is there a best day to make rental car reservation?

buckeyetodd · #1 05-05-2012, 03:50 PM

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forgive me if this has been asked before but there are certain days that airfares are said to be cheaper. i was wondering if there is anything like this in the car rental business? i'm considering renting a car for three days at the end of may and just want to find the best deal. so far, alamo, using a acg coupon seems to be the cheapest. any thoughts would be appreciated.

todd

Buddha · #2 05-05-2012, 04:07 PM

Todd ....
Typically, the best days are similar to airline reservations ... Tues. Wed. and Sat. But you need to check both morning and evening on those days.

That being said, since you are so close to your trip date, you should almost check every day ... including Friday and Sunday evenings.

Most of my best deals were sometimes 6 to 8 weeks out from my trip date, and many times rental prices go back higher when you get inside of 3 weeks.

Good luck .....

lljimll · #3 05-05-2012, 04:09 PM

Costco has pretty good deals on website for Alamo car rentals

NandJfrmNJ · #4 05-05-2012, 05:34 PM

I was told by an Alamo employee that car rental prices are all about supply and demand and I'm inclined to believe him. We usually have our best luck with prices 4-6 weeks out but that depends on how busy a time it is in LV. We rented an intermediate car in Reno for a week in late Sept. (off season there) for a total of $46. By contrast, we paid $167 for a premium (the cheapest car available at the time of booking) in April. That's the most we have ever paid for a rental in LV. All I can suggest is to keep checking. Rates change frequently. Try BJ's for discount codes. You don't have to be a member.

utwofan · #5 05-06-2012, 03:07 PM

I have made and cancelled over 12 reservations in the past 2 months looking for the best price for my upcoming Vegas trip (mid-May). There is no set pattern when the prices go up or down. I have gone on line in the morning to see one price and few hours later another with another change in the evening.

I use the Costco Travel website for as it compares 4 different participating companies and shows all their discounts for every type of vehicle.

For some reason, that I haven't seen before, Budget has been coming in with the lowest rates for the past couple of days. I booked a full-size on Budget for 9 days for a total (fees & taxes included) at $143. The lowest price I have booked in the past 2 months on Alamo was for $166.

I also have a Mini-van reserved for $220 on Alamo for the same 9 day period. Budget had rates as low as $209 for the Mini-van for the same period. Today it might show $550.

Just takes time and effort.

tatterdema · #6 05-06-2012, 04:19 PM

I have always had the best luck with Saturday pick up. Most of the good coupons require a Saturday night keep as well, so that get it out of the way. Weekday rentals tend to be much higher. I think Costco coupons are much better than the AGC ones also, so you might want to check them. Especially for a 3 day. Right now you can get a $25 off a 3 day. Then use the AMEX corp code for an additional 15% if you pay with AMEX. My 4 day rental last week, full size, was $48 all in, with triple miles using the Costco code, and SW corp code for an additional 10% and triple miles. Those miles equal about $20, so I figure the car cost me about $25.

cpochick · #7 05-06-2012, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by utwofan

I have made and cancelled over 12 reservations in the past 2 months looking for the best price for my upcoming Vegas trip (mid-May). There is no set pattern when the prices go up or down. I have gone on line in the morning to see one price and few hours later another with another change in the evening.

I use the Costco Travel website for as it compares 4 different participating companies and shows all their discounts for every type of vehicle.

For some reason, that I haven't seen before, Budget has been coming in with the lowest rates for the past couple of days. I booked a full-size on Budget for 9 days for a total (fees & taxes included) at $143. The lowest price I have booked in the past 2 months on Alamo was for $166.

I also have a Mini-van reserved for $220 on Alamo for the same 9 day period. Budget had rates as low as $209 for the Mini-van for the same period. Today it might show $550.

Just takes time and effort.

What coupon code did you use for Budget to get that $143 for 9 days? The best I can get it down to is $177 for 8 days? Appreciate any help.

utwofan · #8 05-07-2012, 09:56 AM

I used BCD# W852863 and COUPON CODE MUGZ023. This was done automatically on the Costco selection screen.

The least expensive car I found this morning was $187 for a Compact. The mini-Van was over $500 yesterday and today it shows at $209.

Their rates have fluctuated up and down over the past 4 or 5 days and can change at anytime and several times during the day.

Steelers7 · #9 05-07-2012, 02:34 PM

I've always found early Tuesdays mornings to be the best for prices in general, but with cars in particular I check almost daily at least once. The further from your travel dates are best(2~3 months out), once inside that 6 week window prices generally climb steadily. Thats just in general though and I'm sure some find last minute deals.

leo21 · #10 05-07-2012, 03:36 PM

I haven't found a specific day of the week to be best for car rentals. There seems to be a window that you have to catch to get the best rates. I always try to check 60 and 90 days out give or take a few days and with promo codes I seem to catch the best deal. When things are soft, you can find good deals even 30 days out but if it's busy, you need to have things locked up well before then.