Hotwire for rental cars

I just got a great deal on a full size rental from Hotwire. $358 for a full size week long rental. I had a Jeep Wrangler reservation via Costco for almost double that. I would’ve like to have had a weeklong test driver with the Jeep, but it’s hard to justify double the cost.

They have up to a 50% off deal right now.

 

Great deal. Can it be canceled without payment?

 

Unfortunately not, you pay upfront and you can’t cancel without payment. That’s the downside to Hotwire, but if you’re certain you’re not going to cancel, it’s a good deal.

 

If you go through Costco, it’s around $100 more for a full size car for the dates I’m going.

 

This is different from the way Hotwire used to be. It used to be a good deal in many other places but not Vegas. Good to know.

 

I never used Hotwire or Priceline because of restrictions. At the beginning, it was, you bought, you got it. Pay up front and no cancelations or changes. Their best deals were blind bid. If I wanted to leave on Wed and come back on Sat, you might leave Wed at 11pm and come back Sat at 7am. Of course, you never knew the airline, hotel or car rental company until you paid. I know they've changed since then, but that was nuts.

 

For rental cars they tell you it will be one of 4 rental car companies. I wouldn’t use them for airfare, because I definitely want to know the airline and time I’m leaving.