September 2018 Car Rental

[wings91]

Thank you. I get nervous that we'll show up and be in trouble.

I tried using the Disney AP discount but it showed the same price as regular pricing. Maybe I didn't use the right code. This new code was way better than 10% though so...

Nothing is absolute, and I always use online check in and go straight to the garage. The person in the checkout shack has never once batted an eye at me regardless of the code I've used. I've been both an airline pilot and a Brazilian tourist with my WI drivers license. All they want is your drivers license and credit card.

 

[TinkTink78]

Nothing is absolute, and I always use online check in and go straight to the garage. The person in the checkout shack has never once batted an eye at me regardless of the code I've used. I've been both an airline pilot and a Brazilian tourist with my WI drivers license. All they want is your drivers license and credit card.

And this is why I will pay the little extra - to check in online, and to be able to walk right out to a car. Last rental in April, I arrived early - checkout person was kind enough to "adjust" my rate not to reflect and additional time. It was only an extra half hour or hour (cant remember). Just smile and be nice, have your documents and DL and CC ready, and they have never given me problems.

 

[n2mm]

Leave in 3 weeks and am still sitting on the same rate I got a month ago. Still hoping to get under $300 for my 13 day rental (full size).

 

[emilymad]

We booked a last minute trip for 9/19-9/24. Rate on Alamo is $185 which is crazy for 4 days plus the Disney parking charge. I guess no rental car for us unless these rates drop.

 

[TinkTink78]

We booked a last minute trip for 9/19-9/24. Rate on Alamo is $185 which is crazy for 4 days plus the Disney parking charge. I guess no rental car for us unless these rates drop.

I saw $167 midsize for those dates not sure of your times... (corp code 7016215 and coupon code AD3868JST). Not a huge difference, but anything helps.

 

[andigomeep]

Leave in 3 weeks and am still sitting on the same rate I got a month ago. Still hoping to get under $300 for my 13 day rental (full size).

We must be there around the same time for about the same amount of time (9/8-9/20 for me). I've got Alamo at $358 with a $20 gift card. That's the best I've seen for the size car I want. Nothing is dropping.

 

[n2mm]

We must be there around the same time for about the same amount of time (9/8-9/20 for me). I've got Alamo at $358 with a $20 gift card. That's the best I've seen for the size car I want. Nothing is dropping.

Yep. We are 9/9 @8:30pmto 9/22@1:30pm. We are at $320 full size. If we change the time to 8:00 and 1:00 the price is higher....so keep it on the half hour. We used the passholder code 860292 and $25 coupon AD3868JST.

 

[kg66]

I have mine booked with Car Rental Savers. Now today when I try to access my reservation it says it has a virus and my computer won't open it. Does anyone else use that site?

 

[bluefunnel]

I have mine booked with Car Rental Savers. Now today when I try to access my reservation it says it has a virus and my computer won't open it. Does anyone else use that site?

Odd, I've used them for a few years without any issues.

Is the rental company's reservation number in the main part of the email(not the car rental savers number)? If it is, you can probably go to that company's site and look up your reservation that way.

 

[12disneybee]

Leave in 3 weeks and am still sitting on the same rate I got a month ago. Still hoping to get under $300 for my 13 day rental (full size).

Scored $354 total
Ford Explorer
Fox rental
Free spouse extra driver
14 nights

 

[jenjersnap]

Current best reservation I have found for 9 days in mid-September is $220 full-size via Alamo using same code and coupon as post 65 above. Midsize was $212. Would love to break $200 as that would best my planned Lyft and grocery delivery expenses if we forgo a car.

 

[kg66]

I checked my reservation and it went down $100. Whoo hoo

 

[n2mm]

Mine went up $8. No drops since booking several months ago. Still at $320 for 13 days full size. Between my rental and airfare, both have been high for this September.

 

[richmo]

Just popping in with some observations from my August (15th-20th) rental, since you guys are getting close.

I haven't read thru all of your posts, but my experience was that rates from 6 months out to even inside a month out didn't really change all that much, and in some cases even went up. My advice has always been to check occasionally, then once inside 3 weeks or so out, check pretty much daily. This time, there was some small movement once the 2 week mark hit, but I did best from about 7 days to about 3 days before the rental.

Like many of you, I prefer an onsite rental that allows me to skip the counter and choosing from a row is a nice feature too. Alamo is the obvious choice, but some of the others are getting more flexible with that, especially if you join their insiders/rewards/gold, etc. programs, which are generally free.

Alamo didn't work out for me this time. I think the best I could do was about $179 total for an intermediate for the 6 days using a Costco discount along with a $25 off coupon. That rate hit about 10 days before the rental and wouldn't budge. Surprisingly, and for the second trip in a row, Hertz was the winner for me. Using a AAA discount and a $5/day off coupon, my final total was about $136 total for a standard. I received an email from Hertz the day before saying to head straight to the garage and I could pick from anything in the "gold" row. Chose a Nissan Rogue and was very pleased with it.

Note that the Hertz discounts didn't really kick in until that last week. Alamo is probably still my preferred agency, but the Hertz experience has worked well for me the past two trips (and their platepass policy is very similar to Alamo (I think $1 more per day that you use it)...be careful with Budget, Dollar, etc. on that.

Anyway, keep the faith, your rates should start going down pretty soon and good luck!

 

[andigomeep]

I’ve been checking multiple times a day and there’s no movement in my rate. We leave Saturday. Anyone else having luck? Has anyone used the dollar express line at MCO? We have Alamo too, which I prefer but it’s about $80 more.

 

[elgerber]

I’ve been checking multiple times a day and there’s no movement in my rate. We leave Saturday. Anyone else having luck? Has anyone used the dollar express line at MCO? We have Alamo too, which I prefer but it’s about $80 more.

Nope we leave Friday and they are not budging at all. I think we are going to use DME and Uber/Lyft.

 

[n2mm]

Same here. No movement at all. We leave next Sunday. I’m sitting on the exact same price for months. Normally September is a lower season.

 

[Syndrome]

We are holding fast with no movement from Dollar . We are a few days away from our trip , and I think our price is the lowest we are going to get at this point.

We are $272 , for a Minivan . 10 days , pick-up and return at MCO with Dollar .
The best deal we were able to get was with the "National Dollar Day" , 1 day sale a few weeks ago.

Since we originally started at $600. , so we are feeling good at $272. Thats a good price for a minivan (which we need this trip) .

BTW, if you are a Dollar Express member (free to join) , you are able to bypass the line , go directly to the garage AND pick out your own car .

 

[andigomeep]

We are holding fast with no movement from Dollar . We are a few days away from our trip , and I think our price is the lowest we are going to get at this point.

We are $272 , for a Minivan . 10 days , pick-up and return at MCO with Dollar .
The best deal we were able to get was with the "National Dollar Day" , 1 day sale a few weeks ago.

Since we originally started at $600. , so we are feeling good at $272. Thats a good price for a minivan (which we need this trip) .

BTW, if you are a Dollar Express member (free to join) , you are able to bypass the line , go directly to the garage AND pick out your own car .

I called dollar to ask about their dollar express program. She said we’d have to go to the counter first, is that because we’ve never rented through them since signing up? Or is she misinformed? I also had nowhere to enter my flight info and I don’t want a car assigned to me on the opposite side I’m grabbing luggage on.

 

[Syndrome]

Depends on the airport .
MCO, we have always gone out to the garage , but Sanford does not have that option .

We have used Express at MCO on the "wrong side" before . Our name was not on the board , but we just visited the counter in the garage, and it was NP . They just guided us to the proper row to pick out our car .

If you do have to go to the counter first .......there should at least be a Dollar "Express" line at the counter to speed you through (if I remember) .