Rental Car Prices?!?

[DisneyPrincess5]

DH and I booked our next trip (yay!) and have begun researching rental cars for our week long trip and wow were we astonished.
Dollar has the best rate for us so far. $99 buy it now price from Dollar for an economy. Enterprise is about $150 for economy. Then we looked around just for kicks and almost fell in the floor with laughter when we saw Hertz rate. Their rate for a week is close to $700 buy it now for an economy car! I redid the criteria 3 times, thinking I made a mistake but alas, this is the real cost. It is around spring break time but this is crazy.

What on earth is this huge discrepancy for???? Am I missing something important here? Is the $99 lock in buy it now rate a trap and there are hidden fees upon pick up?

 

[ItlngrlBella]

We just had a minivan from Fri-Monday for $351. This seemed high to me (because we usually drive our own car down). It was the best deal we could find and it was found with Alamo (car pickup in the terminal - feet away from baggage claim). I got the deal through booking via Southwest Airlines website (partners program) and it was also listed via the Kayak app.

I'm not familiar with Dollar but read through all the fine print. Hertz was priced ridiculously too high for us as well - even with AAA.

Some of the smaller rental places aren't in the terminal and will van you over to their lots - they tend to be cheaper but it's extra schlepping around.

They all try to sell you extra insurance - most personal auto insurance will cover you on car rentals (check before you go). I'm not sure what the huge discrepancy is for? Best wishes - hoping you find the best deal to fit your needs.

 

[onesandzeros]

I'm having the same experience! I rented from National in March '15 for a week at
$194 (before tax and fees). I went to book a car for a November trip
and it was over five hundred for the week!!!!!! I've relooked at my schedule and backed
the rental days back to two days at $99 a day.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Thanks for your input guys. We shopped around and read all the fine print and we booked Dollar (@ItlngrlBella they are inside MCO FYI for future reference, we have driven thru them before).

One sneaky thing which I don't appreciate: they sell it as a "Buy it now" and get a "special" deal of $99. After selecting your car it turns into $149 including tax. Ok fine. But what they really do (it did not state this until the reservation and confirmation were completed) is they charge you $99 now and charge the remaining balance once you arrive, adding up to the $149 total. They made it seem like the total would be $99 period. Hmmm it's ok still the best deal we could find.

 

[R W B]

I have never understood how rental car companies work. You can look at the same week and company A will be high on an economy car but low on a mini van but company B will be the exact opposite. I don't get it lol. I always check Expedia though.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

@R W B I agree it's confusing. I'm sure there's some big mathematical equation method to their madness. DH is familiar with the rental industry as he actually worked for Hertz when he was in college and he didn't even have a clue as to why the big rate difference.

 

[anchorman314]

I really think there is someone sitting in a room spinning a big wheel to determine the prices. I've been tracking a minivan for mid-October. It started out around $550 for the week. About mid-June, the price started dropping. By the end of June, it had plummeted down to $200. Now? It's back up to $550.

 

[R W B]

I really think there is someone sitting in a room spinning a big wheel to determine the prices. I've been tracking a minivan for mid-October. It started out around $550 for the week. About mid-June, the price started dropping. By the end of June, it had plummeted down to $200. Now? It's back up to $550.

Wow. I hoped you booked when it was at $200.

 

[anchorman314]

Wow. I hoped you booked when it was at $200.

Most definitely. And I have re-read the confirmation email about a dozen times, just to make sure I have the right dates and times.

 

[chrisy76334]

you really need to go armed with coupon codes, and keep checking back every few days. prices go up and down frequently. also keep rebooking and canceling as prices go down.

 

[SAV]

Agree with Chrisy. I always will book something that is an OK price and then just keep on using the Mousesavers.com discount codes and always get a lower rate as the trip draws closer. Since cancellations are free, it doesn't cost you anything but some time.

I have never done the buy it now and always get lower than that price when I first looked.

And you always need to go through and watch for the final fees that are added before deciding if it is a good deal. It seems like there is an additional $50 in fees added before you finally check out.

 

[draybook]

We have a mid-size suv for September 10th-23rd for $336. Not too shabby.

 

[Embowe]

We are heading into Tampa for our Disneymoon 10/31 thru 11/6 and wanted to splurge and get a convertible.....I know we will pay a premium but WOW.... might have to knock that off the list as $500+ for the week...unless I can find a discount code that actually works...lol