denver, one way rental. It started out at $670. I cancelled/rebooked in October, same days/car for $536. Just a couple minutes ago I cancelled/rebooked again for $383.

I saved $287 for a couple minutes of my time by clicking a mouse and entering text on a screen. I cant imagine the price going any lower but ill continue to check every other week or so and hopefully get lucky.

I dont notice swings that big when I book hotel rooms...but there is also savings to be had there as well. Doesnt hurt to check.

[ua_guy]

Nice save!

It's always worth asking if there are discounted rates for other types of memberships or affiliations too, AAA, AARP, corporate, educational, etc.

One way rentals are tough and tend to be expensive no matter what you do. That's pretty impressive that you were able to knock almost $300 off just re-booking at a different time.

[disneysteve]

I dont notice swings that big when I book hotel rooms...but there is also savings to be had there as well. Doesnt hurt to check.

I've posted about this as well. You can definitely save on hotels, too. The more expensive the hotel, the more likely you'll find significant savings.

I'm not sure how rental car pricing works, but hotel prices use what's called a yielding system. As occupancy increases, price increases. Conversely, if occupancy is low, prices drop. So if, as your travel date approaches, the hotel hasn't been filling up, you may snag a lower price than when you first booked.

Also, hotels will often run specials that include perks like free breakfast or a gift card to local shopping or a couple of free drinks at the hotel bar and those deals may not be announced too far in advance so it pays to check back.

[rennigade]

Also, hotels will often run specials that include perks like free breakfast or a gift card to local shopping or a couple of free drinks at the hotel bar and those deals may not be announced too far in advance so it pays to check back.

Thats true. I almost always book hotels through orbitz...you can usually find an orbitz coupon code. And like you said...if you check at different times there are specials added on like free drinks/breakfast.

[disneysteve]

The other thing about rental cars is to always check different pick up/drop off locations in the vicinity. The price can vary dramatically.

My cousin lives in Florida and he came to NJ to visit last month. He checked the price to rent a car at the airport. Then someone told him he could rent at the train station instead and it would be cheaper. He ended up saving several hundred dollars by doing that. There is a train that runs directly from the airport to the train station so it was a simple commute when he got off the plane, well worth the few extra minutes it took for the amount that he saved.

[phantom]

It's always worth asking if there are discounted rates for other types of memberships or affiliations too, AAA, AARP, corporate, educational, etc.

I'll second this suggestion. The last time I rented a car, my AAA membership saved me about 30%.

[creditcardfree]

I've only had to rent a car when we go to Florida and I agree, checking and rechecking and rebooking when necessary is worth the effort!