| How Much Does a Car Rental Cost? |
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| Typical costs: | - Car rental costs vary by location, duration of rental, type of car and season. To get an initial estimate of costs, try checking on an online travel web site such as Orbitz.
- According to a 2003 study by Consumer Web Watch, Orbitz.com often had the lowest car rental rates, followed by Travelocity, Expedia, Dollar and Alamo.
- Tip: Consider joining frequent rental programs, such as Dollar Express or the Hertz #1 Club, which are often free. These clubs often let you bypass the long lines and either go directly from the shuttle to your car, or go to an express line.
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| Additional costs: | - Often, there are additional charges for drivers under 25 years of age, and some rental companies do not rent to younger drivers at all.
- There are additional fees for gas (if you do not return the car with a full tank), or car insurance (if your credit card company and auto insurance company do not cover you).
- Taxes and additional fees can be hefty. Some airports have additional car rental taxes on top of normal sales tax.
- Additional drivers may or may not cost extra, depending on the car company. Spouses typically do not cost more.
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| Discounts: | - If you're willing to spend some extra time, you can often save money by taking a shuttle to a rental company that is located outside of the airport. This can save you from additional airport convenience fees and also typically give lower rates. An example of an airport with in-terminal and off-site rental agencies is the Honolulu International Airport.
- Tip: Talk to your car insurance company and credit card company before you travel to determine whether car rentals are already covered. If so, you should be able to decline the costly insurance fees.
- Tip: Shop different online travel sites such as Expedia and Travelocity, but then also compare rates directly with the rental companies. Rental companies often have a "Special Offers" section with various promotions and discounts, such as AAA discounts or "Hot Deals" that may not be listed on the travel sites.
- Tip: You can also use search engines, such as Google, to search for money saving promotion or coupon codes. For example, if you are considering using Hertz, try searching for "Hertz promo code".
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| Shopping for a car rental: | |
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Article updated November 2006 |
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Recent Posts |
| Amount: $264.00 |
Rental at Honolulu International Airport from Alamo
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| Posted by: Hawaii Trip in Honolulu, HI. | Purchased: 2007 |
| Location: Honolulu Airport | Car Size: Intermediate |
| Duration of Rental: 1 week |
| We just rented two mid-sized cars at the Honolulu International Airport from Alamo for $264 per car including all taxes. The rental location was off-site from the airport and it took about 20 minutes to get the the Alamo desk by van. Alamo has a deal going on where you get 10-15% off if you pre-pay, which we did (and if you need to, you can still cancel the pre-paid reservation). If you pay by Mastercard, Alamo has a coupon for a free car upgrade through 2007: http://www.alamo.com/index.do?action=/hotDealsTemplate&msg=AL_MastercardCardholders_upgrade_coupon |
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| Amount: $20.00 |
Tried Priceline, happy with result on car rental
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| Posted by: Wedding Guest in Seattle, WA. | Purchased: 2007 |
| Location: Seattle, Washington (Seatac) | Car Size: full |
| Duration of Rental: 5 days |
| I recently shopped for a full-size rental car in Seattle for early August. I had been wanting to try Priceline, but I always felt unsure because I didn't know how much to bid and I worried I'd be paying too much. started my bidding for a full-size car at $17 a day, which Priceline said was very unlikely to work, so I tried $18 a day. That bid failed, but they let me immediately rebid (normally you have to wait 24-72 hours after an unsuccessful bid). I bid $20 a day and got a full-size car from Avis. The taxes and fees (amazingly) are another $67, so the total was $167 for a 5 day rental, averaging just $33 a day with all taxes. |
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