kmadsen

We are going to Maui for spring break. We have rented cars before, (but those were all before I learned abut this site). Just wondering if anyone has any secrets to gettting a good deal or knowing which company shines.

martym

I'm not sure one company is better than the others.
For a good price, I've always had good luck with Discount Hawaii Car Rental http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/ They use all the major car rental companies. No cost for the reservation and it can be cancelled if you don't like the price or the company you get.

joesorce

I sometimes find good deals listed on the airline websites under the frequent-flier partners. Like $35 off per week with Hertz, you might find this code at Delta.com or United.com, and anyone can join the airline clubs to get the discounts or bonus miles.

If you have a frequent flier number with an airline, car rental miles are a good way to keep your account alive. On some airlines, your miles used to expire in 3 years but now it's a year-and-a-half. But renting a car and giving your FF number will keep your account alive for another year and a half.

colombiana

kmadsen:
For rental cars I really look at price more than anything else with that said, I usually rent through priceline. I first go to hotwire and enter all the information (dates, car type) once I get a quote from them (it gives you a total rate) I then bid on priceline usually 25% less than the price I got from hotwire. To give you an example this past June I rented a minivan for my Maui vacation and the total with fees was $162.00 for 5 days, Honolulu I got an SUV for $129.00 for 4 days. I find this very convenient since you can pay for all that up front and start your vacation with one less bill to pay . Down side to this if you have to cancel your vacation you will loss it. Hope this helps, Gina.
p.s. the only con to this you can't get points on any programs.

annieO

If you are over fifty check out AARP. I always check a lot of discounts and AARP has had the best rates. Each time the best rates have been with different companies. You can also cancel without any charges.

smartcookie

I find that the best way is to check hotwire.com and travelocity.com and compare rates. then go to the actual websites of the top three companies with the best rates that you see. then, run a Google search for something like "Thrifty rental car coupon code" and you will pull up a ton of codes that you can enter when checking out online to further decrease your costs. Don't forget to check your your car insurance and your credit cards to see if you're covered for some of the car rental insurance to decrease costs that way too.

kmadsen

Thanks for all the responses, I have been working so hadn't checked my post for a couple of days. I will do some searching tomorrow. You all gave great advice for saving $$ which was my goal. Sorry AnnieO not to 50 yet ( just around the corner) I will use your advice in the future.

kmadsen

martym, When I click on the link http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/. They only have Brand x .....Dollar.... and Budget listed with prices??

martym

In the left hand column, click on the size car you want. A form comes up, fill that out and send. They get back to you by email with the best price they have. If you don't want it, just cancel.